Abstract: A wireless broadband communications system that provides increased reliability in environments in which portions of the available operating frequency band are subject to interference. The system determines whether the operating frequency band is being subjected to interference. If so, then the system determines whether such interference is affecting one or more portions of the band. If interference is affecting just portions of the band, then the system reduces the data rate and the number of sub-carriers used to transmit data. Next, the system allocates the data to be transmitted to the sub-carriers currently being subjected to the lowest levels of interference, while allocating no data to the sub-carriers currently being subjected to the highest levels of interference. In this way, the system allocates the data to be transmitted to the sub-carriers occupying optimal portions of the operating frequency band, in response to detected changes in the interference environment.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for adjusting transmission phasing in a point-to-point communication link is disclosed. The relative phases of the transmissions from each antenna are adjusted before transmission to give optimum gain when received by two or more antenna elements and a signal combining element. The signal includes a data component, consisting of a subset of the subcarriers modulated with the input data, which is common to transmissions from all antenna elements; and a phase reference component consisting of a subset of the subcarriers that are modulated with a predetermined phase. The signal combining element is operable to receive the components and extract phase information.

Abstract: A wireless broadband communication system that operates with high efficiency and reduced latency in long range point-to-point and point-to-multipoint applications. The system includes multiple transceivers and multiple antennas for transmitting and receiving wireless signals using TDD techniques over multiple channels, which include a control channel for setting both the size of the transmit bursts and the modulation threshold level. By determining the size of the transmit bursts for a subsequent data transmission based upon the number of filler packets detected in a specified number of previously received bursts, and adjusting the modulation threshold level for the subsequent transmission based upon the transmit burst size, the system provides increased data throughput, while maintaining the packet error rate at an acceptable level. As the throughput requirements of the system are relaxed, the modulation threshold levels can be adjusted to provide reduced packet error rates.

Abstract: A wireless broadband communications system that can maintain high data rates while taking into account channel interference resulting from operating in shared frequency bands, signal fading resulting from dynamic channel degradation, and signal distortion resulting from compliance with maximum power output regulations. In one mode of operation, the system performs adaptive modulation by transmitting a first signal over a selected channel using a first modulation mode having a level of distortion associated therewith resulting from operating the system at a predetermined maximum power output level. Next, a SINAD level is measured on the first channel. The level of distortion associated with the first modulation mode is then subtracted from the measured SINAD level to obtain a first noise level.

Abstract: A method is provided for implementing a coding and adaptive modulation scheme for application to a point-to-point orthogonal frequency division multiplexed radio communications link. The method determines estimates of the likelihood of the two least significant bits of the digital representation of an input amplitude being a predetermined logical level. The likelihood estimates are input to a Forward Error Correction decoder, which produces a decision as to the state of the bits taking into account previous samples. Once the decision has been made, it is known what the ideal input amplitude would have been in the absence of noise and distortion, on the assumption that the decision was correct, and hence the contribution due to noise and distortion can be estimated. This knowledge can be used to assist the decoding of the most significant bits.

Abstract: A transceiver at one end of a variable data rate, time division duplex (TDD), adaptively modulated, point-to-point radio link transmits one or more pulses at different amplitude levels during a settling period of the transceiver's power amplifier. The highest level of the pulses is set to a level higher than the mean level of an OFDM symbol in a transmit burst immediately following the transmitted pulses, and is incrementally increased with each successive burst. A second transceiver at the opposite end of the link receives the transmitted pulses as time domain samples, normalizes the samples, and performs a cross correlation of the samples corresponding to the received pulses. When the cross correlation indicates that the power amplifier is operating at a maximal power level with regard to the amplifier linearity and the modulation mode and coding rate currently in use, the incremental increase of the transmission power ceases.

Abstract: A wireless broadband communications system and method that achieves reduced latency for high priority data when multiplexed with lower priority data for transmission over a TDD point-to-point radio link. The system prepares multiple data streams for transmission over a TDD radio link by buffering multiple data streams containing high and low priority packets in separate queues based upon their corresponding priority level. Each packet in the higher priority queues has a specified size, and a header defining the type of service provided and the packet destination. Next, the packets in the lower priority queues are fragmented to a reduced size based upon the data capacity of the link. The high priority packets and the fragmented, low priority packets are arranged in a sequence such that the high priority packets are transmitted first, and the low priority packets are transmitted when no data is buffered in any high priority queue.

Abstract: A wireless broadband communications system that provides increased reliability in environments in which portions of the available operating frequency band are subject to interference. The system determines whether the operating frequency band is being subjected to interference. If so, then the system determines whether such interference is affecting one or more portions of the band. If interference is affecting just portions of the band, then the system reduces the data rate and the number of sub-carriers used to transmit data. Next, the system allocates the data to be transmitted to the sub-carriers currently being subjected to the lowest levels of interference, while allocating no data to the sub-carriers currently being subjected to the highest levels of interference. In this way, the system allocates the data to be transmitted to the sub-carriers occupying optimal portions of the operating frequency band, in response to detected changes in the interference environment.

Abstract: A wireless broadband communications system that can transmit signals over communications links with multiple modes of diversity, thereby allowing signals having very low correlation to propagate over the link along multiple orthogonal paths. The system can be implemented as a non-line-of-sight (NLOS) system or a line-of-sight (LOS) system. The NLOS system employs orthogonal frequency division modulation (OFDM) waveforms to reduce multi-path interference and frequency selective fading, adaptive modulation to assure high data rates in the presence of channel variability, and spectrum management to achieve increased data throughput and link availability. The LOS system employs space-time coding and spatial and polarization diversity to minimize ground bounce nulls. The system achieves levels of link availability, data throughput, and system performance that have heretofore been unattainable in wireless broadband communications systems.

Abstract: A wireless broadband communications system that increases data throughput and link availability through more efficient use of the electromagnetic spectrum allocated to the system. In one mode of operation, the system periodically measures a noise or interference level associated with each one of a plurality of communications channels, and generates a histogram of the measurements associated with each channel. Next, the system determines a noise/interference level estimate for each channel as a predetermined percentile of the histogram associated with the respective channel. The system then selects a respective one of the channels having the lowest noise/interference level estimate for subsequent signal transmission.

Abstract: Techniques for facilitating and reducing the costs associated with the installation of a wireless broadband communications system. In one mode of operation, the system employs a first transceiver to identify n channels having the n lowest levels of noise and interference associated therewith by a spectrum management technique. Next, the first transceiver transmits a predetermined code over the n channels to a second transceiver, which attempts to identify the predetermined code within a captured transmission. In the event the code is correctly identified, the second transceiver measures a noise and/or interference level associated with the corresponding channels. The channel having the lowest measured noise and interference level is then selected for use in system installation.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for adjusting transmission phasing in a point-to-point communication link is disclosed. The relative phases of the transmissions from each antenna are adjusted before transmission to give optimum gain when received by two or more antenna elements and a signal combining element. The signal includes a data component, consisting of a subset of the subcarriers modulated with the input data, which is common to transmissions from all antenna elements; and a phase reference component consisting of a subset of the subcarriers that are modulated with a predetermined phase. The signal combining element is operable to receive the components and extract phase information.

Abstract: A method is provided for implementing a coding and adaptive modulation scheme for application to a point-to-point orthogonal frequency division multiplexed radio communications link. The method determines estimates of the likelihood of the two least significant bits of the digital representation of an input amplitude being a predetermined logical level. The likelihood estimates are input to a Forward Error Correction decoder, which produces a decision as to the state of the bits taking into account previous samples. Once the decision has been made, it is known what the ideal input amplitude would have been in the absence of noise and distortion, on the assumption that the decision was correct, and hence the contribution due to noise and distortion can be estimated. This knowledge can be used to assist the decoding of the most significant bits.