Abstract: A method for controlling a common channel wireless access premises area communication network, providing setup and low-delay transfer of either or both packet data or virtual connections by a limited length segmental packet transmission. The system includes a plurality of access points and a hub controller connected to and sequentially controlling the access points, providing wireless communication services from the access points to a plurality of stations.

Abstract: The function addressed is that of adaptive equalization to mitigate the effects of multiple path radio propagation in the context of point-to-multipoint, time division duplexed microwave radio systems. Without this equalization, fading and intersymbol interference degrades the accuracy of the recovered bit stream. This degradation of the received signal is caused by the vector sum of multiple copies of the transmitted signal arriving with various time offsets and amplitudes. The method employed uses a single training symbol per frame common for all time division multiplexed derived channels rather than one for each channel and for both up and down directions. Compensation is applied at each station transmitter rather than separately equalizing each received signal at the common receiver.

Abstract: An access protocol and method for a common channel wireless network addresses the functions needed in large scale wireless local or premises area networks where the user stations are or may include battery-powered portable computers and telephones either fixed or moving. The function provided is setup and rapid transfer of data packets or of virtual circuits by segmental packet transmission. Microwave radio frequencies are assumed to be the primary transmission mode, however optical propagation is also a usable medium.

Abstract: A method of sleep mode and contention resolution provides management of a sleep mode in stations and backup for resolution of contention on request for service messages. This reduces the possibility of excessively delayed access to infrastructure services by providing a backup non-contending POLL for service REQUESTs which are invoked at the Access-point Hub Controller upon indication of possible contention. A fast POLL of Stations registered to that Access-point is made in the following available time with a possibility of carry-over to the next access opportunity. The length of the POLL is minimized by addressing only "awake" Stations and omitting those in sleep mode. A slow POLL is used to transfer Stations in and out of sleep mode, and for other purposes.

Abstract: A baseband signal processor within a radio receiver provides a design which does not materially increase the size and weight or decrease the battery life of the host equipment. A passive analog delay line is used for correlation by analog summing. The time discrimination function of spread spectrum is retained, and is used for one dimension of the diversity operation. A further analog integration technique is used to sum the data symbol energy received over a time interval corresponding to the delay differences of multiple radio paths. The input signal for the signal processor is an NRZ binary analog baseband waveform that is shaped for a minimal bandwidth transmission medium, but modified by the distortions which result from radio propagation. The output of the signal processor is the data content presented as clean logic-level states with lines for data and bit clock.

Abstract: A communication system, medium adapter (10) for use therewith, and methods are provided which permit standard ring network transmission media (15) to support both ring and bus communication topologies and protocols, which may be selectively adapted to differing topologies and protocols without physical modification. Means (50) are provided for permitting each medium adapter (10) to maintain a continuous ring communication path in a quiescent state, and to break the ring and establish bus communication both originating and terminating at the transmitting adapter in a transmit state. The medium adapter provided may be used with existing 802.5 token-ring dual twisted pair wiring (19), while supporting existing 802.3 CSMA/CD, 802.4 token bus, or 802.5 token-ring interface hardware, among others.