Abstract: A communication protocol for ultra-wideband communications is provided. The present invention provides compatibility and interoperability between ultra-wideband communications devices within various types of networks. In one embodiment, combined, or interleaved data frames having both high and low data transfer rate capability are provided. The low data transfer rate may be used for initial discovery of the type of network that is being accessed, and the high data transfer rate may be used to quickly transfer data within networks that have a high data transfer rate capability. This Abstract is provided for the sole purpose of complying with the Abstract requirement rules that allow a reader to quickly ascertain the subject matter of the disclosure contained herein. This Abstract is submitted with the explicit understanding that it will not be used to interpret or to limit the scope or the meaning of the claims.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods of ultra-wideband communication are provided. In one embodiment, an ultra-wideband transmitter comprises a pulser that receives a first data stream comprising high and low signal values. The pulser generates ultra-wideband pulses corresponding to the high signal values. A second pulser receives a second data stream and generates ultra-wideband pulses corresponding to the second data stream high signal values. A combiner then combines the ultra-wideband pulses and generates a combined plurality of ultra-wideband pulses, and a filter filters and shapes the plurality of ultra-wideband pulses prior to transmission. This Abstract is provided for the sole purpose of complying with the Abstract requirement rules that allow a reader to quickly ascertain the subject matter of the disclosure contained herein. This Abstract is submitted with the explicit understanding that it will not be used to interpret or to limit the scope or the meaning of the claims.

Abstract: Ultra-wideband (UWB) communication systems and apparatus are provided. One embodiment of an UWB receiver may include a first antenna that receives UWB pulses, and a second antenna that also receives UWB pulses. The UWB receiver also includes a delay element communicating with the second antenna, with the delay element delaying the UWB pulses received by the second antenna. A combiner in the receiver then combines the UWB pulses received by the first antenna with the delayed UWB pulses received by the second antenna. This Abstract is provided for the sole purpose of complying with the Abstract requirement rules that allow a reader to quickly ascertain the subject matter of the disclosure contained herein. This Abstract is submitted with the explicit understanding that it will not be used to interpret or to limit the scope or the meaning of the claims.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods of ultra-wideband communication are provided. In one embodiment, an ultra-wideband receiver comprises an envelope detector that detects the amplitude of a received ultra-wideband pulse and generates a waveform representative of the envelope of the received ultra-wideband pulse. A sign detector then determines a sign associated with a data bit encoded on the received ultra-wideband pulse. This Abstract is provided for the sole purpose of complying with the Abstract requirement rules that allow a reader to quickly ascertain the subject matter of the disclosure contained herein. This Abstract is submitted with the explicit understanding that it will not be used to interpret or to limit the scope or the meaning of the claims.

Abstract: Systems and methods of ultra-wideband communication are provided. In one ultra-wideband communication method, a communication channel is divided into a plurality of non-overlapping sub-channels by dividing a single serial message intended for an ultra-wideband communication device into a plurality of parallel messages. Each of the plurality of parallel messages are then encoded onto at least some of the plurality of sub-channels, and then transmitted. This Abstract is provided for the sole purpose of complying with the Abstract requirement rules that allow a reader to quickly ascertain the subject matter of the disclosure contained herein. This Abstract is submitted with the explicit understanding that it will not be used to interpret or to limit the scope or the meaning of the claims.

Abstract: A system and method of frame synchronization and detection for use in a digital receiver within a communication system. The digital radio communication system includes a receiver for receiving a signal stream that includes data frames. Each frame includes an arbitrary data sequence and a unique word. A predetermined number of contiguous bits from the unique word are appended to the beginning of each data frame to identify the start of the data frame. The communication system comprises a sampling circuit for sampling symbol levels, a filter to implement the cross correlation of the received signal with the stored unique word, a threshold detector circuit to detect when frame synchronization is achieved as well as additional circuitry to refine the estimate from the threshold detection circuit. The design utilizes coherent demodulation. However, the design is equally applicable to non-coherent demodulation. In one embodiment, the sampling rate is assumed to be two samples per symbol.

Abstract: An ultra-wideband pulse modulation system and method is provided. One method of the present invention includes transforming data into a ternary data set with data being represented with states of zero, positive one and negative one. The modulation and pulse transmission method of the present invention enables the simultaneous coexistence of the ultra-wideband pulses with conventional carrier-wave signals. The present invention may be used in wireless and wired communication networks such as hybrid fiber-coax networks. This Abstract is provided for the sole purpose of complying with the Abstract requirement rules that allow a reader to quickly ascertain the subject matter of the disclosure contained herein. This Abstract is submitted with the explicit understanding that it will not be used to interpret or to limit the scope or the meaning of the claims.

Abstract: A system and method of timing estimation for use in a digital receiver within a communication system. An algorithm calculates the timing offset by evaluating the spectral component at the symbol clock frequency. The spectral component is generated using a nonlinearity operation. However, the maximum likelihood non-data-aided timing estimation equation reveals an alternative approximation for the logarithm of the hyperbolic cosine function present in the maximum likelihood equation, which offers a compromise between implementation complexity and variance performance. The estimated timing offset is then fed to a timing correction unit, which calculates the data samples corresponding to the sampling clock phase and removes the redundant samples. The ideal sampled signal is then forwarded to additional synchronization and functional units for further processing.

Abstract: A receiver for receiving a signal stream in a digital radio communication system. The signal stream includes data frames where each frame including a data signal sequence and a synchronizing signal sequence. The communication system synchronizes the receiver by employing the signal stream. The receiver includes a sampling circuit for sampling symbol levels in the synchronizing signal sequence and a synchronization subsystem. The synchronization subsystem utilizes a frame synchronization circuit, a dynamic interpolator and a decision-directed phase tracking mechanism for removing residual frequency and phase offsets. The synchronization subsystem also includes a threshold detection mechanism for comparing values derived from the sampled frame synchronization output with a predefined value which determines whether synchronization has occurred or not.

Abstract: A system and method of frame synchronization and detection for use in a digital receiver within a communication system. The digital radio communication system includes a receiver for receiving a signal stream that includes data frames. Each frame includes an arbitrary data sequence and a unique word. A predetermined number of contiguous bits from the unique word are appended to the beginning of each data frame to identify the start of the data frame. The communication system comprises a sampling circuit for sampling symbol levels, a filter to implement the cross correlation of the received signal with the stored unique word, a threshold detector circuit to detect when frame synchronization is achieved as well as additional circuitry to refine the estimate from the threshold detection circuit. The design utilizes coherent demodulation. However, the design is equally applicable to non-coherent demodulation. In one embodiment, the sampling rate is assumed to be two samples per symbol.

Abstract: A combiner circuit and method for use in a digital transmitter within a communication system. The combiner circuit receives a number of signal streams that include data frames. Each frame includes an arbitrary data sequence and portions of a unique word. The combiner circuit comprises a plurality of digital preamble circuits which append a predetermined number of contiguous bits from the unique word to each data frame. The system utilizes a plurality of spreaders, shifters, and a summer to further modify the data stream for transmission.

Abstract: A system and method of buffering data of a wireless communication system. The system and method maintain synchronization, end-to-end signaling and coding overhead bits needed to encapsulate data frames sent over wireless media. Additionally, the system and method compensate for transmitting and receiving clock variations. In one embodiment, the system uses framing of data with preamble, stuffing and signaling bits transmitted synchronously at a high data rate in the Industrial, Scientific and Medical (ISM) bands.

Abstract: The present invention provides a system and method of timing estimation for use in a digital, receiver within a communication system. This method exploits the complementary information available from the use of two different nonlinearities to estimate the timing offset following asynchronous sampling of the received signal at a rate of two samples per symbol. The present method operates in a feedforward configuration thereby avoiding issues associated with feedback configurations such as hangup. The present method uses a magnitude square nonlinearity as well as a delay, complex conjugate and multiply nonlinearity to calculate the timing offset. The choice of these nonlinearities is influenced by the need for the estimator to operate in the presence of a phase offset on the received signal. Timing estimators which can tolerate the presence of a slowly varying phase offset over the observation interval on the received signal are especially important in all-digital feedforward receiver design.

Abstract: A system and method for communication of radio frequency (RF) signals over multimedia signal paths. The invention provides a wireless multimedia carrier (WMC) system capable of receiving a variety of standardized input signals, such as DS0/E0, T1/E1, T2/E2, and/or T3/E3 for transmission using RF channels. The WMC system selectively employs time division multiple access (TDMA) and/or code division multiple access (CDMA) technology. The WMC system transmits the various signal inputs using RF carriers, receives the transmitted signals, and converts the signals to the desired signaling scheme (standard) for forwarding to intended destinations.

Abstract: A system and method providing a structure to the data sent over the air interface of a wireless communication system. The system and method allow compensation for transmitting and receiving frequency variations, synchronization at the receiver and provision of a virtual signaling channel for system alarms and status. In one embodiment, the system uses bit stuffing, a frame preamble and a signaling preamble to transmit data at a high data rate in the ISM band.

Abstract: A system and method of timing estimation for use in a digital receiver within a communication system. A timing estimation block is provided within a digital receiver, where the input signal is processed at four or more samples per symbol and the estimation block operates in a feedforward manner. The algorithm calculates the timing offset by evaluating the spectral component at the symbol clock frequency. The spectral component is generated using a nonlinearity operation. However, the maximum likelihood non-data-aided timing estimation equation reveals an alternative approximation for the logarithm of the hyperbolic cosine function present in the maximum likelihood equation, which offers an excellent compromise between implementation complexity and variance performance. The estimated timing offset is then fed to a timing correction unit, which calculates the data samples corresponding to the sampling clock phase and removes the redundant samples.

Abstract: A system and method of buffering data of a wireless communication system. The system and method maintain synchronization, end-to-end signaling and coding overhead bits needed to encapsulate data frames sent over wireless media. Additionally, the system and method compensate for transmitting and receiving clock variations. In one embodiment, the system uses framing of data with preamble, stuffing and signaling bits transmitted synchronously at a high data rate in the Industrial, Scientific and Medical (ISM) bands.

Abstract: A system and method of buffering data of a wireless communication system. The system and method maintain synchronization, end-to-end signaling and coding overhead bits needed to encapsulate data frames sent over wireless media. Additionally, the system and method compensate for transmitting and receiving clock variations. In one embodiment, the system uses framing of data with preamble, stuffing and signaling bits transmitted synchronously at a high data rate in the Industrial, Scientific and Medical (ISM) bands.