Broadband wireless communications systems and methods using multiple non-contiguous frequency bands/segments
View Patent ↗Wireless communications transceivers include a transmitter that is configured to selectively frequency shift and transmit portions of broadband information over multiple non-contiguous narrowband frequency bands/segments, each of which is too narrow to carry the broadband information. A receiver also is configured to receive and selectively frequency shift portions of broadband information from multiple non-contiguous narrowband frequency bands/segments, each of which is too narrow to carry the second broadband information. Broadband information thereby may be transmitted and received in a regulated communications environment, even though a given provider may only be assigned discontinuous frequency bands/segments, none of which is wide enough to carry the entire broadband information.
1. A wireless communications transceiver comprising:
a transmitter that is configured to selectively frequency shift and transmit portions of first broadband information over a plurality of first non-contiguous narrowband frequency bands/segments, each of which is too narrow to carry the first broadband information, so as to transmit the first broadband information over the plurality of first non-contiguous narrowband frequency bands/segments; and
a receiver that is configured to receive and selectively frequency shift portions of second broadband information from a plurality of second non-contiguous narrowband frequency bands/segments, each of which is too narrow to carry the second broadband information, so as to receive the second broadband information over the plurality of second non-contiguous narrowband frequency bands/segments,
wherein the transmitter comprises:
a modulator that is configured to modulate a first carrier frequency with the first broadband information:
a frequency translator that is configured to translate portions of the first carrier frequency that is modulated with the first broadband information into a plurality of carrier frequencies in the plurality of first non-contiguous frequency bands/segments, each of which is modulated with a portion of the first broadband information; and
a power amplifier that is configured to amplify the plurality of carrier frequencies in the plurality of first non-contiguous frequency bands/segments, each of which is modulated with a portion of the first broadband information.
2. A wireless communications transceiver according to claim 1 , wherein the transmitter further comprises:
a time-domain to frequency-domain converter that is configured to convert the first carrier frequency that is modulated with the first broadband information from a time domain into a frequency domain representation, wherein the frequency translator is responsive to the time-domain to frequency-domain converter; and
a frequency-domain to time-domain converter that is configured to convert the plurality of carrier frequencies in the plurality of first non-contiguous frequency bands/segments, each of which is modulated with a portion of the first broadband information, back into the time domain, wherein the power amplifier is responsive to the frequency-domain to time-domain converter.
3. A wireless communications transceiver according to claim 2 :
wherein the time-domain to frequency-domain converter comprises an analog-to-digital converter that is responsive to the modulator and a Fourier transformer that is responsive to the analog-to-digital converter; and
wherein the frequency-domain to time-domain converter comprises an inverse Fourier transformer that is responsive to the frequency translator and a digital-to-analog converter that is responsive to the inverse Fourier transformer.
4. A wireless communications transceiver according to claim 3 wherein the frequency translator is a digital frequency translator.
5. A wireless communications transceiver according to claim 2 :
wherein the time-domain to frequency-domain converter comprises a plurality of bandpass filters; and
wherein the frequency-domain to time-domain converter comprises a summer.
6. A wireless communications transceiver according to claim 5 wherein the frequency translator comprises a plurality of modulators.
7. A wireless communications transceiver according to claim 1 wherein the receiver comprises:
a sub-band channelizer that is configured to isolate the plurality of second non-contiguous narrowband frequency bands/segments;
a frequency translator that is configured to translate the plurality of second non-contiguous narrowband frequency bands/segments that are isolated, into a contiguous frequency band/segment; and
a demodulator that is configured to demodulate the contiguous frequency band/segment to extract a measure of the second broadband information.
8. A wireless communications transceiver according to claim 7 wherein the receiver further comprises:
a time-domain to frequency-domain converter that is configured to convert the plurality of second non-contiguous narrowband frequency bands/segments into a frequency domain representation, wherein the sub-band channelizer is responsive to the time-domain to frequency-domain converter; and
a frequency-domain to time-domain converter that is configured to convert the contiguous frequency band/segment to a time domain representation, wherein the demodulator is responsive to the frequency-domain to time-domain converter.
9. A wireless communications transceiver according to claim 8 :
wherein the time-domain to frequency-domain converter comprises an analog-to-digital converter that is responsive to the plurality of second non-contiguous narrowband frequency bands/segments and a Fourier transformer that is responsive to the analog-to-digital converter; and
wherein the frequency-domain to time-domain converter comprises an inverse Fourier transformer that is responsive to the frequency translator and a digital-to-analog converter that is responsive to the inverse Fourier transformer.
10. A wireless communications transceiver according to claim 9 wherein the frequency translator is a digital frequency translator.
11. A wireless communications transceiver according to claim 8 :
wherein the time-domain to frequency-domain converter comprises a plurality of bandpass filters; and
wherein the frequency-domain to time-domain converter comprises a summer.
12. A wireless communications transceiver according to claim 7 wherein the frequency translator comprises a plurality of modulators.
13. A wireless communications transceiver according to claim 1 wherein the transceiver comprises a portion of a radioterminal, a space-based component, a gateway, a terrestrial base station and/or an ancillary terrestrial component.
14. A wireless communications transceiver according to claim 1 wherein the plurality of first and second non-contiguous narrowband frequency bands/segments are satellite narrowband frequency bands/segments that are controlled by a single satellite communications provider.
15. A wireless communications transceiver according to claim 1 wherein the transmitter is configured to preferentially transmit the first broadband information over the plurality of first non-contiguous narrowband frequency bands/segments, each of which is too narrow to carry the first broadband information, so as to transmit the first broadband information over the plurality of first non-contiguous narrowband frequency bands/segments, while suppressing transmitting the first broadband information outside the plurality of first non-contiguous narrowband frequency bands/segments.
16. A wireless communications transceiver according to claim 1 wherein the transmitter is configured to preferentially assign subportions of the first broadband information to the plurality of first non-contiguous narrowband frequency bands/segments, each of which is too narrow to carry the first broadband information, and to transmit the preferentially assigned subportions of the first broadband information over the plurality of first non-contiguous narrowband frequency bands/segments, so as to transmit the first broadband information over the plurality of first non-contiguous narrowband frequency bands/segments.
17. A wireless communications transceiver according to claim 14 wherein the first and second non-contiguous narrowband satellite frequency bands/segments are in L-band.
18. A wireless transceiver according to claim 1 :
wherein the transmitter is configured to selectively frequency shift and transmit portions of first broadband information without deleting an element of the first broadband information; and
wherein the receiver is configured to receive and selectively shift portions of second broadband information.
19. A wireless communications transceiving method comprising:
frequency shifting and transmitting portions of first broadband information over a plurality of first non-contiguous narrowband frequency bands/segments, each of which is too narrow to carry the first broadband information, so as to transmit the first broadband information over the plurality of first non-contiguous narrowband frequency bands/segments; and
receiving and frequency shifting portions of second broadband information from a plurality of second non-contiguous narrowband frequency bands/segments, each of which is too narrow to carry the second broadband information, so as to receive the second broadband information over the plurality of second non-contiguous narrowband frequency bands/segments,
wherein the frequency shifting and transmitting comprises:
modulating a first carrier frequency with the first broadband information;
translating portions of the first carrier frequency that is modulated with the first broadband information into a plurality of carrier frequencies in the plurality of first non-contiguous frequency bands/segments, each of which is modulated with a portion of the first broadband information; and
amplifying the plurality of carrier frequencies in the plurality of first non-contiguous frequency bands/segments, each of which is modulated with a portion of the first broadband information.
20. A method according to claim 19 wherein the frequency shifting and transmitting further comprises:
time-domain to frequency-domain converting the first carrier frequency that is modulated with the first broadband information from a time domain into a frequency domain representation, wherein the translating is responsive to the time-domain to frequency-domain converting; and
frequency-domain to time-domain converting the plurality of carrier frequencies in the plurality of first non-contiguous frequency bands/segments, each of which is modulated with a portion of the first broadband information, to a time domain representation, wherein the amplifying is responsive to the frequency-domain to time-domain converting.
21. A method according to claim 20 :
wherein the time-domain to frequency-domain converting comprises Fourier transforming; and
wherein the frequency-domain to time-domain converting comprises inverse Fourier transforming.
22. A method according to claim 21 wherein the translating is performed digitally.
23. A method according to claim 20 :
wherein the time-domain to frequency-domain converting comprises bandpass filtering; and
wherein the frequency-domain to time-domain converting comprises summing.
24. A method according to claim 23 wherein the translating comprises modulating.
25. A method according to claim 19 wherein the receiving and frequency shifting comprises:
isolating the plurality of second non-contiguous narrowband frequency bands/segments;
translating the plurality of second non-contiguous narrowband frequency bands/segments that are isolated, into a contiguous frequency band/segment; and
demodulating the contiguous frequency band/segment to extract a measure of the second broadband information.
26. A method according to claim 25 wherein the receiving and frequency shifting further comprises:
time-domain to frequency-domain converting the plurality of second non-contiguous narrowband frequency bands/segments into a frequency domain representation, wherein the isolating is responsive to the time-domain to frequency-domain converting; and
frequency-domain to time-domain converting the contiguous frequency band/segment to a time domain representation, wherein the demodulating is responsive to the frequency-domain to time-domain converting.
27. A method according to claim 26 :
wherein the time-domain to frequency-domain converting comprises Fourier transforming; and
wherein the frequency-domain to time-domain converting comprises inverse Fourier transforming.
28. A method according to claim 27 wherein the frequency translating is performed digitally.
29. A method according to claim 26 :
wherein the time-domain to frequency-domain converting comprises bandpass filtering; and
wherein the frequency-domain to time-domain converting comprises summing.
30. A method according to claim 25 wherein the frequency translating comprises modulating.
31. A method according to claim 19 wherein the transceiving method is performed by a radioterminal, a space-based component, a gateway, a terrestrial base station and/or an ancillary terrestrial component.
32. A method according to claim 19 wherein the plurality of first and second non-contiguous narrowband frequency bands/segments are satellite narrowband frequency bands/segments that are controlled by a single satellite communications provider.
33. A method according to claim 19 wherein the frequency shifting and transmitting comprises preferentially frequency shifting and transmitting the first broadband information over the plurality of first non-contiguous narrowband frequency bands/segments, each of which is too narrow to carry the first broadband information, so as to transmit the first broadband information over the plurality of first non-contiguous narrowband frequency bands/segments, while suppressing transmitting the first broadband information outside the plurality of first non-contiguous narrowband frequency bands/segments.
34. A method according to claim 19 wherein the frequency shifting and transmitting comprises preferentially assigning subportions of the first broadband information to the plurality of first non-contiguous narrowband frequency bands/segments, each of which is too narrow to carry the first broadband information, and transmitting the preferentially assigned subportions of the first broadband information over the plurality of first non-contiguous narrowband frequency bands/segments, so as to transmit the first broadband information over the plurality of first non-contiguous narrowband frequency bands/segments.
35. A method according to claim 32 wherein the first and second non-contiguous narrowband satellite frequency bands/segments are in L-band.
36. A method according to claim 19 :
wherein frequency shifting and transmitting is performed without deleting an element of the first broadband information.