DATA-SPECIFIC BANDWIDTH ALLOCATION IN MULTIPOINT-TO-POINT COMMUNICATION USING ORTHGONAL FREQUENCY DIVISION MULTIPLEXING
A bidirectional communication system is provided. In one embodiment, a system comprises: a host unit and a plurality of remote units using a multiple access scheme to communicate at the same time with the host unit using orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM). The host unit allocates only a subset of available orthogonal tones within the OFDM system to at least one of the plurality of remote units. The host unit allocates a number of orthogonal tones to the at least one remote unit for upstream transmission based at least in part on a type of data to be transmitted by the at least one remote unit.
1 . A multipoint-to-point, orthogonal frequency division multiplexed (OFDM) communication system comprising:
a plurality of remote units,
a host unit that includes a demodulator;
wherein each of the remote units transmits an upstream OFDM signal using a multiple access scheme to the host unit demodulator using at least one of a plurality of orthogonal tones within an OFDM waveform,
wherein the host unit receives the upstream OFDM signals from a plurality of the remote units, the tones of the upstream signals being substantially orthogonal when received at the host unit;
wherein portions of upstream OFDM signals from at least two of the remote units arrive at the host unit at the same time,
wherein the host unit demodulator demodulates said portions, and
wherein the host unit allocates to a first remote unit up to a plurality of the orthogonal tones for upstream payload signal transmission based at least in part on a characteristic of data to be transmitted by the first remote unit.
2 . The OFDM communication system of claim 1 wherein the characteristic is a type of service data to be transmitted by the first remote unit.
3 . The OFDM communication system of claim 2 wherein the type of service data to be transmitted includes at least one of voice, plain old telephone service (POTS), integrated services digital network (ISDN), digital data service (DDS), digital signal 1 (DS1), and video service data.
4 . The OFDM communication system of claim 1 wherein the first remote unit transmits a request signal to the host unit indicating a type of service data to be transmitted by the first remote unit.
5 . The OFDM communication system of claim 1 wherein the system is used in a hybrid fiber coax network.
6 . The OFDM communication system of claim 1 wherein the system is used in a wireless network.
7 . A system comprising:
a host unit;
a plurality of remote units using a multiple access scheme to communicate at the same time with the host unit using orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM);
wherein the host unit allocates only a subset of available orthogonal tones within the OFDM system to at least one of the plurality of remote units, and
wherein the host unit allocates a number of orthogonal tones to the at least one remote unit for upstream transmission based at least in part on a type of data to be transmitted by the at least one remote unit.
8 . The system of claim 7 wherein the type of data to be transmitted by the at least one remote unit is at least one of voice, plain old telephone service (POTS), integrated services digital network (ISDN), digital data service (DDS), digital signal 1 (DS1), and video data.
9 . The system of claim 7 wherein the at least one remote unit transmits a request signal to the host unit indicating the type of data to be transmitted by the at least one remote unit.
10 . The system of claim 7 wherein the system is used in a hybrid fiber coax network.
11 . The system of claim 7 wherein the system is used in a wireless network.