Dynamic reconfiguration of resources through page headers
Methods and systems for reconfiguring communications systems are provided. A communications system comprises one or more radio head interface modules and a call processing software module. The one or more radio head interface modules are adapted to communicate with the call processing software module. The call processing software module performs modulation and demodulation of voice and data streams using one or more air interface standards. The one or more radio head interface modules receive reconfiguration parameters from the call processing software module for one or more logical channels. The call processing software module and the one or more radio head interface modules communicate one or more pages of data samples to each other, each of the one or more pages of data samples having a page header. Reconfiguration parameters are contained in the page header.
1. A radio head interface for a communications system, the radio head interface comprising:
one or more digital frequency converters; and
a configuration management unit, the configuration management unit adapted to receive reconfiguration parameters from the communications system for a digital frequency converter of the one or more digital frequency converters, the configuration management unit further adapted to reconfigure the digital frequency converter of the one or more digital frequency converters based on the reconfiguration parameters, wherein the reconfiguration parameters are contained within a page of data samples received by the radio head interface;
wherein the page of data samples further comprises a page header, wherein the reconfiguration parameters are contained in the page header;
wherein reconfiguration parameters include at least one of a frequency hopping indicator, RF frequency channel parameters, a protocol reconfiguration indicator, channel modulation protocol assignment parameters, a signal bandwidth indicator, signal bandwidth allocation parameters, a signal gain indicator, signal gain parameters, a timing trigger;
wherein the timing trigger is a designated time; and
wherein the designated time correlates to a time count internal to the radio head interface module.
2. A radio head interface for a communications system, the radio head interface comprising:
one or more digital frequency converters; and
a configuration management unit, the configuration management unit adapted to receive reconfiguration parameters from the communications system for a digital frequency converter of the one or more digital frequency converters, the configuration management unit further adapted to reconfigure the digital frequency converter of the one or more digital frequency converters based on the reconfiguration parameters, wherein the reconfiguration parameters are contained within a page of data samples received by the radio head interface;
wherein the page of data samples further comprises a page header, wherein the reconfiguration parameters are contained in the page header;
wherein reconfiguration parameters include at least one of a frequency hopping indicator, RF frequency channel parameters, a protocol reconfiguration indicator, channel modulation protocol assignment parameters, a signal bandwidth indicator, signal bandwidth allocation parameters, a signal gain indicator, signal gain parameters, a timing trigger;
wherein when the page header includes RF frequency channel parameters, the page header also includes the frequency hopping indicator; and
wherein when the page header includes RF frequency channel parameters and the frequency hopping indicator, the page header also includes the timing trigger.
3. A radio head interface for a communications system, the radio head interface comprising:
one or more digital frequency converters; and
a configuration management unit, the configuration management unit adapted to receive reconfiguration parameters from the communications system for a digital frequency converter of the one or more digital frequency converters, the configuration management unit further adapted to reconfigure the digital frequency converter of the one or more digital frequency converters based on the reconfiguration parameters, wherein the reconfiguration parameters are contained within a page of data samples received by the radio head interface;
wherein the page of data samples further comprises a page header, wherein the reconfiguration parameters are contained in the page header;
wherein reconfiguration parameters include at least one of a frequency hopping indicator, RF frequency channel parameters, a protocol reconfiguration indicator, channel modulation protocol assignment parameters, a signal bandwidth indicator, signal bandwidth allocation parameters, a signal gain indicator, signal gain parameters, a timing trigger;
wherein when the page header includes channel modulation protocol assignment parameters, the page header also includes the protocol reconfiguration indicator; and
wherein when the page header includes channel modulation protocol assignment parameters and the protocol reconfiguration indicator, the page header also includes the timing trigger.
4. A radio head interface for a communications system, the radio head interface comprising:
one or more digital frequency converters; and
a configuration management unit, the configuration management unit adapted to receive reconfiguration parameters from the communications system for a digital frequency converter of the one or more digital frequency converters, the configuration management unit further adapted to reconfigure the digital frequency converter of the one or more digital frequency converters based on the reconfiguration parameters, wherein the reconfiguration parameters are contained within a page of data samples received by the radio head interface;
wherein the page of data samples further comprises a page header, wherein the reconfiguration parameters are contained in the page header;
wherein reconfiguration parameters include at least one of a frequency hopping indicator, RF frequency channel parameters, a protocol reconfiguration indicator, channel modulation protocol assignment parameters, a signal bandwidth indicator, signal bandwidth allocation parameters, a signal gain indicator, signal gain parameters, a timing trigger;
wherein when the page header includes signal bandwidth allocation parameters, the page header also includes the signal bandwidth indicator; and
wherein when the page header includes signal bandwidth allocation parameters and the signal bandwidth indicator, the page header also includes the timing trigger.
5. A radio head interface for a communications system, the radio head interface comprising:
one or more digital frequency converters; and
a configuration management unit, the configuration management unit adapted to receive reconfiguration parameters from the communications system for a digital frequency converter of the one or more digital frequency converters, the configuration management unit further adapted to reconfigure the digital frequency converter of the one or more digital frequency converters based on the reconfiguration parameters, wherein the reconfiguration parameters are contained within a page of data samples received by the radio head interface;
wherein the page of data samples further comprises a page header, wherein the reconfiguration parameters are contained in the page header;
wherein reconfiguration parameters include at least one of a frequency hopping indicator, RF frequency channel parameters, a protocol reconfiguration indicator, channel modulation protocol assignment parameters, a signal bandwidth indicator, signal bandwidth allocation parameters, a signal gain indicator, signal gain parameters, a timing trigger;
wherein when the page header includes signal gain parameters, the page header also includes the signal gain indicator; and
wherein when the page header includes signal gain parameters and the signal gain indicator, the page header also includes the timing trigger.
6. A radio head interface for a communications system, the radio head interface comprising:
one or more digital frequency converters; and
a configuration management unit, the configuration management unit adapted to receive reconfiguration parameters from the communications system for a digital frequency converter of the one or more digital frequency converters, the configuration management unit further adapted to reconfigure the digital frequency converter of the one or more digital frequency converters based on the reconfiguration parameters, wherein the reconfiguration parameters are contained within a page of data samples received by the radio head interface;
wherein the page of data samples further comprises a page header, wherein the reconfiguration parameters are contained in the page header;
wherein reconfiguration parameters include at least one of a frequency hopping indicator, RF frequency channel parameters, a protocol reconfiguration indicator, channel modulation protocol assignment parameters, a signal bandwidth indicator, signal bandwidth allocation parameters, a signal gain indicator, signal gain parameters, a timing trigger;
wherein a page of data samples further comprises a plurality of quadwords; and
wherein one or more quadwords of the plurality of quadwords contains one or more data samples.
7. A radio head interface module, the module comprising:
a transmit buffer, the transmit buffer adapted to receive a data stream from a call processing software module and store the data stream as a page of data samples having a page header, the data stream comprising digital samples of a modulated radio frequency (RF) waveform representing voice and data communications;
a transmit engine;
a digital upconverter, the transmit engine adapted to transfer the page of data samples from the transmit buffer to the digital upconverter;
a configuration management unit adapted to receive reconfiguration parameters from the call processing software module, wherein the reconfiguration parameters are included within the page header;
a memory adapted with digital upconverter parameters;
wherein the configuration management unit is further adapted to access the memory to lookup associated digital upconverter parameters based on the reconfiguration parameters;
wherein the configuration management unit is further adapted to output the associated parameters to the digital up converter;
a receive buffer;
a receive engine; and
a digital downconverter;
the receive engine adapted to transfer a data stream from the digital downconverter to the receive buffer, the receive buffer adapted to store the data stream as a page of data samples having a page header, the receive buffer further adapted to output the page of data samples to the call processing software;
the memory further adapted with digital downconverter parameters;
wherein the configuration management unit is further adapted to access the memory to lookup the associated digital downconverter parameters based on the reconfiguration parameters; and
wherein the configuration management unit is further adapted to output the associated parameters to the digital downconverter.
8. The system of claim 7 , wherein configuration information for an associated set of forward and reverse logical channels is included within the page header of a reverse logical channel of the one or more logical channels.