Wireless communication modulation using electromagnetic polarization

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2025158696-A1
Application number	US-202519008321-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jan 2, 2025
Priority date	Dec 30, 2022
Publication date	May 15, 2025
Grant date	—

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for wireless communication with modulation using electromagnetic polarization. In some implementations, a device receives input data to transmit over a wireless communication channel, and the device has a (i) first antenna feed to receive signals for transmission with a first polarization and (ii) a second antenna feed to receive signals for transmission with a second polarization. The device modulates a radiofrequency carrier to generate modulated output that encodes a first subset of the input data, then upconverts the modulated output of the modulator to generate upconverted output. The device varies a polarization with which the upconverted output is transmitted based on a second subset of the input data, such that the input data is transmitted using both (i) modulation of the radiofrequency carrier signal and (ii) variation of the polarization with which the modulated signal is transmitted.

First claim

1 . (canceled)

2 . A communication device comprising:
a receiver configured to obtain data from a wireless communication channel having data transmitted through (i) modulation of a radio frequency carrier signal and (ii) variation of polarizations used to transmit the modulated signals, wherein the receiver comprises:
a first input line to receive signals transmitted with a first polarization;
a second input line to receive signals transmitted with a second polarization;
one or more downconverters configured to downconvert the received signals from the first input line and the second input line; and
one or more demodulators configured to extract transmitted information based on (i) transmitted symbols specified through modulation of the radio frequency carrier signal and (ii) the polarizations used to transmit the respective transmitted symbols over the wireless communication channel, wherein the one or more demodulators are configured to provide output data comprising bits encoded in the transmitted symbols and bits encoded in the polarizations used to transmit the transmitted symbols.

3 . The communication device of claim 2 , wherein the first polarization is a right-hand circular polarization (RHCP) and the second polarization is a left-hand circular polarization (LHCP).

4 . The communication device of claim 2 , wherein the one or more demodulators comprise:
a first demodulator that is configured to generate first extracted data based on which of the first input line or the second input line carries received signals for transmitted symbols; and a second demodulator that is configured to process downconverted signals from the one or more down converters to generate second extracted data based on the transmitted symbols; wherein the receiver is configured to provide output that combines (i) the first extracted data and (ii) the second extracted data.

5 . The communication device of claim 4 , wherein the first demodulator is configured to:
receive (i) first signals from the first input line and (ii) second signals from the second input line; compare characteristics of the first signals with characteristics of the second signals; determine, based on the comparison of the characteristics of the first signals with the characteristics of the second signals, which of the first input line and the second input line carries signals representing a transmitted symbol during a symbol period; and provide a bit of transmitted data corresponding to the symbol period that is determined based on the determination of which of the first input line or the second input line carries the signals representing the transmitted symbol.

6 . The communication device of claim 5 , wherein the first demodulator is configured analyze characteristics of the first signals and the second signals by analyzing at least one of a received power, a frequency, an amplitude, or a phase variation, without demodulating transmitted symbols send over the wireless communication channel.

7 . The communication device of claim 4 , wherein the receiver comprises a signal combiner configured to:
generate an output signal by combining the signals received on the first input line and the signals received on the second input line; and provide the generated output signal to the one or more downconverters.

8 . The communication device of claim 4 , further comprising:
a radio frequency multiplexer; a controller configured to instruct a radio frequency multiplexer to selectively pass, to an output of the radio frequency multiplexer, the signals received on the first input line or the signals received on the second input line based on the first extracted data; a first delay device configured to provide the signals from the first input line to the radio frequency multiplexer at a first time; and a second delay device configured to provide the signals from the second input line to the radio frequency multiplexer at a second time; wherein the radio frequency multiplexer is configured to (i) receive the signals transmitted with the first polarization from the first input line and receive the signals transmitted with the second polarization from the second input line and (ii) selectively pass the signals transmitted with the first polarization from the first input line or pass the signals transmitted with the second polarization from the second input line according to an instruction from the controller.

9 . The communication device of claim 4 , wherein the receiver comprises a combiner configured to generate an output bitstream that interleaves (i) bits that the first demodulator determines based on the polarizations used to transmit symbols over the wireless communication channel and (ii) bits that the second demodulator determines based on demodulation of the symbols.

10 . A method performed by a communication device, the method comprising:
receiving, by the communication device, signals on (i) a first input line arranged to receive signals from a first antenna configured to receive signals having a first polarization and (ii) a second input line arranged to receive signals from a second antenna configured to receive signals having a second polarization; downconverting the received signals from the first input line and the second input line; and demodulating received signals to extract transmitted information based on (i) transmitted symbols specified through modulation of the radio frequency carrier signal and (ii) the polarizations used to transmit the respective transmitted symbols over the wireless communication channel, including providing extracted data comprising bits encoded in the transmitted symbols and bits encoded in the polarizations used to transmit the transmitted symbols.

11 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the first polarization is a right-hand circular polarization (RHCP) and the second polarization is a left-hand circular polarization (LHCP).

12 . The method of claim 10 , comprising:
generating first extracted data based on which of the first input line or the second input line carries received signals for transmitted symbols; processing downconverted signals to generate second extracted data based on the transmitted symbols; and providing an output bitstream that combines (i) the first extracted data and (ii) the second extracted data.

13 . The method of claim 12 , further comprising:
comparing the characteristics of signals received on the first input line with characteristics of signals received on the second input line; based on the comparison, determining which of the first input line and the second input line carries signals representing a transmitted symbol during a symbol period; and providing a bit of transmitted data corresponding to the symbol period that is determined based on the determination.

14 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the characteristics comprise at least one of a received power, a frequency, an amplitude, or a phase variation; and
wherein the first extracted data is generated without demodulating the transmitted symbols.

15 . The method of claim 10 , comprising interleaving received bits that were encoded in the transmitted symbols and received bits that were encoded in the polarizations used to transmit the transmitted symbols.

16 . One or more non-transitory machine-readable media storing instructions that are operable, when executed by one or more processors of a communication device, to cause the communication device to perform operations comprising:
receiving, by the communication device, signals on (i) a first input line arranged to receive signals from

Assignees

• Hughes Network Systems Llc

Inventors

• Harrington Emanuel
• Mclaurin David

Classifications

• H04L27/20

  Modulator circuits; Transmitter circuits · CPC title

• H01Q21/245

  provided with means for varying the polarisation  (polarising devices H01Q15/24; tracking by comparing linear polarisation compounds G01S3/146; reducing depolarisation effects H04B7/00; polarisation diversity H04B7/10) · CPC title

• H04B7/10 Primary

  Polarisation diversity; Directional diversity · CPC title

• H04B7/18517

  Transmission equipment in earth stations · CPC title

• H04B1/16

  Circuits · CPC title