System and method for generating an on-demand modulation waveform for use in communications between radios

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9325545-B2
Application number	US-201213558502-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 26, 2012
Priority date	Jul 26, 2012
Publication date	Apr 26, 2016
Grant date	Apr 26, 2016

Abstract

A method and apparatus for managing communications between communications systems is provided. A set of data channels available for use in exchanging data between a communications system and a set of communications systems is identified. A number of constraints for a modulation waveform are identified based on the set of data channels identified and environmental information about a communications environment for the communications between a radio and a set of radios. The modulation waveform that meets the number of constraints is identified. The modulation waveform is configured for use in exchanging the data between the communications system and the set of communications systems over the set of data channels.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for managing communications by a communications system with a set of communications systems distinct from the communications system, the method comprising:
identifying, using a channel manager, a set of data channels available for use in exchanging data between the communications system and the set of communications systems;
identifying, in a waveform manager, a number of constraints based on a number of selected criteria for a modulation waveform based on the set of data channels identified and environmental information about a communications environment for the communications by a radio with a set of radios;
generating, using the waveform manager, a mathematical condition for each constraint in the number of constraints;
forming, using the waveform manager and the mathematical condition for each constraint, an optimization problem;
solving, using the waveform manager, the optimization problem, such that solving the optimization problem satisfies the number of constraints for the set of data channels, while maximizing or minimizing a set of parameters;
forming, on-demand, using a solution to the optimization problem, a unique and original customized modulation waveform, devoid of predefined modulated waveforms, that specifically and uniquely meets the number of constraints for the set of data channels; and
using the customized modulation waveform exchanging the data between the communications system and the set of communications systems over the set of data channels by encoding and exchanging data over multiple channels comprised by the set of data channels simultaneously across an entirety of the set of data channels.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of identifying the number of constraints for the modulation waveform comprises:
identifying the number of constraints for the optimization problem based on the set of data channels identified and the environmental information, such that the modulation waveform meets the number of constraints with a level of accuracy that is higher than a modulation waveform selected from a set of predefined modulation waveforms.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the number of selected criteria includes at least one of environmental criteria, regulatory criteria, system criteria, energy and power criteria, bandwidth efficiency criteria, and waveform criteria.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
generating, based on solving the optimization problem, a sampled form of the customized modulation waveform that meets the number of constraints; and
using the sampled form of the customized modulation waveform in exchanging the data between the communications system and the set of communications systems over the set of data channels, the sampled form being customized for the number of constraints specific to communications between the radio and the set of radios over the set of data channels and under conditions of the communications environment.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
generating, based on solving a constraint optimization problem, a number of sampled orthogonal waveforms that meet the number of constraints; and
using the number of sampled orthogonal waveforms in exchanging the data between the communications system and the set of communications systems over the set of data channels.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of solving the optimization problem comprises:
identifying a number of sampled orthogonal waveforms for which a negative of a sum of differences squared for the number of sampled orthogonal waveforms is minimized.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of identifying the set of data channels available for use in exchanging the data between the communications system and the set of communications systems comprises:
identifying the set of data channels available for use in exchanging the data between the communications system and the set of communications systems using sensing signals received from the set of communications systems.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
receiving an incoming analog signal at a receiver in the communications system;
processing the incoming analog signal to form a digital message signal; and
demodulating the digital message signal using a sampled form of the customized modulation waveform to extract the data from the digital message signal.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising:
receiving incoming radio waves over the set of data channels at a receiving antenna in the communications system;
converting, by the receiving antenna, the incoming radio waves into the incoming analog signal; and
sending, by the receiving antenna, the incoming analog signal to the receiver.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
receiving the data at a transmitter in the communications system;
modulating a sampled form of the customized modulation waveform using the data to form a digital message signal;
converting the digital message to an analog message signal; and
modulating a carrier signal with the analog message signal to form an outgoing analog signal.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising:
sending the outgoing analog signal to a transmitting antenna in the communications system;
converting, by the transmitting antenna, the outgoing analog signal into outgoing radio waves; and
transmitting the outgoing radio waves over the set of data channels.

12. An apparatus that comprises:
a channel manager in a communications system that comprises:
a spectrum sensing function that identifies a set of data channels available for use in exchanging data by the communications system with a set of communications systems distinct from the communications system; and
a waveform manager that comprises a processor configured such that in operation the waveform manager:
identifies a number of constraints based on a number of selected criteria for a modulation waveform for communications by a radio with a set of radios;
generates a mathematical condition for each constraint in the number of constraints;
forms, based upon the mathematical condition for each constraint, an optimization problem;
solves the optimization problem while maximizing or minimizing a set of parameters; and
forms, on-demand, based upon a solution to the optimization problem, a unique and original customized modulation waveform, devoid of predefined modulated waveforms, that specifically and uniquely meets the number of constraints for the set of data channels, wherein the customized modulation waveform exchanges the data between the communications system and the set of communications systems over the set of data channels by encoding and exchanging data over multiple channels comprised by the set of data channels simultaneously across an entirety of the set of data channels.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the waveform manager is configured to identify the number of constraints for the optimization problem based on the set of data channels identified and environmental information about a communications environment for communications by a radio.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the waveform manager is configured to: generate the solution to the optimization problem, and use the solution to generate a sampled form of the modulation waveform that meets the number of constraints, wherein the sampled form of the modulation waveform is configured for use by at least one of: a transmitter, and a receiver, to exchange the data between the communications system and the set of communications systems over the set of data channels, the sampled form being customized for

Assignees

• Ray Gary Alan
• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Ray Gary Alan

Classifications

• H04W24/04

  Arrangements for maintaining operational condition · CPC title

• H04L1/0002

  by adapting the transmission rate · CPC title

• H04W52/262

  taking into account adaptive modulation and coding [AMC] scheme · CPC title

• H04L27/0008 Primary

  arrangements for allowing a transmitter or receiver to use more than one type of modulation (negotiating modulation type for two-way transmission paths H04L5/1453) · CPC title