Outdoor digital modulator system for use with a linear radio, and a method thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9407354-B2
Application number	US-201414588124-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 31, 2014
Priority date	Dec 31, 2014
Publication date	Aug 2, 2016
Grant date	Aug 2, 2016

Abstract

A communication system, an apparatus and a method for communicating with a radio disposed in an outdoor unit are provided. The apparatus including: a de-multiplexor configured to separate a multiplexed signal received on an inter-facility link (IFL) into a first signal; a demodulator configured to demodulate the first signal based-on a first modulator control information to obtain data; a modulator configured to modulate a portion of the data based-on a second modulator control information to generate a second signal; and an amplifier configured to amplify a transmission signal prior to transmission of the transmission signal with an antenna, wherein the transmission signal is based on the second signal, the second modulator control information is received by the de-multiplexor and the second modulator control information controls the modulation scheme used by the modulator.

First claim

We claim:

1. An apparatus for communicating with a radio disposed in an outdoor unit, the apparatus comprising:
a de-multiplexor configured to separate a multiplexed signal received on an inter-facility link (IFL) into a first signal;
a demodulator configured to demodulate the first signal based on a first modulator control information to obtain data;
a modulator configured to modulate a portion of the data based on a second modulator control information to generate a second signal; and
an amplifier configured to amplify a transmission signal prior to transmission of the transmission signal with an antenna,
wherein the transmission signal is based on the second signal, the second modulator control information is received by the de-multiplexor and the second modulator control information controls the modulation scheme used by the modulator.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a multiplexor configured to add a third signal based on a signal received from the antenna to the multiplexed signal communicated via the IFL.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a phase-lock loop (PLL) configured to synchronize a clock based on an oscillator frequency received over the IFL;
wherein the first signal is modulated at a first frequency greater than 10 MHz, and the first frequency is less than the oscillator frequency, and the oscillator frequency is selected as one of less than or equal to 500 MHz, less than or equal to 400 MHz, less than or equal to 300 MHz, less than or equal to 230 MHz, less than or equal to 200 MHz, less than or equal to 150 MHz, less than or equal to 100 MHz, or the like.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the oscillator frequency is variable and the transmission signal uses a carrier frequency that is a multiple of the oscillator frequency.

5. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the oscillator frequency is greater than a third harmonic frequency of the first frequency.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising an up-converter disposed between the second signal and the transmission signal.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the data comprises the second modulator control information for the modulator.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the second modulator control information controls a modulation scheme used by the modulator.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a modulation scheme requested by the first modulator control information is different than a modulation scheme requested by the second modulator control information.

10. A communication system comprising:
an In-Door Unit (IDU) modulator configured to generate a first signal at a first carrier frequency by modulating data based on a first modulator control information;
a multiplexor configured to generate a multiplexed signal comprising the first signal;
an Inter-Facility Link (IFL) to communicate the multiplexed signal; and
a remote apparatus configured to receive the multiplexed signal via the IFL, the remote apparatus comprising:
a de-multiplexor configured to separate the first signal from the multiplexed signal,
a demodulator configured to demodulate the first signal based on the first modulator control information to obtain data,
a modulator configured to modulate a portion of the data based on a second modulator control information to generate a second signal, and
an amplifier configured to amplify a transmission signal prior to transmission of the transmission signal with an antenna,
wherein the transmission signal is based on the second signal, the second modulator control information is received by the de-multiplexor and the second modulator control information controls the modulation scheme used by the modulator.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the remote apparatus comprises a multiplexor configured to add a third signal based on a signal received from the antenna to the multiplexed signal communicated via the IFL.

12. The system of claim 10 , wherein the remote apparatus comprises
a phase-lock loop (PLL) configured to synchronize a clock based on an oscillator frequency received over the IFL;
wherein the first signal is modulated at a first frequency greater than 10 MHz, and the first frequency is less than the oscillator frequency, and the oscillator frequency is selected as one of less than or equal to 500 MHz, less than or equal to 400 MHz, less than or equal to 300 MHz, less than or equal to 230 MHz, less than or equal to 200 MHz, less than or equal to 150 MHz, less than or equal to 100 MHz, or the like.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the oscillator frequency is variable and the transmission signal uses a carrier frequency that is a multiple of the oscillator frequency.

14. The system of claim 12 , wherein the oscillator frequency is greater than a third harmonic frequency of the first frequency.

15. The system of claim 10 , wherein the remote apparatus comprises an up-converter disposed between the second signal and the transmission signal.

16. The system of claim 10 , wherein the data comprises the second modulator control information for the modulator.

17. The system of claim 10 , wherein the second modulator control information controls a modulation scheme used by the modulator.

18. The system of claim 10 , wherein a modulation scheme requested by the first modulator control information is different than a modulation scheme requested by the second modulator control information.

19. A method for communicating data over an inter-facility link (IFL) between an indoor unit (IDU) and a radio disposed in an outdoor unit (ODU), the method comprising:
establishing a first modulator control information;
establishing a second modulator control information;
modulating, with an IDU modulator, the data comprising the established second modulator control information based on the established first modulator control information to generate a first signal;
receiving the first signal from the IDU at the ODU with the IFL;
demodulating the received first signal in the ODU to obtain the data;
retrieving the second modulator control information from the demodulated first signal;
configuring an ODU modulator using the retrieved second modulator control information;
modulating, with the ODU modulator, a portion of the data to generate a second signal based on the retrieved second modulator control information; and
transmitting a third signal based on the second signal,
wherein a modulation scheme requested by the first modulator control information is different than a modulation scheme requested by the second modulator control information.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the data comprises the second modulator control information.

21. The method of claim 19 , wherein the first modulator control information controls a modulation scheme used by the IDU modulator and the second modulator control information controls a modulation scheme used by the ODU modulator.

22. The method of claim 19 , wherein a modulation data rate requested by the first modulator control information is different than a modulation data rate requested by the second modulator control information.

23. The method of claim 19 , wherein the modulating of the data by the ODU modulator overlaps in time with the receiving of the first signal from the IDU.

Assignees

• Hughes Network Systems Llc
• Hughes Network Systems L L C

Inventors

• Jackson Thomas
• Eapen George
• Lacasse Paul

Classifications

• H04B7/18517

  Transmission equipment in earth stations · CPC title

• H04B7/18582

  Arrangements for data linking, i.e. for data framing, for error recovery, for multiple access · CPC title

• H04L7/0331

  with a digital phase-locked loop [PLL] processing binary samples, e.g. add/subtract logic for correction of receiver clock (H04L7/0337 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H04B7/18528 Primary

  Satellite systems for providing two-way communications service to a network of fixed stations, i.e. fixed satellite service or very small aperture terminal [VSAT] system · CPC title