System and method for providing variable transmission bandwidth over communications channels
OwnerAlex Bugeja, Anant Agarwalinventors
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Abstract
A system and method are provided for variably adjusting transmission bandwidth over communications channels such as wireless local area networks (WLAN5) and wired channels such as cable lines. The system includes a programmable high speed data converter provided as part of a programmable front end interfacing to a communications channel. A controller coupled to the programmable front end analyzes a frequency spectrum to determine a required bandwidth for transmission of data and adjusts system filter characteristics to avoid unused portions of a spectrum thereby allowing the system to use less power than would otherwise be used if the system used the entire available spectrum.
Claims19
A method for providing a spectrally efficient communications channel in a communications system comprising:
- analyzing a spectrum to determine a bandwidth required for transmission of data within a channel;
- and
- allocating one or more extents within the spectrum, with each of the one or more extents being allocated as closely together as possible;
- and
- providing a communications system having a power consumption characteristic selected to be less than a power consumption characteristic which would exist if the entire spectrum were used for transmission by the communications system.
A method for providing a communications channel in a communications system having a front end, the method comprising:
- allocating multiple extents with each of the extents being allocated to minimize required bandwidth while still following one or more bandwidth limits set in a protocol specification;
- selecting a filter and data conversion characteristic for the front end which encompasses each of the multiple extents and which requires reduced power consumption by the communications system;
- and
- in response to detection of an impediment to transmission in an extent, changing the filter characteristic of the front end such that the front end is provided having a filter skirt which encompasses some of the allocated multiple extents but which excludes the extent having the impediment.
A method of providing a communication channel comprising:
- allocating adjacent extents;
- setting a frequency synthesizer center frequency and filter skirts such that the bandwidth operated on by a data converter is reduced in proportion to the reduction in unused bandwidth thereby reducing power consumption of the communications system to a level which is lower than the power consumption level which would be required to convert data in both the used and unused portions of the band.
A method comprising:
- monitoring one or more extents within a band in which one or more users are transmitting;
- detecting the presence of one or more interference signals within the band;
- determining the location of the interference signals within the band;
- and
- in response to determining the location of the interference signals within the band, changing the operating characteristics of one or more individual components in a radio frequency analog front end (RF/AFE) to provide the RF/AFE having a filter characteristic selected to filter out at least one of the one or more interference signals within the band and to reduce power consumption.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.