Device for providing interoperability between communications systems

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD [Detailed description of the invention]

【0001】

[Field of Invention]

The present invention relates generally to communication systems, and more specifically to devices for providing interoperability between communication systems. [0002]

Background of the Invention

There are numerous and growing numbers of communication systems currently operating across the globe. Generally, each of these communication systems uses a particular communication signal format to transfer signals between users of the system. The signal formats used by a particular system are generally, for example, the physical medium used to transfer the signal (eg, wireless, wired, and / or fiber optic) and the type of information transferred (eg, eg). It is selected based on a number of considerations, such as audio, video, and / or data). Therefore, the signal format used by one communication system is different from that normally used by other communication systems, and therefore other systems are unable to recognize the signal transmitted by the first system and The reverse is also true. Systems that cannot recognize each other's signal formats are known as incompatible communication systems. [0003]

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

In the past, if two or more incompatible systems were desired to be interoperable with each other, a single custom to provide compatibility between the systems. A hardware-based focused solution (point solution) has been developed. Point solutions generally have very limited applicability to the particular signal formats they are designed to work with. Therefore, while point solutions work well within their limited application or applicability, they involve high development, deployment and maintenance costs due to their tailor-made nature. In addition, point solutions cannot adapt to changing signal formats and usually require redesign if signal format changes are made. [0004]

As the number of communication systems implemented is increasing, the demand for available spectra is correspondingly increasing. This increasing demand forces the redistribution of ownership of the spectrum, resulting in, for example, changes in radio interface protocols, relocation of services to other parts of the electromagnetic spectrum, and national security, to name a few. It results in increasing local control of the resulting spectrum. This spectral volatility creates a state in which the signal format is constantly evolving and changing based on current spectral allocation mechanisms. As a result, a given point solution is much more likely to become obsolete and therefore useless. [0005]

Therefore, there is a need for a system that can provide interoperability between a large number of communication systems, each using a different signal formatting mechanism. The system is preferably adaptable to support this new and / or changing signal format. In addition, it is desirable that the system be extensible to support yet other or additional signal formats when the need arises. In addition, the system should be able to support a relatively large number of signal formats to provide interoperability between the large number of corresponding communication systems currently in practice. [0006]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an information transfer system capable of providing interoperability between a number of communication systems, each using a different signal formatting mechanism. The information transfer system includes a plurality of radio interface units capable of converting signals between their own radio signal formats and common signal formats. The information transfer system also includes a unique wired signal format and a plurality of wired interface units that can be converted between the common signal formats. Each interface unit communicates with the corresponding external communication system via an external communication channel. The connection between the interface units provides interoperability between two or more previously incompatible external communication systems established within the information transfer system. In this way, the information transfer system can provide global interoperability between multiple communication systems using different waveforms and / or protocols. In a preferred embodiment, the information transfer system is dynamically or dynamically reconfigurable to support new and / or changing signal formatting mechanisms. The information transfer system of the present invention can be used for both stationary applications (eg, base stations and household equipment) and mobile applications (eg, wireless, maritime, vehicles and handheld devices). [0007]

FIG. 1 shows an information transfer system (ITS) 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown, the ITS 10 includes multiple wireless interface units 12a-12n, multiple wired interface units 14a-14n, a switch or switch 16, a controller or control unit 18, a signal classifier 20, a channel monitor or monitor. Department (channel) Includes monitor) 21 and user interface 22. Each of the wireless interface units 12a-12n includes a corresponding antenna port 24a-24n for use in connecting or communicating with one or more antennas 25a-25n. The channel monitor 21 also includes an antenna port 30 for connecting or communicating with the antenna 32. As shown in FIG. 1, the wireless interface units 12a to 12n and the channel monitor 21 can each be connected to a dedicated antenna or can share the antenna. In one embodiment, for example, a single phased array antenna is used in which many units generate multiple beams. Other antenna configurations are also possible. Each of the wired interface units 14a to 14n is an external wired communication entity or entity. Includes corresponding ports 26a-26n for connecting with entity). As shown in FIG. 1, for example, the wired interface unit 14a is connected to the external wired system 28a via port 26a, the wired interface unit 14b is connected to the external wired system 28b via port 26b, and is wired. The interface unit 14n is connected to the external wired system 28n via the port 26n. [0008]

As mentioned above, each of the wireless interface units 12a-12n can operate to convert the communication signal between a predetermined wireless signal format and the common signal format used by the switch 16. Therefore, each of the wireless interface units 12a to 12n can include a functional unit necessary for performing the required conversion. In one embodiment of the invention, each of the wireless interface units 12a-12n includes a wireless transmitter / receiver configured to operate with a predetermined wireless waveform. Each radio transmitter / receiver converts a signal between a radio signal format and a baseband data format. The wireless interface units 12a to 12n can be hardware-based units, software-based units, or hardware / software hybrid units. The external communication system serviced by the wireless interface units 12a-12n can include virtually any communication entity that uses the wireless channel. [0009]

Each wired interface unit 14a-14n can operate to convert a signal between the signal format used by the corresponding external wired system 28a-28n and a common signal format. Like the wireless interface units 12a-12n, the wired interface units 14a-14n can include any or some functional part necessary to perform the required conversion. As will be described in more detail later, external wired systems 28a-28n communicate information via wired connections (eg, wires, cables, fiber optics, or other viable or tangible waveguide structures). Can include virtually any form of communication entity. For example, one or more of the external wired systems 28a-28n are public switched telephone networks (PSTN), synchronous optical networks (SONET), local area networks (LAN), wide area networks (WAN), internet, cables. It can include wired communication networks, such as television networks, asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) networks, or any other network that provides wired access. In addition, one or more of the external wired systems 28a-28n are single hardwired inputs / outputs, such as personal computers, terminals, or other devices that use serial and / or parallel protocols. The device can be included. Other wired systems are also possible. [0010]

As used herein, the term "signal format" refers to a unique combination of signal characteristics that distinguishes one signal from the other. In general, systems that use a particular signal format will not be able to recognize signals that have other formats. In this regard, a signal format can include one or more of the following signal characteristic designations: waveform format (eg, center frequency, modulation format, etc.), information format (eg, center frequency, modulation format, etc.), information format (eg, center frequency, modulation format, etc.). For example, voice, video, data, etc.), signal protocols, multi-access formats (eg, CDMA, TDMA, FDMA, etc.), signal encryption formats, signal vocoder formats, etc. [0011]

Switch 16 can operate to establish a connection between any two or more interface units 12a-12n, 14a-14n. In this way, a connection can be established between the selected external communication systems. Since the switch 16 operates on information having a common signal format, interoperability is achieved between all connected systems. Switch 16 may include, for example, (a) one (or more) wireless interface unit and one (or more) wired interface unit, (b) two or more wireless interface units, or (c). A connection can be established between two or more wired interface units. In one scenario, for example, switch 16 conferencing between users in three or more external communication systems. connection) is established. A conference connection allows a user in each of the connected systems to send / receive information from / a user to each user in another system in the connection. In another scenario, switch 16 establishes a broadcast connection between external communication systems. That is, switch 16 establishes a one-way connection between one interface unit (both wired and wireless) and multiple other interface units (all wired, all wireless, or wired and wireless), so that some messages are sent at the same time. It can be communicated to multiple end users of different external communication systems. In yet another scenario, switch 16 establishes a monitoring connection between external communication systems. That is, a user of one external communication system can monitor the transmission or transmission of one or more other external communication systems. For example, a user of a cellular phone (such as an off-duty police officer) said the ITS. Police band transmissions can be monitored via 10, thereby avoiding the need for a separate police bunt radio. As you can see, many other connection configurations are possible. [0012]

The controller 18 can operate to control the operation of the switch 16, the plurality of wireless interface units 12a to 12n, and the plurality of wired interface units 14a to 14n, among other things. In one embodiment, the controller 18 determines the connection to be made between the interface units and commands the switch 16 to establish that connection. The controller 18 can determine that the connection is generated in various ways. In one approach, controller 18 said ITS via user device 34 and user interface 22. Receive connection requests from 10 users. For example, one user may want all communications from the wired system 28a to be broadcast to an external communication system coupled to the wireless interface unit 12a and the wireless interface unit 12b. The controller 18 first determines whether the requested connection is authorized and then commands the switch 16 to establish the requested broadcast connection. In another method, the controller 18 obtains connection information from a communication signal received from one of the external communication systems by the corresponding interface unit. For example, the signal received by the radio interface 12b can include a request to monitor the radio transmission of the police band. Controller 18 first determines if the requesting party is authorized to establish the requested connection, and if so, commands switch 16 to set up the connection. As you can see, there are many other techniques for determining the desired connection. In addition, any combination of techniques can be used. [0013]

The signal classifier 20 operates to classify incoming or incoming signals according to the signal format. The signal classifier 20 can also be used to classify interfering or interfering signals for use in interfering mitigation procedures. The channel monitoring unit 21 can operate to monitor the spectral environment related to ITS 10, among other things. Further, the channel monitoring unit 21 can be used to monitor the quality of communication through one or more of the interface units. As described in more detail below, the information generated by the signal classifier 20 and the channel monitor 21 can be used by the controller 18 to determine the optimal configuration for one or more interface units. [0014]

User interface 22 provides an interface between controller 18 and external user equipment 34, thus allowing user control over the operation of ITS 10. The user device 34 can include, for example, a central processing unit, a display device, and a personal computer having a keyboard for command input. Other types of user input / output devices can also be used. [0015]

It should be noted that the blocks shown in Figure 1 represent functional elements that do not necessarily correspond to individual hardware units. For example, in one embodiment of the invention, many of the functional parts represented by blocks in FIG. 1 are implemented by software in a single digital processor. Many other hardware / software structures are also possible. [0016]

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, some or all of the wireless interface units 12a-12n and / or some or all of the wired interface units 14a-14n are dynamically and electronically. It can be rebuilt. This allows the processing characteristics of the interface unit to be easily modified in the field to meet changing system requirements. By using an electronically reconstructable interface, the ITS 10 of the present invention can adapt to changing system requirements without requiring costly redesign or manual operation of the equipment. This is ITS Greatly extends the useful life of 10. If the signal format used by a particular external wireless communication system changes, for example, controller 18 (or other functional unit) reconstructs the wireless interface unit corresponding to that external system and uses the revised signal format. Can work. In other scenarios, interface units that were previously dedicated to signal formats that are no longer widely used in the telecommunications industry will be restructured to work with different, more widely used signal formats. There are many other situations in which a reconstructable interface is beneficial. [0017]

According to the present invention, the interface unit can be rebuilt by software and / or hardware. For example, in one approach, one or more interface units have associated random access memory (RAM) (general purpose microprocessor (GPP), reduced instruction set computer (RISC), or digital signal processor (DSP)). It is carried out in a digital processor (such as). The RAM includes software routines for interfaces for use by digital processors in processing communication signals. Electronic reconstruction of such an interface is accomplished, for example, by replacing the old routine stored in said RAM with a new routine corresponding to a new or revised signal format. [0018]

In other methods, one or more interface units are rebuilt in hardware. For example, an interface unit can be implemented within a field programmable gate arry (FPGA) to provide the required processing functionality. As is well known in technology, FPGAs contain a large number of logical cells that can be selectively interconnected to achieve a virtually unlimited number of processing functions. In order to reconstruct an FPGA electronically, a configuration file or configuration file is usually transmitted to the FPGA to indicate the desired interconnection that should be made between the cells. According to the present invention, both analog and digital FPGA devices can be used. [0019]

In other hardware-based approaches, one or more interface units include traditional hardware processing elements with adjustable input values. For example, one interface unit is a decryption with variable key input. It can include an IF filter with a unit) or variable passband. According to the present invention, the interface unit can be reconstructed or reconfigured by transmitting new input values to various traditional hardware elements within the interface unit when conditions are required by the controller 18. For example, if an external communication system changes the key used to encrypt the outgoing or outgoing signal, the controller 18 will give the new key to the decryption unit in the interface unit, which is the new key. Can be communicated after knowing or learning about the value of. In one application, the encryption key for an external system changes dynamically, for example, based on an algorithm known by controller 18. The controller 18 can track changes in the encryption key and dynamically or dynamically adjust the value of the key used by the decryption unit within the interface unit. In other techniques, the controller 18 can change the bandwidth value of the IF filter to determine and compensate for a particular communication channel being very noisy. [0020]

It should be understood that the interface units of the present invention can be implemented as a combination of software and hardware processing elements. For example, in one embodiment, the interface unit is implemented using a combination of analog hardware processing equipment, FPGA, and digital processing equipment. Other combinations are possible. [0021] [0021]

As shown in FIG. 1, the channel monitoring unit 21 is linked to the antenna 32 to monitor the spectral environment for ITS 10. Antenna 32 is an ITS in the frequency band of interest All electromagnetic energies related to 10 can be detected. The channel monitoring unit 21 measures the frequency and magnitude of the electromagnetic energy and generates a spectral profile for the channel. According to one aspect of the invention, this spectral information is used by the controller 18 to determine the optimal configuration for one or more radio interface units. For example, in one embodiment, a software-based interface unit includes multiple interface routines for use with a particular external communication channel. Each of the routines is optimized for use with different channel noise levels. During operation, the channel monitoring unit 21 determines the current noise level in the communication channel and the controller 18 based on it selects an interface routine for use in the interface unit. In another embodiment, the controller 18 uses the spectral information to determine the optimal waveform for use within a particular communication channel. For example, if one or more jamming signals are detected in the channel, the controller 18 will transmit at the frequency removed from the jamming signal (eg, in the empty part of the spectrum). You can decide to rebuild the interface unit associated with. However, ITS 10 must include some means for notifying the intended receiver of the signal (ie, the corresponding external communication entity) of the change in signal format. [0022]

The channel monitoring unit 21 is also coupled to each of the interface units 12a to 12n and 14a to 14n and monitors the quality of communication flowing through the units. In one embodiment of the invention, for example, the channel monitoring unit 21 measures the bit error rate (BER) of the received signal processed by each of the interface units 12a-12n and 14a-14n. Other quality metrics can also be monitored. In one embodiment of the invention, ITS 10 uses quality information from channel monitoring unit 21 to determine the optimal method for configuring or constructing an interface unit. For example, the controller 18 can be programmed to reconfigure the interface unit if the quality of communication through the communication unit falls below a certain threshold (eg, if the BER exceeds a certain value). The controller 18 can also make other decisions based on the information from the channel monitoring unit 21. [0023]

As mentioned above, the signal classifier 20 can operate to classify incoming signals according to the signal format. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, as shown in FIG. 1, the signal classifier 20 is coupled to each input of the wireless interface units 12a-12n and ITS. Classify the radio signals received by 10. The signal classifier 20 can also be used to classify the signals received from the wired channel. According to one aspect of the invention, the controller 18 uses the signal classification information from the signal classifier 20 to determine the optimal configuration for the interface unit. For example, it can be determined that the antenna 25n is receiving a relatively strong signal with a signal format that is not currently supported by the corresponding wireless interface unit 12n. The controller 18 can determine to further investigate the signal by reconfiguring the wireless interface unit 12n (or other interface unit) to process the identified signal format. Alternatively, the controller 18 can reconfigure the wireless interface unit 12n to perform some form of interference reduction with respect to the signal in order to reduce interference with other signals being processed by the wireless interface unit 12n. If the identified signal is also ITS If detected by the other antennas in 10, the controller 18 can also reconfigure the radio interface unit corresponding to those antennas. Other uses can also be made for the signal classification information from the signal classifier 20. [0024]

In another aspect of the invention, ITS 10 can be extended to add additional interface functionality. For example, an expansion slot can be provided on the switch 16 to add an interface unit based on additional hardware. The expansion slot can be based on, for example, standard, commercially available bus technology. Pre-programmed interface cards can also be used in accordance with the present invention. These interface cards can be reconfigurable or reconstructable. [0025]

It should be understood that the ITS 10 of the present invention does not necessarily convert all received signals into a common signal format. For example, if two or more external communication systems using the same format are linked, the signals can be exchanged without direct conversion. In addition, if there are two or more external systems that use some, but not all, of the same signal format format (eg, those that use different modulation formats but use the same audio coding format). Once linked, the received signal can be converted to an intermediate signal format common to the two or more external systems mentioned above. down). Intelligence can be provided within the controller 18 to determine when or when one of the above configurations can be performed. Also, in situations where two external systems using different signal formats should be connected, the controller 18 can allow direct conversion between the signal formats in some cases. That is, instead of converting the signal received from the two external systems into a common signal format, the controller 18 can provide an interface function for direct conversion between the two signal formats. [0026]

Figure 2 shows the application of the base station for ITS 10 in Figure 1. As shown, the ITS base station 40 can use antennas mounted on one or more towers to achieve wide angle coverage. The ITS Base Station 40 can simultaneously support communication activities between multiple external communication entities. For example, ITS Base Station 40 is a private residence 42, a mobile unit 44, a police band transmitter 46, a satellite-based communication system 48, a Global Positioning System (GPS) 50, a cellular base station 52, and a private internal local. A communication link to an office building 54 with an area network (LAN) can be supported or enabled at the same time. The ITS Base Station 40 is also a public switched telephone network (PSTN) 56, ATM network 58, SONET network 60, private LAN 62, WAN Wired links to external wired systems such as 64, Cable Television Network 66, and Internet 68 can be maintained. In addition, the ITS Base Station 40 can be linked to other external wired entities such as individual terminals, display devices, and / or audio equipment. According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, any of the external wired or wireless systems described above may be linked to any other within said system or any combination of other systems. Can communicate between. For example, a user in an office building 54 may request a connection to the GPS system 50 to communicate with the ITS base station 40 via a microwave link to obtain accurate timing information. In another example, the user in residence 42 may request a link to cable network 66 to transfer video information to residence 42. In yet another example, as mentioned earlier, the mobile unit 44 can request a connection to the police band transmitter 46 to monitor the transmission of the police band. [0027]

As is clear from FIG. 2, the ITS 10 of the present invention can perform multi-mode and multi-channel operations. That is, ITS 10 can be scaled to support virtually any number of signal formats and any number of external communication systems. In addition, the ITS 10 can be designed to support virtually any number of concurrent communication connections. [0028]

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a setup procedure according to an embodiment of the present invention. The setup procedure allows any one of the multiple external systems to request a connection to one or more other external systems. First, multiple interface units are provided to interface with multiple external systems (step 100). The plurality of interface units can include, for example, a unit for interfacing with both wired and wireless systems, as shown in FIG. The signal is then received from the first external system (step 102). The received signal is then converted to the common signal format used by ITS 10 using the appropriate interface unit (step 104). ITS 10 then determines a second external system to link to said first external system (step 106). For example, ITS 10 can identify the second external system by reading the request portion of the received signal. ITS 10 then selects a second interface unit capable of conversion between the common signal format and the signal format used by the second external system (step 108). Finally, a connection is established between the first interface unit and the second interface unit, which allows communication between the first external system and the second external system (step 110). The procedure described above can be modified to allow virtually any form of connection between systems, such as a one-way broadcast connection or a transmission monitoring connection. In addition, the procedures described above can be modified to support or enable other methods for determining which external communication systems to link together. [0029]

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing ITS 70 according to another embodiment of the present invention. Where possible, the same reference numbers used in Figure 1 to describe similar functional parts are used in Figure 4. Similar to the system described above, the ITS 70 includes a plurality of wireless interface units 12a-12n, a plurality of wired interface units 14a-14n, and a controller 18. However, instead of the switch 16, the ITS 70 is a data utilization device. device) 72 is included. The data utilization device 72 is a unit capable of using information from any one of a plurality of different sources or sources. For example, in one embodiment, the data utilization device 72 is a personal computer having an input / output device for interfacing a plurality of software applications stored in a mass storage unit for use by the user and the user. Consists of (desktop or laptop). Periodically, a user running one of the software applications may request data from an external system, or other information. In such cases, the data utilization device 72, assisted by the controller 18, establishes a communication link (via the appropriate interface unit) with the external system to obtain the data. As mentioned above, multiple communication links can be opened at the same time. In a preferred embodiment, the data utilization device 72 may transmit and / or receive information to or from any external system, or may broadcast the information to some or all external systems. it can. [0030]

In one embodiment of the invention, as shown in FIG. 5, the ITS 70 in FIG. 4 is a handheld. It is carried out at communicator) 78. In this embodiment, the data utilization device 72 includes, for example, a display device for displaying information to the user 76 of the handheld alarm device 78 and an input device for receiving commands and / or data from the user 76. Can be done. As shown, the handheld alarm 78 can establish a wireless connection with one or more of a plurality of external wireless systems 42-54 while being carried by the mobile user 76. Multiple external radio systems can include, for example, a residence 42, a mobile unit 44, a police band transmitter 46, a satellite communication system 48, a GPS system 50, a cellular base station 52, and / or an office building 54. Since the ITS70 is implemented in the mobile handheld alarm 78, it is not shown to be connected to an external wired system. However, in one embodiment of the invention, the handheld whistleblower 78 may be provided with a communication port to allow connection to one or more wired systems. For example, the handheld whistleblower 78 is a telephone jack (phone) for connecting to the PSTN. can include jack). Similarly, the handheld alarm 78 may include a coaxial connector for use in connecting to a cable television network. These ports can be used, for example, when User 76 is at home or when User 76 is staying in a temporary residence, such as a hotel. [0031]

During the operation of the handheld whistleblower 78, user 76 can decide that he wants to establish a communication link with a party in the office building 54. The user 76 can, for example, use the keypad of the whistleblower 78 to enter an appropriate request to the handheld whistleblower 78. The request signal is then transmitted from the whistleblower 78 to the office building 54. The LAN controller in the office building 54 then determines whether the user 76 is authorized to access the LAN in the office building. If authorized, the LAN controller establishes the requested connection. It should be understood that the handheld whistleblower 78 can only communicate with systems within a given range. In general, as is well known technically, the range will depend on factors such as transmit power level, antenna directivity, and receiver sensitivity. Furthermore, it should be understood that the maximum range for each of the external systems also varies from system to system. [0032]

See Figure 5 for ITS It should be noted that a single handheld alarm 78, including the 70, can be replaced by multiple individual dedicated radio units. That is, User 76 no longer needs a separate police band radio, cellular phone, satellite radio, or anything else. In addition, user 76 can emulate signals used by other systems to bypass the usual way of using the system. For example, the dwelling 42 may include a wireless local loop antenna for communicating with a wireless local loop base station (not shown). To establish a connection with the user in the home during normal operation of the radio local loop, the radio local loop base station sends a signal with the proper signal format to the radio local loop antenna mounted in the home 42. .. When a user in residence 42 picks up the phone to answer, a communication link is established between the wireless local loop base station and the user. According to the present invention, the handheld whistleblower 78 emulates a signal transmitted from a radio local loop base station to a radio local loop antenna mounted in a dwelling 42 and goes through the associated communication system. It is possible to establish communication with the user in the residence 42. [0033]

In addition to the features mentioned above, the ITS 70 can also be used to perform the switching or switching features previously described in connection with the ITS 10. As mentioned above, a connection can be established between different external systems via the ITS 70, regardless of whether the ITS 70 is configured in a stationary or mobile structure. However, it should be noted that for mobile applications, the ITS 70 must remain within the range of all external systems involved in the connection for the duration of the communication. [0034]

It should be understood that the above description relates to a particular embodiment of the invention and does not mean to be limiting in any way. That is, changes can be made to the embodiments described above without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, an information transfer system can be configured using only wireless interface units without interconnecting wired systems. Moreover, the various elements of the described structure can be combined, modified or removed without leaving the spirit and scope of the invention.

[Simple explanation of drawings]

[Figure 1]

It is a block diagram which shows the information transfer system which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. [Figure 2]

It is explanatory drawing which shows the information transfer system of FIG. 1 used in the use of a base station. [Fig. 3]

It is a flowchart which shows the connection setup procedure which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. [Fig. 4]

It is a block diagram which shows the information transfer system which concerns on other embodiment of this invention. [Fig. 5]

It is explanatory drawing which shows the information transfer system of FIG. 4 used for the use of hand-held communication. [Explanation of symbols]

10 Information Transfer System (ITS) 12a ~ 12n wireless interface unit 14a ~ 14n Wired interface unit 16 Switch or switch 18 controller 20 signal classifier 21 channel monitoring unit 22 User interface 24a ~ 24n antenna port 25a ~ 25n antenna 30 antenna port 32 antenna