Time Division Multiple Access Communications System

The invention described herein may be manufactured, used and licensed by or for the Government for governmental purposes without the payment of any royalties thereon or therefor.

This invention relates generally to wireless communications systems and more particularly to a covert, relatively short range time division multiple access communications system involving a plurality of identical radio transceivers selectively operating as a master station and slave stations linked together through the selected master station.

Time division multiple access communications (TDMA) systems comprised of a plurality of geographically separated radio transceivers which communicate with one another through a master station are generally known. The slave stations do not have direct radio contact with each other, but communicate through the master station in a designated time slot within a channel frame period. Also the master station is a piece of apparatus specifically designed to provide control and synchronization and is normally dedicated for that purpose. Typical examples of such systems are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,908,088, "Time Division Multiple Access Communications System", Frank S. Gutleber, Sep. 23, 1975, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,301,530, "Orthogonal Spread Spectrum Time Division Multiple Accessing Mobile Subscriber Access System", Frank S. Gutleber, Nov. 17, 1981. If the master or central station in these systems becomes inoperable, the entire network becomes useless or at least is impaired to the point where it is substantially useless.

Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide an improvement in radio communications systems.

It is another object of the invention to provide an improvement in time division multiple access communications systems.

A further object of the invention is to provide a time division multiple access communications system wherein covert operation is provided between multiple slave stations by way of a master station.

Still a further object of the invention is to provide an improvement in time division multiple access communications systems which include a plurality of user stations, any one of which is capable of operating as a master station.

And yet a further object of the invention is to provide improvement in time division multiple access communications systems wherein a plurality of slave stations communicate with each other by way of a master station while utilizing a single frequency.

The foregoing as well as other objects of the invention are provided in a time division multiple access communications system comprised of a plurality of identically implemented transceivers geographically separated from one another, with each being capable of operating as a master or slave station and wherein one of the transceivers is selected, on demand, to act as the master station whereupon the other stations operate as slave stations and which thereafter are linked together through the selected master station to provide multiplexed digital channel and/or voice communications. Covert operation is further provided by operating the stations in a half duplex mode at a common frequency in the millimeter range of the electromagnetic spectrum and more particularly in the 54 GHz-58 GHz frequency band, a region of high atmospheric signal attenuation. In each instance, the respective transceivers include both an omnidirectional antenna which is utilized when operating as a master station, and a directional antenna which is utilized when operating as a slave station. By coupling two transceivers together at the same location, a repeater station can be established whereby one directional antenna is directed to the master station while the other directional antenna is directed to another slave station.

These and other features of the invention will become more readily understood from a consideration of the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a simplified diagram of a time division multiple access communications system generally illustrative of the subject invention;

FIG. 2 is a simplified diagram further illustrative of the subject invention;

FIG. 3 is a simplified diagram also further illustrative of the subject invention;

FIG. 4 is an electrical block diagram broadly illustrative of each transceiver making up the system configurations shown in FIGS. 1 through 3;

FIG. 5 is an electrical block diagram illustrative of the details of the RF head assembly shown in FIG. 4; and

FIGS. 6A through 6E are a set of time diagrams helpful in understanding the time division multiple access operation of the subject invention.

Referring now to the drawings and more particularly to FIG. 1, shown therein is a first embodiment of a time division multiple access communications (TDMA) system comprised of a plurality of like transceivers 10.sub.0 . . . 10.sub.n in that they are constructed of identical hardware, are mobile and can be selectively switched to operate either as a master station or as a slave station whereby all communications between the slave stations are coordinated by and pass through the master station. As shown, reference numeral 10.sub.0 refers to a transceiver designated the system master station through which 1 through n slave stations 10.sub.1, 10.sub.2 . . . 10.sub.n communicate with one another. Each transceiver, moreover, includes an omnidirectional antenna 12.sub.0, 12.sub.1, 12.sub.2 . . . 12.sub.n and at least one directional antenna 14.sub.0, 14.sub.1, 14.sub.2 . . . 14.sub.n. The master station 10.sub.0 communicates with slave stations 10.sub.1, 10.sub.2 . . . 10.sub.n by means of its omnidirectional antenna 12.sub.0 while the slave stations 12.sub.1, 12.sub.2 . . . 12.sub.n communicate with the master station 10.sub.0 by their respective directional antennas 14.sub.1, 14.sub.2 . . . 14.sub.n.

The transceivers 10.sub.0 . . . 10.sub.n operate to transmit and receive at the same frequency in the millimeter wave frequency band, a region of high atmospheric signal attenuation, between 54 GHz and 58 GHz which is near the oxygen absorption line of the spectrum and thus provides extremely wide bandwidths and covert operation for either multiplexed, multichannel communication or single channel voice communication in the form of digital word bursts. While line of sight (LOS) communication is required between the master station 10.sub.0 and any slave station 10.sub.1 . . . 10.sub.n, line of sight is not required between the slave stations themselves due to the fact that all communication between slave stations is through the master station. Accordingly, at millimeter wave frequencies, a covert power circle 16 having, for example, a one kilometer radius is generated around the master station 10.sub.0 which provides covert communications between all members 10.sub.1 . . . 10.sub.n within the power circle 16.

Whereas TDMA systems of the known prior art include a singularly dedicated master station specifically designed for the purpose of acting as a master station and whereas the slave stations are specifically designed to act as slave stations, the present invention departs from such a conventional concept in that, upon demand, any of the slave stations 10.sub.1, 10.sub.2 . . . 10.sub.n can be subsequently designated as a new master station in the event that the originally designated master station 10.sub.0 becomes inoperative for any number of reasons. This becomes particularly advantageous when used by the military under battlefield conditions.

This now leads to a consideration of FIG. 2 wherein transceiver 10.sub.5 is now designated the new master station due to the fact that the original master station 10.sub.0 becomes inoperable or has been put out of action, e.g. destroyed, as shown by the phantom lines. Now the slave stations 10.sub.1 . . . 10.sub.4, 10.sub.6 . . . 10.sub.n communicate to the omnidirectional antenna 12.sub.5 of the new master station 10.sub.5 via their respective directional antennas 14.sub.1 . . . 14.sub.4, 14.sub.6 . . . 14.sub.n. Additionally, the covert power circle has shifted from that shown by reference numeral 16 as shown in FIG. 1 to a new power circle 16' whose radius originates at the new master station 10.sub.5.

Since the system of the subject invention normally provides communication between the slave stations 10.sub.1 . . . 10.sub.n within the power circle 16, any transceiver, for example, station 10.sub.n can further be converted into a repeater station 10'.sub.n as shown in FIG. 3, whereby a like transceiver 10.sub.n+1 as the slave stations 10.sub.1, 10.sub.2, 10.sub.3 can access the system through the master station 10.sub.0 and its omnidirectional antenna 12.sub.0. In order to implement this mode of operation, the repeater station 10'.sub.n is configured from two colocated transceivers 10.sub.n which are connected together so as to include a second directional antenna 14'.sub.n which is directed at the directional antenna 14.sub.n+1 of a slave transceiver 10.sub.n+1 which lies outside of the power circle 16.

As noted above, the system operates at a single frequency in a half duplex mode with digital word bursts being provided between participating stations through the master station as shown in FIGS. 6A-6E and which will be considered subsequently. Since a single frequency is used among all participating stations, a conservation in bandwidth is achieved. Also, it permits the system operating frequency to dynamically move without a great deal of difficulty and thus permits the utilization of relatively unsophisticated hardware while providing protection against undesired interception and jamming. Moreover, due to the likeness of all of the apparatus, an extremely mobile TDMA line of sight communications system comprised of multiple geographically separated transceivers having a non-committed master station operating within a predetermined power circle is achieved.

Having thus considered the system details of the subject invention, direction is now turned to the details of the transceivers 10.sub.0 . . . 10.sub.n. Referring now to FIG. 4, reference numeral 10 designates radio apparatus for implementing the transceivers 10.sub.0 . . . 10.sub.n and is comprised of a control unit 18 which is connected to an RF head assembly 20 by means of a multi-conductor cable 22. The RF head assembly 20 is shown in further detail in FIG. 5 and will be considered subsequently. FIG. 4, however, is intended to show that the RF head assembly 20 is separated from the control unit 18 and is adapted to be mounted on top of a mast or tripod located, for example, on a mobile vehicle, not shown, for selectively coupling energy to and from an omnidirectional antenna 12 or a directional antenna 14. The control unit 18 is also adapted to be located on or in the vehicle and includes, among other things, a manually operable control switch 24 which is operable to switch the operational mode of the apparatus so as to operate either as a master station or a slave station and, when desirable, as a repeater station. In the master and slave operational modes, only a single piece of apparatus is shown in FIG. 4 as utilized; however, in the repeater mode, the control unit 18 as well as the RF head assembly 20 including the omnidirectional antenna 12 and directional antenna 14 is duplicated and electronically connected together by means of a multi-conductor cable assembly 26 so that, for example, energy transmitted to one directional antenna 14 can be coupled to and from the other directional antenna, not shown, on the other RF head assembly, also not shown, through the cable assemblies 22, 26 and respective control units 18 to provide a double directional antenna configuration as shown in FIG. 3 with respect to the repeater station 10'.sub.n. The omnidirectional antennas 12 in both head assemblies are not used in the repeater mode.

Further as shown in FIG. 4, the control unit 18 has two power supply potentials, 110 volts AC and 28 volts DC, applied thereto. These power supply potentials are fed to well known supply circuits, not shown, to generate the necessary power voltages for operating, for example, signal amplifiers and switching devices within the transceiver apparatus. The control unit 18, moreover, is adapted to be coupled to an operator hand set 28 and/or a multi-channel multiplexer-demultiplexer unit 30 via respective cable assemblies 32 and 34. Thus the control unit 18 provides the required interconnection between the RF head assembly 20 and the operator hand set 28 as well as the multiplexer-demultiplexer 30 or both. In order to communicate these signals, the control unit 18 additionally includes a synthesizer 36 shown in FIG. 5 which is operable to convert the TDMA and voice input signals to digital burst signals having a carrier frequency in the GHz range from 1.0 to 1.14 GHz, for example, where they are further multiplied up to the millimeter wave (55 to 57 GHz) RF frequency in the head assembly 20. However, it should be noted that, when desired, other known means of achieving the necessary millimeter wave frequencies can be utilized. The head assembly 20 is further adapted to convert received RF signals from the master station to an IF frequency where they are then fed to a demodulator 38 in the control unit 18 to provide output TDMA or voice communications signals back to the multiplexer-demultiplexer 30 or operator hand set 28.

Turning attention now to FIG. 5 which discloses a typical example of achieving the required millimeter wave transceiver and considering the details of the RF head assembly shown therein, all of the input and output signals connected thereto as well as the power supply potentials are included in the multiconductor cable 22 shown in FIG. 4. The control unit 18, moreover, includes power supply circuitry, not shown, which is adapted to generate in this case +15 VDC, +28 VDC, and +5 VDC. These DC power supply potentials are coupled into the RF head assembly 20 by means of respective line filters 40, 42 and 44. The +15 VDC and +28 VDC supply potentials are coupled to a voltage regulator 46 through a pulse modulator which is used only in the slave mode to provide regulated +15 VDC, +10 VDC and +20 VDC power supply potentials. The voltage regulator 46, moreover, is adapted to be operated in a keyed mode by a modulation drive input signal applied via signal lead 50 during TDMA operation in order to deactivate the transmitter portion of the transceiver during the receive mode. The signal output from the synthesizer 36 is fed to a pair of bi-polar transistor amplifiers 52 and 54 which operate, for example, in the 1.0 to 1.14 GHz range for providing amplification of the TDMA and voice signal digital inputs which are then fed to a frequency multiplier and filter 56 which is operable to multiply the frequency by a factor of 10 (X10) to provide an output of signals in a range of 11.0 to 11.4 GHz. These signals are next fed to three power field effect transistor amplifiers 58, 60 and 62. The outputs of the amplifiers 60 and 62 are commonly fed to a second frequency multiplier and filter 64 comprised of, for example, an avalanche diode which operates to increase the frequency by a factor of five (X5). Accordingly, a 55 to 57 GHz RF signal is coupled to a transmit-receive (T/R) switch 66 implemented, for example, by means of a PIN diode. The T/R switch 66 is coupled by means of a waveguide transmission line 68 to a waveguide switch 70 which is mechanically switchable between the omnidirectional antenna 12 and the directional antenna 14, depending upon whether the equipment is being utilized as a master station or a slave station. The T/R switch 66 is driven by means of two pulse type signals appearing on circuit leads 72 and 74 from a switch driver circuit 76 having +15 VDC and +5 VDC supply voltages applied thereto in addition to a T/R input signal from the control unit 18.

In the transmit mode, a portion of the RF signal coupled to the waveguide 68 is fed to an RF detector 80 through an RF coupler 82 inserted in the waveguide transmission line intermediate the waveguide switch 70 and a waveguide connection 84 out of the RF head assembly 20. The output of the detector 80 is fed to a buffer amplifier 81 which provides a signal to a transmit output indicator, not shown, located, for example, on the control unit 18. In the receive mode, the output of the T/R switch is fed to a mixer 86 along with a local oscillator input signal (LO) which provides an IF output signal having a frequency in the order of, for example, 100 MHz.+-.15 MHz. The IF output signal is next fed to a three stage low noise IF preamplifier comprised of amplifiers 88, 90 and 92 coupled together in series with the output of the third preamplifier 92 being coupled to the demodulator 38 in the control unit 18.

As noted above, a single frequency is used in a half duplex mode for transmitting digital burst signals between communicating stations and time division multiple access is used to enable the member stations to communicate with each other through the system master station. A typical TDMA time frame and subdivisions thereof is shown in FIGS. 6A through 6E.

As shown in FIG. 6A, the TDMA time frame is divided into a master transmission time T.sub.m and a plurality of slave reply transmission times T.sub.s-1, T.sub.s-2 . . . T.sub.s-n. It is to be noted that a dead or guard time G is spaced between the individual master and slave transmission and has for its purpose the allowing for different propagation delays to the member slaves and to avoid multipath interference. The master transmission time T.sub.m is further shown in FIG. 6B and includes a time slot (SYNC) containing synchronizing codes to assure synchronization with the listening slave stations. Following this, a digital data burst in the time T.sub.c is transmitted containing data relating to system control and channel routing. Following this, sequential data bursts T.sub.dm are transmitted containing the actual multiplexed system channels 1 through n followed by the guard time G. Digital voice communications signal burst would appear within any of the channel bursts, e.g. the channel n burst. The time D.sub.m is further shown in FIG. 6D.

With respect to the slave reply transmission time, FIG. 6C discloses one such time. As shown, the period T.sub.s-n includes a time (SYNC) wherein sync codes are transmitted to the master station followed by a data burst time T.sub.ds which includes the various channel transmission times as shown in FIG. 6E followed by the guard time G. This technique and format is well known to those skilled in the art and is simply disclosed herein to provide one with the manner in which the system is operated while utilizing a millimeter wave RF medium and a non-committed replaceable master station in a TDMA communications system employing a plurality of identical transceivers which are selectively adapted to operate at either a slave station or a master station within a covert power circle which establishes the maximum range of master-slave communications.

It is to be noted that the foregoing detailed description has been made by way of illustration and not limitation, and accordingly all modifications, alterations and changes coming within the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims are meant to be included.