SBIR Phase I: Adaptive Filter Bank Modulation for Ubiquitous Landline-Based Broadband Access

该小型企业创新研究(SBIR)第一阶段项目的目标是大幅提高城市和郊区/农村环境中固定线路基础设施上的宽带接入的吞吐量和距离。对于许多服务不足的地区，它将提供唯一的低成本宽带接入选择，以取代昂贵、低效的卫星覆盖。在正在开发的物理层通信系统中，基于傅里叶变换(FT)的传统离散多音(DMT)技术被频谱效率更高的基于小波的自适应滤波器组调制(AFBM)专利技术所取代。这一创新的一个关键方面在于其调制方法的自适应特性，优化了可用信道容量的使用。该项目将包括算法层面的深入理论分析以及实施方面的挑战，预计架构层面的创新将最大限度地减少系统成本和电力消耗。理论研究的目标是在受限的铜线信道中最大化频谱利用率，这是由于该技术的自适应特性结合了一种新的小波基选择方法及其在调制中的应用。根据初步分析和实验，预计该项目将导致与竞争对手的铜线解决方案相比，面积覆盖翻一番，或固定距离的吞吐量翻一番。该项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力将是使宽带服务覆盖美国约2000万个家庭，主要是农村家庭，这些家庭无法在现有基础设施上获得宽带服务，而不是昂贵、低效的卫星服务。有了这个系统解决方案，这些家庭中的绝大多数都可以获得支持AFBM的宽带接入。此外，AFBM将使电信运营商能够更好地在有线电视存在的领域竞争。部署将通过一种商业模式进行，即成为多家电信设备制造商的无厂房半导体供应商，这些制造商已经表达了他们对这项技术提供的吞吐量和射程性能增强的迫切需求。运营商表示，作为对VDSL2的改进，对高数据速率“三网融合”服务的强劲需求，以及对蜂窝回程基础设施中的T1更换的需求，以及对农村长途解决方案的需求。社会效益包括为以前无法到达的家庭提供宽带服务。此外，受多项专利保护的AFBM可以作为无线、同轴电缆和电力线应用的平台技术。与当地大学的合作研究将有助于将这一领域的学术研究引向服务提供者所表达的实际需求和兴趣，从而推动传播理论的相关领域。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project targets significantly increased throughputs and distances for broadband access over landline infrastructure in both urban and suburban/rural environments. For many underserved areas, it will offer the only low-cost broadband access alternative to costly, inefficient satellite coverage. In the physical-layer communication system being developed, conventional Fourier Transform (FT) based Discrete-Multi-Tone (DMT) techniques are replaced with the more spectrally efficient Wavelet-based Adaptive Filter Bank Modulation (AFBM) patented technology. A key aspect of this innovation is in the adaptive nature of its modulation method, optimizing use of available channel capacity. The project will comprise both in-depth theoretical analysis, at the algorithmic level, as well as implementation challenges, where innovation at the architectural level is expected to minimize system cost and power consumption. The theoretical research will target spectrum utilization maximization in the constrained copper-wire channels, which is enabled by the adaptive features of the technology combined with a novel approach to the wavelet-basis selection and its use in the modulation. Based on preliminary analysis and experimentation, it is anticipated that this project will result in the doubling of areal coverage, or doubling of throughput at fixed distances, compared to competing copper-wire solutions. The broader impact/commercial potential of this project will be to enable broadband service to the approximately 20 million households in the US, primarily rural, which cannot receive broadband service over existing infrastructure, other than expensive, inefficient satellite service. With this system solution, a large majority of those households could be provided with AFBM-enabled broadband access. Furthermore, AFBM will enable telco providers to better compete in areas where cable exists. Deployment will be via a business model that is to be a fabless semiconductor supplier to multiple telco equipment manufacturers, who have conveyed their pressing need for the throughput and range performance enhancements offered by this technology. Service providers indicate strong demand for high-data-rate "triple-play" service as an improvement over VDSL2, and also for T1 replacement in the cellular backhaul infrastructure, in addition to the need for rural long-reach solutions. Societal benefits include providing broadband service to previously-unreachable homes. In addition, AFBM, protected by several patents, can serve as a platform technology in wireless, coax, and power-line applications. Collaborative research with local universities will serve to steer academic research in this field towards the actual needs and interests expressed by service providers, thus advancing the related fields in communication theory.