Patent ID: 7570627

Claim:
A method for increasing signal power associated with a plurality of radio transmissions from a plurality of ultra wideband (UWB) transmitters operating in accordance with a UWB protocol, the method comprising: dividing a transmission period into a plurality of superframes; dividing each of the superframes into a plurality of regular time slots; dividing each of the plurality of regular time slots into a plurality of nominal time slots; dividing each of the nominal time slots into at least a first allocated portion and a second allocated portion; assigning a first wireless device to transmit first wireless transmissions during the first allocated portion in each of the plurality of nominal time slots; assigning a second wireless device to transmit second wireless transmissions during the second allocated portion in each of the plurality of nominal time slots; setting a first transmission duty cycle for the first wireless device during each of the plurality of nominal time slots to be less than one hundred percent; setting a second transmission duty cycle for the second wireless device during each of the plurality of nominal time slots to be less than one hundred percent; setting a first power level for the first wireless device such that the first power level multiplied by the first transmission duty cycle is less than or equal to a desired power threshold; setting a second power level for the second wireless device such that the second power level multiplied by the second transmission duty cycle is less than or equal to the desired power threshold; transmitting the first wireless transmissions from the first wireless device within the first allocated portion of each of the plurality of nominal time slots according to the first radio transmission duty cycle and the first power level; and transmitting the second wireless transmission from the second wireless device within the second allocated portion of each of the plurality of nominal time slots according to the second transmission duty cycle and the second power level, wherein a sum of the first duty cycle and the second duty cycle is less than or equal to one hundred percent, and wherein the first allocated portion and the second allocated portion in the time slot do not overlap in time.