Split repeater

• US 20020039885A1
• Filed: 12/06/2001
• Published: 04/04/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/1999
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Eli Yona, Haim Weissman
• Original Assignee: Eli Yona, Haim Weissman
• Inventors: Weissman, Haim, Yona, Eli
• Application Number:
  US10/006,296
• Publication Number:
  US 20020039885A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/20
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/155 Ground-based stations H04B7/204 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/2606 Arrangements for base station coverage control, e.g. by using relays in tunnels

Abstract

Repeater apparatus for conveying a radio-frequency (RF) signal into an environment closed-off to the RF signal, including a master transceiver unit having a master port which receives the RF signal, a local oscillator (LO), which generates a LO signal at a LO frequency, and a frequency divider which divides the LO frequency of the LO signal by an integer to produce a divided LO signal. The master transceiver unit also includes a master mixer coupled to the master port and the divider which generates an intermediate-frequency (IF) signal responsive to the RF signal and the LO signal. The apparatus includes one or more slave transceiver units, each unit positioned within the environment closed-off to the RF signal and including a frequency multiplier which generates a recovered LO signal at the LO frequency by multiplying the frequency of the divided LO signal by the integer, a slave mixer coupled to the multiplier which generates a recovered RF signal responsive to the recovered LO signal and the IF signal, and a slave port coupled to the slave mixer which receives the recovered RF signal therefrom and transmits the recovered RF signal into the closed-off environment. The apparatus further includes one or more cables coupled between the master transceiver unit and the one or more slave transceiver units which convey the IF signal and the divided LO signal between the master transceiver unit and the one or more slave transceiver units.

Claims

1. A radio-frequency (RF) repeater, comprising:

a) a master antenna, positioned to receive an RF master signal;

b) a master unit, comprising;

i) a master RF port, coupled to receive the RF master signal from the master antenna;

ii) a local oscillator, which generates a master local oscillator signal at a local oscillation frequency; and

iii) a master mixer which mixes the RF master signal and the master local oscillator signal to generate an intermediate frequency (IF) signal;

c) a cable which is coupled to the master unit so as to receive therefrom the IF signal and a reference signal at a reference frequency, derived from the local oscillator signal;

d) a slave antenna, positioned in a common environment with the master antenna; and

e) a slave unit, coupled to receive the IF signal and the reference signal from the cable, the slave unit comprising;

i) a slave mixer which mixes the IF signal and a slave local oscillator signal at the local oscillation frequency, derived from the reference signal, so as to recover the received RF master signal; and

ii) a slave RF port, which is coupled to convey the recovered RF master signal to the slave antenna for transmission thereby.

2. A repeater according to claim 1, wherein the master port is a two-way port, and wherein the slave RF port is a two-way port through which the slave unit receives an RF slave signal from the slave antenna and downconverts the RF slave signal by mixing it with the slave local oscillator signal to produce a slave IF signal which is conveyed by the cable to the master unit, wherein the slave RF signal is recovered and is conveyed by the master port to the master antenna for transmission thereby.

3. A repeater according to claim 1, wherein the reference frequency is substantially less than the local oscillator frequency.

4. A repeater according to claim 3, wherein the master unit comprises a frequency divider which divides the local oscillation frequency by an integer to derive the reference frequency, and wherein the slave unit comprises a frequency multiplier which multiplies the reference frequency by the integer to regenerate the local oscillation frequency.

5. A repeater according to claim 1, wherein the master unit comprises a DC power supply which generates a DC level that is conveyed by the cable to power the slave unit.

6. A repeater according to claim 1, and comprising a controller in one of the slave or master units which controls the operation of both units.

7. A repeater according to claim 6, and comprising a remote control unit which transfers control signals between the controller and an operator of the repeater.

8. A repeater according to claim 6, wherein the controller generates modulated control signals which are conveyed by the cable between the master and the slave units.

9. A repeater according to claim 1, wherein the repeater operates in a communications network at frequencies in the range 450 MHz to 30 GHz.

10. A repeater according to claim 9, wherein the repeater operates in a cellular communications network at frequencies in the range 800 MHz to 1900 MHz.

11. A repeater according to claim 1, wherein the frequency of the IF signal is substantially less than the frequency of the RF signal.

12. A repeater according to claim 1, wherein the frequency of the IF signal is substantially less than the local oscillation frequency.

13. A repeater according to claim 1, wherein the IF signal corresponds to one or more predetermined channels of a multiple access communications network.

15. A repeater according to claim 14, wherein the master port is a two-way port, and wherein the slave port is a two-way port through which the slave unit receives an RF slave signal from the slave antenna and downconverts the RF slave signal by mixing it with the slave local oscillator signal to produce a slave IF signal which is conveyed by the cable to the master unit, wherein the slave RF signal is recovered and is conveyed by the master port to the master antenna for transmission thereby.

16. A repeater according to claim 14, wherein the master unit comprises a frequency divider which divides the local oscillation frequency by an integer to derive the reference frequency, and wherein the slave unit comprises a frequency multiplier which multiplies the reference frequency by the integer to regenerate the local oscillation frequency.

17. A repeater according to claim 14, wherein the master unit comprises a DC power supply which generates a DC level which is conveyed by the cable to power the slave unit.

18. A repeater according to claim 14, and comprising a controller in one of the slave or master units which controls the operation of both units.

19. A repeater according to claim 14, wherein the IF signal corresponds to one or more predetermined channels of a multiple access communications network.

14. A radio-frequency (RF) repeater, comprising:

a) a master unit, comprising;

i) a master RF port, coupled to receive an RF signal from a master antenna;

ii) a local oscillator, which generates a master local oscillator signal at a local oscillation frequency; and

iii) a master mixer which mixes the RF signal and the master local oscillator signal to generate an intermediate frequency (IF) signal;

b) a cable which is coupled to the master unit so as to receive therefrom the IF signal and a reference signal at a reference frequency substantially less than the local oscillation frequency, which reference signal is derived from the local oscillator signal; and

c) a slave unit, coupled to receive the IF signal and the reference signal from the cable, the slave unit comprising;

i) a slave mixer which mixes the IF signal and a slave local oscillator signal at the local oscillation frequency, derived from the reference signal, so as to recover the received RF signal; and

ii) a slave RF port, which is coupled to convey the recovered RF signal to a slave antenna.

20. A method for repeating a radio-frequency (RF) signal, comprising:

a) receiving the RF signal from a first antenna at a first location;

b) generating at the first location a first local oscillator signal having a local oscillation frequency;

c) mixing the RF signal with the first local oscillator signal at the first location to produce an intermediate frequency (IF) signal;

d) deriving a reference signal having a reference frequency from the first local oscillator signal at the first location;

e) transferring the IF and reference signals over a cable to a second location in a common environment with the first location;

f) processing the reference signal at the second location to reconstruct the local oscillator signal at the local oscillation frequency;

g) mixing the IF signal and the local oscillator signal at the second location to recover the RF signal; and

h) transferring the recovered RF signal to a second antenna at the second location for transmission of the signal thereby.