Networked and field addressable distributed antenna system
First Claim
1. A networked and field addressable distributed antenna system comprising a large field megacell coverage area, at least a portion of which is partitioned into a plurality of short range picocells, wherein each of the picocells is serviced by a secondary base repeater node operative to receive an information signal from a neighboring secondary base repeater node or from an originating information signal source, and to receive a command signal including a direction command from an originating base station having a command signal transmitter, and to transmit the information signal in at least one of three directions for receipt by local users or by a neighboring secondary base repeater node positioned along the direction to which the information signal was transmitted, the direction in which the information signal is transmitted being determined by the direction command of the command signal, wherein the secondary base repeater nodes are positioned such that they re-broadcast the information signal to neighboring secondary base repeater nodes in a tree structure.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention provides a megacell 100, which is divided into a plurality of picocells 102. Each picocell 102 is serviced by a secondary base repeater node configured to transmit to any of three adjacent picocells 102. The base station 106 acts both as an originating information signal source and as an originating base station for transmitting a command signal. The command signal is a narrowband signal, which can be transmitted on a channel with sufficient range to reach the entire megacell. The information signal is a broadband signal with a short range picocell, which is transmitted from a secondary base repeater node to its adjacent neighbors.
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Citations
45 Claims
- 1. A networked and field addressable distributed antenna system comprising a large field megacell coverage area, at least a portion of which is partitioned into a plurality of short range picocells, wherein each of the picocells is serviced by a secondary base repeater node operative to receive an information signal from a neighboring secondary base repeater node or from an originating information signal source, and to receive a command signal including a direction command from an originating base station having a command signal transmitter, and to transmit the information signal in at least one of three directions for receipt by local users or by a neighboring secondary base repeater node positioned along the direction to which the information signal was transmitted, the direction in which the information signal is transmitted being determined by the direction command of the command signal, wherein the secondary base repeater nodes are positioned such that they re-broadcast the information signal to neighboring secondary base repeater nodes in a tree structure.
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27. A secondary base repeater node for use within a networked and field addressable distributed antenna system, the secondary base repeater node comprising:
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a. a command signal receiving antenna for receiving a command signal including a direction command;
b. an information receiving antenna for receiving an information signal from a neighboring secondary base repeater node or from an information signal source;
c. an amplifying means connected with the information receiving antenna for amplifying a received information signal in preparation for re-transmission;
d. a three-directional information signal transmitting antenna for re-transmitting the amplified information signal in at least one of three directions; and
e. a switch bank connected between the amplifying means and the three-directional information signal transmitting antenna and connected with the command signal receiver for receiving the direction command from the command signal and for selectively causing the three-directional information signal transmitting antenna to re-transmit the amplified information signal in at least one of thee directions based on the direction command. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34)
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35. An originating base station for use within a networked and field addressable distributed antenna system, wherein the originating base station comprises a code generating transmission unit including a direction code database including direction codes for each one of a plurality of switches controlling three-directional information signal transmitting antennas of a plurality of secondary base repeater nodes;
- a processor for determining a path including a plurality of secondary base repeater nodes and for retrieving digital direction codes from the direction code database corresponding to switches controlling the three-directional information signal transmitting antennas along the path;
a modulator for receiving the digital direction codes from the processor and for using an amplitude-modulation frequency shift keying scheme to modulate the digital direction codes onto a radio frequency channel to produce a command signal;
a command signal transmitter for transmitting the command signal to a plurality of secondary base repeater nodes. - View Dependent Claims (36, 37)
- a processor for determining a path including a plurality of secondary base repeater nodes and for retrieving digital direction codes from the direction code database corresponding to switches controlling the three-directional information signal transmitting antennas along the path;
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38. A method for distributing information to selective picocells within a megacell by using a networked and field addressable distributed antenna system comprising the steps of:
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a. receiving an information signal from an information source at a secondary base repeater node;
b. receiving a command signal including a direction command from a command signal transmitter;
c. determining at least one direction in which to re-transmit the received information signal from the secondary base repeater node;
d. re-transmitting the received information signal in at least one of three directions as determined in the determining step (c) for receipt by local users or by a neighboring secondary base repeater node positioned in the direction to which the information signal was transmitted, whereby the information signal may be re-broadcast through a plurality of secondary base repeater nodes in a tree structure. - View Dependent Claims (39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45)
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Specification