Wireless repeater apparatus, system, and method

• US 20030232595A1
• Filed: 04/16/2003
• Published: 12/18/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Innercell
• Original Assignee: Innercell
• Inventors: Baker, Michael R., Richoz, Charles Lewis, Chilson, Kenneth Lynn Jr.
• Application Number:
  US10/414,723
• Publication Number:
  US 20030232595A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/11.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/15535 Control of relay amplifier gain amplifier gain control in general H03G3/00; gain control reducing self - or loop interference H04B7/15578
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/15542 Selecting at relay station its transmit and receive resources selection of wireless resources by user or terminal H04W72/02; arrangements affording multiple use of the transmission path by two-dimensional division of the resources H04L5/0003, or by allocating sub-channels H04L5/003

Abstract

A wireless repeater for repeating a wireless signal without necessarily transforming the wireless signal is provided. The wireless repeater includes a plurality of external antennas, each external antenna configured to operate within one or more wireless frequency bands. The wireless repeater includes a plurality of internal antennas, each internal antenna configured to operate within one or more wireless frequency bands associated with the external antennas. An amplifier unit is connected to the external antennas and internal antennas. The amplifier unit is configured to identify a frequency associated with an incoming wireless signal from within a plurality of wireless frequency bands. The amplifier unit also determines a signal strength for the incoming wireless signal and adjusts the signal strength of the incoming wireless signal to compensate for a loss in signal strength between the external antennas and the internal antennas. The amplifier unit interacts with the wireless signal in a manner whereby the incoming wireless signal is not substantially transformed.

Claims

1. A wireless repeater comprising:

a plurality of external antennas, each external antenna configured to operate within one or more wireless frequency bands;

a plurality of internal antennas, each internal antenna configured to operate within the one or more wireless frequency bands associated with the external antennas; and

an amplifier unit in electrical communication with the external antennas and the internal antennas, the amplifier unit configured to identify a frequency associated with an incoming wireless signal from a plurality of wireless frequency bands, determine a signal strength for the incoming wireless signal, and adjust the signal strength of the incoming wireless signal to compensate for a loss in signal strength between the external antennas and the internal antennas without substantially transforming the signal.

2. The wireless repeater of claim 1, wherein the amplifier unit comprises a diplexer module configured to direct the incoming wireless signal according to uplink frequencies and downlink frequencies.

3. The wireless repeater of claim 1, wherein the amplifier unit comprises a bandpass filter module configured to pass the incoming wireless signal based on the frequency of the incoming wireless signal.

4. The wireless repeater of claim 3, wherein the bandpass filter module comprises a plurality of bandpass filters each configured to pass a specific wireless frequency block.

5. The wireless repeater of claim 4, wherein the at least one bandpass filter is configured to filter between a first incoming wireless signal and a channel adjacent to a channel for a second incoming wireless signal according to the frequencies for the first incoming wireless signal and the second incoming wireless signal.

6. The wireless repeater of claim 1, wherein the amplifier unit comprises a gain module configured to amplify the incoming wireless signal to the determined signal strength for the incoming wireless signal.

7. The wireless repeater of claim 1, wherein the modular wireless repeater is configured to repeat wireless signals having frequencies between about 800 MHz to about 5800 MHz.

8. The wireless repeater of claim 1, wherein the wireless repeater is configured to repeat mobile telephone wireless frequencies.

9. The wireless repeater of claim 1, wherein the wireless repeater is configured to repeat Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) frequencies.

10. A system for repeating a wireless signal without transforming the wireless signal, the system comprising:

a controller configured to identify a frequency for an incoming wireless signal from a plurality of wireless frequency bands receivable by the controller and determine a signal strength for the incoming wireless signal;

a bandpass filter configured to pass the identified frequency associated with the incoming wireless signal; and

a gain component configured to adjust the signal strength of the incoming wireless signal to substantially restore the incoming signal to the signal strength determined by the controller for passage between an external antenna and an internal antenna in communication with the controller.

11. The system of claim 10, further comprising a diplexer module configured to direct the incoming wireless signal according to uplink frequencies and downlink frequencies.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the bandpass filter is configured to filter the incoming wireless signal according to a plurality of allocated frequency blocks within a frequency band associated with the incoming wireless signal.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the bandpass filter is configured to filter between a first incoming wireless signal for a channel adjacent to a channel for a second incoming wireless signal according to the frequencies for the first incoming wireless signal and the second incoming wireless signal.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the system is configured to repeat Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) frequencies.

15. A method for repeating a wireless signal without transforming the wireless signal, the method comprising:

identifying a frequency associated with an incoming wireless signal from a plurality of predetermined wireless frequency bands;

determining a signal strength for the incoming wireless signal;

adjusting the signal strength of the incoming wireless signal to compensate for a loss in signal strength between a plurality of first antennas in communication with a plurality of second antennas carrying the incoming wireless signal without substantially transforming the signal; and

passing the incoming wireless signal having an adjusted signal strength between the first antennas and second antennas.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising filtering the incoming wireless signal according to uplink frequencies and downlink frequencies.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising directing the incoming wireless signal to a specific bandpass filter corresponding to the identified frequency.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising filtering the incoming wireless signal based on the identified frequency.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising filtering the incoming wireless signal according to a plurality of allocated frequency blocks within a frequency band associated with the incoming wireless signal.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising filtering between a first incoming wireless signal for a channel adjacent to a channel for a second incoming wireless signal according to the frequencies for the first incoming wireless signal and the second incoming wireless signal.

21. The method of claim 15, wherein the incoming wireless signal has a frequency from about 800 MHz to about 5800 MHz.

22. An apparatus for repeating a wireless signal without transforming the wireless signal, the apparatus comprising:

means for identifying a frequency associated with an incoming wireless signal from a plurality of predetermined wireless frequency bands;

means for determining a signal strength for the incoming wireless signal;

means for adjusting the signal strength of the incoming wireless signal to compensate for a loss in signal strength between a plurality of external antennas in communication with a plurality of internal antennas carrying the incoming wireless signal without substantially transforming the signal; and

means for passing the incoming wireless signal having an adjusted signal strength between the external antennas and internal antennas.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, further comprising means for filtering the incoming wireless signal according to uplink frequencies and downlink frequencies.

24. The apparatus of claim 22, further comprising means for filtering the incoming wireless signal based on the identified frequency.

25. An article of manufacture comprising a program storage medium readable by a processor and embodying one or more instructions executable by a processor to perform a method for repeating a wireless signal without transforming the wireless signal, the method comprising:

identifying a frequency associated with an incoming wireless signal from within a plurality of predetermined wireless frequency bands;

determining a signal strength for the incoming wireless signal;

adjusting the signal strength of the incoming wireless signal to compensate for a loss in signal strength between a plurality of external antennas in communication with a plurality of internal antennas carrying the incoming wireless signal without substantially transforming the signal; and

passing the incoming wireless signal having an adjusted signal strength between the external antennas and internal antennas.

26. The article of manufacture of claim 25, wherein the method further comprises filtering the incoming wireless signal according to uplink frequencies and downlink frequencies.

27. The article of manufacture of claim 25, wherein the method further comprises filtering the incoming wireless signal based on the identified frequency.

28. The article of manufacture of claim 25, wherein the method further comprises filtering the incoming wireless signal according to a plurality of allocated frequency blocks within a frequency band associated with the incoming wireless signal.

29. The article of manufacture of claim 25, wherein the incoming wireless signal has a frequency between about 800 MHz to about 5800 MHz.

30. A modular wireless repeater comprising:

an external antenna set comprising a plurality of external antennas, each external antenna configured to operate within one or more specific wireless frequency bands, the external antenna set having at least one available connection;

an internal antenna set comprising a plurality of internal antennas, each internal antenna configured to operate within one or more specific wireless frequency bands corresponding to one of the external antennas, the internal antenna set having at least one available connection; and

an amplifier unit in electrical communication with the external antenna set and the internal antenna set, the amplifier unit configured to receive a plurality of modular amplifiers, each modular amplifier configured to cooperate with one or more external antennas, and one or more internal antennas to provide a modular repeater for wireless signals within a specific wireless frequency band.