Signal relay apparatus and method for a wireless network

• US 20050122931A1
• Filed: 11/30/2004
• Published: 06/09/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: OKI Electric Industry Company Limited
• Original Assignee: OKI Electric Industry Company Limited
• Inventors: Kado, Youiti
• Granted Patent: US 7,373,104 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/328
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/02 Communication route or path selection, e.g. power-based or shortest path routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user

Abstract

A signal relaying apparatus includes a plurality of devices for relaying signals to and from distant nodes in a wireless communication network. At least one of the devices is an antenna; the devices may also include one or more cables. The devices are connectable to a transmitter and a receiver in the apparatus. The receiver receives a signal from one node through one of the devices; the transmitter transmits the same signal to another node through another of the devices. The signal may also be amplified or buffered before being transmitted. Because the signal is transmitted and received through different devices, the transmission of a signal packet can begin while the packet is still being received, thereby shortening the delay from reception to transmission, as compared with the delay in conventional apparatus that both receives and transmits the packet through a single antenna.

Claims

1. An apparatus for relaying signals in a wireless communication network, comprising:

a plurality of devices for relaying signals to and from respective distant nodes in the wireless communication network;

a receiver for receiving a first signal through one of said devices;

a transmitter for transmitting a second signal through another one of said devices; and

an intermediate unit for receiving the first signal from the receiver and supplying the first signal as the second signal to the transmitter;

wherein

said plurality of devices includes at least one antenna device.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a switch for connecting the receiver selectively to any one of said plurality of devices and connecting the transmitter selectively to any other one of said plurality of devices.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said plurality of devices are directional antennas relaying said signals in different directions.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said plurality of devices includes at least one cable device.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein said plurality of devices includes at least two antenna devices and at least two cable devices.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the intermediate unit comprises an amplifier that generates the second signal by amplifying the first signal.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the intermediate unit comprises a buffer that temporarily stores the first signal, the temporarily stored first signal being read from the buffer as the second signal.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said intermediate unit includes:

an amplifier that amplifies the first signal to generate the second signal; and

a buffer that temporarily stores the first signal, the temporarily stored being read from the buffer as the second signal;

the apparatus further comprising a control unit for controlling the intermediate unit to operate in a first mode in which the amplifier is used and a second mode in which the buffer is used.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the first signal includes priority information and the control unit selects the first mode and the second mode according to said priority information.

10. A method of relaying a signal from a first node through a second node to a third node in a wireless communication network, comprising:

receiving the signal through a first device at the second node; and

transmitting the signal through a second device at the second node.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the first device and the second device are antennas.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the first device is an antenna and the second device is a cable.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the first device is a cable and the second device is an antenna.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising amplifying the signal received through the first device, the amplified signal being immediately transmitted through the second device.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

storing the signal received through the first device temporarily in a buffer; and

reading the stored signal from the buffer for transmission through the second device.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the signal is read from the buffer while still being received through the first device.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein the wireless communication network is a mobile wireless communication network and said first, second, and third nodes are base stations.