Distributed adaptive repeater system

• US 20050176368A1
• Filed: 02/25/2005
• Published: 08/11/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Spotwave Wireless, Inc. (Kavveri Telecom Products Limited)
• Original Assignee: Spotwave Wireless, Inc. (Kavveri Telecom Products Limited)
• Inventors: Zhang, Jie, Allen, Steve, Simpson, Paul, Kellett, Colin, Roper, Mike, Young, Shane
• Application Number:
  US11/065,861
• Publication Number:
  US 20050176368A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/11.100
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/15578 by gain adjustment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/085 Access point devices with remote components

Abstract

A distributed adaptive repeater system includes a donor unit, two or more coverage units (CUs), and an intelligent hub. The donor unit operates to maintain bidirectional wireless communication with a base station of a wireless communications network. Each coverage unit maintains bidirectional wireless communication with transceivers located within a respective coverage area, and is further adapted to independently control a signal path gain to ensure stability of a respective feedback loop to the donor unit. Finally, the intelligent hub is operatively coupled between the donor unit and the coverage units, and adapted to monitor a status of each coverage unit.

Claims

1. A distributed adaptive repeater comprising:

a shared donor unit for maintaining a bidirectional wireless communication link with a base station;

two or more coverage units (CUs), each CU comprising;

a respective coverage antenna for maintaining bidirectional wireless communication with transceivers located within a respective coverage area served by the CU; and

a respective CU controller for independently controlling gain of a respective signal path between the donor unit and the coverage antenna, so as to ensure stability of a respective feedback loop to the donor unit;

an intelligent hub operatively coupled between the donor unit and each of the coverage units.

2. A repeater as claimed in claim 1, wherein the intelligent hub comprises a signal splitter/combiner for splitting/combining the respective signal paths between the shared donor unit and each of the CUs.

3. A repeater as claimed in claim 2, wherein the intelligent hub further comprises a hub controller coupled to each signal path for communication with the respective CU controller of each CU.

4. A repeater as claimed in claim 3, wherein the CU controller is adapted to transmit status information indicative of an operational status of the CU to the hub controller, via the CU'"'"'s respective signal path.

5. A repeater as claimed in claim 3, wherein the hub controller is adapted to accumulate statistics respecting operation of each of the CU.

6. A repeater as claimed in any one of claims 4 or 5, wherein the intelligent hub further comprises means for communicating with a central monitoring facility.

7. A repeater as claimed in claim 6 wherein the means for communicating comprises an interface between the hub controller and a communications network.

8. A repeater as claimed in claim 3, wherein the intelligent hub further comprises a respective phase shifter operatively coupled to at least one signal path and controlled by the hub controller, such that the hub controller can adjust a signal phase differential between one signal path and at least one other signal path.

9. A repeater as claimed in claim 8., wherein a respective phase shifter is provided in each of N-1 signal paths (where N is the number of signal paths).

10. A repeater as claimed in claim 9., wherein the hub controller is adapted to dither respective phase delays of each phase shifter, so as to mitigate effects of spatial nulls.