Method to calibrate RF paths of an FHOP adaptive base station

• US 20070183479A1
• Filed: 01/17/2006
• Published: 08/09/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rateze Remote Mgmt. L.L.C. (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: AirNet Communications Corporation (Tecore Incorporated)
• Inventors: Smith, Jeffrey, Noll, John, Tomarchio, Shannon, Gaughan, Brady
• Granted Patent: US 7,643,852 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 375/132
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/21 for calibration; for correcting measurements
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0848 Joint weighting

Abstract

A method for calibration of RF paths of a frequency hopping adaptive base transceiver station is provided. The method of calibration calibrates a wireless cellular telecommunication system with a frequency hopping adaptive base transceiver station including an adaptive antenna array with two or more RF traffic transceiver apparatus chains. The wireless cellular telecommunication system communicates with mobile units on a frequencies defined by a hop list. The method of calibration includes the step of periodically interrupting a frequency hopping process of the frequency hopping adaptive base transceiver station while calls are in progress. The method of calibration further includes the step of calibrating an antenna transmit path for a RF traffic transceiver apparatus chain at a frequency selected to include one or more frequencies in the hop list to determine a set of weighting parameters for the antenna transmit path at the one or more frequencies. A self-calibrating frequency hopping adaptive base transceiver station is also provided.

Claims

1. In a wireless cellular telecommunication system having a frequency hopping adaptive base transceiver station with an adaptive antenna array including a plurality of RF traffic transceiver apparatus chains, said base station communicating with a plurality of mobile units on a plurality of predetermined frequencies defined by a hop list, a method for calibration of RF paths of said frequency hopping adaptive base transceiver station, comprising the steps of:

periodically interrupting a frequency hopping process of said frequency hopping adaptive base transceiver station while a plurality of calls are in progress; and

calibrating an antenna transmit path for at least one of said plurality of RF traffic transceiver apparatus chains at a frequency selected to include at least one frequency in said hop list to determine a set of weighting parameters for said antenna transmit path at said at least one frequency.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising performing said method of calibration during times of low mobile unit activity.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising selecting said times of low mobile unit activity from a plurality of predetermined times defined by a time list.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising detecting a period of low mobile unit activity by determining the number of calls in progress.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising routing any incoming calls and said plurality of calls in progress to a RF beacon transceiver apparatus chain while said calibrating step is in progress, and communicating with a plurality of mobile units at a beacon frequency other than said at least one frequency in said hop list during said calibration step.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing said set of weighting parameters.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising automatically applying said set of weighting parameters to a signal path to modify the phase and amplitude of said antenna transmit path for said at least one RF traffic transceiver apparatus chain.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said calibrating step further comprises establishing an RF link with a transceiver unit.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising selecting said transceiver unit to include a mobile telephone.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising transmitting a signal from said frequency hopping adaptive base transceiver station to said transceiver unit, measuring a calibration value at said transceiver unit, and transmitting a signal including said calibration value to said frequency hopping adaptive base transceiver station.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said calibrating step further comprises performing calibration at each said frequency in said hop list to determine weighting parameters for each said antenna transmit path of said plurality of RF traffic transceiver apparatus chains.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising resuming said frequency hopping process by said frequency hopping adaptive base transceiver station.

13. A self-calibrating frequency hopping adaptive base transceiver station, said self-calibrating frequency hopping adaptive base transceiver station communicating with a plurality of mobile units on a plurality of predetermined frequencies defined by a hop list, said system comprising:

an adaptive antenna array with a plurality of RF traffic transceiver apparatus chains; and

a processor including programming for periodically interrupting a frequency hopping process of said self-calibrating frequency hopping adaptive base transceiver station while a plurality of calls are in progress, and programming for performing calibration of an antenna transmit path for at least one of said plurality of RF traffic transceiver apparatus chains at a frequency selected to include at least one frequency in said hop list to determine a set of weighting parameters for said at least one frequency.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein said processor further comprises programming for periodically interrupting a frequency hopping process during times of low mobile unit activity.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein said processor further comprises programming for routing any incoming calls and said plurality of calls in progress to a RF beacon transceiver apparatus chain while said calibration is in progress, wherein said frequency hopping adaptive base transceiver station communicates with a plurality of mobile units at a beacon frequency other than said at least one frequency in said hop list while said calibration is in progress.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein said system further comprises a memory for storing said set of weighting parameters.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein said processor further comprises programming for automatically applying said set of weighting parameters to a signal path to modify the phase and amplitude of said antenna transmit path for said RF traffic transceiver apparatus chain.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein said processor further comprises programming for establishing an RF link with a transceiver unit.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the transceiver unit is a mobile telephone.

20. The system of claim 13, wherein said processor further comprises programming for resuming said frequency hopping process by said self-calibrating frequency hopping adaptive base transceiver station after said calibration is completed.

21. The system of claim 13, said processor further comprises programming for performing calibration at each said frequency in said hop list to determine weighting parameters for each said antenna transmit path of said plurality of RF traffic transceiver apparatus chains.