SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR COMMUNICATING INFORMATION FROM WIRELESS SOURCES TO LOCATIONS WITHIN A BUILDING

• US 20090067363A1
• Filed: 07/28/2008
• Published: 03/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Johnson Controls Technology Company (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Original Assignee: Johnson Controls Technology Company (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Inventors: Ruiz, John I., Martocci, Jerald P.
• Application Number:
  US12/181,235
• Publication Number:
  US 20090067363A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/315
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

A system provides radio frequency signals devices inside a building. The system includes one or more receivers, each receiver configured to receive one or more radio frequency signals from at least one source. The system further includes a device configured to receive the signals from the receiver or receivers. The device combines the received signals into a combination signal and converts the combination signal to a digital signal. The digital signal is then provided over a digital communications medium within the building. The system further includes an antenna system configured to receive the digital signal and to retransmit the radio frequency signals from the sources to the devices inside the building.

Claims

1. A system for communicating information from a first communication source and a second communication source to electronic devices located within a building via an in-building communications network, the system comprising:

a receiver configured to receive first radio frequency information transmitted from the first communication source, the receiver configured to simultaneously receive second radio frequency information transmitted from the second communication source;

a processing circuit configured to combine the first and second radio frequency information as broadband information and to digitize the broadband information for transmission via the in-building communications network as a digital signal; and

an in-building antenna system configured to receive the digital signal and to provide a reproduction of the first radio frequency information to the first electronic device within the building and a reproduction of the second radio frequency information to the second electronic device within the building via radio frequency communications.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first radio frequency information comprises first radio frequency signals having a first center frequency and wherein the second radio frequency information comprises second radio frequency signals having a second center frequency, and wherein the first center frequency and the second center frequency are separated by at least 500 MHz.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the processing circuit includes a digital signal processor (DSP) configured to conduct the digitization.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the processing circuit includes a combiner and an analog to digital converter (ADC).

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the processing circuit comprises a passive multiplexer configured to conduct the combination.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the passive multiplexer is a diplexer or a triplexer.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the processing circuit comprises a first analog to digital converter to digitize the first radio frequency information and a second analog to digital converter to digitize the second radio frequency information.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the in-building antenna system comprises a digital to analog converter configured to convert the digital signal to the first radio frequency information and the second radio frequency information and wherein the in-building antenna system further comprises an amplifier configured to amplify the first and second radio frequency information via one or more antennas.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the processing circuit includes a general purpose processor configured to provide the digitization based on computer code stored in memory of the processing circuit.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the in-building communications network is an internet protocol (IP) network.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the first electronic device is a mobile phone, the first communication source is a mobile communications tower, and wherein the second electronic device is a text-messaging device, and the second communication source is a mobile communications antenna.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the receiver comprises a first antenna for receiving the first radio frequency information and a second antenna for receiving the second radio frequency information.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the processing circuit is configured to digitize broadband analog information.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the broadband analog information spans from 800 MHz to 2.1 GHz.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the broadband analog information spans from 400 MHz to 6.0 GHz.

16. A method for providing radio frequency signals to devices inside a building, the method comprising:

receiving first radio frequency information from a first communication source;

receiving second radio frequency information from a second communication source;

combining the first radio frequency information and the second radio frequency information to form a broadband analog signal;

digitizing the broadband analog signal to form a digitized signal;

distributing the digitized signal to a digital communication medium located within the building;

receiving the digitized signal from the digital communication medium;

converting the digitized signal to the first radio frequency information and the second radio frequency information; and

providing the first radio frequency information and the second radio frequency information to locations inside the building using an antenna system.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the first radio frequency information and the second radio frequency information provided to locations inside the building are identifiable and recoverable to electronic devices inside the building.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein audio information provided in the first radio frequency information is recoverable by a portable electronic device receiving the first radio frequency information provided to the locations inside the building.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein providing the first radio frequency information and the second radio frequency information to locations inside the building using an antenna system include transmitting the first radio information at around 850 MHz and the second radio information at around 1850-1990 MHz.

20. A broadband RF repeater system, comprising:

a processing circuit to receive RF information from one or more antennas, to combine the received RF information to form broadband RF information, and to digitize the broadband RF information; and

a digital communications medium communicably coupling the processing circuit and local antennas of a distributed antenna system.