GAIN ADJUSTMENT STEPPING CONTROL IN A WIRELESS REPEATER

• US 20100285741A1
• Filed: 03/12/2010
• Published: 11/11/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Gore, Dhananjay Ashok, Wang, Michael Mao, Barriac, Gwendolyn Denise
• Granted Patent: US 8,265,546 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/9
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/15578 by gain adjustment

Abstract

A method for controlling gain in a wireless repeater includes providing one or more gain control metrics where the gain control metrics is indicative of a loop gain of the repeater; measuring the one or more gain control metrics; and adjusting a variable gain of the repeater using a gain adjustment step size being a function of at least the loop gain of the repeater as measured by the one or more gain control metrics. In another embodiment, the gain control algorithm block is configured to divide the loop gain of the repeater into multiple gain adjustment control zones. The gain adjustment control zones may include a first zone having a loop gain in a stable operating region and a second zone having a loop gain outside the stable operating region.

Claims

1. A method for controlling gain in a wireless repeater, the method comprising:

receiving an input signal at a receiving antenna of the repeater, the input signal being a sum of a remote signal to be repeated and a feedback signal resulting from a feedback channel between the receiving antenna and a transmitting antenna;

transmitting an output signal on the transmitting antenna, the output signal being an amplified input signal;

providing one or more gain control metrics, the gain control metrics being indicative of a loop gain of the repeater;

measuring the one or more gain control metrics; and

adjusting a variable gain of the repeater using a gain adjustment step size being a function of at least the loop gain of the repeater as measured by the one or more gain control metrics.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein adjusting a variable gain of the repeater using a gain adjustment step size being a function of at least the loop gain of the repeater comprises adjusting the variable gain of the repeater using a gain adjustment step size being a function of the loop gain and the variable gain of the repeater.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

dividing the loop gain of the repeater into a plurality of gain adjustment control zones, the gain adjustment control zones including a first zone having a loop gain in a stable operating region and a second zone having a loop gain outside the stable operating region;

providing one or more gain adjustment control curves in each of the plurality of gain adjustment control zones, the one or more gain adjustment control curves being provided in the first zone to increase the variable gain of the repeater, and the one or more gain adjustment control curves being provided in the second zone to decrease the variable gain of the repeater;

determining the gain adjustment control zone the repeater is being operated in using the one or more gain control metrics; and

adjusting the variable gain of the repeater using a gain adjustment step size associated with the one or more gain adjustment control curves associated with the selected one of the gain adjustment control zones.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein dividing the loop gain of the repeater into a plurality of gain adjustment control zones comprises dividing the loop gain of the repeater into the first zone having a loop gain in a stable operating region, the second zone having a loop gain near a unstable operating region, and a third zone between the first and second zones;

and wherein providing one or more gain adjustment control curves comprises providing one or more gain adjustment control curves in the second zone to rapidly decrease the variable gain of the repeater, and providing one or more gain adjustment control curves in the third zone to decrease the variable gain of the repeater.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

providing a first gain adjustment control curve having a small slope in the first zone to increase the variable gain of the repeater in small gain adjustment step size, the first gain adjustment control curve being applied when the repeater is operating in a steady state.

6. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

providing a first set of gain adjustment control curves in the first zone to increase the variable gain of the repeater when the repeater is operating in a boot-up state, the first set of gain adjustment control curves being applied based on the variable gain of the repeater, the first set of gain adjustment control curves having gain adjustment step sizes being a decreasing function of the variable gain of the repeater, the larger the variable gain of the repeater, the smaller the slope of the gain adjustment control curve to be applied.

7. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

providing a second gain adjustment control curve having a large slope in the second zone to decrease the variable gain of the repeater in large gain adjustment step size.

8. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

providing a second set of gain adjustment control curves in the third zone to decrease the variable gain of the repeater, the second set of gain adjustment control curves being applied based on the variable gain of the repeater, the second set of gain adjustment control curves having gain adjustment step sizes being an increasing function of the variable gain of the repeater, the larger the variable gain of the repeater, the larger the slope of the gain adjustment control curve to be applied.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein providing a second set of gain adjustment curves in the third zone comprises providing a third gain adjustment control curve having a non-linear slope, a piecewise-linear slope or a linear slope.

10. The method of claim 3, wherein providing one or more gain control metrics comprises:

providing a first gain control metric having a short integration length and providing a second gain control metric having a long integration length;

using the first gain control metric to determine if the repeater is operating in the second zone of the plurality of gain adjustment control zones; and

using the second gain control metric to determine if the repeater is operating in the first zone of the plurality of gain adjustment control zones.

11. The method of claim 3, where in the first zone is associated with a loop gain of about −

15 dB or less the second zone is associated with a loop gain of 0 dB to −

15 dB.

12. A wireless repeater having a receiving antenna for receiving an input signal and a transmitting antenna for transmitting an output signal, the input signal being a sum of a remote signal to be repeated and a feedback signal resulting from a feedback channel between the receiving antenna and the transmitting antenna, the output signal being an amplified input signal, the repeater comprising:

a gain control block configured to control a variable gain value of the repeater based on one or more gain control metrics, the gain control metrics being indicative of a loop gain of the repeater, the gain control block comprising a gain metric calculator configured to generate the one or more gain control metrics and a gain control algorithm block configured to control the variable gain of the repeater based on the plurality of gain control metrics,

wherein the gain control algorithm block is configured to adjust the variable gain of the repeater using a gain adjustment step size being a function of at least the loop gain of the repeater as measured by the one or more gain control metrics.

13. The wireless repeater of claim 12, wherein the gain control algorithm block is configured to adjust the variable gain of the repeater using a gain adjustment step size being a function of the loop gain and the variable gain of the repeater as measured by the one or more gain control metrics.

14. The wireless repeater of claim 12, wherein the gain control algorithm block is configured to divide the loop gain of the repeater into a plurality of gain adjustment control zones, the gain adjustment control zones including a first zone having a loop gain in a stable operating region and a second zone having a loop gain outside the stable operating region;

and

wherein the gain control algorithm block is configured to provide one or more gain adjustment control curves in each of the plurality of gain adjustment control zones, the one or more gain adjustment control curves being provided in the first zone to increase the variable gain of the repeater, and the one or more gain adjustment control curves being provided in the second zone to decrease the variable gain of the repeater,

wherein the gain control algorithm block is configured to determine the gain adjustment control zone the repeater is being operated in using the one or more gain control metrics, and adjust the variable gain of the repeater using a gain adjustment step size associated with the one or more gain adjustment control curves associated with the selected one of the gain adjustment control zones.

15. The wireless repeater of claim 14, wherein the gain adjustment control zones comprise the first zone having a loop gain in a stable operating region, the second zone having a loop gain near a unstable operating region, and a third zone between the first and second zones;

and wherein the gain control algorithm block is configured to provide one or more gain adjustment control curves in the second zone to rapidly decrease the variable gain of the repeater, and one or more gain adjustment control curves in the third zone to decrease the variable gain of the repeater.

16. The wireless repeater of claim 14, wherein the gain control algorithm block is configured to provide a first gain adjustment control curve having a small slope in the first zone to increase the variable gain of the repeater in small gain adjustment step size, the first gain adjustment control curve being applied when the repeater is operating in a steady state.

17. The wireless repeater of claim 14, wherein the gain control algorithm block is configured to provide a first set of gain adjustment control curves in the first zone to increase the variable gain of the repeater when the repeater is operating in a boot-up state, the first set of gain adjustment control curves being applied based on the variable gain of the repeater, the first set of gain adjustment control curves having gain adjustment step sizes being a decreasing function of the variable gain of the repeater, the larger the variable gain of the repeater, the smaller the slope of the gain adjustment control curve to be applied.

18. The wireless repeater of claim 14, wherein the gain control algorithm block is configured to provide a second gain adjustment control curve having a large slope in the second zone to decrease the variable gain of the repeater in large gain adjustment step size.

19. The wireless repeater of claim 15, wherein the gain control algorithm block is configured to provide a second set of gain adjustment control curves in the third zone to decrease the variable gain of the repeater, the second set of gain adjustment control curves being applied based on the variable gain of the repeater, the second set of gain adjustment control curves having gain adjustment step sizes being an increasing function of the variable gain of the repeater, the larger the variable gain of the repeater, the larger the slope of the gain adjustment control curve to be applied.

20. The wireless repeater of claim 19, wherein the second set of gain adjustment control curves comprises a third gain adjustment control curve having a non-linear slope, a piecewise-linear slope or a linear slope.

21. The wireless repeater of claim 14, wherein the one or more gain control metrics comprises a first gain control metric having a short integration length and providing a second gain control metric having a long integration length, and the gain control algorithm block uses the first gain control metric to determine if the repeater is operating in the second zone of the plurality of gain adjustment control zones and uses the second gain control metric to determine if the repeater is operating in the first zone of the plurality of gain adjustment control zones.

22. The wireless repeater of claim 14, where in the first zone is associated with a loop gain of about −

15 dB or less the second zone is associated with a loop gain of 0 dB to −

15 dB.