CONFIGURATION OF BASE STATION REPEATER

• US 20100297994A1
• Filed: 10/04/2007
• Published: 11/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vodafone Group PLC
• Original Assignee: Vodafone Group PLC
• Inventors: Proctor, Toby, Beck, Roger, Law, Alan
• Granted Patent: US 8,346,159 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/435.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/155 Ground-based stations H04B7/204 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/2606 Arrangements for base station coverage control, e.g. by using relays in tunnels

Abstract

Configuring a cellular telecommunications network base station repeater for use at a particular location includes performing data collection activity at the location to obtain an indication of the transmit frequency of a nearby base station of the cellular telecommunications network. The repeater is then set to amplify received signals at that frequency. By only amplifying this particular frequency, the repeater can provide cellular telecommunications coverage at a location (for example a basement) where coverage might not otherwise be available by amplifying only the relevant frequency. This is in contrast to amplifying indiscriminately a wide range of frequencies, which can interfere with other radio transmissions.

Claims

1. A method of configuring a cellular telecommunications network base station repeater for use at a location, comprising:

performing a data collection activity at the location to obtain an indication of the transmit frequency of a nearby base station of the cellular telecommunications network; and

setting the repeater to amplify received signals at said frequency.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the data collection activity comprises a measurement step.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the measuring step is performed by a cellular telecommunications device registered with the cellular telecommunications network and the measurement is received by the repeater.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the repeater uses AT commands to obtain the measured frequency from the cellular telecommunications device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the repeater includes a receiver.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the receiver does at least one of:

measures the frequency of radio transmissions between a cellular telecommunications device registered with the cellular telecommunications network and the base station, performs said data collection activity to determine the frequency of radio transmission from the base station, obtains from the base station details of neighbouring base stations, and obtains the frequencies of the neighbouring base stations.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the details of the neighbouring base stations are used to set the repeater to amplify received signals at the frequency of each of the neighbouring base stations.

11. The method of claim 6, wherein the said base station and the neighbouring base stations comprise base stations of first and second types.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein at least one of the following occurs:

the receiver receives said details, from the said base station which is of the first type, of the neighbouring base stations, which include base stations of the second type, the repeater amplifies received signals from base stations-of said first and second type, and the receiver only collects data from base stations of the first type, and not from base stations of the second type.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the first type comprises 2G and the second type comprises 3G or LTE/SAE/4G.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the repeater does at least one of:

only determines the frequencies of communications from a particular cellular telecommunications network, selects the cellular telecommunications network in dependence upon a mobile network code of the network, and receives a subscriber identity module associated with a mobile telecommunications device of the cellular telecommunications network and extracts from that subscriber identity module the mobile network code.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the mobile network code is pre-programmed onto the repeater.

7-9. -9. (canceled)

13. (canceled)

14. (canceled)

17. (canceled)

19. (canceled)

20. A cellular telecommunications network base station repeater for use at a location, comprising:

a data collection device operable to perform a data collection activity at the location to obtain an indication of the transmit frequency of a nearby base station of the cellular telecommunications network; and

a setting device operable to set the repeater to amplify received signals at said frequency.

21. The repeater of claim 20, wherein said data collection device is operable to obtain a measurement of the transmit frequency of the nearby base station.

22. The repeater of claim 21, wherein the measurement is performed by a cellular telecommunications device registered with the cellular telecommunications network, and wherein the repeater includes a receiver that receives the measurement from the cellular telecommunications device.

23. The repeater of claim 22, wherein the repeater is operable to generate AT commands to obtain the measurement from the cellular telecommunications device.

24. The repeater of claim 20, wherein the repeater includes a receiver.

25. The repeater of claim 24, wherein the receiver is at least one of:

operable to measure the frequency of radio transmissions between a cellular telecommunications device registered with the cellular telecommunications network and the base station, operable to perform said data collection activity to determine the frequency of radio transmission from the base station, operable to obtain from the base station details of neighbouring base stations, and operable to obtain the frequencies of the neighbouring base stations.

29. The repeater of claim 25, wherein the details of the neighbouring base stations are used to set the repeater to amplify received signals at the frequency of each of the neighbouring base stations.

30. The repeater of claim 25 wherein the said base station and the neighbouring base stations comprise base stations of first and second types.

31. The repeater of claim 30, wherein the receiver is at least one of:

operable to receive said details, from the said base station which is of the first type, of the neighbouring base stations, which include base stations of the second type, and operable only to collect data from base stations of the first type, and not from base stations of the second type.

32. The repeater of claim 30, wherein said repeater is operable to amplify received signals from base stations of said first and second type.

34. The repeater of any claim 30, wherein the first type comprises 2G and the second type comprises 3G or LTE/SAE/4G.

35. The repeater of claim 20, wherein the repeater is at least one of:

operable to determine only the frequencies of communications from a particular cellular telecommunications network, operable to select the cellular telecommunications network in dependence upon a mobile network code of that network, and configured to receive a subscriber identity module associated with a mobile telecommunications device of the cellular telecommunications network and for extracting from that subscriber identity module the mobile network code.

37. The repeater of claim 35, wherein the mobile network code is pre-programmed onto the repeater.

26-28. -28. (canceled)

33. (canceled)

36. (canceled)

38. (canceled)