MULTIPLE INPUT MULTIPLE OUTPUT USER EQUIPMENT RADIO FREQUENCY ASSISTANT SYSTEM

• US 20110189984A1
• Filed: 02/02/2010
• Published: 08/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: BADIERE, DANIEL, DEVRIES, CHRISTOPHER, SHEYNMAN, ARNOLD, QU, SHOUXING, XIN, YAN
• Granted Patent: US 8,583,035 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/420
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0413 MIMO systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/12 Frequency diversity
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/15 Active relay systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/15542 Selecting at relay station its transmit and receive resources selection of wireless resources by user or terminal H04W72/02; arrangements affording multiple use of the transmission path by two-dimensional division of the resources H04L5/0003, or by allocating sub-channels H04L5/003

Abstract

A user equipment and a wireless radio frequency assistant in a communication system that supports multiple input multiple output. The wireless radio frequency assistant and the user equipment operate together as a single system. The user equipment controls and activates the wireless radio frequency assistant to transform a first frequency of a radio frequency signal transmitted to the system of user equipment and the wireless radio frequency assistant to a second frequency. The wireless radio frequency assistant transmits the second frequency to the user equipment.

Claims

1. A wireless communication system, comprising:

a radio frequency assistant activated to transform and repeat a radio frequency signal responsive to commands received wirelessly to said radio frequency assistant; and

a user equipment that configures and controls said radio frequency assistant through said wireless commands, wherein said radio frequency assistant and said user equipment are configured to operate together as a single system.

2. The wireless communication system of claim 1, further comprising a wireless link between said user equipment and said radio frequency assistant, wherein said user equipment configures and controls said radio frequency assistant by sending a number of commands over said wireless link.

3. The wireless communication system of claim 1, wherein said single system is a user equipment assistant system.

4. The wireless communication system of claim 3, further comprising:

a number of base stations comprising a number of antennas configured to transmit data at a first frequency to said user equipment assistant system over a plurality of paths, wherein said user equipment controls said radio frequency assistant of said user equipment assistant system to transform said first frequency to a second frequency.

5. The wireless communication system of claim 2, wherein said user equipment comprises:

a first transceiver that receives a first radio frequency signal at a first frequency over a first antenna coupled to said user equipment; and

a second transceiver that receives a second radio frequency signal from said radio frequency assistant;

a baseband and control processor that processes said first radio frequency signal and said second radio frequency signal;

wherein said second radio frequency signal is said first radio frequency signal transformed by said radio frequency assistant.

6. The wireless communication system of claim 5, further comprising:

a first control channel modem in said user equipment that transmits said commands from said baseband and control processor to said radio frequency assistant.

7. The wireless communication system of claim 6, wherein said radio frequency assistant comprises:

a frequency transformer that transforms said first radio frequency signal received in a first radio frequency band to said second radio frequency signal in a second radio frequency band; and

a second antenna communicatively coupled to said frequency transformer, said second antenna receiving said first radio frequency signal in said first radio frequency band and transmitting said transformed first radio frequency signal in said second radio frequency band to said user equipment.

8. The wireless communication system of claim 7, wherein said radio frequency assistant further comprises:

a second control channel modem configured to communicate over a wireless link to said first control channel modem and receive said commands transmitted wirelessly from said first control channel modem of said baseband and control processor; and

a microprocessor that processes said commands transmitted to said second control channel modem.

9. The wireless communication system of claim 8, wherein said microprocessor is communicatively coupled to said frequency transformer to process commands that control the frequency transformer.

10. The wireless communication system of claim 8, wherein said number of commands comprises a plurality of computer executable instructions that are executed by a microprocessor in said radio frequency assistant.

11. The wireless communication system of claim 10, wherein said computer-executable instructions comprise:

computer executable program code that enables a frequency change in said frequency transformer of said radio frequency assistant; and

computer executable program code that enables a gain change.

12. The wireless communication system of claim 1, wherein said user equipment is a mobile cellular device.

13. The wireless communication system of claim 1, wherein said single system is a multiple input multiple output wireless system.

14. A wireless apparatus that processes radio frequency signals, comprising:

a frequency transformer configured to transform, responsive to a control signal, a first radio frequency signal received in a first radio frequency band to a second radio frequency signal in a second radio frequency band; and

a first antenna communicatively coupled to said frequency transformer, said first antenna receiving said first radio frequency signal in said first radio frequency band and transmitting said transformed first radio frequency signal in said second radio frequency band to a user equipment, responsive to commands received wirelessly from said user equipment;

wherein said user equipment enables said control signal to control a configuration of said frequency transformer.

15. The wireless apparatus of claim 14, wherein said first antenna transmits said first radio frequency signal and also receives said second radio frequency signal.

16. The wireless apparatus of claim 14, further comprising:

a microprocessor that enables said frequency transformer to transform said first radio frequency signal to said second radio frequency signal.

17. The wireless apparatus of claim 14, further comprising:

a control channel modem communicatively coupled to a microprocessor and said user equipment, said control channel modem enabling a transfer of commands from said user equipment that controls said frequency transformer.

18. The wireless apparatus of claim 17, wherein said microprocessor adjusts a reference frequency of said frequency transformer based on a command received over said control channel modem.

19. The wireless apparatus of claim 14, wherein said first antenna receives said first radio frequency signal and a second antenna transmits said second radio frequency signal.

20. In a wireless communication system, a method of assisting radio frequency transmissions, said method comprising:

activating a radio frequency assistant with a user equipment to transform a first radio frequency signal to a second radio frequency signal, responsive to commands being received from said user equipment; and

transmitting said second radio frequency signal to said user equipment over a wireless link between said radio frequency assistant and said user equipment.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

configuring said radio frequency assistant with said user equipment to receive said first radio frequency signal transmitted to said user equipment.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

assigning a unique identification to said radio frequency assistant that pairs said radio frequency assistant to operate with said user equipment.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein said radio frequency assistant is activated by said user equipment responsive to a quality of said first radio frequency signal being below a predefined threshold.

24. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

controlling a gain and frequency of said second radio frequency signal transformed by said radio frequency assistant through commands sent by said user equipment.

25. The method of claim 21, wherein said configuring comprises:

sending a number of said commands from said user equipment that control operations of said radio frequency assistant.