RELAY RADIO FRONT-END

• US 20110243037A1
• Filed: 06/17/2010
• Published: 10/06/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Hoymann, Christian, Sundstrom, Lars
• Granted Patent: US 8,570,915 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/279
• 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 relay node (34) which wirelessly communicates on a backhaul link over a first interface with a base station node (28) of a radio access technology network and which wirelessly communicates on an access link over a second interface with a wireless terminal (30). The relay node (34) comprises a transceiver (36) and a duplexer section (40). The transceiver (36) comprises a transmitter (42) and a receiver (44). The duplexer section (40) comprises plural transceiver ports (50, 52) and at least one antenna port (48). The relay node (34) is configured to provide a transmit signal from the transmitter (42) in a manner whereby a backhaul link portion of the transmit signal is conveyed through a different transceiver port (50) of the duplexer section than is an access link portion of the transmit signal.

Claims

1. A relay node which wirelessly communicates on a backhaul link over a first interface with a base station node of a radio access technology network and which wirelessly communicates on an access link over a second interface with a wireless terminal, the relay node comprising:

a transceiver comprising a transmitter and a receiver;

a duplexer section comprising plural transceiver ports;

wherein the relay node is configured to provide a transmit signal from the transmitter in a manner whereby a backhaul link portion of the transmit signal is conveyed through a different transceiver port of the duplexer section than is an access link portion of the transmit signal.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a set of switches through which the transmitter and the receiver swap transceiver ports to the duplexer section.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising means for selectively operating plural switches of the set of switches.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the duplexer section comprises a sole duplexer, and wherein the transceiver ports of the sole duplexer comprise a sole uplink (UL) port and a sole downlink (DL) port, and wherein the relay node further comprises a set of switches through which the transmitter and the receiver are selectively connected to the transceiver ports of the duplexer section.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, further comprising means for selectively operating plural switches of the set of switches.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the uplink (UL) port and the downlink (DL) port of the relay node have a same power handling capability.

7. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the set of switches comprises a first pair of switches connected to the sole uplink (UL) port of the sole duplexer and a second pair of switches connected to the sole downlink (DL) port of the sole duplexer;

wherein a first switch of the first pair is also selectively connected to the transmitter;

wherein a second switch of the first pair is also selectively connected to the receiver;

wherein a first switch of the second pair is also selectively connected to the transmitter;

wherein a second switch of the second pair is also selectively connected to the receiver;

wherein the first switch of the first pair;

is open when the transmitter transmits on the second interface and the receiver receives on the second interface;

is closed when the transmitter transmits on the first interface and the receiver receives on the first interface;

wherein the second switch of the first pair;

is closed when the transmitter transmits on the second interface and the receiver receives on the second interface;

is open when the transmitter transmits on the first interface and the receiver receives on the first interface;

wherein the first switch of the second pair;

is closed when the transmitter transmits on the second interface and the receiver receives on the second interface;

is open when the transmitter transmits on the first interface and the receiver receives on the first interface;

wherein the second switch of the second pair;

is open when the transmitter transmits on the second interface and the receiver receives on the second interface;

is closed when the transmitter transmits on the first interface and the receiver receives on the first interface.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a backhaul link antenna;

an access link antenna;

an antenna port switch;

wherein a sole antenna port of the sole duplexer is selectively connected by the antenna port switch to the backhaul link antenna and to the access link antenna.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a sole antenna;

an antenna port switch;

wherein the duplexer section comprises a backhaul link duplexer and an access link duplexer;

wherein the transmitter is connected to apply the transmit signal to both a transmit port of the backhaul link duplexer and a transmit port of the access link duplexer;

wherein the receiver is connected to both a receive port of the backhaul link duplexer and a receive port of the access link duplexer; and

wherein an antenna port of the backhaul link duplexer and an antenna port of the access link duplexer are selectively connected to the sole antenna of the relay node through the antenna port switch.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a backhaul link antenna;

an access link antenna;

a set of switches connected between the duplexer section and the transceiver;

wherein the duplexer section comprises a backhaul link duplexer and an access link duplexer;

wherein the set of switches comprises;

a transmitter switch selectively connected to a transmit port of the backhaul link duplexer and to a transmit port of the access link duplexer;

a receiver switch selectively connected to a receive port of the backhaul link duplexer and to a receive port of the access link duplexer.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a backhaul link antenna;

an access link antenna;

wherein the duplexer section comprises a backhaul link duplexer and an access link duplexer;

wherein the transmitter is connected to apply the transmit signal to both a transmit port of the backhaul link duplexer and a transmit port of the access link duplexer;

wherein the receiver is connected to both a receive port of the backhaul link duplexer and a receive port of the access link duplexer; and

wherein the backhaul link duplexer and the access link duplexer are configured to convey a signal only if the signal is frequency appropriate to the respective link.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a modulator connected to the transmitter;

a demodulator connected to the receiver;

a frame processor configured to generate frames to be transmitted over the first interface and the second interface from the relay node and to process frames received by the relay node over the first interface and the second interface.

13. A method of operating a relay node which wirelessly communicates on a backhaul link over a first interface with a base station node of a radio access technology network and which wirelessly communicates on an access link over a second interface with a wireless terminal, the relay node comprising a transceiver and a duplexer section, the transceiver comprising a transmitter and a receiver, the duplexer section comprising plural transceiver ports, the method comprising providing a transmit signal from the transmitter in a manner whereby a backhaul link portion of the transmit signal is conveyed through a different transceiver port of the duplexer section than is an access link portion of the transmit signal.