BEACON SIGNALS FOR REPEATERS WITHIN A WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM

• US 20120264369A1
• Filed: 04/14/2011
• Published: 10/18/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Wang, Michael Mao, Gore, Dhananjay Ashok, Barriac, Gwendolyn Denise
• Granted Patent: US 8,626,060 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/11.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/15528 Control of operation parameters of a relay station to exploit the physical medium
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0007 the frequencies being orthogonal, e.g. OFDM(A), DMT
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/10 using broadcasted information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/047 using dedicated repeater stations

Abstract

In an embodiment, a first repeater configures a beacon signal that identifies the first repeater to one or more other repeaters. The first repeater transmits the configured beacon signal at a given transmission power level to the one or more other repeaters. The transmitted beacon signal is received at least by a second repeater. The second repeater reduces interference associated with other transmissions from the first repeater, such as retransmissions of donor signals, based on the received beacon signal.

Claims

1. A method of operating a repeater within a wireless communications system, comprising:

configuring a beacon signal that identifies the repeater to one or more other repeaters; and

transmitting the configured beacon signal at a given transmission power level to the one or more other repeaters.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the given transmission power level is less than a transmission power level at which signals are repeated by the repeater in an uplink direction.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the given transmission power level is less than a transmission power level at which signals are repeated by the repeater in a downlink direction.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the configured beacon signal is configured based on an identifier that uniquely identifies the repeater within a given serving area of the wireless communications system.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the configuring step includes:

selecting a pseudo-noise (PN) sequence from a set of PN sequences based on a hash function of the identifier.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the identifier corresponds to a media access control (MAC) identifier.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitting step is performed on a periodic basis.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitting step is performed on a continuous basis.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

performing the configuring and transmitting steps for each frequency or carrier upon which the repeater is responsible for retransmitting donor signals.

10. A method of operating a repeater within a wireless communications system, comprising:

receiving a beacon signal that is transmitted by another repeater, the received beacon signal identifying the another repeater; and

reducing interference associated with other transmissions from the another repeater based on the received beacon signal.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein a first power level at which the beacon signal is received at the repeater is less than a second power level at which the other transmissions are received at the repeater.

12. The method of claim 10,

wherein the received beacon signal is internally generated at the another repeater, and

wherein the other transmissions correspond to retransmissions of donor signals that are provided to the another repeater via an external entity.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the received beacon signal is associated with a pseudo-noise (PN) sequence that functions to uniquely identify the another repeater within a given serving area of the wireless communications system.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the PN sequence is based on a media access control (MAC) identifier of the another repeater.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the receiving step occurs on a periodic basis.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the receiving step occurs on a continuous basis.

17. The method of claim 10,

wherein the other transmissions from the another repeater correspond to retransmissions of donor signals that are received at the another repeater, and

wherein the receiving step receives beacon signals from the another repeater on each frequency or carrier upon which the another repeater is retransmitting donor signals.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the reducing step is performed for each frequency or carrier upon which the beacon signals are received from the another repeater.

19. A repeater within a wireless communications system, comprising:

means for configuring a beacon signal that identifies the repeater to one or more other repeaters; and

means for transmitting the configured beacon signal at a given transmission power level to the one or more other repeaters.

20. A repeater within a wireless communications system, comprising:

means for receiving a beacon signal that is transmitted by another repeater, the received beacon signal identifying the another repeater; and

means for reducing interference associated with other transmissions from the another repeater based on the received beacon signal.

21. A repeater within a wireless communications system, comprising:

logic configured to configure a beacon signal that identifies the repeater to one or more other repeaters; and

logic configured to transmit the configured beacon signal at a given transmission power level to the one or more other repeaters.

22. A repeater within a wireless communications system, comprising:

logic configured to receive a beacon signal that is transmitted by another repeater, the received beacon signal identifying the another repeater; and

logic configured to reduce interference associated with other transmissions from the another repeater based on the received beacon signal.

23. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium containing instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by a repeater within a wireless communications system, cause the repeater to perform operations, the instructions comprising:

program code to configure a beacon signal that identifies the repeater to one or more other repeaters; and

program code to transmit the configured beacon signal at a given transmission power level to the one or more other repeaters.

24. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium containing instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by a repeater within a wireless communications system, cause the repeater to perform operations, the instructions comprising:

program code to receive a beacon signal that is transmitted by another repeater, the received beacon signal identifying the another repeater; and

program code to reduce interference associated with other transmissions from the another repeater based on the received beacon signal.