Low power multi-function cellular television system

• US 4,747,160 A
• Filed: 03/13/1987
• Issued: 05/24/1988
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/1987
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Cellularvision Technology & Telecommunications LP (Cellularvision)
• Original Assignee: SUITE 12 GROUP
• Inventors: Bossard, Bernard
• Primary Examiner(s): NOT, DEFINED
• Application Number:
  US07/025,720
• Time in Patent Office: 438 Days
• Field of Search: 455/33, 455/3, 455/60, 455/52, 379/58, 379/59, 379/60, 342/361, 358/171
• US Class Current: 455/422.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/67 Common-wave systems, i.e. using separate transmitters operating on substantially the same frequency
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2007/145 Handheld terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/08 Systems for the simultaneous or sequential transmission of more than one television signal, e.g. additional information signals, the signals occupying wholly or partially the same frequency band , e.g. by time division H04N7/007 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/10 Adaptations for transmission by electrical cable H04N7/12 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/141 between two video terminals, e.g. videophone telephonic communication systems combined with television receiver for reception of entertainment or information matter H04M11/085
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/148 Interfacing a video terminal to a particular transmission medium, e.g. ISDN
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/16 Analogue secrecy systems; Analogue subscription systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/20 Adaptations for transmission via a GHz frequency band, e.g. via satellite

Abstract

A multi-function cellular television system includes transmitting antennas located in an array such that the transmitted signals of adjacent antennas are of substantially differing polarity. The system provides for a variety of two-way communication services including television, both public and private programming, digital two-way transmission, special video teleconferencing, radio programming and telephone services. A low power output coupled with a wide bandwidth in the 27.5 to 29.5 GHZ millimeter wave band region is employed along with very high Q filtering intermodulation and interference reduction circuitry. The system has the ability to transmit, retransmit and receive numerous simultaneous signals with little or no modulation distortion or interaction. Further reduction of distortion is achieved through the use of modulation diversity, frequency diversity and space diversity.

Claims

1. A low power, multi-function cellular television system including a plurality of low power cell node transmitter and a plurality of receivers comprising:

a plurality of substantially omni-directional transmitting antennas connected to cell node transmitter stations; and

,

a plurality of directional receiving antennas connected to subscriber receiver stations and directed to receive a television signal from only one of said omni-directional transmitting antennas.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein said receiving antennas have a signal pick-up angle of approximately 2 degrees.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein said transmitting antennas include:

a first group of transmitting antennas for transmitting a signal with a first given transmitted polarity; and

,

a second group of transmitting antennas for transmitting a signal with a second given transmitted polarity different from the polarity of the signals of said first group of transmitting antennas.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein said receiving antennas include:

a first group of receiving antennas for receiving signals of said first transmitted polarity; and

,

a second group of receiving antennas for receiving signals of said second transmitted polarity.

5. The system of claim 4 further comprising:

subscriber transmitter means for transmitting a signal from a subscriber receiving station to a cell node transmitter station, and,

cell node transmitter station receiving means for receiving said signals from said subscriber transmitter means,

wherein said signals transmitted by said cell node transmitter stations are different in frequency from the signals received by said cell node transmitter stations.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein at least some of said transmitted frequencies from said cell node transmitter stations are different from each other.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein at least some of said receiving frequencies from said subscriber receiving stations are different from each other.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein the modulation mode of at least some of said transmitted signals from said cell node transmitter stations are different from the modulation mode of at least some of said received signals of said subscriber receiving stations.

9. The system of claim 2 wherein said transmitting antennas of said cell node transmitter stations are located in an array such that the polarity of the transmitted signals of adjacent transmitting antennas of said cell node transmitter stations are different.

10. The system of claim 9 further comprising:

repeater means for receiving signals from said omni-directional transmitting antennas and retransmitting said signals to the directional receiving antennas of individual subscriber receiving station.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the signals transmitted by said repeater means are of a different polarity from the signals received by said repeater means.

12. The system of claim 9 wherein said cell node transmitters include a transmitting antenna for transmitting a signal with a first given polarity and a receiving antenna for receiving signals of a second given polarity different from said first given polarity.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein said subscriber receiver stations include a receiving antenna polarized to receive the signal from said first antenna of said cell node transmitter, said subscriber receiver station also including a transmitter antenna polarized to transmit signals back to the receiving antenna of said cell node transmitter station.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the transmitting and receiving antennas of the cell node transmitters are physically separated so that one is in front of the other.

15. The system of claim 13 wherein said central node transmitter stations include:

a master oscillator;

wherein said subscriber receiver stations include a phase lock loop for locking onto the frequency of said master oscillator in said cell node transmitters stations,

wherein the phase look loops in said subscriber receiver stations synchronize the receiver with the frequencies of said cell node transmitter stations.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein said subscriber receiver stations include:

differential phase shift filter means for filtering out unwanted frequencies.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein said cell node transmitter stations include:

FM multiplexer for multiplexing a plurality of signals;

a first converter for converting the output from said FM multiplexer;

a first differential phase shift filter for filtering the output from said first converter;

power amplifier means having a first and second input for producing an amplified output;

digital multiplexer means for digitally multiplexing a second plurality of signals;

second converter connected to said digital multiplexer for converting the output frequency from said digital multiplexer;

local oscillator means for providing a second input to said first converter;

phase shifting means connected to said local oscillator means and to said second converter for providing a second frequency input to said second converter;

second differential phase shift filter connected to the output of said second converter, the output of said second differential phase shift filter providing the second input to said power amplifier means;

first antenna coupling means attached to the output of said power amplifier means, said coupling means having an output attached to the transmitting antenna of said cell node transmitter station.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein said cell node transmitter stations further include;

a second antenna coupling means connected to the receiving antenna of said cell node transmitter station;

third differential phase shift filter connected to the output of said second antenna coupling means;

first frequency converter connected to the output of said third differential phase shift filter;

demultiplexer means connected to the output of said first frequency converter;

second frequency converter having an input connected to the output of said first frequency converter;

feedback means forming a second input to said second frequency converter;

discriminator means connected to the output of said second frequency converter, the output of said discriminator means being coupled to the output of said cellular node transmitter station; and

,

third converter having an input connected to said local oscillator means and an output connected to said first frequency converter.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein said subscriber receiver stations include:

a first frequency converter connected to the receiving element of said antenna of said subscriber receiver station;

coupler means connected to the output of said first frequency converter;

first oscillator means having a frequency control connection connected to said coupler means, the output of said first oscillator means connected as a second input to said first frequency converter;

second frequency converter having an input connected to the output of said coupler means;

discriminator means connected to the output of said second frequency converter;

second oscillator means having a control input terminal thereof connected to the output of said discriminator means, said second oscillator means further having an output terminal thereof connected as a second input to said second frequency converter; and

,

manually tunable means connected to said second oscillator means for tuning said second oscillator means, wherein the output from said discriminator means forms the input to a conventional television set.

20. The system of claim 19 further comprising:

an offset mixer connected to the output of said first oscillator means;

third oscillator means connected as a second input to said offset mixer;

a second mixer connected to the output of said offset mixer, said second mixer having a second input connected to a source of audio digital data,

wherein the output from said second mixer is connected to the transmitting antenna of said subscriber receiver station for transmitting signals back to said cell node transmitter stations with a polarity different from the signals received from said cell node transmitter stations.