Wireless redistribution of television signals in a multiple dwelling unit

• US 5,835,128 A
• Filed: 11/27/1996
• Issued: 11/10/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hughes Electronics Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hughes Electronics Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Macdonald, Perry A., Case, Michael, Matloubian, Mehran, Shealy, Jeffrey B., Larson, Lawrence
• Primary Examiner(s): Powell, Mark R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Srivastava, Vivek
• Application Number:
  US08/757,881
• Time in Patent Office: 713 Days
• Field of Search: 348/6, 348/8, 348/7, 348/12, 348/13, 455/8, 455/6.1, 455/3.1, 455/4.2, 455/5.1, 455/6.3
• US Class Current: 725/81
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 40/90 specially adapted for satellite broadcast receiving
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/20 Adaptations for transmission via a GHz frequency band, e.g. via satellite

Abstract

A system for redistributing a television signal to a multiplicity of receiver units within a multiple dwelling unit (MDU) includes a main receiving antenna which receives a broadband television signal and a translation device that translates the broadband television signal into a different carrier frequency band. One or more broadcasting antennas, located at advantageous sites within the MDU, transmit the translated television signal along one or more walls of the MDU to be received by antennas associated with one or more individual receiver units. Each receiver unit demodulates the received television signal and provides a user-specified channel to a television set for display.

Claims

1. A television signal redistribution system for redistributing a modulated television signal to a plurality of individual receivers at a local site, the redistribution system comprising:

a main receiver disposed at the local site for receiving the modulated television signal;

means for translating the modulated television signal from a first frequency range to a second frequency range to produce one or more frequency-translated television signals; and

a plurality of transmitters connected to the translating means, each of which broadcasts one of the one or more frequency-translated television signals over-the-air for reception by a multiplicity of receiver units at the local site.

2. The television signal redistribution system of claim 1, wherein the translating means includes a plurality of means for developing the one or more frequency-translated television signals, wherein each of the plurality of developing means includes means for shifting the modulated television signal from the first frequency range to a portion of the second frequency range.

3. The television signal redistribution system of claim 2, wherein the shifting means associated with one of the plurality of developing means shifts the modulated television signal from the first frequency range to a first portion of the second frequency range and the shifting means associated with a second of the plurality of developing means shifts the modulated television signal from the first frequency range to a second portion of the second frequency range which is different than the first portion of the second frequency range.

4. The television signal redistribution system of claim 1, further including a plurality of receiver units at the local site, each having an antenna for receiving a particular one of the one or more transmitted frequency-translated television signals and a demodulator that demodulates the received particular one of the frequency-translated television signals to produce a television display signal adapted to generate a display on a television screen.

5. The television signal redistribution system of claim 4, wherein the translating means includes means for shifting the modulated television signal from the first frequency range to a band within a third frequency range and further means for shifting the shifted modulated television signal to the second frequency range to produce the frequency-translated television signal, and wherein each of the demodulators includes further means coupled to the antenna for translating the received particular one of the one or more transmitted frequency-translated television signals to the third frequency range to produce another translated television signal and a demodulator device that demodulates the another translated television signal to produce the television display signal.

6. The television signal redistribution system of claim 1, further including a repeater unit located at the local site, wherein the repeater unit includes a receiving antenna for receiving one of the one or more transmitted frequency-translated television signals and a further transmitter that rebroadcasts the received one of the one or more frequency-translated television signals.

7. The television signal redistribution system of claim 1, wherein the modulated television signal has a right-hand circular polarized component at the first frequency range and a left-hand circular polarized component at the first frequency range and wherein the translating means includes first means for shifting the right-hand circular polarized component to a first portion of the second frequency range and second means for shifting the left-hand circular polarized component to a second portion of the second frequency range, and wherein the first and second portions of the second frequency range are non-overlapping.

8. The television signal redistribution system of claim 1, wherein the second frequency range is near 60 gigahertz.

9. The television signal redistribution system of claim 1, wherein the second frequency range is within a frequency band between approximately 55 gigahertz and approximately 66 gigahertz.

10. The television signal redistribution system of claim 1, wherein the second frequency range is within a frequency band between approximately 59 gigahertz and approximately 64 gigahertz.

11. The television signal redistribution system of claim 1, wherein the translating means includes means for combining a further signal to the one or more frequency-translated television signals.

12. The television signal redistribution system of claim 11, further including a local antenna for receiving a local television signal and wherein the further signal comprises the local television signal.

13. The television signal redistribution system of claim 1, wherein the local site includes a plurality of walls and wherein each of the plurality of transmitters includes a transmitting antenna positioned to propagate an associated one of the one or more frequency-translated television signals along one of the plurality of walls.

14. The television signal redistribution system of claim 1, wherein the modulated television signal comprises a satellite television signal.

15. The television signal redistribution system of claim 1, wherein the center frequency of the second frequency range is greater than the center frequency of the first frequency range.

16. The television signal redistribution system of claim 1, wherein the main receiver includes an antenna adapted to receive an over-the-air television signal.

17. A television signal redistribution system for redistributing a modulated television signal to an individual receiver at a local site, the redistribution system comprising:

a main antenna disposed at the local site for receiving the modulated television signal;

means for translating the modulated television signal from a first frequency range to a second frequency range to produce a translated television signal;

a transmitter connected to the translating means that broadcasts the translated television signal over-the-air at the local site; and

a receiver unit positioned at the local site, including a receiver antenna for receiving the transmitted translated television signal at the second frequency range and a demodulator that demodulates the received translated television signal to produce a television display signal adapted to generate a display on a television.

18. The television signal redistribution system of claim 17, wherein the translating means includes means for shifting the modulated television signal from the first frequency range to a third frequency range and further means for shifting the shifted modulated television signal to the second frequency range to produce the translated television signal and wherein the demodulator includes further means coupled to the antenna for translating the received translated television signal to the third frequency range to produce a shifted received translated television signal and a demodulator device that demodulates the shifted received translated television signal to produce the television display signal.

19. The television signal redistribution system of claim 17, further including a repeater unit located at the local site, wherein the repeater unit includes a receiving antenna for receiving the transmitted translated television signal and a further transmitter that rebroadcasts the translated television signal received by the receiving antenna.

20. The television signal redistribution system of claim 17, wherein the second frequency range is near 60 gigahertz.

21. The television signal redistribution system of claim 17, wherein the second frequency range is in a frequency band between about 55 gigahertz and about 66 gigahertz.

22. The television signal redistribution system of claim 17, wherein the second frequency range is in a frequency band between about 59 gigahertz and about 64 gigahertz.

23. The television signal redistribution system of claim 17, wherein the translating means includes means for combining a further signal with the modulated television signal to produce the translated television signal.

24. The television signal redistribution system of claim 17, further including second means for translating the modulated television signal from the first frequency range to the second frequency range to produce a second translated television signal and a second transmitter connected to the second translating means that broadcasts the second translated television signal over-the-air at the local site.

25. The television signal redistribution system of claim 24, wherein the translating means translates the modulated television signal from the first frequency range to a first portion of the second frequency range and wherein the second translating means translates the modulated television signal from the first frequency range to a second portion of the second frequency range which is different than the first portion of the second frequency range.

26. A method of redistributing a modulated television signal to a plurality of individual receivers at a local site, comprising the steps of:

detecting the modulated television signal;

translating the detected television signal from a first frequency range to a second frequency range to produce a translated television signal;

broadcasting the translated television signal over-the-air at the local site;

receiving the broadcasted translated television signal at a plurality of locations at the local site; and

demodulating the received translated television signal at one or more of the plurality of locations to produce a television display signal adapted for use in generating a display on a television.

27. The method of redistributing a television signal of claim 26, wherein the step of translating includes the steps of shifting the detected television signal from the first frequency range to a third frequency range and shifting the shifted detected television signal to the second frequency range to produce the translated television signal, and wherein the step of demodulating includes the steps of translating the received translated television signal to the third frequency range to produce another translated television signal and demodulating the another translated television signal to produce the television display signal.

28. The method of redistributing a television signal of claim 26, wherein the step of translating includes the step of translating the detected television signal to a frequency range near 60 gigahertz.

29. The method of redistributing a television signal of claim 26, wherein the step of translating includes the step of translating the detected television signal to a frequency range within a frequency band between about 55 gigahertz and about 66 gigahertz.

30. The method of redistributing a television signal of claim 26, wherein the step of translating includes the step of translating the detected television signal to a frequency range within a frequency band between about 59 gigahertz and about 64 gigahertz.

31. The method of redistributing a television signal of claim 26, further including the step of combining a further signal with the translated television signal before the step of broadcasting the translated television signal.