TDMA communicating method and TDMA receiving apparatus

• US 6,160,800 A
• Filed: 09/09/1996
• Issued: 12/12/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Atsuta, Hirosada
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Ajit
• Assistant Examiner(s): Phunkulh, Bob A.
• Application Number:
  US08/711,124
• Time in Patent Office: 1,555 Days
• Field of Search: 370/321, 370/328, 370/329, 370/330, 370/336, 370/337, 370/341, 370/342, 370/345, 370/347, 370/458, 370/350, 370/498, 370/509, 370/512, 455/517
• US Class Current: 370/337
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/2643 using time-division multiple access [TDMA] H04B7/2615, H04B7/2618 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A TDMA receiving apparatus for use with a base station including a plurality of receiving antennas, a plurality of outdoor units for converting received signals into first intermediate frequency signals, a plurality of unit connecting cables for sending the intermediate frequency signals, and an indoor unit for obtaining demodulated signals from the intermediate frequency signals. The indoor unit has a plurality of second frequency converters for converting the first intermediate frequency signals into second intermediate frequency signals with the same frequency and a power combining unit for combining the second intermediate frequency signals. The combined intermediate frequency signal is demodulated by a common demodulating circuit.

Claims

1. A time division multiple access (TDMA) communicating method comprising the steps of:

performing a time division multiple access for a one-point-to-multi-point communication between a base station and a plurality of subscriber stations as outdoor units with radio frequencies corresponding to zones;

transmitting, from the subscriber stations, TDMA signals with time slots of a common TDMA synchronous frame by each of the subscriber stations in the outdoor units in such a manner that the TDMA signals of the subscriber stations do not overlap;

receiving a plurality of TDMA signals with different radio frequencies transmitted by each of the subscriber stations in the outdoor units said receiving step being performed by a plurality of reception units;

converting, in the base station, the TDMA signals of the subscriber stations into signals with a same frequency, said converting step being performed by a plurality of converters;

combining the converted signals so as not to overlap the TDMA signals, said combining step being performed by a combining unit in the base station;

demodulating the combined signal, said demodulating step performed by a demodulating circuit in the base station; and

obtaining information signals of the subscriber stations from the demodulating signal by a TDMA control circuit on the base station.

2. The TDMA communicating method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the number of time slots of the TDMA synchronous frame of the TDMA signals of the subscriber stations is varied corresponding to the density of subscribers of the zones and corresponding to transmission requests of the subscriber stations.

3. A TDMA receiving apparatus for use with a base station for transmitting a time division multiplex information signal in a one-point-to-multi-point communication performed between the base station and a plurality of subscriber stations in a TDMA method, the apparatus comprising:

a plurality of reception units for receiving a plurality of TDMA signals with different radio frequencies in an outdoor unit;

a plurality of converters for converting the received signals into intermediate frequency signals with a same frequency in an indoor unit;

a combining unit for combining the intermediate frequency signals so as not to overlap the TDMA signals in the indoor unit;

a demodulating circuit for demodulating the combined signal generated by said combining unit in the indoor unit; and

a TDMA control circuit in the indoor unit for obtaining information signals of the subscriber stations from the demodulated signal.

4. The TDMA receiving apparatus as set forth in claim 3, further comprising a plurality of receiving antennas for receiving the TDMA signals with different radio frequencies from different directions.

5. A TDMA receiving apparatus for use with a base station for transmitting a time division multiplex information signal in a one-point-to-multi-point communication performed between the base station and a plurality of subscriber stations in a TDMA method, the apparatus comprising:

a plurality of receiving antennas for receiving the TDMA signals with different radio frequencies from different directions;

a plurality of outdoor units disposed adjacent to the receiving antennas;

a plurality of reception units in the outdoor units for receiving the TDMA signals with different radio frequencies from said plurality of receiving antennas;

a plurality of first converters in the outdoor units adapted for converting signals received from the reception units into intermediate frequency signals and outputting the intermediate frequency signals;

a plurality of unit connecting cables for sending the intermediate frequency signals received from the outdoor units;

an indoor unit coupled to the plurality of unit connecting cables;

a plurality of converters in the indoor unit for converting intermediate frequency signals into intermediate frequency signals with a same frequency;

a combining unit for combining the intermediate frequency signals so as not to overlap the TDMA signals in the indoor unit, the combining unit generating a combined signal;

a demodulating circuit for generating a demodulated signal from the combined signal generated by said combining unit; and

a TDMA control circuit in the indoor unit for obtaining information signals of the subscriber stations from the demodulated signal.

6. The TDMA receiving apparatus as set forth in claim 5, wherein the indoor unit comprises:

a plurality of second frequency converters for converting the first intermediate frequency signals received from the outdoor units to second intermediate frequency signals with the same second intermediate frequency;

a combining unit combining the second intermediate frequency signals;

a demodulating circuit receiving the combined signal of the second intermediate frequency signals and demodulating the combined signal; and

a TDMA control circuit generating data of each of the subscriber stations from a demodulated data signal composed of one TDMA frame supplied from the demodulating circuit.

7. The TDMA receiving apparatus as set forth in claim 5, wherein the outdoor units each comprises:

a low noise amplifier (LNA) for amplifying a weak power of the received radio frequency signal with low internal noise; and

a first frequency converter for converting the amplified radio frequency signal into a first intermediate frequency signal with a lower frequency than the radio frequency of the received radio frequency signal so as to send the first intermediate signal to the indoor unit through the unit connecting cable with a small power loss.

8. The TDMA receiving apparatus as set forth in claim 7, wherein the indoor unit comprises:

a plurality of second frequency converters for converting the first intermediate frequency signals received from the outdoor units to second intermediate frequency signals with the same second intermediate frequency;

a combining unit combining the second intermediate frequency signals;

a demodulating circuit receiving the combined signal of the second intermediate frequency signals and demodulating the combined signal; and

a TDMA control circuit generating data of each of the subscriber stations from a demodulated data signal composed of one TDMA frame supplied from the demodulating circuit.

9. The TDMA receiving apparatus as set forth in claim 8, wherein the indoor unit further comprises a frequency control circuit for sending a control signal for controlling the converting frequencies of the second frequency converters so as to vary radio frequencies that can be received and demodulated corresponding to external frequency selection information.

10. The TDMA receiving apparatus as set forth in claim 7, wherein the indoor unit comprises:

a combining unit combining the first intermediate frequency signals supplied from the outdoor units;

a demodulating circuit receiving the combined signal of the first intermediate frequency signals and demodulating the combined signal; and

a TDMA control circuit generating data of each subscriber station from the demodulated data signal composed of a TDMA frame supplied from the demodulating circuit.

11. A TDMA communication apparatus for use with a base station for transmitting a time division multiplex information signal in one-point-to-multi-point communication performed between the base station and a plurality of subscriber station in a TDMA method, the apparatus comprising:

means for inputting a plurality of modulated signals to be transmitted to a subscriber station, and for arranging these signals to one signal sequence as a predetermined synchronous frame in the TDMA method;

means for modulating the one signal sequence with a first frequency, and for converting the first frequency modulated signals into transmission frequency signals;

means for receiving a plurality of TDMA signals with different radio frequencies from the subscriber stations;

a converter for converting the received signals into intermediate frequency signals with the same center frequency;

means for combining the powers of the intermediate frequency signals into a combined signal;

a demodulator for demodulating the combined signal; and

means for obtaining information signals of the subscriber stations from the demodulated signal.