Dynamic reallocation of transceivers used to interconnect wireless telephones to a broadband network

• US 6,374,124 B1
• Filed: 12/24/1997
• Issued: 04/16/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/24/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Commscope Emea Limited (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.), CommScope Technologies, LLC (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.), Crown Castle Trans OC Corp. (Crown Castle International Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Transcept, Inc. (Crown Castle International Corporation)
• Inventors: Slabinski, Richard P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Trost, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gesesse, Tilahun
• Application Number:
  US08/998,301
• Time in Patent Office: 1,574 Days
• Field of Search: 455/561, 455/562, 455/560, 455/452, 455/453, 455/524, 455/525, 455/3.1, 455/5.1
• US Class Current: 455/562.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/085 Access point devices with remote components

Abstract

In a wireless telephone system that utilizes a plurality of remote transceivers to carry telephony signals between wireless telephones in a primary area and a central transceiver via a broadband distribution network, circuitry is disclosed to change the operational parameters of ones of the remote transceivers to reallocate them to handle wireless telephone traffic in an alternate area when there is an increased number of wireless telephone calls in the alternate area.

Claims

1. A wireless telephone system, comprising:

a central transceiver; and

first and second remote transceivers in communication with the central transceiver via a broadband distribution network for carrying telephony signals between wireless telecommunication devices and the central transceiver, wherein the first remote transceiver is for handling wireless traffic in a first defined coverage area and the second remote transceiver is for handling wireless traffic in a second defined coverage area, wherein the first and second defined coverage areas overlap, and wherein the first remote transceivers includes;

a first circuit for transmitting a telephony signal received from the central transceiver via the broadband distribution network to a mobile telecommunications device, wherein the first circuit includes a first plurality of heterodyne stages coupled between the broadband distribution network and a transmit antenna, wherein each of the first plurality heterodyne stages includes a mixer and an oscillator, each oscillator having an output frequency;

a second circuit for transmitting a telephony signal received from the mobile telecommunications device to the central transceiver via the broadband distribution network, wherein the second circuit includes a second plurality of heterodyne stages coupled between a receive antenna and the broadband distribution network, wherein each of the second plurality of heterodyne stages includes a mixer and an oscillator, each oscillator having an output frequency; and

a microprocessor in communication with the central transceiver for receiving a first control signal from the central transceiver and, based thereon, for outputting a control signal to each of the oscillators of the first and second plurality of heterodyne stages to change the output frequency of the oscillators such that the first remote transceiver transmits wireless telephony signals to the mobile telecommunications device at the same frequency as the second remote transceiver transmits wireless telephony signals to the mobile telecommunications device, and such that the first remote transceiver receives wireless telephony signals from the mobile telecommunications device at the same frequency as the second remote transceiver receives wireless telephony signals from the mobile telecommunications device.

2. The wireless telephone system of claim 1, wherein the second remote transceiver includes:

a third circuit for transmitting a telephony signal received from the central transceiver via the broadband distribution network to a second mobile telecommunications device, wherein the third circuit includes a third plurality of heterodyne stages coupled between the broadband distribution network and a transmit antenna, wherein each of the third plurality heterodyne stages includes a mixer and an oscillator, each oscillator having an output frequency;

a fourth circuit for transmitting a telephony signal received from the second mobile telecommunications device to the central transceiver via the broadband distribution network, wherein the fourth circuit includes a fourth plurality of heterodyne stages coupled between a receive antenna and the broadband distribution network, wherein each of the fourth plurality of heterodyne stages includes a mixer and an oscillator, each oscillator having an output frequency; and

a second microprocessor in communication with the central transceiver for receiving a second control signal from the central transceiver and, based thereon, for outputting a control signal to each of the oscillators of the third and fourth plurality of heterodyne stages to change the output frequency of the oscillators such that the second remote transceiver transmits wireless telephony signals to the second mobile telecommunications device at the same frequency as the first remote transceiver transmits wireless telephony signals to the second mobile telecommunications device, and such that the second remote transceiver receives wireless telephony signals from the second mobile telecommunications device at the same frequency as the first remote transceiver receives wireless telephony signals from the second mobile telecommunications device.

3. The wireless telephone system of claim 1, wherein the broadband distribution network includes at least one of a hybrid fiber coaxial (HFC) cable, a fiber optic cable, and a coaxial cable.

4. The wireless telephone system of claim 1, wherein the central transceiver includes a remote antenna signal processor (RASP).

5. The wireless telephone system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second remote transceivers includes a remote antenna driver (RAD).

6. The wireless telephone system of claim 1, further comprising a base transceiver station in communication with the central transceiver.

7. The wireless telephone system of claim 1, wherein the second circuit of the first remote transceiver further includes:

a second receive antenna;

a second plurality of mixers coupled to the second receive antenna, wherein each mixer of the second plurality of mixers is responsive to one of the oscillators of the second plurality of heterodyne stages; and

a power combiner having a first input terminal coupled to an output terminal of a mixer of the second plurality of heterodyne stages, a second input terminal coupled to an output terminal of a mixer of one of the second plurality of mixers, and an output terminal coupled to the broadband distribution network.

8. The wireless telephone system of claim 7, wherein the second circuit of the first remote transceiver further includes an additional heterodyne stage coupled between the output terminal of the power combiner and the broadband distribution network, wherein the additional heterodyne stage includes a mixer and an oscillator having an output frequency that is controlled by the microprocessor based on the first control signal.