Wireless telecommunications access system

• US 6,512,755 B1
• Filed: 12/28/1998
• Issued: 01/28/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Alcatel USA Sourcing L.P. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel USA Sourcing L.P. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Deschaine, Stephen A., Flohr, Michael B., Briggs, Richard J. Jr., Mertsching, Marcus C., McDonald, Mark A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hsu, Alpus H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHAND, ROBERTA A
• Application Number:
  US09/221,523
• Time in Patent Office: 1,492 Days
• Field of Search: 370/338, 370/352, 370/389, 370/328, 370/329, 455/507, 455/517, 455/524, 359/115, 359/118
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/74 for increasing reliability, e.g. using redundant or spare channels or apparatus replacing by standby devices for amplifiers H03F1/52, H03F1/542
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/16 Gateway arrangements

Abstract

A system for providing wireless telecommunications access is presented. The system includes a wireline assembly that provides access to a telecommunications system for one or more wireline subscribers. The system also includes a wireless assembly that provides access to a telecommunications system for one or more wireless subscribers. A common control and switching system is connected to the wireline assembly, the wireless assembly, and a switched network. The common control and switching assembly establishes telecommunications channels between the wireline assembly, the wireless assembly, and the switched network, and controls the telecommunications channels.

Claims

1. A system for providing telecommunications access comprising:

a wireline assembly operable to provide access to a telecommunications system for one or more wireline subscribers;

a wireless assembly operable to process an encoded signal carrying one or more trunk groups of channels of telecommunications data;

a common control and switching system coupled to the wireline assembly, the wireless assembly, and a switched network, the common control and switching assembly operable to establish and control telecommunications channels between the wireline assembly, the wireless assembly, and the switched network; and

the common control and switching assembly includes;

a data bus configured to carry one or more channels of telecommunications data;

a timing control processor operable to control the transfer of data over the data bus so as to regulate the timing of the data transferred over the data bus;

one or more switches coupled to the data bus, the wireless assembly, and the wireline assembly, each switch operable to transfer channels of telecommunications data to the wireline assembly and the wireless assembly from the data bus; and

a timing control unit coupled to the data bus, the wireline assembly, and the wireless assembly, the timing control unit operable to transmit a timing signal to tie wireline assembly and the wireless assembly for use in receiving the channels of telecommunications data from the switch(es).

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising one or more subscriber units, where each subscriber unit is coupled to the wireless assembly using radio frequency electromagnetic radiation.

3. The system of claim 1 further comprising an optical interface coupled to the common control and switching assembly and the switched network, where the optical interface converts optical signals carrying encoded telecommunications channels into electrical signals for use by the common control and switching assembly, and further converts electrical signals from the common control and switching assembly into optical signals for transmission to the switched network over an optical fiber.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the switch(es) are time slot switches.

5. The system of claim 1 further comprising a radio frequency assembly coupled to the wireless assembly and an antenna, where the radio frequency assembly is operable to up-convert an outgoing modulated signal received from the wireless assembly from a signal processing frequency to a transmission frequency for transmission over the antenna, and to down-convert an incoming modulated signal received from the antenna from the transmission frequency to the signal processing frequency.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the radio frequency assembly further comprises one or more up-converters coupled to the wireless assembly and the antenna.

7. The system of claim 5 wherein the radio frequency assembly further comprises one or more down-converters coupled to the wireless assembly and the antenna.

8. The system of claim 5 wherein the radio frequency assembly further comprises a radio frequency controller operable to provide a frequency reference signal to components of the radio frequency assembly and to store provisioning data for components of the radio frequency assembly.

9. A system for providing telecommunications access comprising:

a wireline assembly operable to provide access to a telecommunications system for one or more wireline subscribers;

a wireless assembly operable to process an encoded signal carrying one or more trunk groups of channels of telecommunications data;

a common control and switching system coupled to the wireline assembly, the wireless assembly, and a switched network, the common control and switching assembly operable to establish and control telecommunications channels between the wireline assembly, the wireless assembly, and the switched network; and

a radio frequency assembly coupled to the wireless assembly and an antenna, where the radio frequency assembly is operable to unconvert an outgoing modulated signal received from the wireless assembly from a signal processing frequency to a transmission frequency for transmission over the antenna, and to down-convert an incoming modulated signal received from the antenna from the transmission frequency to the signal processing frequency.

10. The system of claim 9 further comprising one or more subscriber units, where each subscriber unit is coupled to the wireless assembly using radio frequency electromagnetic radiation.

11. The system of claim 9 further comprising an optical interface coupled to the common control and switching assembly and the switched network, where the optical interface converts optical signals carrying encoded telecommunications channels into electrical signals for use by the common control and switching assembly, and further converts electrical signals from the common control and switching assembly into optical signals for transmission to the switched network over an optical fiber.

12. The system of claim 9 wherein the switch(es) are time slot switches.

13. The system of claim 9 wherein the radio frequency assembly further comprises one or more up-converters coupled to the wireless assembly and the antenna.

14. The system of claim 9 wherein the radio frequency assembly further comprises one or more down-converters coupled to the wireless assembly and the antenna.

15. The system of claim 9 wherein the radio frequency assembly further comprises a radio frequency controller operable to provide a frequency reference signal to components of the radio frequency assembly and to store provisioning data for components of the radio frequency assembly.