Wireless co-tenant base station

• US 6,580,924 B1
• Filed: 04/07/1999
• Issued: 06/17/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: LGC Wireless Incorporated (TE Connectivity Limited)
• Original Assignee: Interwave Communications International SA (Alvarion Limited)
• Inventors: Chao, Pi-Hui, Lu, Priscilla M.
• Primary Examiner(s): VO, NGUYEN THANH
• Application Number:
  US09/287,308
• Time in Patent Office: 1,532 Days
• Field of Search: 455/426, 455/552, 455/560, 455/561, 455/422, 455/553
• US Class Current: 455/560
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/10 adapted for operation in multiple networks, e.g. multi-mode access points
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/12 Access point controller devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/12 between access points and access point controllers

Abstract

A base transceiver station (BTS) includes a first transceiver configured to communicate with a first mobile station on a first frequency band, and a second transceiver configured to communicate with a second mobile station on a second frequency band. These bands can be, for example, 900 Mhz and 1800 Mhz frequency bands. The BTS includes a processor configured to instruct the first transceiver to receive inbound information from the first mobile station and to transmit outbound information to the first mobile station and to instruct the second transceiver to receive inbound information from the second mobile station and to transmit outbound information to the second mobile station. A trunk module is coupled to the processor and configured to communicate the first information and the second information with a base station controller (BSC). The base station controller is coupled to the BTS and configured to communicate the inbound information and outbound information with the BTS. In one embodiment, a time division multiplexing technique is used to communicate the inbound information and outbound information between the BTS and BSC. Advantages of the invention include the ability to incorporate multiple transceivers communicating over multiple frequency bands in a single BTS. This allows easier placement of the various transceivers in a single location and improves cellular service to mobile stations.

Claims

1. A base transceiver station (BTS) comprising:

a first transceiver configured to communicate, in a geographic cell, with a first mobile station;

a second transceiver configured to communicate, in the geographic cell, with a second mobile station;

a processor coupled to the first transceiver and the second transceiver, the processor configured to perform functions including configuring the first transceiver to communicate with the first mobile station over a first frequency band and configuring the second transceiver to communicate with the second mobile station over a second frequency band;

a trunk module coupled to the first transceiver, the second transceiver and the processor, the trunk module configured to communicate voice/data information and control information with a base station controller (BSC) over an Abis link; and

a chassis enclosing the first transceiver, second transceiver, processor and trunk module.

2. The BTS of claim 1, wherein:

the voice/data information and control information comprises first information including first voice/data information and first control information, and second information including second voice/data information and second control information; and

wherein the processor is configured to multiplex the first information and the second information communicated via the trunk module with the BSC.

3. The BTS of claim 2, wherein the first control information and the second control information include Abis information allocating an Abis protocol time slot to each of the first and second transceivers.

4. The BTS of claim 1 further comprising:

a third transceiver configured to communicate with a third mobile station in the geographic cell; and

wherein the processor is coupled to the third transceiver and configured to instruct the third transceiver to communicate with the third mobile station over a third frequency band.

5. The BTS of claim 4, wherein the voice/data information and control information comprises:

first information including first voice/data information and first control information;

second information including second voice/data information and second control information; and

third information including third voice/data information and third control information; and

wherein the processor is configured to multiplex the first information, the second information and the third information communicated via the trunk module with the BSC.

6. The BTS of claim 5, wherein the first control information, the second control information, and the third control information include Abis information allocating an Abis protocol time slot to each of the first and second transceivers.

7. A cellular network including the BTS of claim 1, said cellular network further comprising a base station controller (BSC) for communicating with the BTS, the BSC having:

a second trunk module configured to communicate with the BTS;

a third trunk module configured to communicate with a mobile services switching center (MSC); and

a second processor configured to perform functions including to communicate voice/data information and control information with the BTS.

8. The BTS of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to perform functions including configuring the first and second transceivers to operate at specified power levels.

9. The BTS of claim 1, further comprising additional transceivers in the chassis and wherein the processor and the trunk module are configured to communicate voice/data information and control information for the additional transceivers with the BSC over an additional Abis link.

10. The BTS of claim 1, wherein the first and second transceivers include first-in-first-out memories, and wherein the first processor configures the first and second transceivers by writing commands to the first-in-first-out memories.

11. A base station controller (BSC) for communicating with a base transceiver station (BTS) having enclosed within a single chassis a plurality of transceivers, a first processor coupled to the plurality of transceivers, and a first trunk module coupled to the first processor and to the plurality of transceivers, the BSC comprising:

a second trunk module coupled to the first trunk module over an Abis link, the second trunk module configured to communicate voice/data information and control information with the BTS;

a second processor coupled to the second trunk module, the second processor configured to perform functions including communicating the voice/data information and control information with the BTS over the Abis link; and

wherein the control information includes information instructing the BTS to configure each of the plurality of transceivers to operate in a specified frequency band sector to communicate with at least one of a plurality of mobile stations in a geographic cell in a different frequency band sector.

12. The BSC claim 11, wherein the control information communicated from the second processor to the BTS over the Abis link includes information instructing the BTS to configure each of the plurality of transceivers to operate at specified power level.

13. The BSC claim 11, wherein the Abis link is a multiplexed Abis link, and wherein the control information communicated from the second processor to the BTS over the Abis link includes information allocating an Abis protocol time slot to each of the plurality of transceivers.

14. A cellular network comprising:

a base transceiver station (BTS) for communicating with a first mobile station on a first frequency band and a second mobile station on a second frequency band, the BTS including;

a first transceiver configured to communicate, in a geographic cell, with the first mobile station over the first frequency band;

a second transceiver configured to communicate, in the geographic cell, with the second mobile station over the second frequency band;

a processor coupled to the first transceiver and the second transceiver, the processor configured to perform functions including configuring the first transceiver to communicate with the first mobile station and configuring the second transceiver to communicate with the second mobile station,

a first trunk module coupled to the processor and to the first and second transceivers; and

a chassis enclosing the first transceiver, second transceiver, processor and first trunk module; and

a base station controller (BSC) for communicating with the BTS, the BSC including;

a second trunk module coupled to the first trunk module over an Abis link, the second trunk module configured to communicate voice/data information and control information with the BTS; and

a second processor coupled to the second trunk module, the second processor configured to perform functions including communicating the voice/data information and control information with the BTS over the Abis link.

15. The cellular network of claim 14, wherein the control information communicated from the second processor to the BTS over the Abis link includes information instructing the BTS to configure each of the first and second transceivers to operate in at specified power level.

16. The cellular network of claim 14, wherein the Abis link is a multiplexed Abis link, and wherein the control information communicated from the second processor to the BTS over the Abis link includes information allocating an Abis protocol time slot to each of the first and second transceivers.

17. The cellular network of claim 16, further comprising additional transceivers in the BTS, and wherein the control information communicated from the second processor to the BTS over the multiplexed Abis link includes information allocating an Abis protocol time slot to each of the transceivers.

18. The cellular network of claim 16, further comprising additional transceivers in the BTS and an additional multiplexed Abis link to couple control information for the additional transceivers from the second processor to the BTS.

19. The cellular network of claim 14, wherein the first and second transceivers include first-in-first-out memories, and wherein the first processor configures the first and second transceivers by writing commands to the first-in-first-out memories.