Method and apparatus for transmitting radio frequency signals to and from a pager

• US 6,615,021 B1
• Filed: 11/02/1999
• Issued: 09/02/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: CommScope Technologies, LLC (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Andrew Corporation (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Inventors: Lovinggood, Breck W., Kuiper, William P.
• Primary Examiner(s): APPIAH, CHARLES NANA
• Application Number:
  US09/432,457
• Time in Patent Office: 1,400 Days
• Field of Search: 455/11.1, 455/19, 455/20, 455/21, 455/22, 455/561, 455/550, 455/15, 455/16, 340/7.1, 340/7.21, 340/7.25
• US Class Current: 455/11.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/15507 Relay station based processing for cell extension or control of coverage area, network planning with network coordinated processing with regard to cell extension H04W16/26; network topologies using dedicated repeater stations H04W84/047; terminal devices adapted for relaying to or from an other terminal H04W88/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/15535 Control of relay amplifier gain amplifier gain control in general H03G3/00; gain control reducing self - or loop interference H04B7/15578
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/185 Selective call encoders for paging networks, e.g. paging centre devices

Abstract

A repeater for transmitting and receiving radio frequency (RF) signals to and from a pager. The repeater includes a forward path for receiving a first RF signal from a base station and a reverse path for receiving a pager signal from a pager. The forward path includes a channelizer which down converts the first RF signal to an intermediate frequency (IF) signal, amplifies the IF signal, and up converts the IF signal to a second RF signal suitable for transmission to a pager. The reverse path includes a second amplifier which amplifies the pager signal to an amplified signal suitable for transmission to a base station antenna.

Claims

1. A method of transmitting radio frequency (RF) signals to and from a pager, the method comprising:

down converting a first RF signal to an intermediate frequency (IF) signal;

amplifying the IF signal;

up converting the IF signal to a second RF signal;

transmitting the second RF signal to a pager;

receiving a pager signal from a pager in response to the second RF signal; and

transmitting the pager signal to an antenna directly as an RF signal without conversion to an IF signal.

2. The method of claim 1, further including splitting the first RF signal into multiple signals having different frequencies.

3. The method of claim 1, further including amplifying the first RF signal and separating the first RF signal into multiple individual channels.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising amplifying the pager signal.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising varying the amplification of the pager signal to allow the coverage area of the repeater to be controlled.

6. The method of claim 1, further including filtering the bandwidth of the first RF signal.

7. The method of claim 1, further including varying the amplification of the IF signal to allow the coverage area of the repeater to be controlled.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the RF signals are at between about 901 MHz and about 940 MHz.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the amplifying of the IF signal includes varying gain by as much as about 40 dB.

10. A repeater for transmitting and receiving radio frequency (RF) signals to and from a pager, the repeater comprising:

a forward path for receiving first RF signals, the forward path including a splitter for demultiplexing the first RF signals into separate signals having different frequencies, a channelizer coupled to the splitter for down converting the separate signals to intermediate frequency (IF) signals, wherein the channelizer is further configured to amplify and up convert the IF signals to second RF signals suitable for transmission to the pager; and

a reverse path for receiving RF pager signals from the pager;

the reverse path including an amplifier for amplifying the pager signal for direct transmission to an antenna as RF pager signals without intermediate conversion to IF signals.

11. The repeater of claim 10, wherein the channelizer has an adjustable gain for controlling the coverage area of the repeater.

12. The repeater of claim 10, wherein the amplifier has an adjustable gain for controlling the coverage area of the repeater.

13. The repeater of claim 10, wherein the splitter amplifies the first RF signal and separates the first RF signal into multiple individual channels.

14. The repeater of claim 13, wherein the channelizer is adapted to process the multiple individual channels.

15. The repeater of claim 10, further including at least one diplexer adapted to isolate the forward path RF signals from the amplified signal RF pager signals.

16. The repeater of claim 10, wherein the splitter is configured to receive RF signals having a frequency between about 901 MHz and about 940 MHz.

17. The repeater of claim 10, further including an additional power amplifier coupled to the splitter.

18. The repeater of claim 10, wherein gain of the channelizer is variable by as much as about 40 dB.

19. The repeater of claim 10, wherein the splitter has about 25 dB of gain.

20. The repeater of claim 10, further including a combiner having about 15 dB of gain.

21. The repeater of claim 10, further including a power amplifier coupled to the channelizer.

22. The repeater of claim 10, further including a link antenna and a broadcast antenna.

23. The repeater of claim 10, wherein the channelizer is further configured to process both a one-way pager signal and a two-way pager signal.

24. A repeater for use in a paging system to fill nulls in a pager system coverage area, the repeater being capable of two-way communication with a pager, the repeater comprising:

a forward path including a first diplexer having an input port adapted to pass first radio frequency (RF) signals within a first specific band of frequencies, a splitter for amplifying and demultiplexing the first RF signals into separate signals having different frequencies, a channelizer for down converting the separate signals to respective intermediate frequency (IF) signals, the gain of the channelizer being adjustable to vary the amplification of the IF signals to control the coverage area of the repeater, the channelizer further including an amplifier for amplifying the IF signals to control the coverage area of the repeater and an up converter for up converting the IF signals to respective second RF signals, a power combiner for combining the second RF signals into a combined signal having different frequency components representing the second RF signals, a power amplifier for amplifying the combined signal for transmission to the pager, and a second diplexer having an output port adapted to only pass filtered signals that are within the first specific band of frequencies; and

a reverse path including at least the second diplexer with an input port of the second diplexer adapted to pass a pager signal from a pager that is within a second specific band of frequencies, the reverse path configured for transmission of the pager signal directly as an RF signal without intermediate conversion to an IF signal and comprising a multistage amplifier for amplifying the pager signal for transmission to a base station antenna directly as an amplified RF signal, the gain of the multistage amplifier being adjustable to control the coverage area of the repeater, and the first diplexer with an output port adapted to only pass filtered signals that are within the second specific band of frequencies.

25. The repeater of claim 24, wherein the channelizer is adapted to process multiple individual channels.

26. The repeater of claim 24, wherein the RF signals are between about 901 MHz and about 940 MHz.

27. The repeater of claim 24, further including a link antenna and a broadcast antenna.

28. A repeater for transmitting and receiving radio frequency (RF) signals to and from a pager, the repeater comprising:

a forward path for receiving a first RF signal, the forward path including a down converter for down converting the first RF signal to an intermediate frequency (IF) signal, an amplifier coupled to the down converter for amplifying the IF signal, and an up converter coupled to the amplifier for up converting the IF signal to a second RF signal suitable for transmission to the pager; and

a reverse path for receiving a pager signal from the pager, the reverse path including a second amplifier for amplifying a signal from the pager for transmission to a base station antenna, the reverse path configured for transmission of the pager signal directly as an RF signal without intermediate conversion to an IF signal.

29. The repeater of claim 28, wherein the amplifier has an adjustable gain for controlling the coverage area of the repeater.

30. The repeater of claim 28, wherein the second amplifier has an adjustable gain for controlling the coverage area of the repeater.

31. The repeater of claim 28, further including a power amplifier coupled to the up converter.

32. The repeater of claim 28, further including a link antenna and a broadcast antenna.

33. A repeater for pagers comprising:

a channelizer circuit configured to receive pager signals from the base station and configured to down convert the pager signals to intermediate frequency (IF) signals and further configured to amplify and up convert the IF signals to RF signals suitable for transmission to at least one pager;

the repeater further including an amplifier configured to amplify the pager signal for transmission directly without conversion to an IF signal.