Wireless vehicular repeater system

• US 6,647,244 B1
• Filed: 11/16/1999
• Issued: 11/11/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Eagle Technology, LLC (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: The Whitaker Corporation (Meggitt PLC)
• Inventors: Haymond, William Dean, Ericson, Daniel Wayne
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Pablo N
• Application Number:
  US09/440,911
• Time in Patent Office: 1,456 Days
• Field of Search: 455/11.1, 455/8, 455/22, 455/527, 455/404, 455/10, 455/7, 455/18, 455/121, 455/15, 455/517, 455/572, 455/9, 455/13, 455/14, 455/53-57, 455/33-34, 455/512, 455/518, 455/524-525, 455/509, 455/515, 455/54.1, 455/58.1, 455/33.1, 455/34.1, 455/67.1, 455/56.1, 455/817-818, 370/337, 370/347, 370/445, 370/461, 370/327, 370/341
• US Class Current: 455/11.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/15514 for shadowing compensation for satellite mobile telephony service systems H04B7/18536
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/15542 Selecting at relay station its transmit and receive resources selection of wireless resources by user or terminal H04W72/02; arrangements affording multiple use of the transmission path by two-dimensional division of the resources H04L5/0003, or by allocating sub-channels H04L5/003
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/2606 Arrangements for base station coverage control, e.g. by using relays in tunnels

Abstract

A wireless communications system has a plurality of base stations 1, a plurality of mobile vehicular repeater units 2, and a plurality of portable units 3. In a public safety network context, each mobile vehicular repeater unit 2 is associated with a portable unit 3, and both are associated with a single user. The object is for the user to be able to access the wireless network for any geographic location. In cases where a geographic area is shadowed from a base station 1 and communication directly between the portable unit 3 and the base station 1 is not possible, it is beneficial to use the mobile vehicular repeater unit 2 as a vehicular repeater to relay communications between the portable unit 3 and the base station 1. When the mobile vehicular repeater unit 2 is operating as a repeater and communicating with the portable units, the frequency plan for transmission and reception is reversed.

Claims

1. A communication system comprising:

a base station, a mobile vehicular repeater unit, and a portable unit,

said base station transmitting to said mobile vehicular repeater unit over an upper frequency channel portion, and said mobile vehicular repeater unit transmitting to said base station over a lower frequency channel portion and said mobile vehicular repeater unit transmitting to said portable unit over the lower frequency channel portion and said portable unit transmitting to said mobile vehicular repeater unit over the upper frequency channel portion,

wherein the following four transmissions occur at different frequencies;

transmission from said mobile vehicular repeater unit to said base station;

transmission from said mobile vehicular repeater unit to said portable unit;

transmission from said base station to said mobile vehicular repeater unit; and

transmission from said portable unit to said mobile vehicular repeater; and

, wherein;

the difference between a frequency at which said mobile vehicular repeater unit transmits to said base station and a frequency at which said mobile vehicular repeater unit transmits to said portable unit is about 2 MHz;

the difference between a frequency at which said base station transmits to said mobile vehicular repeater unit and a frequency at which said portable unit transmits to said mobile vehicular repeater unit is about 2 MHz;

the difference between a frequency at which said mobile vehicular repeater unit transmits to said base station and a frequency at which said base station transmits to said mobile vehicular repeater unit is about 45 MHz; and

the difference between a frequency at which said mobile vehicular repeater unit transmits to said portable unit and a frequency at which said portable unit transmits to said mobile vehicular repeater unit is about 45 MHz.

2. A communication system as recited in claim 1 wherein said portable unit is a primary portable unit, the system further comprising at least one alternative portable unit, said mobile vehicular repeater also transmitting to said alternative portable unit over the lower frequency channel and said alternative portable unit transmitting to said mobile vehicular repeater unit over the upper frequency channel.

3. A communication system as recited in claim 1 wherein said portable unit communicates to said mobile vehicular repeater unit to initiate operations in said mobile vehicular repeater unit for it to act as a vehicular repeater.

4. The communication system of claim 1 wherein said mobile vehicular repeater unit transmits to said portable unit at a higher power than it receives from said base station.

5. The communication system of claim 1 wherein said mobile vehicular repeater unit transmits to said base station at a different frequency than it transmits to said portable unit.

6. The communication system if claim 1 wherein said base station transmits to said mobile vehicular repeater unit at a different frequency than said portable unit transmits to said mobile vehicular unit.

7. The communication system of claim 1 wherein said upper frequency channel portion is separated from said lower frequency channel portion by at least about 45 MHz.

8. The communication system of claim 1 wherein:

said mobile vehicular repeater unit transmits to said base station at about 810 MHz;

said mobile vehicular repeater unit transmits to said portable unit at about 812 MHz;

said base station transmits to said mobile vehicular repeater unit at about 855 MHz; and

said portable unit transmits to said mobile vehicular repeater unit at about 857 MHz.

9. A method for communicating in a communication system, the communication system comprising at least one base station, a primary mobile vehicular repeater unit, a primary portable unit and at least one alternative mobile vehicular repeater unit, the method comprising the steps of:

the portable unit following a frequency use plan of transmitting on a lower frequency channel portion and receiving on an upper frequency channel portion,

attempting to establish communication between the primary portable unit and any one of the at least one base stations, and if the attempt to establish communication between the primary portable unit and any one of the at least one base stations fails,

modifying the frequency use plan for the primary portable unit by transmitting on an upper frequency channel portion and receiving on a lower frequency channel portion,

attempting to establish communication between the primary portable unit and any one of the at least one alternative mobile vehicular repeater units, and if the attempt to establish communication between the primary portable unit and any one of the at least one alternative mobile vehicular repeater units fails,

establishing communication between the primary portable unit and the primary mobile vehicular repeater unit and between the primary mobile vehicular repeater unit and any one of the base stations.

10. A method as recited in claim 9 and further comprising the step of said portable unit communicating to said primary mobile vehicular repeater unit to initiate functions as a vehicular repeater.

11. A method as recited in claim 9 wherein said primary mobile vehicular repeater unit and said at least one alternative mobile vehicular repeater unit are operating within communication range of each other and said primary mobile vehicular repeater unit commands said at least one alternative vehicular repeater units to cease repeater functions.

12. The method of communicating in a communication system of claim 9 wherein said primary mobile vehicular repeater unit transmits to said primary portable unit at a higher power than it receives from said base station.

13. The method of communicating in a communication system of claim 9 wherein said primary mobile-vehicular repeater unit transmits to said base station at a different frequency than it transmits to said primary portable unit.

14. The method of communicating in a communication system of claim 9 wherein said base station transmits to said primary mobile vehicular repeater unit at a different frequency than said primary portable unit transmits to said primary mobile vehicular unit.

15. The method of communicating in a communication system of claim 9 wherein said upper frequency channel portion is separated from said lower frequency channel portion by at least about 45 MHz.

16. The method of communicating in a communication system of claim 9 wherein the following four transmissions occur at different frequencies:

transmission from said primary mobile vehicular repeater unit to said base station;

transmission from said primary mobile vehicular repeater unit to said primary portable unit;

transmission from said base station to said primary mobile vehicular repeater unit; and

transmission from said primary portable unit said to said primary mobile vehicular unit.

17. The method of communicating in a communication system of claim 16 wherein:

said primary mobile vehicular repeater unit transmits to said base station at about 810 MHz;

said primary mobile vehicular repeater unit transmits to said primary portable unit at about 812 MHz;

said base station transmits to said primary mobile vehicular repeater unit at about 855 MHz; and

said primary portable unit transmits to said mobile vehicular unit at about 857 MHz.

18. The communication system of claim 16 wherein:

the difference between a frequency at which said primary mobile vehicular repeater unit transmits to said base station and a frequency at which said primary mobile vehicular repeater unit transmits to said primary portable unit is about 2 MHz;

the difference between a frequency at which said base station transmits to said primary mobile vehicular repeater unit and a frequency at which said primary portable unit transmits to said primary mobile vehicular unit is about 2 MHz;

the difference between a frequency at which said primary mobile vehicular repeater unit transmits to said base station and a frequency at which said base station transmits to said primary mobile vehicular repeater unit is about 45 MHz; and

the difference between a frequency at which said primary mobile vehicular repeater unit transmits to said primary portable unit and a frequency at which said primary portable unit transmits to said primary mobile vehicular repeater unit is about 45 MHz.