TDMA radio terminal capable of adjusting transmit timing by using measured delay time

• US 6,693,883 B2
• Filed: 10/09/2002
• Issued: 02/17/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Takahashi, Kenichi, Hasegawa, Makoto, Abe, Katsuaki
• Primary Examiner(s): HO, DUC CHI
• Application Number:
  US10/266,646
• Publication Number:
  US 20030026239A1
• Time in Patent Office: 496 Days
• Field of Search: 370/276, 370/277, 370/278, 370/337, 370/347, 370/517, 370/503, 370/296, 370/280, 370/350, 343/913, 455/82, 455/83
• US Class Current: 370/276
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/2681 Synchronisation of a mobile station with one base station
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 3/0682 by delay compensation, e.g. by compensation of propagation delay or variations thereof, by ranging
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 3/0694 Synchronisation in a TDMA node, e.g. TTP
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/0045 compensating for timing error by altering transmission time
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/0065 using measurement of signal travel time

Abstract

A TDMA radio terminal comprises a transmitter portion and a receiver portion. A reference signal is launched in the transmitter portion while tuning the receiver portion. At the same time, an internal delay counter is started. The counter counts clock pulses till the reference signal returns through the receiver portion. Letting this pulse count be Nd, a transmission wait time is Nt−Nd. Nt is a transmit timing at the antenna. The Nd counting operation may be triggered by a power on or a signal from a controller. A corresponding method for determining the transmission wait time in the production side is also disclosed.

Claims

1. A method, for use in a production site, of measuring an internal delay time of a radio terminal capable of adjusting a transmit timing by using said measured internal delay time, the method comprising the steps of:

detachably and electrically connecting a common terminal of a 1-of-2 switch to an antenna-side terminal of a duplexer of said radio terminal;

connecting an antenna with one of two other terminals of said switch;

connecting an impedance matching element with the other of said two other terminals of said switch;

operating said switch such that said common terminal is connected with said impedance matching element; and

measuring said internal delay time in the same manner as in a case of said radio terminal being alone.

2. A method, for use in a production site, of determining a transmit timing of a radio terminal capable of adjusting said transmit timing by using a measured internal delay time, the method comprising the steps of:

detachably and electrically connecting a common terminal of a 1-of-2 switch to an antenna-side terminal of a duplexer of said radio terminal;

connecting an antenna with one of two other terminals of said switch;

connecting a frequency converter element with the other of said two other terminals of said switch;

operating said switch such that said common terminal is connected with said frequency converter element;

measuring an internal delay count Nd in the same manner as in case of said radio terminal being alone, a time used for said measuring said internal delay count Nd being equivalent to said measured internal delay time; and

determining said transmit timing as Nt−

(Nd−

Δ

N), where Nt is a pulse count corresponding to a transmit timing at said antenna and Δ

N is a delay time due to said frequency converter element.

3. A method, for use in a production site, of measuring an internal delay time of a radio terminal, wherein the radio terminal is so designed that the radio terminal can adjust said transmit timing by using a measured internal delay time when an internal delay counter circuit unit is detachably attached to the radio terminal, the method comprising the steps of:

detachably and electrically connecting a common terminal of a 1-of-2 switch to an antenna-side terminal of a duplexer of said radio terminal;

connecting an antenna with one of two other terminals of said switch;

connecting an impedance matching element with the other of said two other terminals of said switch;

detachably and electrically connecting said internal delay counter circuit unit to the radio terminal;

operating said switch such that said common terminal is connected with said impedance matching element; and

measuring said internal delay time in the same manner as in a case of said radio terminal being alone.