Method and apparatus for synchronizing a smart antenna apparatus with a base station transceiver

• US 7,801,565 B2
• Filed: 09/21/2006
• Issued: 09/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zarbana Digital Fund LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Faulkner Interstices LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Hovers, Omri, Peri, Nanu, Kagan, Shahar, Korkos, Daniel, Shenhar, Eran
• Primary Examiner(s): Cumming; William D
• Application Number:
  US11/533,817
• Publication Number:
  US 20070161406A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,461 Days
• Field of Search: 455/562.1, 455/571, 370/280
• US Class Current: 455/562.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/04 using two or more spaced independent antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/28 using beam steering
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

A method of synchronizing a smart antenna apparatus with a base station transceiver includes receiving at the smart antenna apparatus control signals being communicated from a base station transceiver to one or more mobile stations via an antenna unit. The control signals are operable to be used to synchronize the mobile stations with the base station transceiver The method further includes executing one or more algorithms using the control signals received by the smart antenna apparatus as input to synchronize the smart antenna apparatus with the base station transceiver.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving control signals at a smart antenna apparatus from a base station transceiver via one or more radio signal wires, wherein the control signals comprise a downlink control frequency;

converting the control signals from the downlink control frequency to a corresponding uplink frequency; and

synchronizing the smart antenna apparatus with the base station transceiver based on the control signals.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising splitting the control signals at the smart antenna apparatus into at least a first path and a second path.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising communicating the control signals to an antenna unit via the first path.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising transmitting the control signals from the antenna unit to a mobile station via an air channel.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

receiving the control signals at the mobile station; and

synchronizing the mobile station with the base transceiver station using the received control signals.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving the control signals at a first filter; and

filtering the control signals using the first filter.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein filtering the control signals using the first filter comprises:

reducing an amplitude of the control signals; and

blocking frequencies of the control signals outside of a band of frequencies associated with the downlink control frequency.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein converting the control signals from the downlink control frequency to the corresponding uplink frequency comprises mixing the control signals with a conversion signal.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the downlink control frequency and the corresponding uplink frequency are offset by a pre-determined frequency.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the conversion signal is a signal approximately at the pre-determined frequency.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the pre-determined frequency is 45 MHz.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving signals at the corresponding uplink frequency at a second filter; and

filtering the signals at the corresponding uplink frequency using the second filter.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein filtering the signals at the corresponding uplink frequency using the second filter comprises:

reducing an amplitude of the signals at the corresponding uplink frequency; and

blocking frequencies of the signals at the corresponding uplink frequency outside of a band of frequencies associated with the corresponding uplink frequency.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving signals at the corresponding uplink frequency at a receiver; and

generating digital signals by sampling the signals at the corresponding uplink frequency.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein synchronizing the smart antenna apparatus with the base station transceiver comprises:

applying a synchronization algorithm to the digital signals; and

synchronizing the smart antenna apparatus with the base station transceiver based on the applied synchronization algorithm.

16. An smart antenna apparatus, comprising:

means for receiving control signals from a base station transceiver via one or more radio signal wires, wherein the control signals comprise a downlink control frequency;

means for converting the control signals from the downlink control frequency to a corresponding uplink frequency; and

means for synchronizing with the base station transceiver.

17. The smart antenna apparatus of claim 16, further comprising means for splitting the control signals into at least a first path and a second path.

18. The smart antenna apparatus of claim 17, further comprising means for communicating the control signals via the first path.

19. The smart antenna apparatus of claim 18, further comprising means for transmitting the control signals to a mobile station via an air channel.

20. The smart antenna apparatus of claim 18, wherein the control signals communicated via the first path are configured to synchronize the mobile station with the base transceiver station.

21. The smart antenna apparatus of claim 16, further comprising:

means for receiving the control signals; and

first means for filtering the control signals.

22. The smart antenna apparatus of claim 21, wherein the first means for filtering comprise:

means for reducing an amplitude of the control signals; and

means for blocking frequencies of the control signals outside of a band of frequencies associated with the downlink control frequency.

23. The smart antenna apparatus of claim 16, wherein the means for converting the control signals from the downlink control frequency to the corresponding uplink frequency comprise means for mixing the control signals with a conversion signal.

24. The smart antenna apparatus of claim 23, wherein the downlink control frequency and the corresponding uplink frequency are offset by a pre-determined frequency.

25. The smart antenna apparatus of claim 24, wherein the conversion signal is a signal approximately at the pre-determined frequency.

26. The smart antenna apparatus of claim 24, wherein the pre-determined frequency is 45 MHz.

27. The smart antenna apparatus of claim 16, further comprising:

means for receiving signals at the corresponding uplink frequency; and

second means for filtering the signals at the corresponding uplink frequency.

28. The smart antenna apparatus of claim 27, wherein the second means for filtering the signals comprise:

means for reducing an amplitude of the signals at the corresponding uplink frequency; and

means for blocking frequencies of the signals at the corresponding uplink frequency outside of a band of frequencies associated with the corresponding uplink frequency.

29. The smart antenna apparatus of claim 16, further comprising:

means for receiving signals at the corresponding uplink frequency; and

means for generating digital signals by sampling the signals at the corresponding uplink frequency.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the means for synchronizing the smart antenna apparatus with the base station transceiver comprise:

means for applying a synchronization algorithm to the digital signals; and

means for synchronizing the smart antenna apparatus with the base station transceiver based on the applied synchronization algorithm.