System and method for transmitting wireless digital service signals via power transmission lines

• US 7,929,940 B1
• Filed: 04/18/2006
• Issued: 04/19/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nextel Communications (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Nextel Communications (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Dianda, Janet Ruth, Prasad, Sunil
• Primary Examiner(s): SHEDRICK, CHARLES TERRELL
• Application Number:
  US11/405,917
• Time in Patent Office: 1,827 Days
• Field of Search: 455/402, 370/335, 340/500
• US Class Current: 455/402
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5441 Wireless systems or telephone
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5445 Local network
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/542 the information being in digital form

Abstract

A system and method of transmitting and receiving RF service signals between a base transceiver station (BTS) of a wireless communication system and subscriber units within a structure. In the forward link, the system demodulates the RF service signal from a BTS to recover a digital service signal; conditions the digital service signal for transmission via the powerline of a structure; and modulates an RF carrier with the digital service signal to generate the RF service signal for wireless transmission to subscriber units within the structure. In the reverse link, the system demodulates the RF service signal from subscriber unit(s) to generate a digital service signal; conditions the digital service signal for transmission via the powerline; and modulates an RF carrier with the digital service signal to generate the RF service signal for transmission to the BTS. Another embodiment eliminates the modulation of an RF carrier with the digital service signal to generate an RF service and vice-versa at the BTS.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a structure-side subsystem; and

a network-side subsystem connected to the structure-side subsystem via a transport media bus that is one of a coaxial cable, optical fiber or twisted pair of copper wires,

wherein the structure-side subsystem includes

a first signal conditioner adapted to condition a forward link digital service signal (DSS) of a wireless communication system for transmission via a powerline of a structure, wherein said first signal conditioner is further adapted to extract said forward link digital service signal (DSS) from the transport media bus; and

an antenna module, directly connected to the first signal conditioner via the powerline, adapted to modulate an RF carrier with said forward link digital service signal (DSS) to generate a forward link radio frequency (RF) service signal (RSS) for transmission via a wireless medium at said structure; and

wherein the network-side subsystem includes a second signal conditioner adapted to condition said forward link digital service signal (DSS) for transmission to said first signal conditioner by way of said transport media bus, wherein said second signal conditioner is adapted to directly receive said forward link digital service signal (DSS) from a base transceiver station (BTS) of said wireless communication system via a hard-wired antenna feed.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said first signal conditioner is adapted to condition said forward link digital service signal (DSS) for transmission via said powerline in accordance with a powerline communication protocol.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said second signal conditioner further comprises an RF demodulator adapted to generate said forward link digital service signal (DSS) by demodulating said RF service signal (RSS) received from the base transceiver station (BTS) of said wireless communication system.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the second signal conditioner comprises a signal conditioner which comprises an RF demodulator adapted to generate said forward link digital service signal (DSS) by demodulating said forward link RF service signal (RSS) received from the base transceiver station (BTS) of said wireless communication system.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said antenna module comprises:

a powerline signal conditioner adapted to extract said forward link digital service signal (DSS) from said powerline;

an RF modulator adapted to generate said forward link RF service signal (RSS) by modulating said RF carrier with said forward link digital service signal (DSS) received from said powerline; and

an antenna adapted to wirelessly transmit said forward link RF service signal (RSS).

6. A method of transmitting a forward link radio frequency (RF) service signal (RSS) of a base transceiver station (BTS) of a wireless communication system to one or more subscriber units at a structure, comprising:

transmitting, by a signal conditioner of a network-side subsystem, a forward link digital service signal (DSS) to a powerline by way of a transport media bus, wherein said forward link digital service signal (DSS) is directly received by the signal conditioner of the network-side subsystem from a base transceiver station (BTS) of said wireless communication system via a hard-wired antenna feed;

receiving, by a signal conditioner of a structure-side subsystem, said forward link digital service signal (DSS) via the transport media bus that is one of a coaxial cable, optical fiber or twisted pair of copper wires;

transmitting, by the signal conditioner of a structure-side subsystem, said forward link digital service signal (DSS) via a powerline of said structure, wherein said forward link digital service signal (DSS) is extracted from said transport media bus;

receiving, by an antenna module of the structure-side subsystem, said forward link digital service signal (DSS) directly from the signal conditioner of the structure-side subsystem via the powerline;

modulating, by the antenna module of the structure-side subsystem, an RF carrier with said forward link digital service signal (DSS) received from said powerline to generate said forward link RF service signal (RSS); and

wirelessly transmitting, by the antenna module of the structure-side subsystem, said RF service signal (RSS) to said one or more subscriber units.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising demodulating said forward link RF service signal (RSS) received from said base transceiver station (BTS) to generate said forward link digital service signal (DSS).

8. A system, comprising:

a structure-side subsystem; and

a network-side subsystem connected to the structure-side subsystem via a transport media bus that is one of a coaxial cable, optical fiber or twisted pair of copper wires,

wherein the structure-side subsystem includes

an antenna module adapted to demodulate a reverse link RF service signal (RSS) wirelessly received from one or more subscriber units at a structure to generate a reverse link digital service signal (DSS) for transmission via a powerline of said structure; and

a first signal conditioner adapted to receive said reverse link digital service signal (DSS) via a direct powerline connection and to extract said reverse link digital service signal (DSS) from said powerline for transmission towards a base transceiver station (BTS) of a wireless communication system, wherein said first signal conditioner is further adapted to condition said reverse link digital service signal (DSS) for transmission via the transport media bus; and

wherein the network-side subsystem that includes a second signal conditioner adapted to extract said reverse link digital service signal (DSS) from said transport media bus and directly provide said reverse link digital service signal (DSS) to a base transceiver station (BTS) of said wireless communication system via a hard-wired antenna feed.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the second signal conditioner comprises a signal conditioner comprising an RF modulator adapted to generate a reverse link RF service signal (RSS) for a base transceiver station (BTS) by modulating an RF carrier with said digital service signal (DSS) received from said first signal conditioner, wherein said second signal conditioner is adapted to send said reverse link digital service signal (DSS) to the base transceiver station (BTS) of said wireless communication system.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein said antenna module comprises:

an antenna adapted to wirelessly receive said reverse link RF service signal (RSS) from said subscriber unit;

an RF demodulator adapted to generate said reverse link digital service signal (DSS) by demodulating said reverse link RF service signal (RSS); and

a powerline signal conditioner adapted to condition said reverse link digital service signal (DSS) for transmission via said powerline to said first signal conditioner.

11. A method of transmitting a reverse link radio frequency (RF) service signal (RSS) of one or more subscriber units at a structure to a base transceiver station (BTS) of a wireless communication system, comprising:

wirelessly receiving, by an antenna module of a structure-side subsystem, said reverse link RF service signal (RSS) from said one or more subscriber units;

demodulating, by the antenna module of the structure-side subsystem, said reverse link RF service signal (RSS) to generate a reverse link digital service signal (DSS);

transmitting, by the antenna module of the structure-side subsystem, said reverse link digital service signal (DSS) towards said base transceiver station (BTS) via direct connection of a powerline of said structure to a signal conditioner of the structure-side subsystem;

transmitting, by the signal conditioner of the structure-side subsystem, said reverse link digital service signal (DSS) received from said powerline towards said base transceiver station (BTS) by way of a transport media bus that is one of a coaxial cable, optical fiber or twisted pair of copper wires; and

directly providing, by a signal conditioner of a network-side subsystem, said reverse link digital service signal (DSS) to a base transceiver station (BTS) of said wireless communication system via a hard-wired antenna feed.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising modulating an RF carrier with said reverse link digital service signal (DSS) to generate a reverse link RF service signal (RSS) for the base transceiver station (BTS) and sending said reverse link RF service signal (RSS) to said base transceiver station.