Cellular systems with distributed antennas

• US 8,090,379 B2
• Filed: 01/29/2008
• Issued: 01/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Trex Enterprises Corporation
• Original Assignee: Trex Enterprises Corporation
• Inventors: Lambert, Thomas, Korevaar, Eric, Tinoco, Eduardo, Johnson, Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Edouard, Patrick
• Assistant Examiner(s): HEIBER, SHANTELL LAKETA
• Application Number:
  US12/011,797
• Publication Number:
  US 20090258652A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,435 Days
• Field of Search: 455/8, 455/10, 455/25, 455/73, 455/505, 455/67.15, 455/561, 455/562.1, 455/504, 455/506, 455/445, 455/41.2, 455/446
• US Class Current: 455/446
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/042 Public Land Mobile systems, e.g. cellular systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

A communication system providing wireless communication among wireless users through a number of cellular base stations, each including at least transport management equipment and broadband equipment, at least one of which supports at least remote cellular station including RF equipment for communication with users of cellular devices. The system includes at lease one wireless narrow beam communication link operating at millimeter wave frequencies in excess of 60 GHz connecting a remote cellular station with a cellular base station equipped with broad band conversion electronic equipment and transport management equipment. In preferred embodiment the communication system includes a large number of remote cellular stations with each remote cellular station serving a separate communication cell. Each remote cellular station is equipped with a low frequency wireless transceiver for communicating with the wireless users within the cell at a radio frequency lower than 6 GHz and a narrow beam millimeter wave wireless transceiver operating at a millimeter wave frequency higher than 60 GHz for communicating with another millimeter wave transceiver at another remote cellular station or a millimeter wave transceiver at a base station.

Claims

1. A communications system providing wireless communication, said system comprising:

A) at least one cellular base station comprising;

1) transport management equipment for managing communication in and out of said base station and into and out of at least one remote cellular station,

2) at least one millimeter wave wireless transceiver adapted to communicate at millimeter wave frequencies higher than 60 GHz with another millimeter wave transceiver located at said at least one remote cellular station;

B) at least one remote cellular station serving a communication cell, said at least one remote cellular station comprising;

1) at least one low frequency wireless transceiver for communicating with a plurality of users within said communication cell at a radio frequency lower than 6 GHz;

2) at least one millimeter wave wireless transceiver operating at a millimeter wave frequency higher than 60 GHz for communicating with another millimeter wave transceiver at said base station and

3) a data transfer means for transferring data communicated through said at least one low frequency transceiver to said at least one millimeter wave wireless transceiver and for transferring data communicated through said at least one millimeter wave wireless transceiver to said at least one low frequency wireless transceiver.

2. The system as in claim 1 wherein said at least one remote cellular station is a plurality of remote cellular stations.

3. The system as in claim 2 wherein said system is a part of a telephone system.

4. The system as in claim 2 wherein said system is a part of an Internet system.

5. The system as in claim 2 wherein said system is a part of a computer network.

6. The system as in claim 2 wherein at least one of said remote cellular stations comprises a vehicle on which said at least one low frequency wireless transceiver and said at least one millimeter wave wireless transceiver are mounted.

7. The system as in claim 1 wherein said at least one cellular base station is a plurality of base stations.

8. The communication system as in claim 1 wherein each of said at least one millimeter wave wireless transceivers is configured to transmit to and receive from a second site digital information at rates in excess of 1 billion bits per second during normal weather, said millimeter wave wireless transceivers each comprising an antenna producing a beam having a half-power beam width of about 2 degrees or less.

9. The system as in claim 1 wherein said millimeter wave wireless transceivers are equipped with antennas providing a gain of greater than 40 dB.

10. The system as in claim 1 wherein said millimeter wave wireless transceivers are capable of transmitting and receiving at rates in excess of 1 billion bits per second and the antennas of said high frequency wireless transceivers are configured to produce beams having half-power beam widths of about 0.36 degrees or less.

11. The system as in claim 1 wherein each of said at least one millimeter wave wireless transceivers are configured to transmit at frequencies in the range of about 71-76 GHz.

12. The system as in claim 1 wherein each of said at least one millimeter wave wireless transceivers are configured to transmit at frequencies in the range of about 81-86 GHz.

13. A communications system providing wireless communication with system users and incorporating a wireless millimeter wave communication link, said system comprising:

A) a plurality of cellular stations each of said cellular stations serving a communication cell and each of said cellular stations comprising;

1) at least one low frequency wireless transceiver for communicating with users within said cell at a radio frequency lower than 6 GHz,

2) at least one high frequency wireless transceiver for communicating with other cellular stations as a part of said millimeter wave communication link at a millimeter wave frequency higher than 60 GHz, and

3) a data transfer means for transferring data communicated through said at least one low frequency transceiver to said at least one high frequency wireless transceiver and for transferring data communicated through said at least one high frequency wireless transceiver to said at least one low frequency wireless transceiver, and

B) at least one high data rate communication link providing communication between said plurality of cellular stations and a communication office, wherein at least one of said cellular stations is a base station and at least one of said cellular stations is a remote cellular station which is in radio communication with the cellular base station through a millimeter wave communication link.

14. A communication system as in claim 13 wherein each of said base station high frequency wireless transceivers is configured to transmit to and receive from a second site digital information at rates in excess of 1 billion bits per second during normal weather, said high frequency wireless transceivers each comprising an antenna producing a beam having a half-power beam width of about 2 degrees or less.

15. A system as in claim 14 wherein at least one of said high frequency wireless transceivers are configured to transmit at frequencies in the range of about 71-76 GHz.

16. A system as in claim 14 wherein at least one of said high frequency transceivers are configured to transmit at frequencies in the range of about 81-86 GHz.

17. A communications system providing wireless communication with system users and having a wireless millimeter wave trunk line for communicating with a fiber Point of Presence, said system comprising:

A) a plurality of wireless computer networking base stations each of said base stations serving a communication coverage area and each of said base stations comprising;

1) at least one low frequency wireless transceiver for communicating with users within said communication coverage area at a radio frequency lower than 6 GHz,

2) at least one high frequency wireless transceiver for communicating with other base stations as a part of said trunk line at a trunk line frequency higher than 60 GHz, and

3) a data transfer means for transferring data communicated through said at least one low frequency transceiver to said at least one high frequency wireless transceiver and for transferring data communicated through said at least one high frequency wireless transceiver to said at least one low frequency wireless transceiver, and

B) at least one high data rate communication link providing communication between said plurality of wireless computer networking base stations and said fiber point of presence, and

C) a plurality of remote cellular stations, each of said remote cellular stations serving a communication cell and at least one of said remote cellular stations comprising;

1) at least one low frequency wireless transceiver for communicating with a plurality of users within said communication cell at a radio frequency lower than 6 GHz;

2) at least one millimeter wave wireless transceiver operating at a millimeter wave frequency higher than 60 GHz for communicating with another millimeter wave transceiver at a base station or a millimeter wave transceiver at said at least one connecting station; and

3) a data transfer means for transferring data communicated through said at least one low frequency transceiver to said at least one millimeter wave wireless transceiver and for transferring data communicated through said at least one millimeter wave wireless transceiver to said at least one low frequency wireless transceiver.

18. A communication system as in claim 17 wherein each of said base station high frequency wireless transceivers is configured to transmit to and receive from a second site digital information at rates in excess of 1 billion bits per second during normal weather, said high frequency wireless transceivers each comprising an antenna producing a beam having a half-power beam width of about 2 degrees or less.

19. A system as in claim 18 wherein a plurality of said high frequency transceivers are equipped with antennas providing a gain of greater than 40 dB.

20. A system as in claim 18 wherein at least one of said low frequency wireless transceivers operate at a frequency of about 5.8 GHz.