Wireless repeater with smart uplink

• US 8,116,254 B2
• Filed: 01/30/2009
• Issued: 02/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Powerwave Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: Sabat, John, Millar, Jeffrey
• Primary Examiner(s): HOANG, THAI D
• Application Number:
  US12/363,591
• Publication Number:
  US 20090196215A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,110 Days
• Field of Search: 370315-326, 370503-504, 370516-519, 375135-136, 375213-215, 375/226, 375/297, 455 111- 134, 455/67.13, 455/67.16
• US Class Current: 370/318
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 3/3047 for intermittent signals, e.g. burst signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/15535 Control of relay amplifier gain amplifier gain control in general H03G3/00; gain control reducing self - or loop interference H04B7/15578

Abstract

An over the air repeater for enhancing wireless communication is provided. The repeater employs a system and method by which strong signals can be prevented from exceeding the repeater'"'"'s uplink output limits while still providing full operational gain to any concurrently amplified weak signals, while adapting to time slot variations and optionally to frequency hopping variations. Power measurements are performed on each channel with resultant gain changes being performed on delayed versions of those same signals. Digital delay buffers are used to provide adequate processing time to make an accurate determination of the uplink signal levels of each RF carrier. The repeater alternatively monitors the downlink path from the donor base station to determine the frequencies to be processed on the uplink communication.

Claims

1. A communication system for enhancing wireless coverage for a host base station, comprising:

a digital repeater receiving and providing time division multiplexed (TDM) communication signals between a host base station and a communication network for a plurality of RF channels;

a digital filter for each of the plurality of RF channels, the filter frequencies being aligned to the corresponding RF channel tuning of the host base station;

a delay buffer for each RF channel configured to provide a time delayed TDM signal for a power measurement on the RF channel;

a power measurement unit; and

a gain setting unit for each RF channel receiving the time delayed communication signal and power measurement for adjusting a gain setting on each RF channel;

wherein the time delay creates a time differential between a filtered TDM signal from the delay buffer and a filtered TDM signal fed into the power measurement unit.

2. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the gain setting for each individual RF channel is set independent from the other of the plurality of RF channels to prevent power amplifier output overload due to varying power levels of each of the plurality of received TDM signals.

3. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the gain setting unit provides gain setting for an output for each of the plurality of RF channels based on automatic limit control (ALC), wherein a power level of the TDM signal is limited to a threshold level.

4. The communication system of claim 3, wherein the automatic limit control gain setting limits are equal for all RF channels.

5. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the gain setting unit provides gain setting for an output for each of the plurality of RF channels based on automatic gain control (AGC), wherein a power level of the TDM signal is reduced for strong signals above a threshold level and the power level is increased for a weak signal below the threshold level.

6. The communication system of claim 5, wherein the automatic gain control adjusts the gain for each incoming TDM signal to a value below a maximum gain level.

7. The communication system of claim 1, further comprising;

a broadband digital delay configured for the digital filter to be tuned to an active RF channel before the TDM signal propagates through the repeater.

8. The communication system of claim 7, wherein a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) circuit detects an uplink TDM signal and measures a leading edge burst of the uplink TDM signal to determine a corresponding RF channel.

9. The communication system of claim 1, further comprising:

a down link to uplink delay; and

a channel detection unit for determining a frequency offset between the downlink and uplink for generating tuning commands for an uplink digital filter,

wherein frequency tuning is based on the downlink measurement.

10. A method for adjusting an over the air repeater for enhancing coverage in a wireless communication system, the method comprising:

providing and receiving a plurality of digital time division multiplexed (TDM) signals for each of a plurality of RF channels;

filtering and splitting the plurality of digital TDMA signals for each of the plurality of RF channels;

delaying a digital filtered TDM signal to provide a power measurement of each of the plurality of RF channels;

measuring the power level of each of the filtered digital TDM signals; and

adjusting the filtered digital TDM signal gain setting based on the individual power measurement on each of the plurality of RF channels;

wherein the delay creates a time differential between a filtered TDM signal from a delay buffer and a filtered TDM signal fed into a power measurement unit.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

controlling the gain setting output for each of the plurality of RF channels based on automatic limit control (ALC), wherein the power level of each TDM signal is limited to a threshold level.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

controlling the gain setting output for each of the plurality of RF channels based on automatic gain control (AGC), wherein the power level of the TDM signal is reduced for strong signals above a threshold level and the power level is increased for weak signals below the threshold level.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising;

providing a broadband digital delay configured for the digital filter to be tuned to an active RF channel before the TDM signal propagates through the repeater.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) circuit detects and measures an uplink TDM signal to determine a corresponding RF channel.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

determining a down link to uplink delay; and

determining a frequency offset between the downlink and uplink for generating tuning commands for an uplink digital filter,

wherein frequency tuning is based on the downlink measurement.

16. A communication system for enhancing wireless coverage for a host base station, comprising:

a digital repeater receiving and providing communication signals between a host base station and a communication network for a plurality of RF channels;

a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) circuit for detecting an uplink communication signal and measuring frequency during the leading edge burst of the uplink communication signal to determine a corresponding RF channel;

a first delay buffer configured to provide a time delay for the FFT circuit to detect the uplink communication signal; and

a digital filter for each of the plurality of RF channels, the filter being synchronized to the corresponding RF channel timing of the host base station by the FFT circuit;

wherein the time delay creates a time differential between a filtered TDM signal from the delay buffer and a filtered TDM signal fed into a power measurement unit.

17. The communication system of claim 16, further comprising:

a second delay buffer for each RF channel configured to provide a time delay for a power measurement on the RF channel; and

a gain setting unit for each RF channel receiving the time delayed signal and power measurement for adjusting a gain setting on each RF channel.

18. The communication system of claim 17, wherein gain setting an output for each of the plurality of RF channels is based on at least one of:

an automatic limit control (ALC), wherein a power level of the communication signal is limited to a threshold level; and

an automatic gain control (AGC), wherein a power level of the communication signal is reduced for strong signals above a threshold level and the power level is increased for weak signals below the threshold level.