Method for selecting the installation position and direction of link antenna in inbuilding radio frequency repeater and cable apparatus used in the same

• US 8,238,822 B2
• Filed: 08/11/2006
• Issued: 08/07/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: KT Corporation
• Original Assignee: KT Corporation
• Inventors: Seo, Kyoung-Il, Choi, Jin-Ho, Lee, Jung-Ho
• Primary Examiner(s): SHARMA, SUJATHA R
• Application Number:
  US12/063,546
• Publication Number:
  US 20080274693A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,188 Days
• Field of Search: 455/556.1, 455/566, 455/575.7, 455 901- 903, 455272-2791, 455/562.1, 455/553.1, 455/73, 455/88, 455/25, 379419-440, 370/338, 370/334
• US Class Current: 455/25
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/1257 using the received signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/27 for locating or positioning the transmitter
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/2606 Arrangements for base station coverage control, e.g. by using relays in tunnels

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for selecting an installation position of a link antenna of an in-building RF repeater, a cable device thereof, and a terminal. The method selects the position for measuring the greatest Ec/Io by using directivity of the link antenna in an area for installing the link antenna. The link antenna is installed at the selected position. The direction with the greatest Ec/Io that is measured by using directivity of the link antenna is fixed to be a desired direction from among target directions to be directed by the link antenna. In this instance, measurement of Ec/Io by using directivity of the link antenna is performed by a mobile station connected to the link antenna through an access cable. Accordingly, the link antenna can be installed at the optimized position and in the optimized direction. Hence, the Ec/Io within the building is substantially reduced.

Claims

1. A method for selecting an installation position of a link antenna of an in-building RF repeater using a terminal, the method comprising:

measuring, by the terminal connected to the link antenna through a predetermined access cable, a communication state value in a non-slot mode representing operations during idle timeslots by using directivity of the link antenna at a predetermined position within a target area for installing the link antenna, wherein the terminal has an omni-directional antenna;

comparing a previously measured communication state value with the communication state value that is measured by repeating the measuring step at another position within the target area;

converting, by the terminal, the communication state value into one of a plurality of states, each of the plurality of states corresponding to the measured communication state value;

displaying, on a display of the terminal, at least one of (i) the communication state value and (ii) the converted states; and

selecting the position with the greatest communication state value as a position for installing the link antenna.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the terminal for measuring the communication state value generates mobile communication traffic through the link antenna.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication state value is one of the energy per chip over interface noise (Ec/Io), transmission power (Tx_pwr), and transmission adjust (Tx_adj) measured from the terminal.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined access cable is connected to a feeder of the link antenna, wherein the feeder connects a coaxial cable for the link antenna to transmit RF signals to a remote unit for providing a mobile communication service within the building.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the predetermined access cable is connected to an RF port for controlling RF transmitting/receiving to/from the terminal.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined access cable is an RF cable for controlling RF signal transmission between the link antenna and the terminal.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

measuring a communication state value by using the directivity of the link antenna in a predetermined direction within a target direction to be directed by the link antenna that is installed at the position selected in the selecting step;

comparing a previously measured communication state value with the communication state value that is measured by repeating the measuring step of a communication state value in another direction within the target area; and

selecting the direction with the greatest communication state value measured in the target direction as a direction to be directed by the link antenna.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the link antenna is on of a Yagi antenna, a patch antenna, a sector antenna, and a parabolic antenna.

9. A method for selecting a direction of a link antenna of an in-building RF repeater using a terminal, the method comprising:

measuring, by the terminal connected to the link antenna through a predetermined access cable, a communication state value in a non-slot mode representing operations during idle timeslots by using directivity of the link antenna in a predetermined direction within a target area for installing the link antenna, wherein the terminal has an omni-directional antenna;

comparing a previously measured communication state value with the communication state value that is measured by repeating the measuring step in another direction within the target area;

converting, by the terminal, the communication state value into one of a plurality of states, each of the plurality of states corresponding to the measured communication state value;

displaying, on a display of the terminal, at least one of (i) the communication state value and (ii) the converted states; and

selecting the direction with the greatest communication state value as a direction to be directed by the link antenna.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the terminal for measuring the communication state value generates mobile communication traffic through the link antenna.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the communication state value is one of the energy per chip over interface noise (Ec/Io), transmission power (Tx_pwr), and transmission adjust (Tx_adj) measured from the terminal.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the predetermined access cable is connected to a feeder of the link antenna, wherein the feeder connects a coaxial cable for the link antenna to transmit RF signals to a remote unit for providing a mobile communication service within the building.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the predetermined access cable is connected to an RF port for controlling RF transmitting/receiving to/from the terminal.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the predetermined access cable is an RF cable for controlling RF signal transmission between the link antenna and the terminal.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the link antenna is one of a Yagi antenna, a patch antenna, a sector antenna, and a parabolic antenna.

16. A terminal having an omni-directional antenna for selecting an installation position of a link antenna of an in-building RF repeater, the terminal comprising:

a keypad for receiving and transmitting a user instruction for selecting an installation position of the link antenna;

a display for displaying communication state values for displaying the terminal'"'"'s states and performance;

a link antenna connector connectable to the link antenna so that RF signals may be transmitted between the link antenna and the terminal;

a wireless transmitting/receiving unit for transmitting/receiving RF signals to/from the link antenna through the link antenna connector; and

a controller for measuring the terminal'"'"'s communication state value through the link antenna connected to the link antenna connector through a predetermined access cable when a user instruction is input through the keypad, wherein the controller measures the communication state value measured in a non-slot mode representing operations during idle timeslots, divides the terminal state into a plurality of states, converts the communication state value into one of a plurality of states, each of the plurality of states corresponding to the measured communication state value, and displays at least one of (i) the communication state value and (ii) the converted states to the display, so as to initially select the position for installing the link antenna and the direction thereof.

17. The terminal of claim 16, wherein the controller measures the communication state value in the traffic state and displays the same through the display so as to confirm the position for installing the link antenna and the direction thereof.

18. The terminal of claim 17, wherein the confirmed position for installing the link antenna and the direction thereof is selected from among the initially selected positions and directions.

19. The terminal of claim 17, wherein the keypad comprises a scan mode key for receiving a communication state value measuring instruction for the initial selection, and a confirm mode key for receiving a communication state value measuring instruction for the confirmation.

20. The terminal of claim 16, wherein the wireless transmitting/receiving unit comprises a plurality of wireless transmitting/receiving means for performing wireless communication, and one of the wireless transmitting/receiving means is selected by the controller according to the user'"'"'s input through the keypad.