Gain adjustment stepping control in a wireless repeater

• US 8,265,546 B2
• Filed: 03/12/2010
• Issued: 09/11/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Wang, Michael Mao, Gore, Dhananjay Ashok, Barriac, Gwendolyn Denise
• Primary Examiner(s): TRINH, TAN H
• Application Number:
  US12/722,749
• Publication Number:
  US 20100285741A1
• Time in Patent Office: 914 Days
• Field of Search: 455/7, 455/9, 455/11.1, 455/13.4, 455/24, 455/25, 455/234.1, 455/69, 455/67.11, 455/226.1, 455/522, 455/41.2, 370/315, 370/335, 370/342, 370/252, 370/241, 370/318, 375/142, 375/211, 375/213, 375/267
• US Class Current: 455/7
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/15578 by gain adjustment

Abstract

A method for controlling gain in a wireless repeater includes providing one or more gain control metrics where the gain control metrics is indicative of a loop gain of the repeater; measuring the one or more gain control metrics; and adjusting a variable gain of the repeater using a gain adjustment step size being a function of at least the loop gain of the repeater as measured by the one or more gain control metrics. In another embodiment, the gain control algorithm block is configured to divide the loop gain of the repeater into multiple gain adjustment control zones. The gain adjustment control zones may include a first zone having a loop gain in a stable operating region and a second zone having a loop gain outside the stable operating region.

Claims

1. A method for controlling gain in a wireless repeater having a receiving antenna and a transmitting antenna, the method comprising:

receiving an input signal at the receiving antenna, the input signal being a sum of a remote signal to be repeated and a feedback signal resulting from a feedback channel between the receiving antenna and the transmitting antenna;

transmitting an output signal on the transmitting antenna, the output signal being an amplified input signal;

measuring one or more gain control metrics to determine a loop gain of the feedback channel between the receiving antenna and the transmitting antenna; and

adjusting a variable gain of the repeater using a gain adjustment step size, the gain adjustment step size being a function of at least the loop gain of the feedback channel as determined from the one or more gain control metrics.

2. The method of claim 1, the gain adjustment step size further being a function of the variable gain of the repeater.

3. A method for controlling gain in a wireless repeater having a receiving antenna and a transmitting antenna, the method comprising:

receiving an input signal at the receiving antenna, the input signal being a sum of a remote signal to be repeated and a feedback signal resulting from a feedback channel between the receiving antenna and the transmitting antenna;

transmitting an output signal on the transmitting antenna, the output signal being an amplified input signal;

measuring one or more gain control metrics to determine a loop gain of the repeater; and

dividing the loop gain of the repeater into a plurality of gain adjustment control zones that include a first zone having a loop gain in a stable operating region and a second zone having a loop gain outside the stable operating region;

providing one or more gain adjustment control curves in the plurality of gain adjustment control zones, wherein the one or more gain adjustment control curves are provided in the first zone to increase a variable gain of the repeater and provided in the second zone to decrease the variable gain of the repeater;

determining one of the plurality of gain adjustment control zones in which the repeater is operating using the one or more gain control metrics; and

adjusting the variable gain of the repeater using a gain adjustment step size, the gain adjustment step size being a function of the loop gain of the repeater as determined from the one or more gain control metrics and the one or more gain adjustment control curves provided in the determined one of the plurality of gain adjustment control zones.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the loop gain associated with the second zone is near an unstable operating region and the plurality of gain adjustment control zones further include a third zone between the first zone and the second zone;

and wherein the one or more gain adjustment control curves are further provided in the second zone to rapidly decrease the variable gain of the repeater and provided in the third zone to decrease the variable gain of the repeater.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein:

the one or more gain adjustment control curves provided in the third zone have gain adjustment step sizes that increase as a function of the variable gain of the repeater, whereby as the variable gain of the repeater increases, a slope of the one or more gain adjustment control curves provided in the third zone increases.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the one or more gain adjustment control curves provided in the third zone have one or more of a non-linear slope, a piecewise-linear slope, or a linear slope.

7. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

applying the one or more gain adjustment control curves provided in the first zone to increase the variable gain of the repeater when the repeater is operating in a steady state, wherein the one or more gain adjustment control curves provided in the first zone have a small slope to increase the variable gain of the repeater in small gain adjustment step sizes.

8. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

applying the one or more gain adjustment control curves provided in the first zone to increase the variable gain of the repeater when the repeater is operating in a boot-up state, the one or more gain adjustment control curves provided in the first zone having gain adjustment step sizes that decrease as a function of the variable gain of the repeater, whereby as the variable gain of the repeater increases, a slope of the one or more gain adjustment control curves applied in the first zone decreases.

9. The method of claim 3, wherein:

the one or more gain adjustment control curves provided in the second zone have a large slope to decrease the variable gain of the repeater in large gain adjustment step sizes.

10. The method of claim 3, wherein determining the one of the plurality of gain adjustment control zone in which the repeater is operating using the one or more gain control metrics comprises:

using a first gain control metric having a short integration length to determine if the repeater is operating in the second zone of the plurality of gain adjustment control zones; and

using a second gain control metric having a long integration length to determine if the repeater is operating in the first zone of the plurality of gain adjustment control zones.

11. The method of claim 3, where in the first zone is associated with a loop gain of about −

15 dB or less the second zone is associated with a loop gain of 0 dB to −

15 dB.

12. A wireless repeater having a receiving antenna for receiving an input signal and a transmitting antenna for transmitting an output signal, the input signal being a sum of a remote signal to be repeated and a feedback signal resulting from a feedback channel between the receiving antenna and the transmitting antenna, the output signal being an amplified input signal, the repeater comprising:

a gain control block configured to control a variable gain value of the repeater based on one or more gain control metrics, the gain control metrics being indicative of a loop gain of the feedback channel between the receiving antenna and the transmitting antenna, the gain control block comprising a gain metric calculator configured to measure the one or more gain control metrics to determine the loop gain of the feedback channel and a gain control algorithm block configured to control the variable gain of the repeater based on the one or more measured gain control metrics,

wherein the gain control algorithm block is configured to adjust the variable gain of the repeater using a gain adjustment step size, the gain adjustment step size being a function of at least the loop gain of the feedback channel as determined from the one or more measured gain control metrics.

13. The wireless repeater of claim 12, the gain adjustment step size further being a function of the variable gain of the repeater.

14. A wireless repeater having a receiving antenna for receiving an input signal and a transmitting antenna for transmitting an output signal, the input signal being a sum of a remote signal to be repeated and a feedback signal resulting from a feedback channel between the receiving antenna and the transmitting antenna, the output signal being an amplified input signal, wherein the repeater comprises:

a gain metric calculator configured to measure one or more gain control metrics to determine a loop gain of the repeater; and

a gain control algorithm block configured to;

divide the loop gain of the repeater into a plurality of gain adjustment control zones that include a first zone having a loop gain in a stable operating region and a second zone having a loop gain outside the stable operating region;

provide one or more gain adjustment control curves in the plurality of gain adjustment control zones, wherein the one or more gain adjustment control curves are provided in the first zone to increase variable gain of the repeater and provided in the second zone to decrease the variable gain of the repeater;

determine one of the plurality of gain adjustment control zones in which the repeater is operating using the one or more gain control metrics; and

adjust the variable gain of the repeater using a gain adjustment step size, the gain adjustment step size being a function of the loop gain of the repeater as determined from the one or more gain control metrics and the one or more gain adjustment control curves provided in the determined one of the plurality of gain adjustment control zones.

15. The wireless repeater of claim 14, wherein the loop gain associated with the second zone is near an unstable operating region and the plurality of gain adjustment control zones further include a third zone between the first zone and the second zone;

and wherein the one or more gain adjustment control curves are further provided in the second zone to rapidly decrease the variable gain of the repeater and provided in the third zone to decrease the variable gain of the repeater.

16. The wireless repeater of claim 15, wherein the one or more gain adjustment control curves provided in the third zone have gain adjustment step sizes that increase as a function of the variable gain of the repeater, the larger the variable gain of the repeater, whereby as the variable gain of the repeater increases, a slope of the one or more gain adjustment control curves provided in the third zone increases.

17. The wireless repeater of claim 15, wherein the one or more gain adjustment control curves provided in the third zone have one or more of a non-linear slope, a piecewise-linear slope, or a linear slope.

18. The wireless repeater of claim 14, wherein the gain control algorithm block is further configured to apply the one or more gain adjustment control curves provided in the first zone to increase the variable gain of the repeater when the repeater is operating in a steady state, the one or more gain adjustment control curves provided in the first zone having a small slope to increase the variable gain of the repeater in small gain adjustment step sizes.

19. The wireless repeater of claim 14, wherein the gain control algorithm block is further configured to apply the one or more gain adjustment control curves provided in the first zone to increase the variable gain of the repeater when the repeater is operating in a boot-up state, the one or more gain adjustment control curves provided in the first zone having gain adjustment step sizes that decrease as a function of the variable gain of the repeater, whereby as the variable gain of the repeater increases, a slope of the one or more gain adjustment control curves applied in the first zone decreases.

20. The wireless repeater of claim 14, wherein the one or more gain adjustment control curves provided in the second zone have a large slope to decrease the variable gain of the repeater in large gain adjustment step sizes.

21. The wireless repeater of claim 14, wherein to determine the one of the plurality of gain adjustment control zone in which the repeater is operating using the one or more gain control metrics, the gain control algorithm block is further configured to:

use a first gain control metric having a short integration length to determine if the repeater is operating in the second zone of the plurality of gain adjustment control zones; and

use a second gain control metric having a long integration length to determine if the repeater is operating in the first zone of the plurality of gain adjustment control zones.

22. The wireless repeater of claim 14, where in the first zone is associated with a loop gain of about −

15 dB or less the second zone is associated with a loop gain of 0 dB to −

15 dB.

23. An apparatus for controlling gain in a wireless repeater having a receiving antenna and a transmitting antenna, wherein the apparatus comprises:

means for measuring one or more gain control metrics to determine a loop gain of a feedback channel between the receiving antenna and the transmitting antenna; and

means for adjusting a variable gain of the repeater using a gain adjustment step size, the gain adjustment step size being a function of at least the loop gain of the feedback channel as determined from the one or more gain control metrics.

24. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions for controlling gain in a wireless repeater having a receiving antenna and a transmitting antenna, wherein executing the instructions on a machine causes the machine to:

measure one or more gain control metrics to determine a loop gain of a feedback channel between the receiving antenna and the transmitting antenna; and

adjust a variable gain of the repeater using a gain adjustment step size, the gain adjustment step size being a function of at least the loop gain of the feedback channel as determined from the one or more gain control metrics.

25. An apparatus for controlling gain in a wireless repeater having a receiving antenna and a transmitting antenna, wherein the apparatus comprises:

means for measuring one or more gain control metrics to determine a loop gain of a feedback channel between the receiving antenna and the transmitting antenna;

means for dividing the loop gain of the feedback channel into a plurality of gain adjustment control zones that include a first zone having a loop gain in a stable operating region and a second zone having a loop gain outside the stable operating region;

means for providing one or more gain adjustment control curves in the plurality of gain adjustment control zones, wherein the one or more gain adjustment control curves are provided in the first zone to increase a variable gain of the repeater and provided in the second zone to decrease the variable gain of the repeater;

means for determining one of the plurality of gain adjustment control zones in which the repeater is operating using the one or more gain control metrics; and

means for adjusting the variable gain of the repeater using a gain adjustment step size, the gain adjustment step size being a function of the loop gain of the feedback channel as determined from the one or more gain control metrics and the one or more gain adjustment control curves provided in the determined one of the plurality of gain adjustment control zones.

26. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions for controlling gain in a wireless repeater having a receiving antenna and a transmitting antenna, wherein executing the instructions on a machine causes the machine to:

measure one or more gain control metrics to determine a loop gain of a feedback channel between the receiving antenna and the transmitting antenna;

divide the loop gain of the feedback channel into a plurality of gain adjustment control zones that include a first zone having a loop gain in a stable operating region and a second zone having a loop gain outside the stable operating region;

provide one or more gain adjustment control curves in the plurality of gain adjustment control zones, wherein the one or more gain adjustment control curves are provided in the first zone to increase a variable gain of the repeater and provided in the second zone to decrease the variable gain of the repeater;

determine one of the plurality of gain adjustment control zones in which the repeater is operating using the one or more gain control metrics; and

adjust the variable gain of the repeater using a gain adjustment step size, the gain adjustment step size being a function of the loop gain of the feedback channel as determined from the one or more gain control metrics and the one or more gain adjustment control curves provided in the determined one of the plurality of gain adjustment control zones.