Method and apparatus for MIMO repeater chains in a wireless communication network
First Claim
1. A multi-hop repeater chain for use with a wireless base station in a wireless communication network, said multi-hop repeater chain configured to de-aggregate downlink signals as they are propagated outward from the base station to mobile terminals along the multi-hop repeater chain, and to aggregate uplink signals as they are propagated inward from mobile terminals along the multi-hop repeater chain to the base station, said multi-hop repeater chain comprising:
- two or more repeaters forming said multi-hop repeater chain, including at least a first repeater and a last repeater;
each said repeater comprising an uplink transceiver and a downlink transceiver that are configured to conduct repeater-to-mobile-terminal transmissions and mobile-terminal-to-repeater receptions using a base station frequency spectrum and to conduct repeater-to-repeater transmissions and receptions using a repeater frequency spectrum; and
wherein the first repeater is configured to conduct repeater-to-base-station transmissions and base-station-to-repeater receptions.
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Accused Products
Abstract
In one or more embodiments taught herein, a multi-band MIMO repeater is configured to translate normal wireless mobile bands into other frequency bands in the physical layer. An advantageous, multi-hop repeater chain includes two or more such repeaters, for propagating downlink signals from a base station, and for propagating uplink signals to the base station. Each such repeater may use paralleled homodyne structure transceivers for better SNR, spectrum combiners for uplink signal aggregation, spectrum separators for downlink signal de-aggregation, water mark signal inserters for optimization, and, among other things, spectrum analyzers for frequency band selection. In at least one such embodiment, a multi-hop repeater chain is configured for MIMO operation in an LTE Advanced or other MIMO network, to deliver high data rate over larger distances—e.g., further away from cell base stations.
165 Citations
47 Claims
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1. A multi-hop repeater chain for use with a wireless base station in a wireless communication network, said multi-hop repeater chain configured to de-aggregate downlink signals as they are propagated outward from the base station to mobile terminals along the multi-hop repeater chain, and to aggregate uplink signals as they are propagated inward from mobile terminals along the multi-hop repeater chain to the base station, said multi-hop repeater chain comprising:
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two or more repeaters forming said multi-hop repeater chain, including at least a first repeater and a last repeater; each said repeater comprising an uplink transceiver and a downlink transceiver that are configured to conduct repeater-to-mobile-terminal transmissions and mobile-terminal-to-repeater receptions using a base station frequency spectrum and to conduct repeater-to-repeater transmissions and receptions using a repeater frequency spectrum; and wherein the first repeater is configured to conduct repeater-to-base-station transmissions and base-station-to-repeater receptions. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A method of repeater-based communications in a cell within a wireless communication network, said method comprising de-aggregating downlink signals as they are propagated outward along the multi-hop repeater chain from a base station in the cell, and aggregating uplink signals as they are propagated inward along the multi-hop repeater chain to the base station:
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said de-aggregating comprising each but the last repeater relaying to a next repeater those downlink signals that are targeted to mobile stations indirectly supported by the repeater, and each repeater repeating those downlink signals that are targeted to mobile terminals directly supported by the repeater; and said aggregating comprising each but the first repeater relaying to the next upstream repeater those uplink signals received from mobile stations directly supported by the repeater, each but the last repeater further relaying those uplink signals received from the next downstream repeater, and the first repeater repeating to the base station those uplink signals received from the next downstream repeater and those uplink signals received from the mobile terminals directly supported by the first repeater; and wherein each said repeater relays in a repeater frequency spectrum and repeats in a base station frequency spectrum. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47)
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Specification