Method and apparatus of obtaining timing in a repeater

• US 8,744,340 B2
• Filed: 07/20/2011
• Issued: 06/03/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Palanki, Ravi, Gore, Dhananjay Ashok, Wei, Yongbin
• Primary Examiner(s): Urban, Edward
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sorowar, Golam
• Application Number:
  US13/187,273
• Publication Number:
  US 20120063492A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,049 Days
• Field of Search: 455/7, 455/11.1, 455/13.1, 455/115.1, 455/67.11, 455/126, 455/135, 455/164.1, 455/25, 455/266, 455/277.1, 455/296, 455/422.1, 455/428, 455/433, 455/434, 455/436, 455/450, 455/456.1, 455/501, 455/522, 455/69, 455/63.1, 455/67.14, 370/208, 370/210, 370/204, 370/241, 370/252, 370/257, 370/315, 370/328, 370/329, 370/335, 370/342, 370/441, 370/509, 370/524, 370/491, 370/516, 370/338, 375/130, 375/134, 375/137, 375/136, 375/140, 375/208, 375/295, 375/142, 375/216, 375/260, 375147-150, 375/211, 375/214, 375/223, 375/224, 375/232, 375/240, 375/259, 375/267, 375/285, 375/296, 375/301, 375/303, 375/324, 375/326, 375/340, 375/342, 375/343, 375/346, 375/354, 375/355, 375/375
• US Class Current: 455/7
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/15585 by interference cancellation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/001 Synchronization between nodes

Abstract

Methods and apparatuses are provided that include a mobile station modem (MSM) embedded in a repeater for enhancing repeater functionality. The MSM can determine a timing of a base station based on one or more signals received therefrom. Using the timing, the repeater can align timing to that of the base station, determine cyclic prefix of the received signals, cancel echo from received signals, switch between receiving uplink and downlink signals, transmit PRSs according to the timing, and/or the like.

Claims

1. A method for wireless communication, comprising:

receiving, at a repeater used to expand base station coverage, one or more signals transmitted from one or more base stations;

obtaining a timing of the one or more base stations based at least in part on the one or more signals;

retransmitting, from the repeater, the one or more signals based at least in part on the timing of the one or more base stations; and

cancelling, by the repeater, an echo from the one or more signals based at least in part on the timing of the one or more base stations, wherein the cancelling of the echo includes cancelling, from the one or more signals, a previous signal retransmitted by the repeater at a time the one or more signals are received from the one or more base stations at the repeater.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising aligning a fast Fourier transform block structure with the one or more signals according to the timing of the one or more base stations, wherein the cancelling the echo from the one or more signals is based at least in part on the aligning the fast Fourier transform block structure.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising determining a cyclic prefix of the one or more signals based at least in part on one or more information blocks of the one or more signals, wherein the cancelling the echo is further based at least in part on removing the cyclic prefix from the one or more signals.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a time period of a downlink transmission from the one or more base stations based at least in part on the timing of the one or more base stations; and

amplifying the one or more signals, wherein the receiving the one or more signals includes receiving the one or more signals during the time period.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

determining a different time period of a uplink transmission from one or more devices to the one or more base stations based at least in part on the timing of the one or more base stations; and

switching, during a guard period, to amplify and retransmit uplink signals received from the one or more devices during the different time period.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a time period over which the one or more base stations transmit a positioning reference signal based at least in part on the timing of the one or more base stations.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising refraining from retransmitting the positioning reference signal received over the time period.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising transmitting a different positioning reference signal in a different time period based at least in part on the timing of the one or more base stations.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising transmitting a previously received positioning reference signal in the time period based at least in part on the timing of the one or more base stations.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the obtaining the timing of the one or more base stations comprises amplifying the one or more signals and utilizing an embedded mobile station modem (MSM) to process the one or more signals as amplified.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the obtaining the timing of the one or more base stations includes utilizing the embedded MSM to determine one or more parameters related to the one or more base stations based at least in part on the one or more signals as amplified.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising approximating the timing of the one or more base stations based at least in part on receiving one or more different signals from the one or more base stations via the MSM, wherein the obtaining the timing of the one or more base stations comprises correcting the timing of the one or more base stations according to one or more timing advance commands received from the one or more base stations.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising ceasing signal transmission during one or more time periods over which the one or more signals are received, wherein the obtaining the timing of the one or more base stations comprises utilizing an embedded mobile station modem to receive and process the one or more signals.

14. An apparatus for utilizing base station timing for retransmitting signals, comprising:

at least one processor configured to;

receive, at a repeater used to expand base station coverage, one or more signals from one or more base stations;

determine a timing of the one or more base stations based at least in part on the one or more signals;

retransmit, from the repeater, the one or more signals based at least in part on the timing of the one or more base stations; and

cancel, at the repeater, an echo from one or more signals based at least in part on the timing of the one or more base stations, wherein the cancelling of the echo includes cancelling, from the one or more signals, a previous signal retransmitted by the repeater at a time the one or more signals are received from the one or more base stations; and

a memory coupled to the at least one processor.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to align a fast Fourier transform block structure with the one or more signals according to the timing of the one or more base stations to cancel the echo from the one or more signals.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to determine a cyclic prefix of the one or more signals based at least in part on one or more information blocks of the one or more signals, and remove the cyclic prefix from the one or more signals to facilitate cancelling the echo.

17. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

determine a time period of a downlink transmission from the one or more base stations based at least in part on the timing of the one or more base stations; and

amplify the one or more signals, wherein the at least one processor receives the one or more signals during the time period.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

determine a different time period of a uplink transmission from one or more devices to the one or more base stations based at least in part on the timing of the one or more base stations; and

switch, during a guard period, to amplify and retransmit uplink signals received from the one or more devices during the different time period.

19. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to determine a time period over which the one or more base stations transmit a positioning reference signal based at least in part on the timing of the one or more base stations.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to refrain from transmitting the positioning reference signal.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to transmit a different positioning reference signal in a different time period based at least in part on the timing of the one or more base stations.

22. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to transmit a previously received reference signal in the time period based at least in part on the timing of the one or more base stations.

23. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the at least one processor determines the timing of the one or more base stations at least in part amplifying the one or more signals and utilizing an embedded mobile station modem (MSM) to process the one or more signals as amplified.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the at least one processor determines the timing of the one or more base stations at least in part by utilizing the embedded MSM to determine one or more parameters related to the one or more base stations based at least in part on the one or more signals as amplified.

25. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to approximate the timing of the one or more base stations based at least in part on receiving one or more different signals from the one or more base stations via the MSM, wherein the at least one processor determines the timing of the one or more base stations at least in part by correcting timing of the one or more base stations according to one or more timing advance commands received from the one or more base stations.

26. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to ceasing signal transmission during one or more time periods over which the one or more signals are received, wherein the at least one processor determines the timing of the one or more base stations at least in part by utilizing an embedded mobile station modem to receive and process the one or more signals.

27. An apparatus for retransmitting signals based on base station timing, comprising:

means for receiving, at a repeater used to expand base station coverage, one or more signals from one or more base stations;

means for obtaining a timing of the one or more base stations based at least in part on the one or more signals;

means for retransmitting, from the repeater, the one or more signals based at least in part on the timing of the one or more base stations; and

means for cancelling, at the repeater, an echo from one or more signals based at least in part on the timing of the one or more base stations, wherein the cancelling of the echo includes cancelling, from the one or more signals, a previous signal retransmitted by the repeater at a time the one or more signals are received from the one or more base stations.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the means for cancelling cancels the echo based at least in part on aligning a fast Fourier transform block structure with the one or more signals according to the timing of the one or more base stations.

29. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the means for cancelling determines a cyclic prefix of the one or more signals based at least in part on one or more information blocks of the one or more signals, and wherein the means for cancelling cancels the echo based at least in part on removing the cyclic prefix from the one or more signals.

30. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the means for obtaining further determines a time period of a downlink transmission from the one or more base stations based at least in part on the timing of the one or more base stations, and further comprising means for amplifying the one or more signals, wherein the means for receiving receives the one or more signals during the time period.

31. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the means for obtaining further determines a different time period of a uplink transmission from one or more devices to the one or more base stations based at least in part on the timing of the one or more base stations, and further comprising means for switching at least one of the means for receiving, the means for amplifying, and the means for retransmitting, during a guard period, for uplink signals transmitted by the one or more devices during the different time period.

32. The apparatus of claim 27, further comprising means for determining a time period over which the one or more base stations transmit a positioning reference signal based at least in part on the timing of the one or more base stations.

33. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein the means for retransmitting refrains from retransmitting the positioning reference signal received over the time period.

34. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein the means for retransmitting transmits a different positioning reference signal in a different time period based at least in part on the timing of the one or more base stations.

35. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein the means for retransmitting transmits a previously received positioning reference signal in the time period based at least in part on the timing of the one or more base stations.

36. The apparatus of claim 27, further comprising means for amplifying the one or more signals, wherein the means for obtaining the timing of the one or more base stations is part of an embedded mobile station modem (MSM) that processes the one or more signals as amplified.

37. The apparatus of claim 36, wherein the embedded MSM determines one or more parameters related to the one or more base stations based at least in part on the one or more signals as amplified.

38. The apparatus of claim 36, wherein the means for obtaining approximates the timing of the one or more base stations based at least in part on receiving one or more different signals from the one or more base stations via the MSM, and wherein the means for obtaining the timing of the one or more base stations corrects the timing of the one or more base stations according to one or more timing advance commands received from the one or more base stations.

39. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the means for retransmitting ceases signal transmission during one or more time periods over which the one or more signals are received, wherein the means for obtaining the timing of the one or more base stations is part of an embedded mobile station modem that receives and processes the one or more signals.

40. A computer program product for utilizing base station timing for retransmitting signals, comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable medium, comprising;

code for causing at least one computer to receive, at a repeater used to expand base station coverage, one or more signals from one or more base stations;

code for causing the at least one computer to determine a timing of the one or more base stations based at least in part on the one or more signals;

code for causing the at least one computer to retransmit, from the repeater, the one or more signals based at least in part on the timing of the one or more base stations; and

code for causing the at least one computer to cancel, at the repeater, an echo from one or more signals based at least in part on the timing of the one or more base stations, wherein the cancelling of the echo includes cancelling, from the one or more signals, a previous signal retransmitted by the repeater at a time the one or more signals are received from the one or more base stations.

41. The computer program product of claim 40, wherein the computer-readable medium further comprises code for causing the at least one computer to align a fast Fourier transform block structure with the one or more signals according to the timing of the one or more base stations to cancel the echo from the one or more signals.

42. The computer program product of claim 41, wherein the computer-readable medium further comprises code for causing the at least one computer to determine a cyclic prefix of the one or more signals based at least in part on one or more information blocks of the one or more signals, and remove the cyclic prefix from the one or more signals to facilitate cancelling the echo.

43. The computer program product of claim 40, wherein the computer-readable medium further comprises:

code for causing the at least one computer to determine a time period of a downlink transmission from the one or more base stations based at least in part on the timing of the one or more base stations; and

code for causing the at least one computer to amplify the one or more signals, wherein the code for causing the at least one computer to receive receives the one or more signals during the time period.

44. The computer program product of claim 43, wherein the computer-readable medium further comprises:

code for causing the at least one computer to determine a different time period of a uplink transmission from one or more devices to the one or more base stations based at least in part on the timing of the one or more base stations; and

code for causing the at least one computer to switch, during a guard period, to amplify and retransmit uplink signals received from the one or more devices during the different time period.

45. The computer program product of claim 40, wherein the computer-readable medium further comprises code for causing the at least one computer to determine a time period over which the one or more base stations transmit a positioning reference signal used at least in part on the timing of the one or more base stations.

46. The computer program product of claim 45, wherein the computer-readable medium further comprises code for causing the at least one computer to refrain from transmitting the positioning reference signal.

47. The computer program product of claim 46, wherein the computer-readable medium further comprises code for causing the at least one computer to transmit a different positioning reference signal in a different time period based at least in part on the timing of the one or more base stations.

48. The computer program product of claim 45, wherein the computer-readable medium further comprises code for causing the at least one computer to transmit a previously received reference signal in the time period based at least in part on the timing of the one or more base stations.

49. The computer program product of claim 40, wherein the code for causing the at least one computer to determine determines the timing of the one or more base stations at least in part amplifying the one or more signals and utilizing an embedded mobile station modem (MSM) to process the one or more signals as amplified.

50. The computer program product of claim 49, wherein the code for causing the at least one computer to determine determines the timing of the one or more base stations at least in part by utilizing the embedded MSM to determine one or more parameters related to the one or more base stations based at least in part on the one or more signals as amplified.

51. The computer program product of claim 49, wherein the computer-readable medium further comprises code for causing the at least one computer to approximate the timing of the one or more base stations based at least in part on receiving one or more different signals from the one or more base stations via the MSM, wherein the code for causing the at least one computer to determine determines the timing of the one or more base stations at least in part by correcting timing of the one or more base stations according to one or more timing advance commands received from the one or more base stations.

52. The computer program product of claim 40, wherein the computer-readable medium further comprises code for causing the at least one computer to cease signal transmission during one or more time periods over which the one or more signals are obtained, wherein the code for causing the at least one computer to determine determines the timing of the one or more base stations at least in part by utilizing an embedded mobile station modem to receive and process the one or more signals.

53. An apparatus for retransmitting signals based on base station timing, comprising:

a receiving component for receiving one or more signals, at a repeater used to expand base station coverage, from one or more base stations;

a searching component for obtaining a timing of the one or more base stations based at least in part on the one or more signals;

a retransmitting component for retransmitting, from the repeater, the one or more signals based at least in part on the timing of the one or more base stations; and

an echo cancelling component for cancelling an echo from one or more signals based at least in part on the timing of the one or more base stations, wherein the cancelling of the echo includes cancelling, from the one or more signals, a previous signal retransmitted by the repeater at a time the one or more signals are received from the one or more base stations.

54. The apparatus of claim 53, wherein the echo cancelling component cancels the echo based at least in part on aligning a fast Fourier transform block structure with the one or more signals according to the timing of the one or more base stations.

55. The apparatus of claim 54, wherein the echo cancelling component determines a cyclic prefix of the one or more signals based at least in part on one or more information blocks of the one or more signals, and wherein the echo cancelling component cancels the echo based at least in part on removing the cyclic prefix of the one or more signals.

56. The apparatus of claim 53, wherein the searching component further determines a time period of a downlink transmission from the one or more base stations based at least in part on the timing of the one or more base stations, and further comprising an amplifying component for amplifying the one or more signals, wherein the receiving component receives the one or more signals during the time period.

57. The apparatus of claim 56, wherein the searching component further determines a different time period of a uplink transmission from one or more devices to the one or more base stations based at least in part on the timing of the one or more base stations, and further comprising a receiver switching component for switching at least one of the receiving component, the amplifying component, and the retransmitting component, during a guard period, for uplink signals transmitted by the one or more devices during the different time period.

58. The apparatus of claim 53, further comprising a positioning reference signal component for determining a time period over which the one or more base stations transmit a positioning reference signal based at least in part on the timing of the one or more base stations.

59. The apparatus of claim 58, wherein the retransmitting component refrains from retransmitting the positioning reference signal received over the time period.

60. The apparatus of claim 59, wherein the retransmitting component transmits a different positioning reference signal in a different time period based at least in part on the timing of the one or more base stations.

61. The apparatus of claim 58, wherein the retransmitting component transmits a previously received positioning reference signal in the time period based at least in part on the timing of the one or more base stations.

62. The apparatus of claim 53, further comprising an amplifying component for amplifying the one or more signals, wherein the searching component is part of an embedded mobile station modem (MSM) that processes the one or more signals as amplified.

63. The apparatus of claim 62, wherein the embedded MSM determines one or more parameters related to the one or more base stations based at least in part on the one or more signals as amplified.

64. The apparatus of claim 62, wherein the searching component approximates the timing of the one or more base stations based at least in part on receiving one or more different signals from the one or more base stations via the MSM, and wherein the searching component corrects the timing of the one or more base stations according to one or more timing advance commands received from the one or more base stations.

65. The apparatus of claim 53, wherein the retransmitting component ceases signal transmission during one or more time periods over which the one or more signals are received, wherein the searching component is part of an embedded mobile station modem that receives and processes the one or more signals.