Multiple input multiple output user equipment radio frequency assistant system

• US 9,077,423 B2
• Filed: 10/11/2013
• Issued: 07/07/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Xin, Yan, Qu, Shouxing, Sheynman, Arnold, DeVries, Christopher Andrew, Badiere, Daniel Noel
• Primary Examiner(s): Vuong, Quochien B
• Application Number:
  US14/051,519
• Publication Number:
  US 20140038585A1
• Time in Patent Office: 634 Days
• Field of Search: 455/7, 455/11.1, 455/41.1, 455/41.2, 455/63.1, 455/67.13, 455/68, 455/88, 455/101, 455/272, 455/420, 455/556.1, 455/557
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0413 MIMO systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/12 Frequency diversity
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/15 Active relay systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/15542 Selecting at relay station its transmit and receive resources selection of wireless resources by user or terminal H04W72/02; arrangements affording multiple use of the transmission path by two-dimensional division of the resources H04L5/0003, or by allocating sub-channels H04L5/003

Abstract

A user equipment and a wireless radio frequency assistant in a communication system that supports multiple input multiple output. The wireless radio frequency assistant and the user equipment operate together as a single system. The user equipment controls and activates the wireless radio frequency assistant to transform a first frequency of a radio frequency signal transmitted to the system of user equipment and the wireless radio frequency assistant to a second frequency. The wireless radio frequency assistant transmits the second frequency to the user equipment.

Claims

1. A wireless communication system, comprising:

a radio frequency assistant activated to transform and repeat a radio frequency signal responsive to commands received wirelessly by the radio frequency assistant;

a user equipment that configures and controls the radio frequency assistant through the wireless commands, the radio frequency assistant and the user equipment being configured to operate together as a single system; and

wherein an operating frequency of the radio frequency assistant is set based upon a command received over the wireless link.

2. The wireless communication system of claim 1, wherein the single system is a user equipment assistant system and the user equipment receives signals from the radio frequency assistant and another radio frequency signal.

3. The wireless communication system of claim 2, further comprising:

a number of base stations comprising a number of antennas configured to transmit data at a first frequency to the user equipment assistant system over a plurality of paths, wherein the user equipment controls the radio frequency assistant of the user equipment assistant system to transform the first frequency to a second frequency.

4. The wireless communication system of claim 1, wherein the user equipment comprises:

a first transceiver that receives a first radio frequency signal at a first frequency a second transceiver that receives a second radio frequency signal from the radio frequency assistant at a second frequency; and

a baseband and control processor that processes the first radio frequency signal and the second radio frequency signal;

wherein the radio frequency assistant transforms a radio frequency signal at the first frequency to the second radio frequency signal.

5. The wireless communication system of claim 4, further comprising:

a first control channel modem in the user equipment that transmits the commands from the baseband and control processor to the radio frequency assistant.

6. The wireless communication system of claim 5, wherein the radio frequency assistant comprises:

a frequency transformer that transforms the first radio frequency signal received in a first radio frequency band to the second radio frequency signal in a second radio frequency band and transmitting the second radio frequency signal to the user equipment.

7. The wireless communication system of claim 6, wherein the radio frequency assistant further comprises:

a second control channel modem configured to communicate over a wireless link to the first control channel modem and receive the commands transmitted wirelessly from the first control channel modem of the baseband and control processor; and

a microprocessor that processes the commands transmitted to the second control channel modem.

8. The wireless communication system of claim 7, wherein the microprocessor is communicatively coupled to the frequency transformer to process commands that control the frequency transformer.

9. The wireless communication system of claim 7, wherein the number of commands comprises a plurality of computer executable instructions that are executed by a microprocessor in the radio frequency assistant.

10. The wireless communication system of claim 1, wherein the user equipment is a mobile cellular device and the single system is a multiple input multiple output wireless system.

11. A wireless apparatus that processes radio frequency signals, comprising:

a frequency transformer configured to transform, responsive to a control signal, a first radio frequency signal received in a first radio frequency band to a second radio frequency signal in a second radio frequency band wherein the wireless apparatus transmits the second radio frequency signal to a user equipment, responsive to commands received wirelessly from the user equipment;

wherein the user equipment enables the control signal to control a configuration of the frequency transformer, and an operating frequency of the frequency transformer is set based upon a command wirelessly received from the user equipment.

12. The wireless apparatus of claim 11, further comprising:

a first antenna communicatively coupled to the frequency transformer;

wherein the first antenna receives the first radio frequency signal and also transmits the second radio frequency signal.

13. The wireless apparatus of claim 11, further comprising:

a microprocessor that enables the frequency transformer to transform the first radio frequency signal to the second radio frequency signal.

14. The wireless apparatus of claim 13, further comprising:

a control channel modem communicatively coupled to the microprocessor and the user equipment, the control channel modem enabling a transfer of commands from the user equipment that controls the frequency transformer.

15. The wireless apparatus of claim 13, further comprising a second antenna communicatively coupled to the frequency transformer;

wherein the first antenna receives the first radio frequency signal and the second antenna transmits the second radio frequency signal.

16. In a wireless communication system, a method of assisting radio frequency reception, the method comprising:

wirelessly activating a radio frequency assistant with a user equipment; and

transforming the first radio frequency signal to a second radio frequency signal by the radio frequency assistant, responsive to commands being received from the user equipment,

wherein an operating frequency of the radio frequency assistant is set based upon a command received wirelessly from the user equipment.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

assigning a unique identification to the radio frequency assistant that pairs the radio frequency assistant to operate with the user equipment.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the radio frequency assistant is activated by the user equipment responsive to a quality of the first radio frequency signal being below a predefined threshold.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

controlling a gain and frequency of the second radio frequency signal transformed by the radio frequency assistant through commands sent by the user equipment.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the configuring comprises:

sending a number of the commands from the user equipment that control operations of the radio frequency assistant.