Leaky repeater access node

• US 9,794,798 B2
• Filed: 12/29/2014
• Issued: 10/17/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent USA, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation), Alcatel-Lucent USA, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Zierdt, Michael G., Maier, Simone, Pascht, Andreas, Chizhik, Dmitry
• Primary Examiner(s): CHAU, PETER P
• Application Number:
  US14/584,922
• Publication Number:
  US 20160192208A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,023 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/04 using two or more spaced independent antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/1555 Selecting relay station antenna mode, e.g. selecting omnidirectional -, directional beams, selecting polarizations
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/28 using beam steering
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/00 Local resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/047 using dedicated repeater stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/20 between access points

Abstract

A leaky repeater access node (LRAN) includes a first directional antenna and a second directional antenna to transmit and receive signals in at least one first frequency band, and a third antenna to transmit and receive signals in a second frequency band. The LRAN also includes first analog components to split a first signal received by the first directional antenna into a first portion and a second portion. The first analog components amplify the first portion and provide the amplified first portion to the second directional antenna. The first analog components also convert the second portion to the second frequency band and provide the converted second portion to the third antenna.

Claims

1. A leaky repeater access node (LRAN) comprising:

a first directional antenna and a second directional antenna, each to transmit and receive signals in at least one first frequency band, wherein the at least one first frequency band comprises an uplink frequency band and a downlink frequency band, wherein the first directional antenna is to receive downlink signals in the downlink frequency band and transmit uplink signals in the uplink frequency band, wherein the second directional antenna is to receive uplink signals in the uplink frequency band and transmit downlink signals in the downlink frequency band, wherein a first sub-band of the uplink frequency band is allocated to the LRAN to transmit and receive uplink signals and a first sub-band of the downlink frequency band is allocated to the LRAN to transmit and receive downlink signals, wherein the first sub-band of the uplink frequency hand is different than at least one second sub-band of the uplink frequency band that is allocated to at least one other LRAN to transmit and receive uplink signals, and wherein the first sub-band of the downlink frequency band is different than at least one second sub-band of the downlink frequency band that is allocated to the at least one other LRAN to transmit and receive downlink signals;

a third antenna to transmit and receive signals in a second frequency band; and

first analog circuits to split a first signal received by the first directional antenna into a first portion and a second portion, wherein the first analog circuits amplify the first portion and provide the amplified first portion to the second directional antenna, and the first analog circuits convert the second portion to the second frequency band and provide the converted second portion to the third antenna.

2. The LRAN of claim 1, further comprising:

second analog circuits to convert a second signal received by the third antenna from the second frequency band to the at least one first frequency band and combine the converted second signal with a third signal received by the second directional antenna to form a combined signal, and the second analog circuits to amplify the combined signal and provide the amplified combined signal to the first directional antenna.

3. The LRAN of claim 1, wherein the first directional antenna is to transmit and receive signals in a first beam oriented to a first direction corresponding to at least one of an upstream LRAN and a base station, and wherein the second directional antenna is to transmit and receive signals in a second beam oriented to a second direction corresponding to a downstream LRAN.

4. The LRAN of claim 3, further comprising:

beam adjusting circuitry to modify the first direction in response to a change in a relative position of the first directional antenna and at least one of the upstream LRAN and the base station, and wherein the beam adjusting circuitry is to modify the second direction in response to a change in a relative position of the second directional antenna and the downstream LRAN.

5. The LRAN of claim 4, wherein the beam adjusting circuitry is to modify at least one of the first direction and the second direction in response to feedback received from at least one of the upstream LRAN, the base station, and the downstream LRAN.

6. An apparatus comprising:

a base station; and

a plurality of leaky repeater access nodes (LRANs), each LRAN comprising;

a first directional antenna and a second directional antenna to transmit and receive signals in at least one first frequency band, wherein the at least one first frequency band comprises an uplink frequency band and a downlink frequency band, and wherein the first directional antenna in each LRAN is to receive downlink signals in the downlink frequency band and transmit uplink signals in the uplink frequency band, and wherein the second directional antenna in each LRAN is to receive uplink signals in the uplink frequency band and transmit downlink signals in the downlink frequency band, and wherein a different one of a plurality of first sub-bands of the uplink frequency band is allocated to each LRAN to transmit and receive uplink signals and a different one of a plurality of first sub-bands of the downlink frequency band is allocated to each LRAN to transmit and receive downlink signals;

a third antenna to transmit and receive signals in a second frequency band; and

first analog circuits to split a first signal received by the first directional antenna into a first portion and a second portion, wherein the first analog circuits amplify the first portion and provide the amplified first portion to the second directional antenna, and the first analog circuits convert the second portion to the second frequency band and provide the converted second portion to the third antenna.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein each LRAN further comprises:

second analog circuits to convert a second signal received by the third antenna from the second frequency band to the at least one first frequency band and combine the converted second signal with a third signal received by the second directional antenna to form a combined signal, and the second analog circuits to amplify the combined signal and provide the amplified combined signal to the first directional antenna.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the base station and the plurality of LRANs are deployed in a line-of-sight (LOS) configuration so that each LRAN has a substantially unobstructed LOS to at least one of an upstream LRAN and the base station.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the first directional antenna in each LRAN is to transmit and receive signals in a first beam oriented to a first direction corresponding to the substantially unobstructed LOS to the upstream LRAN or the base station, and wherein the second directional antennas in the LRANs are configurable to transmit and receive signals in a second beam oriented to a second direction corresponding to a downstream LRAN.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein each LRAN further comprises:

beam adjusting circuitry to modify the first direction in response to a change in a relative position of the first directional antenna and at least one of the upstream LRAN and the base station, and wherein the beam adjusting circuitry is to modify the second direction in response to a change in a relative position of the second directional antenna and the downstream LRAN.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the beam adjusting circuitry in each LRAN is to modify at least one of the first direction and the second direction in response to feedback received from at least one of the upstream LRAN, the base station, and the downstream LRAN.

12. A method of operating a leaky repeater access node (LRAN), the method comprising:

receiving a first signal at a first directional antenna in at least one first frequency band, wherein the at least one first frequency band comprises an uplink frequency band and a downlink frequency band, wherein the first directional antenna is to receive downlink signals in the downlink frequency band and transmit uplink signals in the uplink frequency band, wherein a second directional antenna is to receive uplink signals in the uplink frequency band and transmit downlink signals in the downlink frequency band, wherein a first sub-band of the uplink frequency band is allocated to the LRAN to transmit and receive uplink signals and a first sub-band of the downlink frequency band is allocated to the LRAN to transmit and receive downlink signals, wherein the first sub-band of the uplink frequency band is different than at least one second sub-band of the uplink frequency band that is allocated to at least one other LRAN to transmit and receive uplink signals, and wherein the first sub-band of the downlink frequency band is different than at least one second sub-band of the downlink frequency band that is allocated to the at least one other LRAN to transmit and receive downlink signals;

splitting first signal into a first portion and a second portion;

amplifying the first portion and providing the amplified first portion to the second directional antenna; and

converting the second portion to a second frequency band and providing the converted second portion to a third antenna.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

converting a second signal received by the third antenna from the second frequency band to the at least one first frequency band;

combining the converted second signal with a third signal received by the second directional antenna to form a combined signal;

amplifying the combined signal; and

providing the amplified combined signal to the first directional antenna.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

at least one of transmitting and receiving signals at the first directional antenna in a first beam oriented to a first direction corresponding to at least one of an upstream LRAN and a base station, and at least one of transmitting and receiving signals at the second directional antenna in a second beam oriented to a second direction corresponding to a downstream LRAN.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

modifying the first direction in response to a change in a relative position of the first directional antenna and at least one of the upstream LRAN and the base station; and

modifying the second direction in response to a change in a relative position of the second directional antenna and the downstream LRAN.