Apparatus and method for frequency shifting of a wireless signal and systems using frequency shifting

• US 7,813,451 B2
• Filed: 01/11/2006
• Issued: 10/12/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Corning Optical Communications Wireless Ltd. (Corning Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Mobileaccess Networks Limited (Corning Incorporated)
• Inventors: Hazani, Ami, Binder, Yehuda
• Primary Examiner(s): Payne; David C
• Assistant Examiner(s): DSOUZA, JOSEPH FRANCIS A
• Application Number:
  US11/329,270
• Publication Number:
  US 20070173202A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,735 Days
• Field of Search: 375/308, 375/316, 379/413, 725/106
• US Class Current: 375/316
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/15528 Control of operation parameters of a relay station to exploit the physical medium
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/2606 Arrangements for base station coverage control, e.g. by using relays in tunnels
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0453 Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA

Abstract

Systems, methods and apparatus for improving the coverage of a wireless network based on frequency shifting scheme. A wireless signal in a frequency band is shifted to another distinct band, and carried in the shifted band, using wired or wireless mediums to another location, wherein the wireless signal is shifted back to the original frequency band. The frequency shifting may make use of a conventional frequency shifting schemes such as mixer/filter and heterodyne. In one embodiment the wireless signal is frequency shifted by converting it to other representing signals (such as I/Q components) and forming the frequency-shifted signal from the representations. The system is may be used to increase in-door or outdoor coverage, as well as bridging between in-door and outdoor networks. The medium may use dedicated wiring or existing service wiring in a residence or building, including LAN, telephone, AC power and CATV wiring. The system (in whole or in part) may be enclosed as a stand-alone unit, housed in integrated form as part of a service outlet or as a snap-on/plug-in module. Methods and other systems with different advantageous configurations are also described. This abstract is not intended to limit or construe the scope or meaning of the claims.

Claims

1. An apparatus for frequency shifting without any protocol conversion between a wireless signal in a wireless frequency band carried by a wireless medium and a wired signal in a wired frequency band carried by a wired medium, said apparatus comprising:

an antenna for receiving and transmitting the wireless signal;

a wiring connector for connecting to the wired medium;

a down frequency shifter for down frequency shifting a signal from the wireless frequency band to the wired frequency band;

an up frequency shifter for up frequency shifting of a signal from the wired frequency band to the wireless frequency band;

an RF switch coupled between said antenna, said down frequency shifter and said up frequency shifter, said RF switch having first and second states, wherein in the first state said antenna is coupled to said down frequency shifter and in the second state said antenna is coupled to said up frequency shifter; and

a wired frequency band switch coupled between said wiring connector, said down frequency shifter and said up frequency shifter, said wired frequency band switch having first and second states, wherein in the first state said wiring connector is coupled to said down frequency shifter and in the second state said connector is coupled to said up frequency shifter;

wherein said apparatus is switchable into distinct first and second states, wherein in the first state of said apparatus, said RF switch is in its said first state and said wired frequency band switch is in its said first state for receiving the wireless signal from the antenna, down frequency shifting the wireless signal and transmitting the shifted wireless signal to the wiring connector; and

wherein in the second state of said apparatus, said RF switch is in its said second state and said wired frequency band switch is in its said second state for receiving the frequency shifted wireless signal from said wiring connector, up frequency shifting to reconstruct the wireless signal and transmitting the wireless signal to the antenna.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a first signal detector coupled to said wiring connector for sensing the presence of a signal in the wired frequency band; and

a second signal detector coupled to said antenna for sensing the presence of a signal in the wireless frequency band;

wherein said apparatus is operative to shift to its said first state upon sensing the presence of a signal in the wireless frequency band and to shift to its said second state upon sensing the presence of a signal in the wired frequency band.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least one out of said up frequency shifter and down frequency shifter comprises one out of a mixer/filter, a heterodyne circuit, or a super-heterodyne circuit.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said up frequency shifter comprises:

an I/Q demodulator coupled to receive the wired signal in the wired frequency band, for deriving the I and Q component signals of the wired signal; and

an I/Q modulator coupled to receive said wired signal I and Q component signals, said I/Q modulator being operative to up frequency shift the wired signal to the wireless frequency band.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said I/Q modulator or said I/Q demodulator are part of a wireless transceiver component.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said down frequency shifter comprises:

an I/Q demodulator coupled to receive the wireless signal in the wireless frequency band, for deriving the I and Q component signals of the wireless signal; and

an I/Q modulator coupled to receive said wireless signal I and Q component signals, said 1/Q modulator being operative to down frequency shift the wireless signal to the wired frequency band.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising, between said wiring connector and said wired frequency band switch:

a protector for absorbing and protecting against transients, over-voltage and lightning;

a filter for substantially passing only signals in the wired frequency band; and

a signal transformer for providing isolation between said apparatus and the wired medium.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an equalizer between said wiring connector and said wired frequency band switch for compensating for the frequency characteristics of the wired medium.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the wireless signal is a spread spectrum multi-carrier signal based on one of OFDM, DMT and CDMA modulations.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an attenuator connected for attenuating a signal to or from said antenna.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said attenuator produces an attenuation of more than 10 dB.

12. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the wireless frequency band is selectable from a plurality of adjacent frequency bands.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the wireless frequency band is selected by a switch.

14. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the wireless signal conforms to at least one of the following standards:

WPAN, WLAN, WMAN, WAN, BWA, LMDS, MMDS, WiMAX, HIPERMAN, IEEE802.16, Bluetooth, IEEE802.15, UWB, ZigBee, cellular, IEEE802.11 standards, GSM, GPRS, 2.5G, 3G, UMTS, DCS, PCS and CDMA.

15. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein one of the frequency bands is an ISM frequency band.

16. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a single enclosure housing said up and down frequency shifters, said antenna, said connector, said RF switch and said wired frequency band switch, and wherein said single enclosure is wall mountable.

17. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein said single enclosure is shaped to plug- into an outlet.

18. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein said single enclosure is further shaped to mechanically attach and electrically connect to an outlet.

19. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein said single enclosure is constructed to have at least one of the following:

a form substantially similar to that of a standard outlet;

wall mounting elements substantially similar to those of a standard wall outlet;

a shape allowing direct mounting in an outlet opening or cavity; and

a form to at least in part substitute for a standard outlet.

20. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the wireless signal is transmitted in the wireless frequency band in a MAN or WAN network.

21. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the wired medium is one of:

a twisted wire pair;

UTP;

STP;

a telephone wire pair;

RC power wires;

a coaxial cable; and

a LAN cable, and said wiring connector is operative to connect to the wired medium.

22. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the wired medium is further connected to carry a DC or AC power signal, and said apparatus further comprises:

a high pass filter for substantially passing signals in the wired frequency band coupled between said wired frequency band switch and said wiring connector;

a power connector for connecting to an AC power source;

a power supply, including one of an AC/DC or an AC/AC converter, connected to be powered via said power connector; and

a low pass or band pass filter coupled between said power supply and said wiring connector for substantially passing the power signal.

23. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus is further connected to be powered by a DC or AC power signal carried over the wired medium, and said apparatus further comprises:

a high pass filter coupled between said wired frequency band switch and said wiring connector for substantially passing signals in the wired frequency band;

a power supply, including an AC/DC or DC/DC converter, coupled to power at least said up frequency shifter and said down frequency shifter; and

a low pass or band pass filter coupled between said power supply and said wiring connector for substantially passing the power signal.

24. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the wired medium is further connected to carry an analog telephone signal, and said apparatus further comprises:

a high pass filter coupled between said wired frequency band switch and said wiring connector for substantially passing signals in the wired frequency band;

a telephone connector for connecting to a telephone set or to a PBA/PABX/CO; and

a low pass filter coupled between said wiring connector and said telephone connector for substantially passing the telephone signal.

25. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the wired medium is a coaxial cable that is further connected to carry a CATV signal, and said apparatus further comprises:

a band pass filter coupled between said wired frequency band switch and said wiring connector for substantially passing signals in the wired frequency band;

a coaxial connector for connecting to a CATV appliance; and

a band pass filter coupled between said wiring connector and said coaxial connector for substantially passing the CATV signal.