Apparatus and methods for radio frequency signal boosters

• US 9,402,190 B2
• Filed: 01/15/2016
• Issued: 07/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cellphone-Mate
• Original Assignee: Cellphone-Mate
• Inventors: Zhan, Hongtao
• Primary Examiner(s): HUYNH, KHOA B
• Application Number:
  US14/996,681
• Publication Number:
  US 20160135059A1
• Time in Patent Office: 193 Days
• Field of Search: 370/464, 370/480, 370/481, 370/482, 370/492, 370/497, 375/295, 375/296, 375/297, 455/130, 455/150.1, 455/154.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/40 Circuits
• 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: H04W 16/26 Cell enhancers or enhancement, e.g. for tunnels, building shadow
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/18 TPC being performed according to specific parameters

Abstract

Provided herein are apparatus and methods for radio frequency (RF) signal boosters. In certain implementations, a multi-band signal booster is provided for boosting the uplink and downlink channels of at least a first frequency band and a second frequency band. In certain configurations, the downlink channels of the first and second channels are adjacent, and the signal booster includes a first amplification path for boosting the uplink channel of the first frequency band, a second amplification path for boosting the uplink channel of the second frequency band, and a third amplification path for boosting both downlink channels of the first and second frequency bands.

Claims

1. A radio frequency signal booster comprising:

a printed circuit board (PCB) comprising;

a shared amplification path configured to provide amplification to at least a portion of a first downlink channel of a first frequency band and to provide amplification to at least a portion of a second downlink channel of a second frequency band, wherein the first frequency band and the second frequency band are different frequency bands,

wherein the shared amplification path comprises a first band-pass filter configured to pass the at least a portion of the first downlink channel and the at least a portion of the second downlink channel, wherein the shared amplification path is further configured to simultaneously boost both the at least a portion of the first downlink channel and the at least a portion of the second downlink channel,

wherein the first downlink channel and the second downlink channel are adjacent in frequency to one another,

wherein the shared amplification path further comprises at least one amplifier.

2. The radio frequency signal booster of claim 1, wherein the first band-pass filter is further configured to attenuate both a first uplink channel of the first frequency band and a second uplink channel of the second frequency band.

3. The radio frequency signal booster of claim 1, wherein the first downlink channel of the first frequency band comprises a Band XII downlink channel, and wherein the second downlink channel of the second frequency band comprises a Band XIII downlink channel.

4. The radio frequency signal booster of claim 3,

wherein the first band-pass filter is further configured to pass at least a portion of a Band XII downlink channel having a frequency range of about 728 MHz to about 746 MHz,

wherein the first band-pass filter is further configured to attenuate a Band XII uplink channel having a frequency range of about 698 MHz to about 716 MHz,

wherein the first band-pass filter is further configured to pass at least a portion of a Band XIII downlink channel having a frequency range of about 746 MHz to about 757 MHz,

wherein the first band-pass filter is further configured to attenuate a Band XIII uplink channel having a frequency range of about 776 MHz to about 787 MHz.

5. The radio frequency signal booster of claim 1, wherein the first frequency band comprises a first plurality of sub-bands, wherein the second frequency band comprises a second plurality of sub-bands, wherein the at least a portion of the first downlink channel comprises at least one sub-band of the first plurality of sub-bands, and wherein the at least a portion of the second downlink channel comprises at least one sub-band of the second plurality of sub-bands.

6. The radio frequency signal booster of claim 1, wherein the first downlink channel of the first frequency band and the second downlink channel of the second frequency band are abutting in frequency.

7. The radio frequency signal booster of claim 1, wherein the first band-pass filter comprises one of a surface acoustic wave filter or a ceramic filter.

8. The radio frequency signal booster of claim 1,

wherein the shared amplification path further comprises one or more additional band-pass filters, wherein each of the one or more additional band-pass filters are configured to pass the at least a portion of the first downlink channel and the at least a portion of the second downlink channel.

9. The radio frequency signal booster of claim 1, wherein the at least one amplifier of the shared amplification path comprises a low noise amplifier (LNA).

10. The radio frequency signal booster of claim 1, wherein the at least one amplifier of the shared amplification path comprises a power amplifier (PA).

11. The radio frequency signal booster of claim 1, wherein the at least one amplifier of the shared amplification path comprises a gain block.

12. The radio frequency signal booster of claim 1, wherein the shared amplification path further comprises at least one digital attenuator.

13. The radio frequency signal booster of claim 1, wherein the shared amplification path further comprises at least one analog attenuator.

14. The radio frequency signal booster of claim 1, further comprising a multiplexer comprising the first band-pass filter.

15. The radio frequency signal booster of claim 14, wherein the multiplexer multiplexes two frequency bands.

16. The radio frequency signal booster of claim 1, further comprising a housing and one or more components, wherein the housing houses the PCB and the one or more components.

17. The radio frequency signal booster of claim 1, wherein a gain of the shared amplification path is externally controllable.

18. The radio frequency signal booster of claim 1, wherein the PCB is configured to provide amplification to a plurality of frequency bands, wherein the plurality of frequency bands comprise Band II, Band IV, Band V, Band XII, and Band XIII.

19. An apparatus comprising:

a printed circuit board (PCB) comprising;

a shared amplification path configured to provide amplification to a first downlink channel of a first frequency band and to provide amplification to a second downlink channel of a second frequency band, wherein the first frequency band and the second frequency band are different frequency bands, wherein the shared amplification path is further configured to simultaneously boost both the first downlink channel and the second downlink channel,

wherein the shared amplification path comprises a first band-pass filter configured to pass both the first downlink channel of the first frequency band and the second downlink channel of the second frequency band, and to attenuate both a first uplink channel of the first frequency band and a second uplink channel of the second frequency band,

wherein the first downlink channel and the second downlink channel are adjacent in frequency to one another,

wherein the shared amplification path further comprises at least one amplifier.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the first downlink channel of the first frequency band comprises a Band XII downlink channel, and wherein the second downlink channel of the second frequency band comprises a Band XIII downlink channel.

21. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the at least one amplifier of the shared amplification path comprises a LNA.

22. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the shared amplification path comprises a PA.

23. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the shared amplification path further comprises at least one attenuator.

24. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the first downlink channel of the first frequency band and the second downlink channel of the second frequency band are abutting in frequency.

25. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising a multiplexer comprising the first band-pass filter.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the multiplexer multiplexes two frequency bands.

27. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein a gain of the shared amplification path is externally controllable.

28. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the shared amplification path further comprises one or more additional band-pass filters, wherein each of the one or more additional band-pass filters are configured to pass both the first downlink channel of the first frequency band and the second downlink channel of the second frequency band, wherein each of the one or more additional band-pass filters is configured to attenuate both the first uplink channel of the first frequency band and the second uplink channel of the second frequency band.

29. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the PCB is configured to provide amplification to a plurality of frequency bands, wherein the plurality of frequency bands comprise Band II, Band IV, Band V, Band XII, and Band XIII.

30. A method of boosting radio frequency signals in a signal booster, the method comprising:

providing amplification to a first downlink channel of a first frequency band and to a second downlink channel of a second frequency band using a shared amplification path of the signal booster,

wherein providing amplification comprises simultaneously boosting both the first downlink channel and the second downlink channel using at least one amplifier of the shared amplification path;

passing both the first downlink channel of the first frequency band and the second downlink channel of the second frequency band using a first band-pass filter of the shared amplification path; and

attenuating both a first uplink channel of the first frequency band and a second uplink channel of the second frequency band using the first band-pass filter,

wherein the first downlink channel and the second downlink channel are adjacent in frequency to one another.