KR100896172B1 - Method and apparatus for transforming and relaying radio frequency - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention discloses a frequency conversion relay method and apparatus. According to the frequency conversion relay method according to the present invention, a signal is received from a base station, a frequency band not currently in use among the frequency bands allocated to the base station is detected, the frequency of the signal is converted into the detected frequency band, and the converted Transmit signal to mobile station at frequency.

According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the operation and installation cost of the wireless communication service while extending the coverage of the wireless communication service in the wireless communication service such as mobile communication and WiBro, and repeatedly converting the process of converting the idle frequency signal and the service channel band signal into an idle frequency signal. There is an advantage that the frequency conversion relay of the wireless communication service can be performed without having to perform.

Wireless communication, mobile communication, WCDMA, WiBro, wibro, base station, optical repeater, FAC

Description

Frequency transform relay method and apparatus {Method and apparatus for transforming and relaying radio frequency}

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a frequency conversion relay method and apparatus. More particularly, the present invention relates to an allocation service provided in wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA) and wireless broadband (3G) services. The present invention relates to a frequency conversion relay method and apparatus capable of converting a frequency (FA) into another allocation frequency that is not currently being serviced and relayed.

At present, it is very important to secure coverage economically for mobile operators. Therefore, there is a need for a technology and a device capable of providing less cost than a base station and providing a quality equivalent to a base station in areas with low call volume.

In this respect, devices such as optical repeaters, microwave repeaters, and channel conversion repeaters have been developed in existing mobile communication networks.

First, since the optical repeater provides the same quality as the base station and the cost is about 1/10 of the base station, the number of domestic operators is currently operating three to four times the number of base stations.

However, the cost of the optical cable rental is a big burden due to the excessive use of the optical repeater.

On the other hand, microwave repeaters that use high-frequency microwaves at link frequency have no leased line costs and do not generate oscillations that occur in on-frequency RF repeaters.However, line of sight between base stations and repeaters must be maintained. Due to the fact that it is not suitable for the terrain of Korea, it is not operated.

Since the channel conversion repeater uses a channel that is not used in the carrier's band as a link channel, there is no leased line cost, no oscillation, and the optical repeater does not have to apply the strict Line of Sight standard compared to the microwave. I can solve some of the problems of the microwave repeater.

However, the DU (Donor Unit) converts the service channel band signal of the base station and the optical repeater into the link channel band signal, and the RU (Remote Unit) serving the shaded area by converting the link channel band signal back to the service channel band signal outdoors. Because of the installation, there is a problem that twice the installation cost and operating cost are added to the RF repeater in operation and installation.

In the case of the K company, which is a domestic PCS (Personal Communication Service) service provider, as an example, the bandwidth has increased from the 10 MHz band (1840-1850 MHz) to the 20 MHz band (1840-1860 MHz) due to the integration of the operators. Although capacity has increased, the service area is still sufficient in the 10MHz band (1840 ~ 1850MHz) in the outlying areas except the metropolitan area.

Therefore, a band conversion repeater using the remaining 10MHz band (1850 ~ 1860MHz) appeared and is being operated in part.

However, the existing band conversion repeater is composed of a DU (Donor Unit) and a RU (Remote Unit), the DU is located between the base station and the RU.

The service channel band signal operated by the base station or the optical repeater is transmitted and received through the base station counter antenna, and the signal is converted into the link channel band signal, which is an idle frequency signal, and transmitted and received through the RU counter antenna.

The RU is located between the mobile station and the DU to transmit and receive the link channel band signal through the DU opposing antenna, and converts the signal into a service channel band signal to serve as the mobile station opposing antenna.

However, such a conventional band conversion repeater has a problem in that the process of converting the idle frequency signal and the service channel band signal repeatedly.

In order to solve the conventional problems as described above, the present invention provides a frequency conversion relay method that can reduce the operation and installation cost of the wireless communication service while expanding the coverage of the wireless communication service in a wireless communication service such as mobile communication and WiBro and To propose a device.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a frequency conversion relay method and apparatus capable of relaying a frequency conversion of a wireless communication service without repeatedly converting an idle frequency signal and a service channel band signal.

In addition, the present invention proposes a frequency conversion relay method and apparatus capable of providing a wireless communication service by detecting a signal having good signal quality among signals in use in a frequency band allocated to a communication operator and converting a frequency into an unused signal band. .

Still other objects of the present invention will be readily understood through the following description of the embodiments.

In order to achieve the above object, according to an aspect of the present invention there is provided a frequency conversion relay method.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a frequency conversion relay method of a wireless communication service, the method comprising: receiving a signal from a base station; (B) detecting a frequency band not currently in use among frequency bands allocated to the base station; Converting the frequency of the signal to the sensed frequency band (c); And (d) transmitting the signal to the mobile station at the converted frequency.

According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a frequency conversion relay method for a wireless communication service, the method comprising the steps of: (a) receiving a signal from a mobile station; (B) detecting a frequency band not currently in use among frequency bands allocated to the base station; Converting the frequency of the signal to the sensed frequency band (c); And (d) transmitting the signal to the base station at the converted frequency.

Step (c) may be performed after filtering and amplifying the received signal.

Step (d) may be performed by amplifying the signal with the converted frequency.

The step (d) may be performed in synchronization with the time at which the step (c) is performed.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a frequency conversion relay apparatus is provided.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a frequency conversion relay apparatus for a wireless communication service, the frequency conversion relay apparatus comprising: an idle frequency detector for detecting a frequency band not currently in use among the frequency bands assigned to the base station; And a frequency converter configured to convert a frequency of a signal received by the frequency conversion relay apparatus into the detected idle frequency, wherein the received signal is transmitted through the converted idle frequency. Is provided.

The frequency converter comprises: a PLL circuit for obtaining an oscillation output equal to the received reference frequency; And a converting unit converting the oscillation output reference frequency into an idle frequency.

The frequency converter may include an oven controlled crystal oscillator (OCXO) to maintain the received reference frequency.

The frequency conversion relay device includes a bandwidth pass filter for performing filtering on the received signal; And a low noise amplifier (LNA) for amplifying the signal filtered by the bandwidth pass filter.

The bandwidth pass filter may be an IF SAW filter (Intermediate Frequency Surface Acoustic Wave Filter) and a digital filter.

The frequency conversion relay apparatus may further include a high power amplifier (HPA) for amplifying the signal with the converted idle frequency.

The frequency conversion relay device may further include an AGC (Auto Gain Control) for adjusting the gain of the frequency conversion relay device.

The frequency conversion relay device may further include a thermo pad to be adjusted so that a stable signal can be transmitted by minimizing the characteristic change according to the external temperature of the frequency conversion relay device.

The frequency conversion relay apparatus may further include a synchronization controller for temporally synchronizing reception from the base station and transmission to or from the mobile station and transmission to the base station.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a recording medium recording a program for implementing the frequency conversion relay method.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a program of instructions that can be executed by a digital processing apparatus is tangibly implemented and can be read by the digital processing apparatus such that the frequency conversion relay method of the wireless communication service is implemented. A recording medium, comprising: receiving a signal from a base station (a); (B) detecting a frequency band not currently in use among frequency bands allocated to the base station; Converting the frequency of the signal to the sensed frequency band (c); And (d) transmitting the signal to the mobile station at the converted frequency. There is provided a recording medium having recorded thereon a program for implementing a frequency conversion relay method.

According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, a program of instructions that can be executed by the digital processing apparatus is tangibly implemented and can be read by the digital processing apparatus so that the frequency conversion relay method of the wireless communication service is implemented. A recording medium having recorded thereon, the method comprising: receiving a signal from a mobile station (a); (B) detecting a frequency band not currently in use among frequency bands allocated to the base station; Converting the frequency of the signal to the sensed frequency band (c); And (d) transmitting the signal to the base station at the converted frequency. There is provided a recording medium having recorded thereon a program for implementing the frequency conversion relay method.

Step (c) may be performed after filtering and amplifying the received signal.

Step (d) may be performed by amplifying the signal with the converted frequency.

The step (d) may be performed in synchronization with the time at which the step (c) is performed.

As described above, according to the frequency conversion relay method and apparatus according to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the operation and installation costs of the wireless communication service while expanding the coverage of the wireless communication service in the wireless communication service such as the mobile communication service and the WiBro service. There is an advantage.

In addition, there is an advantage that the frequency conversion relay of the wireless communication service is possible without repeatedly performing the process of converting the idle frequency signal and the service channel band signal.

In addition, there is an advantage that can provide a wireless communication service by detecting a signal of good signal quality among the signals being used in the frequency band allocated to the communication operator and converting the frequency into an unused signal band.

As the invention allows for various changes and numerous embodiments, particular embodiments will be illustrated in the drawings and described in detail in the written description. However, this is not intended to limit the present invention to specific embodiments, it should be understood to include all modifications, equivalents, and substitutes included in the spirit and scope of the present invention.

In describing the drawings, similar reference numerals are used for similar elements. In the following description of the present invention, if it is determined that the detailed description of the related known technology may obscure the gist of the present invention, the detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Terms such as first and second may be used to describe various components, but the components should not be limited by the terms. The terms are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another.

For example, without departing from the scope of the present invention, the first component may be referred to as the second component, and similarly, the second component may also be referred to as the first component.

The term and / or includes a combination of a plurality of related items or any item of a plurality of related items.

When a component is said to be "connected" or "connected" to another component, it may be directly connected to or connected to that other component, but other components may be present in the middle. It should be understood.

On the other hand, when a component is said to be "directly connected" or "directly connected" to another component, it should be understood that there is no other component in between.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular example embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the present invention.

Singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In this application, the terms "comprise" or "have" are intended to indicate that there is a feature, number, step, operation, component, part, or combination thereof described in the specification, and one or more other features. It is to be understood that the present invention does not exclude the possibility of the presence or the addition of numbers, steps, operations, components, components, or a combination thereof.

Unless defined otherwise, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art.

Terms such as those defined in the commonly used dictionaries should be construed as having meanings consistent with the meanings in the context of the related art, and shall not be construed in ideal or excessively formal meanings unless expressly defined in this application. Do not.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, and the same or corresponding components will be denoted by the same reference numerals regardless of the reference numerals and redundant description thereof will be omitted.

First, a frequency conversion relay service system in which a frequency conversion relay apparatus according to the present invention can be used will be described with reference to FIG. 1.

1 is a diagram illustrating a frequency conversion relay service system that can be used in the frequency conversion relay apparatus according to the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, a frequency conversion relay service system in which a frequency conversion relay apparatus according to the present invention can be used has a coverage, which is an area where each radio frequency can reach, and a service area. In particular, a mobile communication service is called a cell.

Meanwhile, the frequency conversion relay service system may include a cell transmitting a radio frequency (hereinafter referred to as a 'transmission cell') and a plurality of cells capable of receiving radio frequency from the transmitting cell (hereinafter referred to as a 'receive cell').

On the other hand, the frequency conversion relay device 120 according to the present invention may be located between the cells, the service area by the donor antenna 122 side of the frequency conversion relay device 120 according to the present invention; The service area generated by the service antenna 124 side may be formed.

In FIG. 1, for convenience of explanation, each of these cells is referred to as a cell 1 (110), and a frequency assigned to cell 1 (110) is called 1FA, and the frequency conversion relay according to the present invention is performed. The cell to which the frequency conversion relay is performed by the apparatus 120 is called cell 3 130 and the frequency assigned to cell 3 130 is referred to as 3FA.

In FIG. 1, only the base station 100 is illustrated. However, as described above, the apparatus for relaying and transmitting the radio signal may be various devices such as an optical repeater as well as the base station 100.

Meanwhile, in the wireless communication method, the transmission of a signal received from the base station 100 is referred to as downlink or downlink, and the reception of a signal to the base station or optical repeater is referred to as uplink or uplink.

In the present invention, the frequency received from the base station 100 and the frequency transmitted to the mobile station 140, which is a mobile communication terminal, are in a range of allocated frequencies but are not used at present, for example, such as mobile communication or WiBro. The same wireless communication service is provided.

To this end, the frequency conversion relay apparatus 120 according to the present invention receives the RF signal from the cell 1 110 from the base station 100 to the 1FA to the mobile station 140, which is the current mobile communication terminal, in the cell 3 130. The RF signal is transmitted to the mobile communication terminal 140 by converting into an idle frequency which is not currently being serviced among 3FAs among the allocated frequencies.

2 and FIG. 2 are diagrams illustrating a configuration of a frequency conversion relay device 120 which detects a frequency being used within the allocated frequency band and converts a frequency into an unused frequency band and a specific frequency band to relay a wireless communication service. Reference is made to 3.

2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the frequency conversion relay device 120 when the frequency conversion relay device 120 performs a frequency conversion relay of a mobile communication service according to an embodiment of the present invention. When the frequency conversion relay device 120 according to an embodiment of the present invention performs the frequency conversion relay of the WiBro service is a block diagram showing the configuration of the frequency conversion relay device 120.

2 and 3 have the same components and principles, but the type of service provided through the frequency conversion relay device 120 is a mobile communication service, in particular, a 3G mobile communication service such as WCDMA and a wireless Internet service such as WiBro. The case is illustrated separately, and hereinafter, the frequency conversion relay device 120 according to the present invention will be described based on common components.

However, hereinafter, the downlink in which the signal received from the base station 100 is transmitted and the case of the uplink in which the signal is received by the base station will be described separately.

First, the downlink, when the downlink signal is input from the base station 100 through the donor antenna 122 wirelessly, only the desired frequency is passed through the duplexer and then transmitted to the low noise amplifier (LNA).

The LNA amplifies the signal while suppressing the noise as much as possible, and then adjusts it to a stable input level through ALC (Auto Level Control) at all times, then amplifies the signal sufficiently through the AMP (Amplifier). Only pass the signal.

After converting the signal passing through the BPF to the IF (Intermediate Frequency) in the mixer, and passing only the low frequency in the LPF (Low Pass Filter), the signal is amplified in the AMP (Amplifier) and IF SAW Filter (FA) for FA (Frequency Assignment) Intermediate Frequency Surface Acoustic Wave Filter (Intermediate Frequency Surface Acoustic Wave Filter) Passes the desired Frequency Assignment (FA) and removes the remaining FA (Frequency Assignment).

After amplifying the signal in AMP (Amplifier), it extracts the signal from the coupler and detects the signal from the detector. At this time, the local frequency in the phase locked loop (PLL) is varied for each frequency assignment.

Then, the strength of the signal for each FA (Frequency Assignment) can be determined from the detector connected to the coupler.

Meanwhile, the signal having the strongest signal may be selected from the signals for each FA (Frequency Assignment) determined by the detector connected to the coupler, or conversely, the weakest FA (Frequency Assignment) may be selected.

The FA (Frequency Assignment) is restored to RF (Radio Frequency) through the Mixer, and only the desired FA (Frequency Assignment) is passed through the BPF (Band Pass Filter).

After amplifying the signal through the AMP (Amplifier), the gain is adjusted through the PAD (attenuator) for adjusting the gain, and then the signal is amplified by the AMP (Amplifier).

The gain of the repeater is controlled by adjusting the AGC (Auto Gain Control), and the thermo pad allows the stable signal to be transmitted by minimizing the characteristic change according to the external temperature.

In addition, the desired signal through the BPF (Band Pass Filter) improves the signal to the maximum output through the PA (Power Amplifier), removes signals other than the desired signal through the duplexer, and the mobile communication terminal through the Service Antenna 124 ( To 140).

On the contrary, in the case of the up link signal, the mobile communication terminal 140 transmits a signal to a frequency assignment (FA) such as a down link, and this signal is transmitted through the service antenna 124 according to the present invention. Input 120.

The input signal separates the downlink signal and the uplink signal from the duplexer included in the frequency conversion relay 120 and transmits the uplink signal to the low noise amplifier (LNA) for uplink.

LNA amplifies the signal while suppressing the noise as much as possible and adjusts it to always stable input level through ALC (Auto Level Control), and then amplifies the signal sufficiently through AMP. Only pass the signal.

This signal is converted to IF (Intermediate Frequency) frequency in the mixer, and low pass filter (LPF) only passes low frequency, then amplifies the signal in AMP (Amplifier) and IF SAW Filter (Intermediate Frequency Surface) for FA (Frequency Assignment) Acoustic Wave Filter: Passes the desired FA (Frequency Assignment) and removes the remaining FA (Frequency Assignment) in the intermediate frequency surface acoustic wave filter.

After amplifying the signal in AMP (Amplifier), it restores to RF (Radio Frequency) through Mixer, and the recovered FA (Frequency Assignment) is the same Up Link FA (Frequency) as Downlink FA (Frequency Assignment) transmitted from base station. Assignment), and the BPF (Band Pass Filter) only passes the generated Frequency Assignment (FA) signal.

After amplifying the signal through AMP (Amplifier), gain is controlled through the PAD (attenuator) for gain adjustment, and then the signal is amplified in AMP (Amplifier).

The gain of the repeater is controlled by adjusting the AGC (Auto Gain Control), and the thermo pad allows the stable signal to be transmitted by minimizing the characteristic change according to the external temperature.

Enhances the signal to the maximum output through the power amplifier (PA) of the desired signal through the band pass filter (BPF), removes signals other than the desired signal through the duplexer, and base station through the donor antenna 122 Send to (100).

According to the frequency conversion relay device 120 according to the present invention, a signal of good signal quality is detected among signals in use in a frequency band allocated to a wireless communication company such as a mobile communication company and the frequency is converted into an unused signal band. It is possible to provide a wireless communication service.

In addition, unlike the conventional frequency conversion relay device, it is possible to provide a wireless communication service without repeatedly performing the process of converting the idle frequency signal and the service channel band signal.

Hereinafter, the order of implementing the frequency conversion relay method according to the present invention will be described by dividing the downlink and the uplink.

First, the order in which downlinks are performed in the frequency conversion relay method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 4.

4 is a flowchart illustrating an order in which downlinks are performed in a frequency conversion relay method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in Figure 4, in order to perform the downlink of the frequency conversion relay method according to the present invention, the frequency conversion relay device 120 according to the present invention first receives a signal from the base station 100 (S400).

The signal received from the base station 100 is amplified (S402), and the frequency of the amplified received signal is allocated, but the base station 100 converts to an idle frequency which is a frequency not currently used for the wireless communication service (S404).

The conversion to the idle frequency is performed by detecting a frequency band not currently in use among the frequency bands allocated to the base station 100.

The signal of the converted frequency is amplified (S406), and the amplified signal is transmitted to the mobile station 140 (S408).

On the contrary, a case in which an uplink for receiving a signal from the mobile station 140 and transmitting the signal to the base station 100 will be described with reference to FIG. 5.

5 is a flowchart illustrating a sequence of performing uplink in the frequency conversion relay method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 5, in order to perform the uplink in the frequency conversion relay method according to the present invention, the frequency conversion relay device 120 according to the present invention first receives a signal from the mobile station 140 (S500).

The signal received from the mobile station 140 is amplified (S502), and the frequency of the amplified received signal is allocated, but the base station 100 converts to an idle frequency which is a frequency which is not currently used for the wireless communication service (S504).

The conversion to the idle frequency is performed by detecting a frequency band not currently in use among the frequency bands allocated to the base station 100.

The signal of the converted frequency is amplified (S506), and the amplified signal is transmitted to the base station 100 (S508).

According to the frequency conversion relay method, the signal can be relayed using an idle frequency band which is not currently used by the base station 100.

On the other hand, it is apparent to those skilled in the art that the frequency conversion relay method according to the present invention may be implemented and executed in the form of a program installed in the digital processing apparatus.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention described above are disclosed for purposes of illustration, and those skilled in the art will be able to make various modifications, changes, and additions within the spirit and scope of the present invention. Additions should be considered to be within the scope of the following claims.

1 is a diagram illustrating a frequency conversion relay service system in which a frequency conversion relay apparatus according to the present invention can be used.

2 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a configuration of a frequency conversion relay device in which a frequency conversion relay device performs a frequency conversion relay of a mobile communication service according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a configuration of a frequency conversion relay device in which a frequency conversion relay device performs a frequency conversion relay of a WiBro service according to an embodiment of the present invention.

4 is a flowchart illustrating a sequence of performing downlink in the frequency conversion relay method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

5 is a flowchart illustrating a sequence of performing uplink in the frequency conversion relay method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Claims (16)

In the frequency conversion relay method of a wireless communication service, Receiving a signal from a base station (a); Performing filtering on the received signal and detecting a frequency band not currently used in a service area among frequency bands allocated to the base station based on the detected signal strength and quality; Converting the frequency of the received signal to the sensed frequency band (c); And And (d) transmitting the received signal to the mobile station at the converted frequency, wherein step (d) uses a reference clock to synchronize time between frequencies at which step (c) is performed. Frequency conversion relay method characterized in that the synchronization is performed. In the frequency conversion relay method of a wireless communication service, (A) receiving a signal from a mobile station; Performing a filtering on the received signal to detect a frequency band according to the strength and quality of the detected signal; (C) converting the sensed frequency band into a frequency of an original base station service signal; And (d) transmitting the received signal to the base station at the converted frequency, wherein step (d) comprises adjusting a reference clock to synchronize time between frequencies at which step (c) is performed. And performing synchronization using the frequency conversion relay method. delete delete delete A frequency conversion relay apparatus for a wireless communication service, A bandwidth pass filter for performing filtering on the received signal; A signal detector for detecting a signal including a low noise amplifier (LNA) for amplifying the signal filtered by the bandwidth pass filter; An idle frequency detector for detecting a frequency band not currently used in a service area among frequency bands allocated to a base station according to the strength and quality of the signal detected by the signal detector; A frequency converter including a converting unit for converting the oscillating output reference frequency into an idle frequency equal to the frequency of the received signal, and an ovob controlled crystal oscillator (OCXO) for maintaining the reference frequency; A service antenna for transmitting the received signal at the converted idle frequency; And a synchronization control unit for temporally synchronizing the reception from the base station and the transmission to the mobile station or the reception from the mobile station and the transmission to the base station. delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete A recording medium on which a program of instructions that can be executed by a digital processing apparatus is tangibly implemented so that a frequency conversion relay method of a wireless communication service is implemented, and which records a program that can be read by the digital processing apparatus, Receiving a signal from a base station (a); Performing filtering on the received signal to detect a frequency band not currently being used in a service area among frequency bands allocated to the base station according to the detected signal strength and quality; Converting the frequency of the received signal to the sensed frequency band (c); And (D) transmitting the received signal to a mobile station at the converted frequency; Wherein (d) is a step for recording a program for implementing a frequency conversion relay method characterized in that the synchronization is performed using a reference clock in order to match the time synchronization between the frequency at which step (c) is performed. Computer-readable recording medium. A recording medium on which a program of instructions that can be executed by a digital processing apparatus is tangibly implemented so that a frequency conversion relay method of a wireless communication service is implemented, and which records a program that can be read by the digital processing apparatus, the signal being transmitted from a mobile station. Receiving (a); Performing filtering on the received signal to detect a frequency band according to the strength and quality of the detected signal; (C) converting the sensed frequency band into a frequency of an original base station service signal; And (d) transmitting the received signal to the base station at the converted frequency, wherein step (d) comprises adjusting a reference clock to synchronize time between frequencies at which step (c) is performed. A computer-readable recording medium having recorded thereon a program for implementing a frequency conversion relay method, characterized in that the synchronization is performed.

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