MXPA01004064A - Automatic handling device for flexible flat products, in particular catamenial products, and intermediate stacker unit to be used therein - Google Patents

Abstract

An automatic handling device for flexible flat products, in particular catamenials, comprises:conveying means (2) on the infeed side for the serial guidance of the supplied products (1) in a main infeed direction (3), conveying means (4) on the outfeed side for the intermediate stacker units (5), the compartments (9) of which are charged with products (1), to be led off in a main outfeed direction (7) which is substantially perpendicular to the main infeed direction (3), and a feed head (8) for the products (1) between the conveying means (2, 4) on the infeed side and on the outfeed side, which oscillates about a pivoting axis (18) in the plane spanned by the main infeed direction (3) and outfeed direction (7) such that, during the oscillating motion in the main outfeed direction (7), the end (16) of the feed head (8) that is turned towards the respective intermediate stacker unit (5) is synchronous with the respective compartment (9) of the intermediate stacker unit (5) for a product (1) to be transferred into this compartment (9), and that, during the oscillating motion in the opposite direction, it orients itself toward the next compartment (9).

Description

i AUTOMATIC ANTENNA CONFIGURATION CLOSE TO EQUIPMENT PARTS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Technical Field of the Invention The present invention relates to base stations for mobile communication systems and in particular to a method and apparatus for automatically configuring antenna near parts of equipment connected to said base station. Description of the Related Art A radio base station employed for example in a cellular mobile communication system, includes connected equipment such as transmitters, receivers, attenuators, amplifiers, filters, antennas and antenna near equipment parts and the like. It is important to know how this equipment is connected. One reason why this knowledge is important, arises in connection with failure reports. The base station should know how the base station equipment is connected in order to take appropriate action after failure detection. For example, if an antenna is defective, the base station must know the connections of the equipment, in order to turn off the appropriate transmitter and direct communications to other transmitter / antenna pairs. More importantly, if the failure affects the ability of the base station to broadcast its control channel, the base stations must know the equipment connections in order to switch the control channel to another equipment. Another reason why this knowledge is important comes in connection with optimizing the performance of the base station. In this regard, it is recognized that the equipment used in a base station must have certain radio characteristics. At the start of the base station, these features are loaded into a base station database. Charging, storage and proper analysis of this information for all equipment included requires that the base station know how the equipment is connected. The information regarding the connection of the equipment for a base station is usually loaded into and stored in an installation database (IDB = Instalation Data Base). In the installation database, the information that identifies various radio projectors is stored. All transmitter paths are stored, with each transmitter path comprising, for example, a transmitter number, a filter number and a power gate number, and an antenna gate number. Similarly, all receiver paths are stored, with each receiver path comprising, for example, an antenna-mounted amplifier number, an antenna gate number, a filter number and an output gate number, and a receiver number. In base station installations using active antennas, booster amplifiers or tower-mounted amplifiers, the installation database also identifies for each transmitter and receiver path, the included active antennas, booster amplifiers and tower-mounted amplifiers. In accordance with known prior art implementations, manual feeding into the installation database is performed from the equipment identifications for each transmitter and receiver path. For a large antenna configuration, manual data feeding is not preferred since it requires the dedication of significant time and effort and is prone to human error. There is a need then for a more efficient and accurate mechanism to update the installation database. Individual pieces of equipment may also include components that must be calibrated according to the system configuration for optimal performance. For example, some near-antenna parts devices include a variable attenuator component whose applied attenuation must be determined and specified. In implementations of the prior art, this calibration activity involves manual selections based on human-determined approximations. There is then a need for a more efficient and accurate mechanism to optimize system performance in terms of component calibrations. COMPENDIUM OF THE INVENTION To understand the previous needs, a method for configuration and automatic calibration of antenna near parts of equipment is presented. In accordance with this method, communication is established from a base station and each of its component parts near a connected antenna. When processing information sent over the established communication, an installation database for the base station is then updated. This is achieved by having each component near the antenna send its identification to the base station when switching on. In addition, communications sent selectively over a radio frequency feeder are verified to determine the connectivity between the individual transmitter / receiver pairs of the base station and each antenna near equipment parts. These radio frequency feeder communications are further processed to determine calibration data to configure each antenna near equipment parts for optimal operation. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS A more complete understanding of the method and apparatus of the present invention can be achieved by reference to the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a simplified block diagram of a radio base station; Figure 2 is a block diagram of an active antenna; Figure 3 is a block diagram of a communication system comprising a plurality of active antennas connected to a radio base station; Figure 4 is a block diagram of a passive antenna and booster amplifier; Figure 5 is a block diagram of a communication system comprising a plurality of passive antennas connected to a radio base station through booster amplifiers; Figure 6 is a block diagram of an amplifier mounted on a tower and antenna; Figure 7 is a block diagram of a communication system comprising a plurality of receive antennas connected to a radio base station through tower mounted amplifiers; and Figures 8 and 9A-9C are flow charts illustrating a method for automatic antenna configuration near equipment parts (such as active antennas, booster amplifiers and tower mounted amplifiers). DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Reference is now made to Figure 1 wherein a simplified block diagram of a radio base station 10 is illustrated which is used for example in a cellular based mobile communication system. The base station 10 includes a plurality of transmitter / receiver pairs (TRXs) 12. Each transmitter / receiver pair 12 includes an antenna gate 14. The antenna gate 14 can support either a duplex radio frequency feeder (when transported). signals of transmission and reception by a single feeder (or a pair of feeders, each for transmitting and receiving) .First passing to duplex operation, within each pair of transmitter / receiver 12, a transmitter 16 is connected to a gate of transmission 18 of a duplex filter 20. In addition, a receiver 22 connects to a reception gate 24 of the same duplex filter 20. By means of the antenna gate 14 of the duplex filter 20, a connection is made to an antenna (not shown) and more particularly to antenna near equipment parts (also not shown) on a radio frequency feeder 26. Whereas the radio frequency signals output from transmitter 16 are in a different band In the radio frequency signals received by the receiver 22, the duplex filter 20 operates to pass transmission band signals received in the transmission gate 18 to send output to the gate of the antenna 14, and pass reception band signals. , which are received in the antenna gate 14 to send output to the reception gate 24. Alternatively, the transmitter 16 can be connected through a transmission antenna gate 14 (t) to a radio frequency feeder of transmission 26 (t), with receiver 22 connected through a reception antenna gate 14 (r) to a reception radio frequency feeder 26 (r). By means of the antenna gates (14t and 14r) of the transmitter / receiver pair 12, connection is made to an antenna (not shown) and more particularly to antenna near equipment parts (not shown) on two radio frequency feeders ( 26t and 26r). Reference is now made to Figure 2, wherein a block diagram of an active antenna 40 is illustrated. The active antenna 40 includes a radio part 42, and a digital part 44. By first passing the radio part to 42, operates to amplify transmit signals that are received on a radio frequency feeder 26 of the transmitter / receiver pair 12 of a base station 10 (see Figure 1) for broadcast, and to receive broadcast radio frequency signals and amplify them for reception by the transmitter / receiver pair of the base station. With respect to a transmission signal generated by the transmitter 16 (see Figure 1) it first passes through a variable attenuator 46 which applies a select attenuation to the signal to compensate for a feeder attenuation less than the nominal one, associated with the radio frequency feeder 26. The variable attenuator 46 does not need to be included in the active antenna 40 if only one active antenna is connected to its associated transmitter / receiver pair 12, or if multiple active antennas with similar feeder attenuation are connected to the same transmitter / receiver pair. Next, the transmission signal is directed by a first duplex filter 48 from a common gate 50 to a transmission gate 52 for application to a power amplifier (PA = Power Amplifier) 54. The amplified transmission signal that is output from the power amplifier 54 is then directed by a second duplex filter 56 from a transmission gate 58 to a common gate 60 for diffusion by an antenna patch 62. With respect to a reception signal, which is received by the antenna patch 62, it is directed by the second duplex filter 56 from the common gate 60 to a 64 reception gate for application in the low-noise amplifier (LNA) 66. Next, the reception signal is directed by the first duplex filter 48 from a reception gate 68 to the common gate 50 for passage through the variable attenuator 46 which applies the same select antenna to the signal to compensate for the attenuation attenuation less than the nominal associated with the radio frequency feeder 26. Then moving on to the digital part 44, the active antenna 40 includes a central processing unit UPC ( CPU = Central Processing Unit) 70 which operates to control the operation of the active antenna. In particular, through command signals that are output from the conduit 72, the processing unit, central 70 controls the on / off state of the power amplifier 54 and adjusts the selected attenuation that is provided by the variable attenuator. 46. The central processing unit 70 also receives output from a measuring receiver 74 that operates to measure the transmitter power. The measurement receiver 74 uses a directional coupler 76, to perform power measurements at the output of the transmission signal from the transmission gate 52 of the first duplex filter 48 for application to the power amplifier 54. The directional coupler 76 can be placed in any selected site on the side of the base station of the amplifier 54, including before and after the attenuator 46. The digital part 44 of the active antenna 40 further includes an active antenna database (AADB = Active Antenna Data Base) 78 connected to the central processing unit 70. The active antenna database 78 stores radio characteristic information for that active antenna 40 including information regarding: the frequency dependence of the active antenna gain; the frequency range of the active antenna (if it is not the entire band); the alteration of the transmission path when the power amplifier is switched off; the range of measurement of amplitude of the measurement receiver; the measurement time (worst case) of the measurement receiver; and the variable attenuator range. Now reference is made in combination to the Figures 1 and 2 as well as Figure 3, wherein a block diagram of a communication system comprising a plurality of active antennas (AA = Active Antennas) 40 connected to a radio base station 10 is illustrated. The base station radio 10 further includes a control processor (CP = Control Processor) 90 which operates in general to control the operation of the radio base station and in particular to control the operation of each of the included transmitter / receiver pairs 12. The control processor 90 of the radio base station 10 is connected to. data communication to the central processing unit 70 of each active antenna 40 via an antenna conduit 92. In the preferred embodiment, the antenna conduit 92 is shared by all active antennas 40. Alternatively, an antenna conduit can be provided between each transmitter / receiver pair 12 and its connected active antennas 40. Each of the included radio frequency feeders is they can already be used in a shared way to connect a single transmitter / receiver pair 12 to multiple active antennas 40, as generally illustrated at 94 or used to connect a single transmitter / receiver pair 12 to a single active antenna as generally illustrated at 96. Connected to the control processor 90 of the radio base station 10 is an installation database IDB = Installation Data Base) 98 which stores information regng the equipment connection for that base station. The installation database 98 may store information identifying the transmitter and receiver radio paths for the connected transmitter / receiver pairs 12 and the antenna near equipment parts such as the active antennas 40. An example of a transmitter antenna it may comprise a transmitter number, a filter number and feed gate number, an antenna gate number and an active antenna number. An exemplary receiver path may comprise an active antenna number, an antenna gate number, a filter number and an output gate and a receiver number. Reference is now made to Figure 4, wherein a block diagram of a booster amplifier 132 and passive antenna 130 is illustrated. Booster amplifier 132 includes a radio part 42 and a digital part 44. Moving first to the part Radio 42, operates to amplify the transmission signals that are received on a radio frequency feeder 26 from the transmitter / receiver pair 12 of a base station 10 (see Figure 1) for broadcast. With respect to a transmission signal generated by the transmitter 16 (see Figure 1), it first passes through a variable attenuator 134 which applies a select attenuation to the signal to compensate for a feeder attenuation less than the nominal associated with the power supply. radio frequency 26. Variable attenuator 134 does not need to be included in booster amplifier 132 if only a passive antenna 130 is connected to its associated transmitter / receiver pair 12, or if multiple passive antennas with similar feeder attenuation are connected to it transmitter / receiver pair. Next, the transmission signal is amplified by a power amplifier 136 located in the transmitter path between the radio base station and the antenna. A booster 132 does not require duplex functionality. According to this, the connection of the radio frequency feeder 26 between a? transmitter / receiver pair 12 and a passive antenna 130 can use a transmission feeder 26 (d) separated from a reception feeder 26 (r). Turning next to the digital part 44, the reinforcement 132 further includes a reinforcement database (BDB = Booster Data Base) 140 connected to a control unit. central processing 142. The backup database 140 stores characteristic radio information including information regarding: the frequency dependence of the boost amplifier gain; and the frequency range of the booster amplifier (if not all band); the attenuation of the transmission path when the power amplifier turns off; the range of measurement of amplitude of the measurement receiver; the measurement time (worst case) of the measurement receiver; and the range of the variable attenuator. The central processing unit In addition, it receives output from a measuring receiver 148 that operates to measure the transmitter power. The measuring receiver 148 uses a directional coupler 146"to perform power measurements on the transmission signal output from the variable attenuator 134, so as to application to the power amplifier 136. The directional coupler 146 can be placed in any selected location on the base station side of the power amplifier 136, including before and after the attenuator 134. The central processing unit 142 functions to control (a through output of command signals in the conduit 144) the attenuation that is provided by the attenuator 134, control of the amplification that is provided by the power amplifier 136 and read information from the database 140. It is now referenced in combination to Figures 1 and 4 as well as Figure 5, wherein a block diagram of a communication system comprising a plurality of passive antennas 130 connected to a radio base station 10 through the booster amplifier 132 is illustrated. control 90 of the radio base station 10 is connected for data communication to the central processing unit 142 of each reinforcement amplifier 132 by an antenna conduit 92. In the preferred embodiment, the antenna conduit 92 is shared by all the booster amplifiers 132. Alternatively, an antenna conduit can provide between each transmitter / receiver pair 12 and its connected booster amplifiers 132. Each of the included radio frequency feeders 26 can already be used in a shared form for connecting a single pair of transmitter / receiver 12 to multiple boost amplifiers 132, as generally illustrated at 94, or used to connect a single pair of transmitter / receiver 12 with a single booster amplifier, as generally illustrated at 96. The installation database (IDB) 98 stores information regarding the equipment connection for the base station. The installation database 98 may store information identifying the transmitter and receiver radio paths for the connected transmitter / receiver pair 12 and antenna near equipment parts (such as the booster amplifiers 132. An exemplary transmitter path it may comprise a transmitter number, a filter number and a feed gate number, an antenna gate number and a boost number.An exemplary receiver path may comprise a tower-mounted amplifier number, a gate number antenna, a filter number and an output gate and a receiver number Now reference is made to Figure 6, where a block diagram of a tower-mounted amplifier (TMA = Tower Mounted Amplifier) 152 is illustrated. The tower-mounted amplifier 152 includes a radio part 42 and a digital part 44. By first going to the radio part 42, it functions to receive radio signals. or diffusion frequency and amplify them for reception by the transmitter / receiver pair of the base station. With respect to a reception signal that is obtained by an antenna 150, it is directed through a bandpass filter 158 for application to a low interference amplifier (LNA = Low Noise Amplifier) 180. Then the signal reception is passed through a variable attenuator 162 that applies a selective attenuation to the signal to compensate for attenuation of less than nominal feeder, associated with the radio frequency feeder 26. The variable attenuator 162 does not need to be included in the tower-mounted amplifier 152, if only a single antenna 150 is connected to its associated transmitter / rece pair 12 or if multiple antennas are connected with attenuation of feeder similar to the same transmitter / rece pair. A tower-mounted amplifier 152 does not require duplex functionality. Accordingly, the radio frequency feeder connection between a transmitter / rece pair 12 and the antenna 150 can use a transmission feeder 26 (t) separated from a recefeeder 26 (r). Turning next to the digital part 44, the tower-mounted amplifier 152 includes a central processing unit UPC (CPU = Central Processing Unit) 164 which operates to control the operation of the tower-mounted amplifier. In particular, through command signals that are output from the line 174, the central processing unit 164 controls the operation f? of the low-interference amplifier 160. The unit of central processing 164 also sends commands to a reference transmitter 176 to generate a radio frequency signal in the base station receiver band 22. The reference transmitter 176 uses a directional coupler 178 to inject this signal over the radio frequency feeder 26. The directional coupler 178 can be placed at any selected location on the base station side of the amplifier 160, including before and after the attenuator 162. The central processing unit 164 further specifies the attenuation applied by the variable attenuator 162. The digital part 44 of the tower-mounted amplifier 152 also includes a tower-mounted amplifier database (TMADB = Tower Mounted Amplifier Data Base) 182 connected to the IB central processing unit 164. The database of tower-mounted amplifier 182 also has radio characteristic information including frequency information of the reference transmitter; and the amplitude of the signal generated by the reference transmitter. Now reference is made in combination to the Figures 1 and 6, as well as Figure 7, illustrating a block diagram of a communication system comprising a plurality of antennas 150 connected to a radio base station 10 through tower mounted amplifiers 152. The control processor 90 of the radio base station 10 is connected for data communication to the central processing unit 164 of each tower-mounted amplifier 152 via an antenna conduit 92. In the preferred embodiment, the antenna conduit 92 is shared by all tower-mounted amplifiers 152. Alternately, an antenna conduit 92 is shared by all tower-mounted amplifiers 152. Alternatively, an antenna conduit may be provided between each transmitter / receiver pair 12 and its connected tower-mounted amplifiers 152. Each of the included radio frequency feeders 26 can already be used in a shared way to connect a single transmission pair. or / receiver 12 with multiple tower-mounted amplifiers 152, as generally illustrated at 94, or used to connect a single transmitter / receiver pair 12, with a single tower-mounted amplifier as generally illustrated at 96. The installation (IDB) 98 stores information regarding the equipment connection for the base station. The installation database 98 may store information identifying the transmitter and receiver radio paths for the connected transmitter / receiver pairs 12 and antenna near equipment parts such as tower mounted amplifiers 152). An exemplary transmitter path may comprise a transmitter number, a filter number and a feed gate number, an antenna gate number and a boost number. An exemplary receiver path may comprise a tower-mounted amplifier number, an antenna gate number, a filter and gate number, and a receiver number. Reference is now made to Figures 8 and 9A-9C, where the flow diagram is illustrated showing a method for automatic antenna configuration near equipment parts (such as active antennas 40, booster amplifier 132, and mounted amplifiers in tower 152). The method generally uses data communications on the antenna conduit 92 as well as test transmission bursts on the radio frequency feeder to update both the transmitter / receiver radio paths stored in the installation database 98 and the configuration (such as selective attenuation to be applied by variable attenuator 46 of each active antenna 40) of the antenna near equipment parts. With specific reference now to Figure 8, in step 200, each antenna near equipment parts such as an active antenna 40, booster amplifiers 132 or tower-mounted amplifier 152 (after being energized, transmits a message on the antenna conduit 92 to the self-identifying radio base station 10. This step of automatic identification is performed in a simpler manner. By implementing antenna conduit 92 as a master manifold, this means a conduit where all devices are allowed to transmit considering that the conduit is free.When turning on, the antenna near parts of equipment simply sends a message containing your component serial number sent to the assigned network address of your service radio base station 10. This message is sent repeatedly until you get a confirmation that contains the component serial number and the network address of the component Antenna near parts of equipment With respect to radio base station 10, receive the message, add the serial number to a To list your antenna near serviced equipment parts, and return the acknowledgment message comprising the serial number and the logical address. Further in response to the message sent in step 200, the radio base station 10 then retrieves in step 202 the information stored in the active antenna database 78, backup database 140 and / or database of amplifier mounted on tower 182 of the antenna near equipment parts. The installation database 98 is then updated with the current antenna configuration near parts of equipment in step 204. The operation of step 204 involves the performance of a number of actions dependent on the antenna type near equipment parts. in consideration. Specific reference is now made to Figures 9a-C for the description of the process performed in connection with the operation of step 204 and the updating of the installation database 98 with the current antenna configuration near equipment parts. a) Active antenna stage 204- Figure 9A First, in step 206, the active antennas are initialized. This initialization involves the radio base station 10 instructing each active antenna 40 to turn off its power amplifier 54 and adjust the attenuation of its variable attenuator 46 to a minimum. These instructions are sent over the antenna conduit 92. Second, in the step 208, the radio base station 10 outputs a short radio frequency transmission signal burst in a certain transmitter / receiver pair 12. The duration This burst is adjusted to be as long as the longest of the measurement times required by the measuring receivers 74 of the active antennas 40. The amplitude of this burst is adjusted to a predetermined limit (eg -36). dBm) plus the smallest attenuation of the transmission path of the active antennas 40 (with the power amplifier turned off). The frequency of this burst is adjusted to an arbitrary frequency within the transmission frequency band. In the event that an active connected antenna 40 does not cover all 1 frequency band of transmission, a tooth frequency of the supported band is chosen arbitrarily. Also, in the case that different active connected antennas 40 cover different bands within the band. of transmission frequency, an arbitrary frequency is chosen in the lowest of the supported bands. If the radio base station 10 can not transmit at the calculated power, a determination is made as to whether the attenuation provided by the variable attenuators of the active antenna is altered the situation is improved. For example, if the calculated output power is below that which can be adjusted at the radio base station, increasing the attenuation provided by the variable attenuators will allow the adjustment of a higher-level base station power level. . When it is not enough to increase the attenuation that is provided by the variable attenuator, notification is provided and feeder attenuation must be supplied manually. Upon turning off the power amplifier in step 206, any subsequently transmitted radio signal such as the short radio frequency transmission signal burst of step 208 will be significantly attenuated (e.g., approximately 60dB) in the active antenna. There is little danger then with this level of attenuation as well as with consideration of feeder attenuation and the operation of the variable attenuators, of violating any legal restrictions or standards concerning broadcast transmissions, with the short radio frequency transmission signal burst. from step 208. Third, step 210, the active antennas 40 measure the short radio frequency transmission signal bursts of step 208 and report their measurement back to the radio base stations 10. These measurements are made by the measuring receiver and reporting back using the antenna conduit 92. The radio base station 10 waits a predetermined delay time period for all the active antennas 40 to make their reports. In the proportion that different active antennas cover different bands, the actions of steps 208 and 210 are repeated for each band. Any reported measurements of an active antenna 40 using a band other than the band within which the bursts are sent are discarded. In the event that the reported measurement is outside the range of amplitude measurement on the active antenna 40, the actions of steps 208 and 210 are repeated with an altered burst amplitude selection. Before altering the energy output of the burst, however, the radio base station must first determine that a selected alternate power will not violate any standard or legal base broadcast restrictions. When this violation occurs, other solutions are evaluated such as altering the attenuation that is provided by the variable attenuators. If this does not solve the problem, a notification is provided. The measurement in this situation, probably caused by the use of very different feeder lengths, can be complemented by a manual interaction. If all antennas work in the same part of the band (using band-band antennas), the frequency of the test burst should be chosen within that part. When the antennas work in different parts of the band (for example, a first transmitter / receiver pair 12 for a lower part and a second transmitter / receiver pair for a higher part) the system does not know which frequency to choose until after the antennas have reported on the transmitter / receiver pair to which they are connected. If a transmission is made in a lower part and the reporting antenna is for the outer part, a new burst should be sent on a more appropriately selected frequency, in order to obtain an adequate calibration value. Similarly, a new burst should be sent when the reported value is outside the measuring range of the antenna measurement receiver. Fourth, in step 212, it is updated to the installation database 98. To achieve this, the control processor 90 of the radio base station 10 calculates the individual attenuation to each active antenna 40 of the valid measurements reported. of the amplitude of the bursts of step 208. Calculations of the output power of the radio base station and the adjustment for each of the included variable attenuators 46 are also performed. An update of the transmitter / receiver radio paths stored (as well as attenuator settings) can also be performed based on the identification of those active antennas 40 that make measurement reports. A restriction to this method is that it handles only the transmitter trajectories (not the receiver trajectories). This, however, is not a significant aspect since the active antennas each include a low interference amplifier in the receiver path. As the radio signals for both paths share the same feeder (duplex), an identification of the transmitter path automatically provides an identification of the receiver path. In addition, it is noted that the loss of reception signal feeder is almost the same as the loss of transmission signal feeder. Fifth, the actions of steps 208, 210 and 212 are repeated as illustrated by path 214 for each of the included transmitter / receiver pairs 12 of the radio base station 10. b. Amplifier stage shown in tower 204- FIGURE 9B. First, in step 216, a tower-mounted amplifier that is not currently configured, is chosen for configuration. Second, in step 216, the selected tower-mounted amplifier is initialized. This initialization involves the radio base station 10 which instructs the selected tower-mounted amplifier to turn off its low interference amplifier, set its variable attenuator to a minimum value, and start transmitting with its reference transmitter 176. These instructions are sent on the antenna conduit 92. The directional coupler 178 used to inject the signal may be given a certain directivity (for example the signal to the radio base station 10 is 30 dB higher than the signal to the antenna). If the low interference amplifier 160 is turned off, additional isolation is achieved from the transmitter 16 to the antenna. This allows a higher transmitter power, which improves the detection sensitivity of the radio base station 10 of the reference transmitter signal. Third, in step 220, the receivers 22 in the radio base station 10 are initialized. This initialization involves the radio base station 10 instructing each of its receivers 22 in the transmitter / receiver pairs 12, which listen to the frequency of the tower-mounted amplifier reference transmitter 176. Fourth, in step 222, the receivers 22 at the radio base station 10 receiving the signal generated by the reference transmitter on the tower-mounted amplifier 176, they measure it. Fifth, in the step 224 the installation database 98 is updated. An attenuation calculation is performed based on the knowledge of the amplitude of the transmitted signal from the reference transmitter 176. An update of the radio paths of stored transmitter / receiver (as well as attenuator configurations) can also be performed, based on the identification of their reference transmitters that send signals that were measured. Sixth, the actions of step 216, 218, 220, 222 and 224, are repeated as illustrated by path 226 for each of the included tower-mounted amplifiers. a) Reinforcement stage 204 - FIGURE 9C. First, in step 230, the booster amplifiers are initialized. This initialization involves the radio base station 10 which instructs each booster 132 to turn off its power amplifier 136 and adjust the operation of its attenuator from its variable attenuator 134 to a minimum. These instructions are sent over the antenna conduit 92. Secondly, in the step 232, the radio base station 10 outputs a short radio frequency transmission signal burst in a certain transmitter / receiver pair 12. The duration of this burst is set to be as long as the longest of the measurement times required by the measuring receivers 148 and the booster amplifiers 132. The amplitude of this burst is adjusted to a predetermined limit (eg -36 dBm) plus the smallest attenuation of the transmission path of the booster amplifiers 132, with the power amplifier off. The frequency of this burst is adjusted to an arbitrary frequency within the transmission frequency band. In the event that a connected booster amplifier 132 does not cover the entire transmission frequency band, a frequency within the supported band is arbitrarily chosen. In addition, in the case that different connected booster amplifiers 132 cover different bands within the transmission frequency band, an arbitrary frequency is chosen in the lowest of the supported bands. If the radio base station 10 can not transmit at the calculated power, a determination is made as to whether the attenuation provided by the variable attenuators of the boost is altered would improve the situation. For example, if the calculated output power is below that to be adjusted at the radio base station, increasing the attenuation provided by the variable attenuators will allow adjustment of a higher radio base station power level. . When the attenuation provided by the variable attenuator is not sufficient, a notification is provided and feeder attenuation must be provided manually. Upon turning off the amplifier in step 230, any subsequently transmitted radio signal, such as the short radio frequency transmission signal burst of step 232, will be significantly attenuated (eg, approximately 60dB) in the boost amplifier. There is little danger then with this level of attenuation as well as with the consideration of feeder attenuation, and the operation of the variable attenuators, of violating any diffusion transmission restrictions related to standards or legal with the burst of the transmission signal of short radio frequency of step 232. Third, in step 234, booster amplifiers 132 measure the bursts of the short radio frequency transmission signal of step 232 and report their measurements back to the radio base stations 10. These measurements are made by the measurement receiver and reported back using the antenna conduit 92. The radio base station 10 waits a predetermined time delay period for all the booster amplifiers 132 to make their reports. In the proportion that different reinforcement amplifiers 132 cover different bands, the actions of steps 232 and 234 are repeated for each band. Any reported measurements of a boost 132 that use a different band of the band into which the burst is sent are discarded. In the case where the reported measurement is outside the amplitude measurement range of the reinforcement 132, the action of steps 232 and 234 is repeated with altered burst amplitude selection. Before altering the burst's power output, however, the radio base station must first determine that a selected alternate power will not violate any broadcast restrictions based on standard or legal. When this violation occurs, other solutions are evaluated such as altering the attenuation that is provided by the variable attenuators. If this does not solve the problem, a notification is provided. Measurement in this situation is probably triggered by the use of very different feeder lengths can be supplemented by manual interaction. If all booster amplifiers operate in the same part of the band (using part-band booster amplifiers), the frequency of the test burst should be chosen within that part. When the booster amplifiers work in different parts of the band (for example, a first transmitter / receiver pair 12 for a lower part and a second transmitter / receiver pair for a higher part) the system does not know which frequency to choose until after the booster amplifiers have reported on the transmitter / receiver pair to which they are connected. If a transmission is made in a lower part and the report reinforcement is for the upper part, a new burst should be sent at a more appropriately selected frequency, in order to obtain an adequate calibration value. Similarly, a new burst should be sent when the reported value is outside the measurement range of the measurement receiver. Fourth, in step 236, the installation database 98 is updated. To achieve this, the control processor 90 of the radio base station 10 calculates the individual attenuation to each booster amplifier 132 from the measurements Validated reports of the amplitude of the bursts of step 232. Calculations are also made for the output power of the radio base station and the adjustment for each of the included variable attenuators 134. An update of the transmitter radio trajectories Stored / receiver (as well as attenuator settings) can also be performed based on the identification of those booster amplifiers 132 that make the measurement reports. Fifth, the actions of stage 232, 234 and 236 are repeated as illustrated by path 238 for each of the included transmitter / receiver pairs 12 of the radio base station 10. Reference is now made to Figure 8. Then, after the step 204, which updates antenna configurations near equipment parts, the process performs failure evaluation in step 250. In this action, a determination is made of whether there is a known active antenna 40 to the radio base station that does not report of measurement or there is a tower-mounted amplifier 152 whose signal is not measured, or there is a known booster 132 for the radio base station that does not make a measurement report. This failure to report for example may be caused because the antenna near equipment parts is faulty or the radio frequency feeder has failed. This action also determines instances where a single active antenna is reported to connect to more than one transmitter / receiver pair 12- (probably caused by insulation problems between two pairs). In each case of failure, an appropriate message is provided to a system operator so that corrective actions can be taken. The process then calculates, step 252, optimal settings for the system based on the determined attenuation of the radio frequency feeders and the contents of each antenna database near component parts. In particular, a calculation is made as to the optimum attenuation of each of the variable attenuators included 46 or 180 and as to the compensation required by each of the transmitters 16 t or receivers 22 of an included transmitter / receiver pair 12.

Selection by the control processor 90 of system variables for optimum performance at the frequencies used by the radio base station 10, it is possible because the radio base station has collected information regarding each of the trajectories of the radio station. transmitter / receiver. Finally, in step 254, the variables calculated for optimal system performance are communicated by the control processor 90 to the central processing unit 70 of the active antenna 40 or the unit of central processing 142 of the booster 132 or central processing unit 162 of the tower-mounted amplifier 152, using commands that are sent over the antenna conduit 92. In particular, the optimal attenuation for each B variable attenuator 46 or 180 is sent to the unit central processing 70 and used to configure the antenna operation near equipment parts. Furthermore, in appropriate situations, the calculated variables are applied within the same base station 10 to configure any configurable base station components (such as with respect to the transmitter or receiver) for optimal performance. Finally, the power amplifier or low-interference amplifier that was previously turned off, turns on again. Reference is now made specifically to Figures 8 and 9A. The operations performed in connection with steps 200 and 202, consider that the active antennas are turned on before the radio base station reaches the point in its energized procedure, which will begin to communicate with the active antennas. Any active antenna energized after the process that reaches stage 204 is not included in the configuration. In the case that an active antenna is energized before step 254, a notification is provided and the process will return to step 200 for a new antenna. In the event that an active antenna is energized when there is traffic being handled by the radio base station, an alarm notification is provided. The configuration will not include this antenna. However, the new antenna information may be fed into the installation database or the transmitter / receiver pair 12 to which the antenna is connected must be reinitialized. The above procedures are also effective (with appropriate modifications when necessary) to handle configurations using booster amplifiers and tower-mounted amplifiers. The method of Figures 8 and 9A is also useful to handle the situation where the antenna configuration of a transmitter / receiver pair 12, is changed at a point in time where the remaining transmitter / receiver pairs of a radio base station 10 operate and transport traffic. The following slight modifications to the method need to be performed to handle this situation: In step 200, any antennas that were in the antenna conduit before reconfiguration are searched and found. A failure to respond to commands from the radio base station results in the antennas being considered as removed. In step 202, the active antenna database of the antennas that were present in the antenna conduit before change, are not loaded since they were previously stored in the radio base station. In step 206, the actions of this step are only performed with respect to the antennas not connected to other transmitter / receiver pairs 12. - In steps 208, 210 and 212, the actions of these steps are only carried out with respect to reinitializing the transmitter / receiver pair 12. In step 250, if the antenna makes a measurement report before the burst has been sent, it is like listening for traffic from another transmitter / receiver pair 12. This is indicative of a problem of insulation, which is provided to an appropriate notification. The above procedures are also effective (with appropriate modifications when necessary) to handle configurations using booster amplifiers and tower-mounted amplifiers. 'Some noted benefits arising from the use of the method of the present invention include: The method makes accurate measurement of the state of the system without any (or little) human interaction; The automatic configuration process can be completely accurate and fast; any antenna near parts of equipment connected to the antenna conduit is identified and the defective radio frequency feeders are found, thus resulting in improved fault location, and calibration with automatic feed attenuation is supported. Although preferred embodiments of the method and apparatus of the present invention have been illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described in the above detailed description, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the described modes, but is capable of numerous rearrangements, modifications and substitutions. , without departing from the spirit as established and defined by the following claims.

Claims (26)

1. CLAIMS 1.- A method for automatic configuration of a system comprising antenna near parts of equipment connected to a radio base station by means of a radio frequency feeder and communications link, characterized in that it comprises the steps of: downloading configuration information from radio referring to the antenna near parts of equipment from a first database in the antenna near parts of equipment to a second database in the radio base station over the communications link; transmit a short radio burst over the radio frequency feeder; measure the short burst of radio by the antenna near equipment parts; report measurement of the antenna near equipment parts of the burst cut off the radio to the radio base station by the communication link; and process the reported measurement in view of the radio characteristics downloaded to obtain calibration data to configure the system in optimal operation.
2. 2. - The method according to claim 1, characterized in that it also includes the steps of: providing in a message sent from the antenna near own equipment parts to the radio base station by the communication link, an identification of the antenna near parts of equipment; and processing the reported measurement in view of the discharged radio characteristics and antenna identification near equipment parts to identify connectivity between a transmitter / receiver pair of the radio base station and the antenna near equipment parts.
3. 3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the short radio burst has a predetermined duration, amplitude and frequency.
4. 4. - The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the duration is adjusted to the largest of the measurement times required by the antenna near parts of equipment to measure the burst against radius.
5. 5. - The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the amplitude is adjusted to a predetermined limit that is authorized for broadcast plus a loss of transmission path.
6. 6. - The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the frequency is adjusted to an arbitrary frequency in a transmission band supported by the antenna near equipment parts.
7. 7. - The method according to claim 1, wherein the antenna near equipment parts comprises an active antenna.
8. 8. - The method of compliance with the f < claim 1, characterized in that the antenna near 5 parts of equipment comprises a booster amplifier.
9. 9. - The method according to claim 1, characterized in that it also includes the step of adjusting the calibration of a configurable component of the system, according to the data of 10 calibration to provide optimal performance.
10. 10. - The method according to claim 9, characterized in that it also includes the steps of: sending the calibration data to the antenna near parts of equipment by the communication link; and 15 adjust the calibration of the antenna near equipment parts, according to the calibration data sent to provide optimum performance.
11. 11.- The method of compliance with the W? claim 10, characterized in that the antenna near 20 pieces of equipment includes a variable attenuator, and the calibration data comprises an attenuation to adjust the variable attenuator.
12. 12. - The method according to claim 10, characterized in that the antenna near 25 parts of equipment includes an amplifier, and the calibration data comprises an amplification to be applied by the amplifier.
13. 13. - The method of compliance with the (Claim 1, characterized in that it also includes the 5 stage of processing the reports of the antenna measurement near equipment parts of the short radio burst, to identify faults.
14. 14.- A method for automatic configuration of a system comprising antenna near parts of equipment 10 connected to a radio base station by means of a 1 radio frequency feeder and communications link, characterized in that it comprises the steps of: downloading radio configuration information relating to the antenna near equipment parts, from a first database 15 in the antenna near parts of equipment to a second database in the radio base station over the communications link; transmitting a reference radio signal on the radio frequency feeder; measure the signal of BB reference radio by the radio base station; Y 20 process the measurement in view of the radio characteristics downloaded to obtain calibration data to configure the system for optimal operation.
15. 15. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that it also includes the 25 stages: providing in a message sent from the antenna itself near parts of equipment to the radio base station by the communication link, an antenna identification near equipment parts; and processing the measurement in view of the radio discharge characteristics and the antenna identification near equipment parts to identify connectivity between a transmitter / receiver pair of the radio base station and the antenna near equipment parts.
16. 16. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that the antenna near equipment parts comprises a tower-mounted amplifier.
17. 17. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that it includes the step of adjusting the calibration of a configurable component to the system according to the calibration data to provide optimum performance.
18. 18. The method according to claim 17, characterized in that it also includes the steps of: sending the calibration data to the antenna near equipment parts through the communication link; and adjust the calibration of the antenna near equipment parts, according to the calibration data sent to provide optimum performance.
19. 19. The method according to claim 18, characterized in that the antenna near equipment parts includes a variable attenuator, and the calibration data comprises an attenuation that is adjusted in the variable attenuator.
20. 20. The method according to claim 18, characterized in that the antenna near equipment parts includes an amplifier, and the calibration data comprises an amplification that is applied by the amplifier.
21. 21. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that it includes the step of processing the measurement of the reference radio signal to identify faults.
22. 22. An automatic configuration system, comprising: an antenna near parts of equipment that includes a measurement receiver for measurements in a received radio burst, the antenna near equipment parts reports measured radio burst information; at least one configurable component; a radio base station that includes: at least one transmitter / receiver pair that is operated to generate the radio burst for transmission to the antenna near equipment parts; and a control processor for processing the measured radio burst information of the antenna near equipment parts to obtain calibration data to configure the configurable component as a minimum for optimum operation; radio frequency feeders that connect the antenna near equipment parts to at least one transmitter / receiver pair on which the radio burst is sent; and a communications link that connects the antenna near equipment parts with the control processor and on which the measured radio burst information is sent.
23. 23. - The system according to claim 22, characterized in that the control processor also operates to receive in a message that is sent from the antenna itself near parts of equipment by the communications link, an identification of the antenna near equipment parts, and for processing the antenna measured radio burst information near equipment parts in view of the radio characteristics information and the antenna identification near equipment parts, to identify connectivity between at least one transmitter / receiver pair and the antenna near equipment parts.
24. 24. The system according to claim 22, characterized in that the communications link comprises a multi-master antenna conduit that connects the control processor to the entire antenna near equipment parts.
25. 25. The system according to claim 22, characterized in that the antenna near equipment parts comprises an active antenna.
26. 26. The system according to claim 22, characterized in that the active antenna includes a power amplifier and wherein the control processor of the radio base station instructs the active antenna to turn off the power amplifier while the receiver Measurement performs radio burst measurements.