Abstract:
A wireless repeater introduces a low level noise to the signal path of the repeater where the introduced noise is used to facilitate channel estimation. The introduced low power level noise may be added to the receive signal or to the transmit signal. The low power noise signal ensures that the repeater always has a reference signal for performing channel estimation, even when the repeater is not receiving any incoming signal traffic. In one embodiment, a low noise signal is inserted to the transmit circuit of the repeater. In another embodiment, the repeater is configured to increase the noise figure of the receive circuit where the detected noise figure acts as a receive signal.
Abstract:
In an embodiment, a first repeater configures a beacon signal that identifies the first repeater to one or more other repeaters. The first repeater transmits the configured beacon signal at a given transmission power level to the one or more other repeaters. The transmitted beacon signal is received at least by a second repeater. The second repeater reduces interference associated with other transmissions from the first repeater, such as retransmissions of donor signals, based on the received beacon signal.
Abstract:
In one embodiment, a method for providing echo cancellation in a wireless repeater includes: adding the pilot signal to a transmit signal; receiving a receive signal being the sum of a remote signal, a feedback pilot signal and a feedback transmit signal; cancelling the feedback transmit signal from the receive signal using a currently available feedback channel estimate and generating a first echo cancelled signal; generating an updated feedback channel estimate using the first echo cancelled signal and the pilot signal as a reference signal; cancelling the feedback transmit signal and the feedback pilot signal from the receive signal using the updated feedback channel estimate and generating a second echo cancelled signal; and amplifying the second echo cancelled signal as the transmit signal. In another embodiment, the feedback pilot signal is cancelled from the first echo cancelled signal using the updated feedback channel estimate to generate the second echo cancelled signal.
Abstract:
A method for estimating a feedback channel for a wireless repeater uses frequency domain channel estimation and uses a signal indicative of the amplified signal as a pilot signal. The channel estimation method generates a time domain feedback channel estimate from the frequency domain channel estimation and scales the time domain feedback channel estimate using scaling factors. In one embodiment, the scaling factors are function of a tap index and the block size of the frequency domain channel estimation.
Abstract:
A method for controlling gain in a wireless repeater includes computing a gain control metric indicative of a loop gain of the repeater and detecting changes in a signal power of a gain control input signal where the gain control input signal is taken from any point in the feedback loop of the repeater. When a large power swing in the gain control input signal is detected, the method operates to discard at least a portion of each gain control metric measurement for a first duration before continuing with computing the gain control metric. In another embodiment, the method may include discarding samples of the gain control input signal used in computing the gain control metric for a first duration when a large power swing in the gain control input signal is detected.
Abstract:
A wireless repeater includes a gain control metric computation block to compute a gain control metric for use in controlling the variable gain of the repeater. The gain control metric is computed by downsampling the gain control input signal to the gain control metric computation block and also downsampling the computed correlation and normalization terms. The gain control metric may be further enhanced by filtering the computed metric values using linear or non-linear filtering.
Abstract:
A method for estimating a feedback channel for a wireless repeater uses frequency domain channel estimation and uses a signal indicative of the amplified signal as a pilot signal. The channel estimation method generates a time domain feedback channel estimate from the frequency domain channel estimation and scales the time domain feedback channel estimate using scaling factors. In one embodiment, the scaling factors are function of a tap index and the block size of the frequency domain channel estimation.
Abstract:
A method for providing repeater communication in a wireless repeater deployed in a multi-repeater environment includes inserting a message signal into the transmit signal of the repeater. The message signal may be a unique or quasi-unique low power spreading sequence uniquely identifying the repeater from other repeaters in the environment. The message signal may also contain information relating to the operational characteristics of the repeater. The message signal may be detected by another repeater or by an end-user wireless communication device.
Abstract:
A wireless repeater includes a channel estimation block to estimate a feedback channel between the antennas of the repeater using frequency domain channel estimation. The repeater includes a pilot signal blanking circuit to blank out a selected number of samples of the pilot signal to improve the accuracy of the channel estimation. In another embodiment, the repeater replaces T samples of the pilot signal with a cyclic prefix.
Abstract:
A method for providing repeater communication in a wireless repeater deployed in a multi-repeater environment includes inserting a message signal into the transmit signal of the repeater. The message signal may be a unique or quasi-unique low power spreading sequence uniquely identifying the repeater from other repeaters in the environment. The message signal may also contain information relating to the operational characteristics of the repeater. The message signal may be detected by another repeater or by an end-user wireless communication device.