System and method of automatically calibrating the gain for a distributed wireless communication system

Abstract

A system and method providing a wireless broadband connection between base stations and customer sites. The system includes indoor units, within the base stations and customer sites, that communicate across cables to outdoor units. The indoor units link to routers, switches and other devices and services. The outdoor units transmit and receive wireless data and send it to the indoor units. The indoor units control the functioning of the outdoor units by transmitting digital messages along the interface cables. The outdoor units report various detector values to the indoor units, which allows the indoor units to tune and adjust several functions within the outdoor units. Several embodiments for automatically calibrating the receive path gain in the base stations to compensate for the base station cable between the indoor unit and outdoor unit are described. In addition, anAn improved transmit power control technique which is not affected by modulation type, is also described.

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11 / 372,445, filed on Mar. 8, 2006, which is an application for broadening reissue of U.S. Pat. No. 6,704,579, issuing from U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09 / 789,940, filed on Feb. 15, 2001.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]1. Field of the Invention[0003]Aspects of the present invention generally relate to wireless communication systems. More particularly, embodiments of the present invention relate to a wireless communication system that provides telephone, data and Internet connectivity to a plurality of users.[0004]2. Description of Related Art[0005]Several systems are currently in place for connecting computer users to one another and to the Internet. For example, many companies such as Cisco Systems, provide data routers that route data from personal computers and computer networks to the Internet along conventional twisted pair wires and fiber optic lines. These same systems are also used to c...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0014]Another aspect of the present invention includes a method of automatically calibrating a receive path gain of a base station having an indoor unit, an outdoor unit and a broadband cable connecting the indoor unit and the outdoor unit in a wireless communication system having one or more customer sites, the method comprising wirelessly receiving signals from one or more customer sites; measuring, for a customer site not operating at maximum power, power of the received signal at the outdoor unit; comparing the power of the received signal to a predetermined level; and increasing a receive path gain of the indoor unit if the power of the received signal is greater than the predetermined level or decreasing the receive path gain of the indoor unit if the power of the received signal is less than the predetermined level.

[0015]Another aspect of the present invention includes a method of automatically controlling the transmit power of a customer site by a base station having an indoor unit, an outdoor unit and a broadband cable connecting the indoor unit and the outdoor unit in a wireless communication system so as to automatically compensate for losses due to the cable, the method comprising wirelessly receiving a signal from a customer site that has started to transmit the signal, measuring power of the received signal at the indoor unit, comparing the power of the received signal to a predetermined level, requesting the customer site to decrease the transmit power if the power of the received signal is greater than the predetermined level or requesting the customer site to increase the transmit power if the power of the received signal is less than the predetermined level, and providing a maximum power status to the base station if the customer site is operating at maximum power so as to control automatic compensation for losses due to the base station cable.

[0016]Another aspect of the present invention includes a base station configured to automatically calibrate a receive path gain in a wireless communication system having customer sites, the base station comprising an outdoor unit wirelessly receiving signals from the customer sites, wherein the signals include power levels of one or more of the customer sites; a broadband cable connected to the outdoor unit; and an indoor unit connected to the broadband cable and receiving message data from the outdoor unit through the broadband cable, wherein the indoor unit includes a processor configured to measure, for a customer site not operating at maximum power, power of the received signal at the outdoor unit, compare the power of the received signal to a predetermined level, and increase a receive path gain of the indoor unit if the power of the received signal is greater than the predetermined level or decrease the receive path gain of the indoor

Problems solved by technology

However, these systems suffer significant disadvantages because of the time and expense required to lay high capacity communications cables between each office.

This process is time consuming and expensive.

Furthermore, on the base station side of many radio frequency systems, the gain of the receive (and transmit) path is not completely deterministic and not known in advance d

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