Signal terrestrial repeater having a master unit and a remote unit that is optically coupled to the master unit

US11296779B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Andrew Wireless Systems GmbH · DE

Inventors

• Peter Schmid · Rain, DE
• Stefan Eisenwinter · Buchdorf, DE
• Peter Gunzner · Monheim, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Jul 18, 2018
• Grant date: Apr 5, 2022
• Expiry date: Sep 4, 2038

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H04B10/25752
• WIPO field: Telecommunications
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

In an embodiment, a signal repeater includes a master unit and a remote unit that are optically coupled to one another by, e.g., an optical fiber. The master unit includes master-unit circuitry configured to receive an input electrical signal from a satellite-signal receive antenna, and to convert the input electrical signal into an optical signal. And the remote unit includes remote-unit circuitry configured to convert the optical signal into an intermediate electrical signal, to amplify the intermediate electrical signal to generate an output electrical signal, and to couple the output electrical signal to a retransmission antenna. Because an optical channel, such as an optical fiber, typically attenuates an optical signal significantly less per unit of distance than a coaxial cable attenuates an electrical signal, such a signal repeater allows a satellite receive antenna to be located at a significant distance from a retransmit antenna.