Systems and methods for transmitting mobile radio signals
US6047199A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Aug 15, 1997 |
| Grant date | Apr 4, 2000 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 15, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04B1/0483
- WIPO fieldTelecommunications
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A system and method for transmitting cellular signals has linear power amplifiers mounted on a cellular tower within a tower circuit. The linear power amplifiers provide the primary amplification of the signals which are transmitted by the antennas on the tower. By moving the amplifiers from a base station to the tower circuit, the system and method can employ less-expensive and more-reliable amplifiers and need not employ high-cost low-loss feeder lines. The tower circuit also includes a modulator for transmitting status signals down to the base station. The base station includes a demodulator for receiving the status signals and a control circuit for placing a switching circuit in a desired one of a plurality of modes based on the status of the tower circuit. The switching circuit, in a first mode, passes radio signals from combiners to their respective feeder lines and thus to their respective amplifiers and antennas when all transmission paths are operational. If a fault occurs along one or more transmission path, the switching circuit combines the radio signals from the combiners associated with the faulty amplifiers with the radio signals associated with an operational antenn…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.