Transmitter signal time and frequency division duplexing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10051564-B2
Application number	US-201615359251-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 22, 2016
Priority date	Nov 22, 2016
Publication date	Aug 14, 2018
Grant date	Aug 14, 2018

Abstract

A method receiving an input signal at radio circuitry, sampling the input signal, and determining a power level of the sampled input signal. The radio circuitry includes an input switch having an input, a first output, and a second output. The input switch is configured to switch between the first output for the receive mode and the second output for the transmit mode. The method also includes determining whether the power level of the sampled input signal is greater than a threshold power level. When the power level of the sampled input signal is greater than the threshold power level, the method includes switching the input switch to the second output for the transmit mode. When the power level of the sampled input signal is less than or equal to the threshold power level, the method includes switching the input switch to the first output for the receive mode.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
receiving, at radio circuitry, an input signal, the radio circuitry comprising:
an input switch having an input, a first output, and a second output, the input switch configured to switch between the first output for a receive mode and the second output for a transmit mode;
receive-circuitry electrically coupled to the first output of the input switch, the receive-circuitry configured to receive a receive-communication; and
transmit-circuitry electrically coupled to the second output of the input switch, the transmit-circuitry configured to transmit a transmit-communication;

sampling, by a signal coupler, the input signal;
determining, by a power detector, a power level of the sampled input signal;
determining, by a comparer in communication with the radio circuitry, whether the power level of the sampled input signal is greater than a threshold power level, wherein the comparer comprises:
an analog-to-digital converter in communication with the power detector, the analog-to-digital converter configured to convert the power level of the sampled input signal from the analog domain to the digital domain; and
a controller configured to compare the power level of the sampled input signal output from the analog-to-digital converter in the digital domain against the threshold power level to determine whether the power level of the sampled input signal is greater than the threshold power level;

when the power level of the sampled input signal is greater than the threshold power level, switching the input switch to the second output for the transmit mode; and
when the power level of the sampled input signal is less than or equal to the threshold power level, switching the input switch to the first output for the receive mode.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising receiving, at the comparer, a reference signal having a power level comprising the threshold power level, the comparer configured to compare the power level of the sampled input signal against the power level of the reference signal to determine whether the power level of the sampled input signal is greater than the threshold power level.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the comparer comprises a comparator configured to receive the power level of the sampled input signal and the reference signal.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the input signal comprises a radio frequency input signal.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the power detector comprises a root mean squared power detector.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the radio circuitry further comprises an output switch having an output, a first input electrically coupled to the receive-circuitry, and a second input electrically coupled to the transmit-circuitry, the output switch configured to switch between the first input for the receive mode and the second input for the transmit mode.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the radio circuitry further comprises a diplexer electrically coupled to the receive-circuitry and the transmit-circuitry, the diplexer configured to direct receive-communications to the receive-circuitry and direct transmit-communications from the transmit-circuitry to an output terminal for transmission from the radio circuitry.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the radio circuitry further comprises:
a local oscillator in communication with the receive-circuitry, the local oscillator configured to provide a receiver oscillation frequency to the receiver-circuitry for the receive mode; and
a frequency converter configured to up-convert or down-convert the receive-communication received by the receive-circuitry for the receive mode, the frequency converter using the receiver oscillation frequency provided from the local oscillator.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the radio circuitry further comprises:
a local oscillator in communication with the transmit-circuitry, the local oscillator configured to provide a transmitter oscillation frequency to the transmit-circuitry for the transmit mode; and
a frequency converter configured to up-convert or down-convert the transmit-communication for transmission from the transmit-circuitry for the transmit mode, the second frequency converter using the transmitter oscillation frequency provided from the local oscillator.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
sampling, by an output signal coupler, the transmit-communication output from a power amplifier of the transmit-circuitry for the transmit mode;
determining, by an output power detector electrically coupled to the output signal coupler, a transmit power level of the sampled transmit-communication;
converting, by the analog-to-digital converter in communication with the output power detector, the transmit power level of the sampled transmit-communication from the analog domain to the digital domain;
comparing, by the controller, the power level of the sampled input signal output from the analog-to-digital converter in the digital domain against the transmit power level of the sampled transmit-communication output from the analog-to-digital converter in the digital domain to determine attenuation tuning instructions based on a difference between the power level of the sampled input signal and the transmit power level of the sampled transmit-communication; and
providing, by the controller, the attenuation tuning instructions to a digital step attenuator of the transmit-circuitry in communication with the controller, the attenuation tuning instructions causing the transmit-circuitry to increase or decrease a fixed output power for transmitting transmit-communications.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the comparer comprises:
an analog-to-digital converter in communication with the power detector, the analog-to-digital converter configured to convert the sampled input signal from the analog domain to the digital domain; and
a controller configured to determine whether the sampled input signal output from the analog-to-digital circuit corresponds to a downlink packet or an uplink packet.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the receive-circuitry receives the receive-communication from user equipment over a long-term evolution network and the transmit-circuitry transmits the transmit-communication to the user equipment over the long-term evolution network.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the input switch switches to the first output for the receive mode by default.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein one or more power amplifiers at the transmit-circuitry are powered off during the receive mode.

15. A system comprising:
radio circuitry comprising:
an input switch having an input, a first output, and a second output, the input switch configured to switch between the first output for a receive mode and the second output for a transmit mode;
receive-circuitry electrically coupled to the first output of the input switch, the receive-circuitry configured to receive a receive-communication; and
transmit-circuitry electrically coupled to the second output of the input switch, the transmit-circuitry configured to transmit a transmit-communication;

a signal coupler configured to sample an input signal received at the input of the input switch;
a power detector electrically coupled to the signal coupler and configured to determine a power level of a sampled input signal; and
a comparer electrically coupled to the power detector, the comparer comprising:
an analog-to-digital converter in communication with the power detector, the analog-to-digital converter configured to convert the power level of the sampled inpu

Assignees

• Google Inc
• Google Llc

Inventors

• Tabatabai Farbod
• Tinoco Eduardo

Classifications

• H04B1/48

  in circuits for connecting transmitter and receiver to a common transmission path, e.g. by energy of transmitter {(H04B1/46 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• H04L1/0025

  Transmission of mode-switching indication · CPC title

• H04W52/52

  using AGC [Automatic Gain Control] circuits or amplifiers · CPC title

• H04L5/0048

  Allocation of pilot signals, i.e. of signals known to the receiver (allocation of control signalling H04L5/0053; use of control signalling H04L5/0091) · CPC title

• H04L43/16

  Threshold monitoring · CPC title