Method and apparatus for enhancing wireless communications to and from the inside of a building

An apparatus for enhancing wireless communications to and from a building is provided. A first antenna associated with the building for sending and receiving wireless signals to and from a wireless signal transponder located remote from the building and a signal path interface are provided. A first signal path is located between the first antenna and the signal path interface. The building includes a wiring system. At least a second signal path is located between the signal path interface and the wiring system. At least a portion of the wiring system is a second antenna for sending and receiving wireless signals to and from wireless devices located within the building.

BACKGROUND

This invention relates to wireless communication systems, more particularly, it relates to a method and apparatus for enhancing wireless communications to and from the inside of a building.

The demand for wireless communications has grown substantially over the past few years, primarily because it enables users to communicate over a wide range of locations. This demand has been met in part by the placement of numerous cellular towers around the country. However, wireless communication within a building often does not work well, notwithstanding the existence of numerous towers outside of the building. One problem encountered by wireless communication systems within a building is the obstruction of and interference with the wireless signal. Physical structures, such as concrete block walls, metal covered wall insulation, and electromagnetic devices such as cordless phones and microwave ovens, can cause a wireless signal to fade.

U.S. Pat. No. 7,406,300 to Pan notes the popularity and increased capability of wireless communication apparatus, noting that such apparatus offer voice, data and video communication capabilities to cell phones, personal digital assistants and lap top computers that are carried by individuals. However, according to the Pan patent, one limitation on such communications has been the difficulty in obtaining signal within a structure such as a residential home, for example. Among the factors contributing to this difficulty is the inherently limited radio frequency (RF) coverage in and around building structures on account of the metallic content of a building structure that can provide an RF block or otherwise interfere with adequate signal transmission. For example, the siding on the exterior of the building, the insulation, or window treatments may include metal or foil, which inhibits propagation and reduces RF coverage within the building structure. Additionally, the various metal objects and the structure of the internal walls, for example, in many cases prevent adequate interior RF coverage so that individually carried cell phones, personal digital assistants and lap top computers cannot consistently receive or transmit a signal at the full range of desired user locations within the building structure.

One known technique for providing RF coverage within buildings calls for a repeater antenna to be located on a suitable signal reception area such as a rooftop or tower. The repeater captures an outside RF signal, boosts the signal, and directs the boosted signal towards buildings. However, the metallic content of a building structure may interfere with the directed RF signal. The resulting coverage within the building is thus unpredictable. Factors such as a call location inside the building, the building location relative to the serving base station location, building construction, repeater site location, and orientation of the repeater antennas can influence and render unpredictable the RF signal capability within the building.

Another known technique for providing RF coverage within buildings calls for inside and outside repeater antennas to bypass building penetration losses, uses an outside antenna to capture macrocell RF signals, a coax cable to bypass building penetration losses, a repeater for signal boosting, and one or more inside antennas to create inside RF coverage where desired. The outside antenna may be installed on a rooftop pointing at the serving macrocell, a long coax cable connected to the outside antenna brings the RF signal inside, and a repeater boosts the signal and feeds one or more inside antennas. The set up of a dedicated network of inside antennas involves the installation of cabling and associated hardware and this can amount to an overly expensive approach for improving RF signal coverage within a building.

Thus, there is a need for an improved method and apparatus for enhancing wireless communications within a building. Such an improved method and apparatus will preferably provide RF coverage within a building structure facilitating communication between an external RF source and wireless communication apparatus such as cell phones, personal digital assistants and lap top computers that are carried by individuals or any other wireless communications between a mobile user inside a building and a provider tower outside.

U.S. Pat. No. 8,325,691, issued Dec. 4, 2012 and assigned to Optical Cable Corporation, which is the assignee of this application, is directed to a method and apparatus for providing wireless communications within a building which overcomes many of the problems referred to above. The teachings of U.S. Pat. No. 8,325,691 are hereby incorporated herein by reference.

The '691 patent teaches the placement of a small antenna associated with or attached to faceplates within a building. For example, four antenna faceplate combinations may be placed within a building. A coaxial splitter and a bi-directional amplifier are provided. The main outside antenna is connected to the bi-directional amplifier which in turn is connected to one side of the splitter. The small antennas associated with the faceplates are connected to the other side of the splitter. While this system works well within a building, it requires installation of coaxial cable from the splitter to the small antennas. In addition, it requires the construction of the small antennas, all of which increases the cost of the system.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

As used herein, the term “building” means any enclosed space, such as a building as normally understood, a mine, a ship or a parking garage.

In accordance with one form of this invention, there is provided an apparatus for enhancing wireless communications to and from the inside of a building. A first antenna associated with the building is provided for sending and receiving wireless signals to and from a cell tower. A bi-directional amplifier is provided and is connected to the first antenna by a first coaxial cable. A coaxial splitter is provided and is connected to the bi-directional amplifier by a second coaxial cable. A third and a fourth coaxial cable and a coaxial cable/patch cord interface device are provided. The interface device has at least first and second coaxial connectors and at least first and second jacks mounted thereon. The third and fourth coaxial cables connect the splitter to the first and second coaxial connectors mounted on the interface device. First and second patch cords and a patch panel are provided. The first and second patch cords are connected to the first and second jacks mounted on the interface device and connect the interface device to the patch panel. A wiring system associated with the building is provided. A plurality of wall outlets is provided. The wiring system connects the patch panel to the wall outlets. At least a portion of the wiring system forms a second antenna for receiving and sending wireless signals to and from wireless devices located within the building.

In accordance with another form of this invention, there is provided an apparatus for enhancing wireless communication to and from the inside of a building. A first antenna associated with the building for sending and receiving wireless signals to and from a wireless signal transponder located remote from the building is provided. A signal path interface is provided. A first signal path is located between the first antenna and a signal path interface. A wiring system associated with the building is provided. At least a second signal path is provided between the signal path interface and the wiring system. At least a portion of the wiring system operates as a second antenna for sending and receiving wireless signals to and from wireless devices located within the building.

In accordance with yet another form of this invention, there is provided a method for enhancing wireless communications to and from the inside of a building. A first wireless signal is received by a first antenna from a wireless transponder remotely located from the building. The first signal received by the first antenna is amplified and conveyed to a second antenna which includes at least a portion of the wiring system of the building. The amplified first signal from the second antenna is sent to a wireless device located within the building. A second wireless signal is transmitted from the wireless device. The second wireless signal is received by the second antenna. The second signal received by the second antenna is amplified and is sent to the first antenna which sends the second signal to the wireless transponder.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Essentially, this invention eliminates the need for the small antennas associated with the faceplates and the long runs of coaxial cable to those faceplates which is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 8,325,691 referred to above. This invention takes advantage of existing communication wiring which is already in a building, to act as antenna for sending and receiving wireless signals, such as cellular telephone signals, which originate within the building. In addition, patch cord(s) is used to connect from a patch panel, which is also already in the building, to a device which interfaces with coaxial cable, which ultimately is connected to the standard antenna, which is preferably located outside of the building, through a bi-directional amplifier. This patch cord(s) also cooperates with the existing wiring in the building to form a part of an interior antenna for sending and receiving wireless signals within the building.

Referring now more particularly toFIG. 1, a building is illustrated by dashed line10. The improved apparatus for enhancing wireless communications within building10is illustrated by schematic block diagram12. Standard cellular telephone antenna14known to those skilled in the art, is preferably located outside of building10and is adapted to communicate with a transponder on a cellular tower (not shown). Antenna14is connected by coaxial cable18to bi-directional amplifier or repeater16, known to those skilled in the art, such as a model CM 800 bi-directional amplifier commercially available from the Cellphone-Mate Company. Bi-directional amplifier16is connected to one to four cable splitter20by coaxial cable22. Coaxial cable/patch cord interface24, which is described below, is connected to coaxial splitter20by four coaxial cables26. Coaxial cable/patch cord interface24is specifically illustrated inFIGS. 2-5. Coaxial cable/patch cord interface24includes circuit board28having a plurality of RF N-type coaxial connectors30mounted to one side of circuit board28and a plurality of RJ45 jacks32mounted to the other side of circuit board28. Coaxial cable/patch cord interface24forms a signal path interface. The connections and apparatus located between antenna14and interface24form a first signal path.

In this embodiment, there are four RF N-type coaxial connectors and four RJ45 jacks connected to circuit board28, thereby forming four associated pairs of jacks and N-type connectors, such as associated pair34. Each jack and N-type connector of a pair is wired together.FIGS. 4 and 5show only a portion of circuit board28with a single associated jack/N-type connector pair34being shown. Board28also includes three additional jack/N-type connector pairs. The additional three pairs may be identical to connector pair34. As can be seen inFIGS. 4 and 5, the eight contacts35of jack32and the center conductor37of N-type connector30of a pair, such as pair34, are connected together through conductive trace39on or in board28. Preferably, board28is a multi-layered board and trace39is inside the board. By connecting all eight conductors35of jack32together, all of the circuits associated with the eight conductors are effectively shorted out. Thus, all of the circuit paths associated with patch cord39, including any of the building wiring circuits48which are associated with patch cord39, such as for example, the wiring41, are all short circuited together. Since each of the patch cords44and coaxial cables26are wired together through coaxial splitter22, the portion of the building wiring circuit indicated as48shown inFIG. 1is shorted together, forming an interior antenna within building10. The shorting of that portion of the building wiring48together disables such wiring from being used for normal landline communications. Thus, building wiring48is a dedicated interior antenna. The remaining building wiring (not shown) is used for normal landline communications.

The coaxial cable/patch cord interface24further includes front cover plate36, including a plurality of openings38for receiving jacks32. Coaxial cable/patch cord interface24also includes rear cover plate40having a plurality of openings42therein for receiving N-type connectors30. The front cover plate36and the rear cover plate40are affixed together. A plurality of patch cords44, which are terminated on each end by RJ45 plugs (not shown), are connected between coaxial cable/patch cord interface24and standard patch panel46, which exists in buildings which have communication wiring. One end of each patch cord44is connected to a corresponding jack32on coaxial cable/patch cord interface24. The other end of each patch cord44is connected to a jack or port in patch panel46associated with building wiring which is not in use, such as the four building wiring circuits48illustrated inFIG. 1. Building wiring circuits48are normally in the form of twisted pair cables which are connected to wall outlets50. The patch cords44and the already installed twisted pair cabling48will serve as an interior antenna for receiving and sending signals to and from cellular phone52which is used inside of building10. The signals sent and received by cell phone52are captured and transmitted by patch cords44and building wiring48and travel through coaxial cable/patch cord interface24, coaxial cables26, coaxial splitter20, coaxial cable22, bi-directional amplifier16, coaxial cable18and finally to and from antenna14, which sends and receives wireless signals to and from a wireless transponder located remote from building10. Since all of the conductors within patch cords44are effectively wired by coaxial cable/patch cord interface24, it is believed that the antenna effect of patch cords44will be enhanced since the wires are effectively thicker, thereby reducing skin effect. The connections and apparatus located between interface24and wall outlets50form a second signal path. Coaxial splitter20is not needed if a single coaxial cable from coaxial cables26and a single patch cord from patch cords44are used for enabling the formation of the interior antenna.

This apparatus eliminates the need to place individual discrete antennas at wall outlets50and further eliminates the need to run coaxial cables from splitter20to the antennas associated with each of the wall outlets. The invention utilizes installed copper cabling base rather then installing new coaxial cables to improve cellular coverage in buildings, such as for example, in an office building. By using RF N-type connectors on one side of coaxial cable/patch cord interface24and RJ45 jacks on the other side, patch cords may be used to access installed structured cabling base. Since the patch cord connection on the patch panel46is selected so as to use a copper cabling in the walls of the building which are not in use, that cabling is used as antennas rather than transmission lines.

From the foregoing description of an embodiment of the invention, it will be apparent that many modifications may be made therein. It will be understood that this embodiment of the invention is an exemplification of the invention only and that the invention is not limited thereto. For example this invention could be used in other types of communication systems, such as, local area wireless networks, including networks governed by IEEE 802.11 wireless LANS, as well as two-way radio applications, and further including Wi-Fi, BlueTooth, and VHF.

While the invention has been described in terms of the above embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the invention can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.