Repeater system for use with 5G new radio base station that uses time-division duplexing

A method of operating a repeater system configured for use with a Fifth Generation (5G) New Radio (NR) base station that implements a 5G NR wireless interface and serves a 5G NR cell using 5G NR time-division duplexing (TDD), the repeater system configured to switch between:

• (i) a downlink mode in which the repeater system is configured to receive a downlink signal output by the 5G NR base station for wireless transmission to 5G NR user equipment, generate an amplified version of the downlink signal, and wirelessly transmit the amplified version of the downlink signal into a coverage area associated with the repeater system;
• and (ii) an uplink mode in which the repeater system is configured to receive an uplink signal wirelessly transmitted by the 5G NR user equipment, generate an amplified version of the uplink signal, and communicate the amplified version of the uplink signal to the 5G NR base station, the method comprising:
• determining basic TDD parameters for the 5G NR cell served by the 5G NR base station;
• determining timing of the 5G NR time-division duplexing of the 5G NR cell based at least in part on correlating a waveform of the downlink signal with one or more of:
• a 5G NR Primary Synchronization Signal (PSS) expected to be in the downlink signal as indicated by at least some of the basic TDD parameters for the 5G NR cell;
• and
• a 5G NR Secondary Synchronization Signal (SSS) expected to be in the downlink signal as indicated by at least some of the basic TDD parameters for the 5G NR cell;
• and
• switching between operating the repeater system in the downlink mode and operating the repeater system in the uplink mode using the timing of the 5G NR time-division duplexing of the 5G NR cell.

A repeater system for use with a Fifth Generation (5G) New Radio (NR) base station in a Non-Standalone 5G NR deployment where an LTE base station is used to serve LTE control-plane communications for a 5G NR cell and the 5G NR base station is used to serve 5G NR user-plane communications for the 5G NR cell, wherein both the LTE control-plane communications and the 5G NR user-plane communications use LTE time-division duplexing (TDD) as indicated by the LTE control-plane communications, the repeater system comprising:

• repeater circuitry configured to switch between:
• a downlink mode in which the repeater circuitry is configured to receive downlink signals output by the 5G NR base station and the LTE base station for wireless transmission to 5G NR user equipment, generate amplified versions of the downlink signals, and wirelessly transmit the amplified versions of the downlink signals into a coverage area associated with the repeater system;
• and
• an uplink mode in which the repeater circuitry is configured to receive uplink signals wirelessly transmitted by the 5G NR user equipment, generate amplified versions of the uplink signals, and communicate the amplified versions of the uplink signals to the 5G NR base station and the LTE base station;
• wherein the repeater circuitry is configured to determine timing of the LTE time-division duplexing from the LTE control-plane communications transmitted by the LTE base station;
• and
• wherein the repeater circuitry is configured to switch between being operated in the downlink mode and being operated in the uplink mode for both the LTE control-communications with the LTE base station and the 5G NR user-plane communications with the 5G NR base station using the timing of the LTE time-division duplexing determined from the LTE control-plane communications.

A method of operating a repeater system configured for use with a repeater system for use with a Fifth Generation (5G) New Radio (NR) base station in a Non-Standalone 5G NR deployment where an LTE base station is used to serve LTE control-plane communications for a 5G NR cell and the 5G NR base station is used to serve 5G NR user-plane communications for the 5G NR cell, wherein both the LTE control-plane communications and the 5G NR user-plane communications use LTE time-division duplexing (TDD) as indicated by the LTE control-plane communications, the repeater system comprising repeater circuitry configured to switch between:

• (i) a downlink mode in which the repeater circuitry is configured to receive downlink signals output by the 5G NR base station and the LTE base station for wireless transmission to 5G NR user equipment, generate amplified versions of the downlink signals, and wirelessly transmit the amplified versions of the downlink signals into a coverage area associated with the repeater system;
• and (ii) an uplink mode in which the repeater circuitry is configured to receive uplink signals wirelessly transmitted by the 5G NR user equipment, generate amplified versions of the uplink signals, and communicate the amplified versions of the uplink signals to the 5G NR base station and the LTE base station, the method comprising:
• determining timing of the LTE time-division duplexing from the LTE control-plane communications transmitted by the LTE base station;
• and
• switching between operating the repeater circuitry in the downlink mode and operating the repeater circuitry in the uplink mode for both the LTE control-communications with the LTE base station and the 5G NR user-plane communications with the 5G NR base station using the timing of the LTE time-division duplexing determined from the LTE control-plane communications.