# US 2013/0155979 A1 · Method and System for Extending Multiple Input Multiple Output Wireless Service > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2013/0155979 A1 - Document ID: US20130155979A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 13/762,105 - Filed: 2013-02-07 - Published: 2013-06-20 - Earliest claimed: 2008-02-22 - Assignees: Sprint Spectrum L.P. - Inventors: Durga Satapathy; Ivy Kelly; Walter Rausch - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20130155979A1 ## CPC - H04W 72/23: in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal - H04W 88/085: {Access point devices with remote components} - H04B 7/0413: MIMO systems - H04L 1/0618: {Space-time coding} - H04L 2001/0097: {Relays} - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) - H04B: TRANSMISSION - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) ## Abstract Disclosed herein is a method and system for extending MIMO service in a wireless communications system. The system comprises a base station, a remote system, and a host system communicatively coupled to the base station and the remote system. The base station is configured to generate, from a baseband signal, a downlink signal comprising a plurality of downlink signal streams, including at least a first downlink signal stream and a second downlink signal stream. Accordingly, the base station may include a first and a second antenna that are configured to transmit the first and second downlink signal streams, respectively. The remote system provides wireless service in a remote coverage area. Further, the remote system is configured to transmit a downlink signal as a plurality of downlink signal streams. The host system is communicatively coupled to the base station and to the remote system and configured to relay the downlink signal streams from the base station to the remote system. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A system comprising: a remote system configured to extend the wireless service of a base station to a remote coverage area, the remote system having a plurality of antennas, including at least a first remote antenna and a second remote antenna, wherein the remote system is configured to wirelessly transmit at least a first and a second downlink signal stream from a plurality of downlink signal streams via the first and second remote antennas; and a host system that is configured to be coupled to the base station and to the remote system, the host system being further configured to: receive the first downlink signal stream from the base station and convey the first downlink signal stream to the remote system for transmission through the first remote antenna; and receive the second downlink signal stream from the base station and convey the second downlink signal stream to the remote system for transmission through the second remote antenna; wherein the base station is configured to provide wireless service in a base coverage area, and wherein the base station is further configured to generate from a baseband signal, a downlink signal comprising the plurality of downlink signal streams that includes at least the first and the second downlink signal stream. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the base station comprises a plurality of antennas, including at least a first base station antenna and a second base station antenna, and wherein the base station is configured to generate the first downlink signal stream and the second downlink signal stream from a baseband signal and to transmit the first downlink signal stream through the first base station antenna and the second downlink signal stream through the second base station antenna. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the first and second downlink signal streams are space-time coded. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the first and second remote antennas are configured to support spatial multiplexing. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the first and second remote antennas are configured to support space-time coding. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein at least one fiber-optic link carries the first and second downlink signal streams between the host system and the remote system. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein at least one fiber-optic link carryies the first and second downlink signal streams between the base station and the host system. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the remote system is further configured to: receive a plurality of uplink signal streams through the first and second remote antennas, wherein a wireless communication device operating in the remote coverage area transmits an uplink signal as the uplink signal streams; and convey the uplink signal streams to the host system. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The system of claim 8, wherein the host system is configured to convey the uplink signal streams to the base station. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The system of claim 9, wherein the base station is configured to transmit the downlink signal streams and to receive the uplink signal streams using time division duplexing. ### Claim 11 (depends on 8) The system of claim 8, wherein the host system is configured to transmit the downlink signal streams and to receive the uplink signal streams using frequency division duplexing. ### Claim 12 (depends on 8) The system of claim 8, wherein the uplink signal streams are received by the remote system as one or more combinations of the plurality of uplink signal streams. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The system of claim 12, wherein the base station is further configured to: use the one or more combinations of the uplink signal streams as a basis for isolating the uplink signal streams; and construct the uplink signal from the uplink signal streams. ### Claim 14 A method for extending multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) communication service from a base station having a base coverage area, to a remote coverage area, wherein the remote coverage area is at least partially different from the base coverage area, the method comprising: a host system receiving a plurality of signal streams that comprise at least a first and a second signal stream, and wherein a downlink signal generated by the base station comprises at least the first and the second signal stream; the host system conveying the received signal streams to a remote system wherein the remote system extends the MIMO communication service of the base station to at least a portion of the remote coverage area, and wherein the host system substantially controls the remote system; and the host system indicating to the remote system to wirelessly transmit the signal streams via a plurality of antennas of the remote system, wherein the plurality of antennas include at least a first remote antenna and a second remote antenna, and wherein the first remote antenna is configured to transmit the first signal stream and the second remote antenna is configured to transmit the second signal stream. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein the signal streams comprise at least a first radio frequency (RF) signal stream containing a first portion of the downlink signal and a second RF signal stream containing a second portion of the downlink signal. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein the signal streams comprise at least a first radio frequency (RF) signal stream containing the downlink signal and a second RF signal stream containing the downlink signal. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16, wherein conveying the received signal streams to the remote system comprises conveying the signal streams via at least one fiber-optic link. ### Claim 18 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, further comprising: the host system receiving, from the remote system a first and a second uplink signal stream associated with a mobile station operating in the remote coverage area, wherein the first and second uplink signal streams are received via the first and second remote antennas, respectively; the host system conveying the first and second uplink signal streams from the remote system to the base station to facilitate the combination of the first and second uplink signal streams, by the base station, to create a combined uplink signal. ### Claim 19 A host system comprising: one or more communication interfaces that communicatively couple the host system to a base station and to a remote system, wherein the host system substantially controls the remote system, wherein the remote system is configured to extend the wireless service of the base station to a remote coverage area, wherein the remote system having a plurality of antennas, including at least a first remote antenna and a second remote antenna, and wherein the remote system is configured to wirelessly transmit at least a first and a second downlink signal stream from a plurality of downlink signal streams via the first and second remote antennas; wherein the host system is configured to: receive the first downlink signal stream from the base station and convey the first downlink signal stream to the remote system for transmission through the first remote antenna; and receive the second downlink signal stream from the base station and convey the second downlink signal stream to the remote system for transmission through the second remote antenna; wherein the base station is configured to provide wireless service in a base coverage area, and wherein the base station is further configured to generate from a baseband signal, a downlink signal comprising the plurality of downlink signal streams that includes at least the first and the second downlink signal stream. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The system of claim 19, wherein one or more fiber-optic links carriy the first and second signal streams between the host system and the remote system.