System and method for power measurement in outdoor antenna units

Claim 2

Apparatus for obtaining an output power measurement of an information signal, wherein the output power measurement is sent from an external antenna unit to a hand held device coupled thereto, comprising: a power detector for detecting output power from the antenna unit, wherein said power detector has a power detector output; a logic unit for converting said detected output power into a digital power measurement, wherein said logic unit is coupled to said power detector output and wherein said logic unit has a means for transmitting a design specification parameter from the antenna unit to the hand held device; and a modulator for modulating said digital power measurement for transmission to the hand held device, wherein said modulator is coupled to said logic unit.

Claim 3

The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said design specification parameter comprises one or more parameters selected from the group consisting of maximum gain deviation, power detector minimum accurate power, power amplifier supply voltage, power amplifier hi/low bias versus frequency, maximum effective isotropic radiated power versus frequency, maximum effective isotropic radiated power backoff, gain compression, propagation delay between hand held device and unit transmit antenna, propagation delay between hand held device and unit receive antenna, transmit gain, and receive gain.

Claim 4

Apparatus for controlling transmit power of an information signal in a wireless device using an output power measurement received from an external antenna unit, comprising: a demodulator having a demodulator input and a demodulator output for demodulating a received measurement signal comprising said output power measurement; a logic unit in said wireless device that determines an appropriate transmit power of said information signal, said logic unit being coupled to said demodulator output and receives a design specification parameter from said antenna unit; and a wireless device transmit component for initiating said information signal from the wireless device, said transmit component being coupled to said logic unit.

Claim 5

Apparatus for controlling transmit power of an information signal in a wireless device using an output power measurement received from an external antenna unit, comprising: a demodulator having a demodulator input and a demodulator output for demodulating a received measurement signal comprising said output power measurement; a logic unit in said wireless device that determines an appropriate transmit power of said information signal, said logic unit being coupled to said demodulator output and receives a design specification parameter from said antenna unit; and a wireless device transmit component for initiating said information signal from the wireless device, said transmit component being coupled to said logic unit.

Claim 6

The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein said design specification parameter comprises one or more parameters selected from the group consisting of maximum gain deviation, power detector minimum accurate power, power amplifier supply voltage, power amplifier hi/low bias versus frequency, maximum effective isotropic radiated power versus frequency, maximum effective isotropic radiated power backoff, gain compression, propagation delay between hand held device and unit transmit antenna, propagation delay between hand held device and unit receive antenna, transmit gain, and receive gain.

Claim 7

A communications network interface device for transmission of an information signal, comprising: an antenna unit, including: at least one antenna unit transmit component, wherein said antenna unit transmit component outputs the information signal, an output power measurement feedback circuit, comprising: a power detector for detecting output power from said antenna unit, wherein said power detector has a power detector input and a power detector output, said power detector input being connected to said antenna unit transmit component that outputs the information signal, a first logic unit for converting said output power into a digital power measurement, wherein said first logic unit is coupled to said power detector output and wherein said first logic unit includes means for storing a design specification parameter of said antenna unit, and a modulator for modulating said digital power measurement for transmission to said hand held device, wherein said modulator is coupled to said first logic unit, and at least one antenna unit receive component; a cradle coupled to said antenna unit, said cradle including a demodulator for demodulating formatted messages and having a demodulator input and a demodulator output; and a hand held device, including: a second logic unit having software, wherein said second logic unit determines an appropriate transmit power of said information signals, wherein said second logic unit is coupled to said demodulator output and wherein said software receives said design specification parameter from the antenna unit, and at least one hand held transmit component for initiating said information signal from said hand held device, wherein said hand held transmit component is coupled to said second logic unit.

Claim 8

A communications network interface device for transmission of an information signal, comprising: an antenna unit, including: at least one antenna unit transmit component, wherein said antenna unit transmit component outputs the information signal, an output power measurement feedback circuit, comprising: a power detector for detecting output power from said antenna unit, wherein said power detector has a power detector input and a power detector output, said power detector input being connected to said antenna unit transmit component that outputs the information signal, a first logic unit for converting said output power into a digital power measurement, wherein said first logic unit is coupled to said power detector output and wherein said first logic unit includes means for storing a design specification parameter of said antenna unit, and a modulator for modulating said digital power measurement for transmission to said hand held device, wherein said modulator is coupled to said first logic unit, and at least one antenna unit receive component; a cradle coupled to said antenna unit, said cradle including a demodulator for demodulating formatted messages and having a demodulator input and a demodulator output; and a hand held device, including: a second logic unit having software, wherein said second logic unit determines an appropriate transmit power of said information signals, wherein said second logic unit is coupled to said demodulator output and wherein said software receives said design specification parameter from the antenna unit, and at least one hand held transmit component for initiating said information signal from said hand held device, wherein said hand held transmit component is coupled to said second logic unit.

Claim 9

The communications network interface device of claim 5 , wherein said design specification parameter comprise one or more parameters selected from the group consisting of maximum gain deviation, power detector minimum accurate power, power amplifier supply voltage, power amplifier hi/low bias versus frequency, maximum effective isotropic radiated power versus frequency, maximum effective isotropic radiated power backoff, gain compression, propagation delay between hand held device and unit transmit antenna, propagation delay between hand held device and unit receive antenna, transmit gain, and receive gain.

Claim 12

The method of claim 7 , wherein step (a) comprises: detecting output power of the antenna unit; detecting temperature of the antenna unit; multiplexing said detected output power and said detected temperature; converting said multiplexed signal to digital format, wherein said converted signal comprises a digital temperature measurement and a digital power measurement; converting said digital temperature measurement from a first voltage format to a temperature format; converting said digital power measurement from a second voltage format to a logarithmic format; and estimating power resulting in a power estimation to create a digital output power measurement.

Claim 13

The method of claim 7 , further comprising the steps of: (d) demodulating said modulated digital output power measurement; and (e) adjusting power of the information signal by the hand held device based on said digital output power measurement and said design specification parameter.

Claim 14

The method of claim 9 , wherein step (d) comprises the steps of: receiving at the hand held device said modulated digital output power measurement; and determining whether an adjustment is needed to the information signal power.

Claim 15

The method of claim 10 , wherein step (d) further comprises the step of adjusting the information signal power.

Claim 16

The method of claim 7 , wherein said design specification parameter comprise one or more parameters selected from the group consisting of maximum gain deviation, power detector minimum accurate power, power amplifier supply voltage, power amplifier hi/low bias versus frequency, maximum effective isotropic radiated power versus frequency, maximum effective isotropic radiated power backoff, gain compression, propagation delay between hand held device and unit transmit antenna, propagation delay between hand held device and unit receive antenna, transmit gain, and receive gain.

Claim 19

The method of claim 13 , further comprising the step of initializing a variable by setting said variable equal to the design specification parameter.

Claim 20

The method of claim 14 , wherein the design specification parameter comprises one or more parameters selected from the group consisting of maximum gain deviation, power detector minimum accurate power, power amplifier supply voltage, power amplifier hi/low bias versus frequency, maximum effective isotropic radiated power versus frequency, maximum effective isotropic radiated power backoff, gain compression, propagation delay between hand held device and unit transmit antenna, propagation delay between hand held device and unit receive antenna, transmit gain, and