Overhead wireless access point deployments for arenas, stadiums and other venues

• US 10,575,188 B1
• Filed: 01/18/2019
• Issued: 02/25/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Everest Networks, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Everest Networks, Inc.
• Inventors: Abielmona, Samer, Nguyen, Van Hoang, Frigon, Jean-Francois
• Primary Examiner(s): Mizrahi, Diane D
• Application Number:
  US16/252,384
• Time in Patent Office: 403 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/022 Site diversity; Macro-diversity using two or more spaced independent antennas H04B7/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0408 using two or more beams, i.e. beam diversity
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0452 Multi-user MIMO systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/20 for indoor coverage or short range network deployment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/26 Cell enhancers or enhancement, e.g. for tunnels, building shadow
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/28 using beam steering

Abstract

A wireless network includes a plurality of access points installed in a venue. The access points integrate multiple radios coupled with directional antennas with reconfigurable coverage. The directional antennas are configured to transmit and receive orthogonally polarized signals that support transmission of at least two data streams to or from mobile devices of users who are present in the venue. Additionally, wireless network includes at least one backhaul or backbone network coupled to the plurality of access points.

Claims

1. A wireless network comprising:

a plurality of access points installed in a venue, the access points integrating multiple radios coupled with directional antennas with reconfigurable coverage, the directional antennas configured to transmit and receive orthogonally polarized signals that support transmission of at least two data streams to or from mobile devices of users who are present in the venue, wherein the access points are configured to enable multiple input, multiple output (MIMO) or multi-user (MU)-MIMO transmissions from a radio from among the multiple radios of an access point by using the orthogonally polarized signals; and

at least one backhaul or backbone network coupled to the plurality of access points.

2. The wireless network of claim 1, wherein one or more directional antennas of at least one of the access points is configured to provide service to at least one of the mobile devices at a distance of at least 100 feet from the access point.

3. The wireless network of claim 1, wherein each directional antenna provides at least 13 dBi of antenna gain to at least one of the mobile devices at a distance of at least 100 feet from the access point.

4. The wireless network of claim 1, wherein the directional antennas are configured such that the antenna gain of all directional antennas varies less than 3 dB across the entire operating band of the multiple radios.

5. The wireless network of claim 1, wherein the directional antennas and the multiple radios of each access point are integrated inside a respective single chassis.

6. The wireless network of claim 1, wherein the access points are installed above the users, wherein a line of sight between an access point and a given user is unimpeded by permanent venue structures which are closer to the access point than the given user.

7. The wireless network of claim 1, wherein a directional antenna of an access point is configured to transmit multiple beams at different angles to enable MIMO or MU-MIMO transmissions from a radio from among the multiple radios of the access point.

8. The wireless network of claim 1, wherein a directional antenna of an access point is configured to transmit a beam with a width of 30 degrees or less.

9. The wireless network of claim 1, wherein a directional antenna of an access point is configured so that the difference between the maximum antenna gain and the maximum gain outside the main antenna beam is at least 15 dB.

10. The wireless network of claim 1, wherein the directional antennas in an access point are reconfigurable to provide a coverage zone where users connect to a given radio of the multiple radios of the access point in a different direction for each radio.

11. The wireless network of claim 10, wherein coverage zones for different radios in an access point are configured to be partially overlapping.

12. The wireless network of claim 10, wherein coverage zones for different radios in different access points are configured to be partially overlapping.

13. The wireless network of claim 10, wherein different radios in an access point are configured to transmit RF signals with different power.

14. The wireless network of claim 13, wherein a first radio, which provides coverage to a first zone with a shorter distance from the access point than a second zone to which coverage is provided from a second radio in the same access point, is configured to transmit with less power than the second radio.

15. The wireless network of claim 1, wherein an access point is configured to balance load between multiple radios in the access point or in other access points.

16. The wireless network of claim 15, wherein the backhaul network enables users to receive the same wireless service from different access points.

17. The wireless network of claim 1, wherein a radio of the multiple radios of an access point is configured to provide a coverage zone where between 100 and 175 users connect to the radio.

18. The wireless network of claim 1, wherein the directional antennas are reconfigured to provide coverage to at least three zones where users connect to a radio, the coverage to each zone being provided with a different angle.

19. The wireless network of claim 18, wherein the directional antennas in the access point are reconfigured to provide coverage to a single zone with the same angle for two different radios.

20. The wireless network of claim 19, wherein the access points are configured so different coverage zone configurations are applied to two different access points.