Method and wireless communication hub for data communications

• US 20020090979A1
• Filed: 10/30/2001
• Published: 07/11/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Her Majesty The Queen In Right of Canada As Represented By The Minister of Industry (The Republic of Canada)
• Original Assignee: Her Majesty The Queen In Right of Canada As Represented By The Minister of Industry (The Republic of Canada)
• Inventors: Sydor, John T.
• Granted Patent: US 7,194,269 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/562.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/24 Cell structures
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/00 Network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/14 WLL [Wireless Local Loop]; RLL [Radio Local Loop]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/00 Devices specially adapted for wireless communication networks, e.g. terminals, base stations or access point devices

Abstract

The Highly Structured Rosette Antenna Array Data Communications System is a high capacity wireless network in which data is communicated from and to remotely located subscribers. The system uses cells that are comprised of a multiplicity of oblong microcells arranged in a circle, giving the cell a rosette-like pattern like frequency channels are assigned to every N′″ microcell, where N is the number of distinctly different frequency channels. The sum of the distinctly different channels is the total bandwidth assigned to the rosette. Typically, if M is equal to the total number of microcells in the rosette, then M/N is equal to the number of like-frequency microcells in the rosette.

Claims

1. A wireless communication hub comprising:

a plurality of radiators each associated with an oblong microcell and for radiating a narrow beam outward from the hub within the oblong microcell, different radiators for radiating within different oblong microcells, radiators associated with adjacent oblong microcells for radiating within different frequency ranges such that adjacent oblong microcells are frequency isolated and at least two spatially isolated oblong microcells within a same half of a rosette are associated with radiators for radiating within a same frequency range and are for radiating beams having sufficiently low side lobe levels for providing the spatial isolation;

a plurality of modulators each for modulating a signal based on data received and for providing the modulated signal to a radiator from the plurality of radiators;

a receiver for receiving a signal relating to other wireless communication hubs, the information for use in determining configuration information of the wireless communication hub and transmitted by other than the wireless communication hub;

a processor for determining a hub configuration based on at least a received signal and for providing a feedback signal relating to the determined hub configuration; and

,

a control circuit for controlling the wireless communication hub in response to the feedback signal.

2. A wireless communication hub according to claim 1, comprising:

a feedback transmitter for transmitting a signal relating to the hub to another hub.

3. A wireless communication hub according to claim 2, comprising:

a global positioning sensor for sensing a location of the hub,

wherein the feedback transmitter is also for providing feedback relating a sensed location to another hub.

4. A wireless communication hub according to claim 2, wherein the processor includes means for determining from the received signal including a sensed location of another hub whether signals transmitted from the wireless communication hub are a potential cause of interference at the sensed location, and when the signals are a potential source of the interference, providing feedback to the control circuit for controlling the wireless communication hub to reduce the potential.

5. A wireless communication hub according to claim 1, wherein the control circuit is coupled to the transmitters for providing a tuning signal thereto and wherein the transmitters are responsive to the signals for adjusting their EIRP in response thereto.

6. A hub as defined in claim 5, comprising:

radiators associated with at least 16 microcells disposed radially about the hub and

wherein radiators for radiating at a same frequency are for radiating with a same effective isotropic radiated power (EIRP).

7. A hub as defined in claim 1, wherein sidelobe levels are below a maximum level based on beam widths of the narrow beams, modulation techniques employed within the modulator, and environmental factors related to scattering of radiation within a cell according to the following equation:

8. A hub as defined in claim 7, wherein radiators associated with the at least 16 microcells disposed radially about the hub are such that each microcell, microcell_i . . . microcell₁₆ are arranged in R repeating patterns of M microcells such that microcell_i and microcell_M+i are associated with radiators for radiating within a same frequency range and such that microcell_i+1. . . microcell_M+i−

1 are associated with radiators for radiating within different frequency ranges and wherein each beam has a specified side lobe suppression level S_L at angles greater than (M−

O.5)X(BW_h) away from the free space main lobe of the beam where BW_h is the width of the individual microcell.

9. A hub as defined in claim 1, wherein the frequency ranges are within the frequency range of 5-6 GHz and wherein during use the radiators are directed below the horizon by at least 3 degrees and radiate with sidelobe power spectral densities calculated by the formula:

<

PSD=19-0.711X (A-5) dBm/MHz>

for elevation angles above the horizon 5 degrees<

A<

40 degrees.

18. A hub as defined in claim 1, wherein the frequency ranges are within the frequency range of 5-6 GHz and wherein during use the radiators are directed below the horizon by at least 3 degrees and radiate with sidelobe power spectral densities calculated by the formula:

<

PSD=19−

0.711 X (A-5) dB/MHz>

for elevation angles above the horizon 5 degrees<

A<

40 degrees.

10. A wireless communication hub comprising:

a plurality of radiators each associated with an oblong microcell and for radiating a narrow beam outward from the hub within the oblong microcell, different radiators for radiating within different oblong microcells, radiators associated with adjacent oblong microcells for radiating within different frequency ranges such that adjacent oblong microcells are frequency isolated and at least two spatially isolated oblong microcells within a same half of a rosette are associated with radiators for radiating within a same frequency range and are for radiating beams having sufficiently low side lobe levels for providing the spatial isolation;

a plurality of modulators each for modulating a signal based on data received and for providing the modulated signal to a radiator from the plurality of radiators;

a processor for providing the data to the modulator;

a feedback port for receiving a feedback signal relating to interference caused by other than the wireless communication hub; and

,

a control circuit for controlling the wireless communication hub in response to a feedback signal received at the feedback port to alter an aspect of the hub in response thereto.

11. A wireless communication hub according to claim 10, wherein the tuner is a mechanism for rotating the wireless communication hub such that a signal at a first wavelength is directed in a direction other than its direction prior to rotation of the wireless communication hub.

12. A wireless communication hub according to claim 10, wherein the tuner is an electronic control circuit for rotating the signals emitted from the wireless communication hub about the hub such that a signal at a first wavelength is directed in a direction other than its direction prior to rotation of the wireless communication hub.

13. A wireless communication hub according to claim 10 wherein the tuner is a mechanism for tilting of radiators of the wireless communication hub relative to the ground to reduce interference with satellites and/or satellite receivers.

14. A wireless communication hub according to claim 10, comprising:

a detector for detecting interference caused by the wireless communication hub; and

a feedback transmitter for providing a signal relating to the detected interference to another hub.

15. A hub as defined in claim 10, wherein sidelobe levels are below a maximum level based on beam widths of the narrow beams, modulation techniques employed within the modulator, and environmental factors related to scattering of radiation within a cell according to the following equation

16. A hub as defined in claim 15, wherein radiators associated with the at least 16 microcells disposed radially about the hub are such that each microcell, microcell₁. . . microcell₁₆ are arranged in R repeating patterns of M microcells such that microcell_i and microcell_M+i are associated with radiators for radiating within a same frequency range and such that microcell_i+1 . . . microcell_M+i−

1 are associated with radiators for radiating within different frequency ranges and wherein each beam has a specified side lobe suppression level S_L at angles greater than (M−

O.5)X(BW_h) away from the free space main lobe of the beam where BW_h is the width of the individual microcell.

17. A hub as defined in claim 10, comprising means for dynamically allocating one of at least two frequency bands associated with at least two microcells to a subscriber receiving data radiated from the hub and located within an area inside both of the at least two microcells, the allocation based on available bandwidth and the feedback signal.

20. A communication architecture as defined in claim 19, wherein some microcells within the rosette are associated with same frequencies and spatially isolated from microcells associated with a same frequency, wherein the at least 16 radiators are for radiating signals having sufficiently low sidelobes to provide said spatial isolation, radiators associated with adjacent microcells for radiating at different frequencies such that the adjacent microcells are frequency isolated

21. A communication architecture as defined in claim 20, comprising a plurality of directional receivers each for receiving a signal transmitted by an antenna hub and each for receiving signals, the received antennas having sufficiently low sidelobes to provide spatial isolation from signals radiated by radiators associated with other microcells.

22. A communication architecture as defined in claim 20, wherein each hub is substantially identical.

24. A method as defined in claim 23, wherein some microcells within the rosette are associated with same transmission frequencies.

25. A method as defined in claim 23, wherein the step of tuning the hub comprises the step of:

adjusting EIRP'"'"'s of a petal of a rosette transmitted from the hub.

27. A method as defined in claim 26, comprising the step of:

adjusting an aspect of the communication system in dependence upon the received radio frequency signal.

28. A method as defined in claim 27, wherein the step of adjusting an aspect of the system comprises the step of:

adjusting EIRP'"'"'s of a transmitter with the hub.

29. A method as defined in claim 27, wherein the step of adjusting an aspect of the system comprises the step of:

disabling a transmitter within the hub for a brief time.

19. A communication architecture comprising:

a plurality of similar overlapping rosettes each rosette defined by radiation from an antenna hub comprising at least 4 directional radiators for radiating power at frequencies associated with a microcell forming a portion less than the whole of the rosette, the rosette comprising;

a number of microcells greater than 3, adjacent microcells within a same rosette associated with different radiated frequencies;

the hub comprising;

a messaging circuit for generating a radio frequency management message indicating data relating to a hub in which the messaging circuit is disposed;

a receiver for receiving radio frequency management messages during use;

a processor for processing the radio frequency management messages to determine a configuration for the rosette that is unlikely to interfere with existing rosettes already in operation; and

a control circuit for changing characteristics of the microcells within the rosette for limiting inter-rosette interference.

23. A method of arranging a plurality of overlapping rosettes, each rosette defined by radiation from an antenna hub comprising a plurality of directional radiators for radiating power at frequencies associated with a microcell forming a portion of the rosette less than the whole, the rosette comprising:

a number of microcells, adjacent microcells within a same rosette associated with different radiated frequencies;

the method comprising the steps of;

receiving a radio frequency management signal from at least another hub, the radio frequency management signal including information on the location and transmission characteristics of the at least another hub;

processing the received radio frequency management signal to determine characteristics of the hub that are unlikely to substantially interfere with the at least another hub; and

tuning the hub to reduce a potential of interference.

26. A method of supporting hierarchical wireless communications within a same wireless communication environment comprising the steps of:

providing a plurality of overlapping rosettes, each rosette defined by radiation from an antenna hub comprising a plurality of directional radiators for radiating power at frequencies associated with a microcell forming a portion of the rosette less than the whole, the rosette comprising a number of microcells, adjacent microcells within a same rosette associated with different radiated frequencies;

the method comprising the steps of;

detecting a radio frequency signal that other than originate from the hub;

classifying the received radio frequency signal to identify a source thereof;

determining a hierarchy of the received radio frequency signal relative to the rosette; and

,

when the determined hierarchy is higher than that of the hub, preventing hub transmissions from interfering with the received radio frequency signal.

30. A communication architecture comprising:

a plurality of similar overlapping rosettes each rosette defined by radiation from an antenna hub comprising at least 8 directional radiators for radiating power at frequencies associated with a microcell forming a portion less than the whole of the rosette, the rosette comprising;

a number of microcells greater than 7, adjacent microcells within a same rosette associated with different radiated frequencies, some microcells within the rosette associated with same frequencies and spatially isolated from microcells associated with a same frequency, wherein the at least 8 radiators are for radiating signals having sufficiently low sidelobes to provide said spatial isolation, radiators associated with adjacent microcells for radiating at different frequencies such that the adjacent microcells are frequency isolated;

a detector within each rosette for detecting interference with signals other than those transmitted by a hub of the architecture;

a processor for classifying the interference to determine a source thereof and, when the source has a higher priority than the hub, for providing a feedback signal relating to the detected interference; and

,

a control circuit for changing a characteristic of the rosette for limiting the detected interference.

31. A communication architecture as defined in claim 30, wherein the control circuit is for temporarily preventing transmission from the hub within a frequency and location related to the detected interference.

32. A communication architecture as defined in claim 31, wherein each hub is substantially identical.

33. A method of supporting wireless communications within a same wireless communication environment comprising the steps of:

providing a plurality of overlapping rosettes, each rosette defined by radiation from an antenna hub comprising a plurality of directional radiators for radiating power at frequencies associated with a microcell forming a portion of the rosette less than the whole, the rosette comprising a number of microcells, adjacent microcells within a same rosette associated with different radiated frequencies;

the method comprising the steps of;

detecting a radio frequency management signal originating from a similar hub and containing data relating to the similar hub encoded therein;

determining a set of hub characteristics for reducing inter hub interference based on the detected radio frequency management signal;

providing the determined characteristics to a control circuit; and

,

setting hub characteristics in accordance with the determined characteristics.

34. A method as defined in claim 33, comprising the step of:

adjusting EIRP'"'"'s of the hub in accordance with the set hub characteristics.

35. A method as defined in claim 33, comprising the step of:

adjusting hub orientation in accordance with the set hub characteristics.