Base station, mobile communication system, and communication method

• US 20040038713A1
• Filed: 08/21/2003
• Published: 02/26/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/23/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Inventors: Okawa, Koichi, Nakamura, Takehiro, Tanaka, Shinya
• Granted Patent: US 7,099,697 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/561
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/28 using beam steering

Abstract

A base station comprises a directional antenna configured to transmit a directional beam to a mobile station, an omnidirectional antenna configured to transmit an omnidirectional beam to the mobile station, and an antenna controller configured to determine whether or not the mobile station is capable of receiving the directional beam, and select the directional antenna as an antenna for transmitting individual data in a case of being capable of receiving the directional beam, or select the omnidirectional antenna as an antenna for transmitting the individual data in a case of being incapable of receiving the directional beam.

Claims

1. A base station comprising:

a directional antenna configured to transmit a directional beam to a mobile station;

an omnidirectional antenna configured to transmit an omnidirectional beam to the mobile station; and

an antenna controller configured to determine whether or not the mobile station is capable of receiving the directional beam, and select the directional antenna as an antenna for transmitting individual data in a case of being capable of receiving the directional beam, or select the omnidirectional antenna as an antenna for transmitting the individual data in a case of being incapable of receiving the directional beam.

2. The base station of claim 1, wherein the antenna controller determines whether transmitted-data to the mobile station is the individual data or common data, and in a case of the common data, selects the omnidirectional antenna as an antenna for transmitting the common data.

3. The base station of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of omnidirectional antennas configured to transmit omnidirectional beams to the mobile station.

4. The base station of claim 3, further comprising a transmit diversity controller configured to control transmit diversity by using the plurality of omnidirectional antennas.

5. The base station of claim 1, further comprising a diversity reception controller configured to control antenna diversity reception of signals from the mobile station.

6. A mobile communication system comprising:

a mobile station; and

a base station comprising;

a directional antenna configured to transmit a directional beam to the mobile station;

an omnidirectional antenna configured to transmit an omnidirectional beam to the mobile station; and

an antenna controller configured to determine whether or not the mobile station is capable of receiving the directional beam, and select the directional antenna as an antenna for transmitting individual data in a case of being capable of receiving the directional beam, or select the omnidirectional antenna as an antenna for transmitting the individual data in a case of being incapable of receiving the directional beam.

7. A communication method comprising:

determining whether or not a mobile station is capable of receiving a directional beam;

selecting a directional antenna as an antenna for transmitting individual data in a case of being capable of receiving the directional beam, or an omnidirectional antenna as an antenna for transmitting the individual data in a case of being incapable of receiving the directional beam; and

transmitting the individual data to the mobile station by using either the directional antenna or the omnidirectional antenna.