METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR HIGH THROUGHPUT MULTIPLE RADIO SECTORIZED WIRELESS CELL

• US 20050250453A1
• Filed: 06/28/2005
• Published: 11/10/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Woodbury Wireless LLC
• Original Assignee: Rotani, Inc.
• Inventors: Spenik, John, Lastinger, Roc, Woodbury, Brian C.
• Granted Patent: US 7,308,270 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/63.400
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/2605 Array of radiating elements provided with a feedback control over the element weights, e.g. adaptive arrays
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/382 for resource allocation, admission control or handover
• 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 7/0491 using two or more sectors, i.e. sector diversity
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0495 using overlapping sectors in the same base station to implement MIMO for antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/00 Network planning, e.g. coverage or traffic planning tools; Network deployment, e.g. resource partitioning or cells structures
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/02 Resource partitioning among network components, e.g. reuse partitioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/12 Fixed resource partitioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/24 Cell structures
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/16 Central resource management; Negotiation of resources or communication parameters, e.g. negotiating bandwidth or QoS [Quality of Service]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/02 Communication route or path selection, e.g. power-based or shortest path routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/06 using polling
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for high throughput wireless cells, capable of functioning as access points, are described. The wireless cells may be equipped with multiple radios to increase the amount of throughput available through a single wireless cell. Multiple antennas attached to the radios through RF switches may enable the wireless cell to service multiple clients simultaneously. The physical sectors of the antennas may overlapped to form virtual sectors that provide greater flexibility in client load management and in simultaneously servicing multiple clients. Attenuators may reduce interference from foreign wireless cells or clients. Systems and methods for assigning minimally interfering channels to either physical sectors or to radios to reduce interference between adjacent sectors and overlapping sectors are also disclosed. An antenna horn may also allow any antenna to be used as a directional antenna and may enable the antenna'"'"'s angle of coverage to be adjusted. The use of multiple antennas on a client to reduce interferences is also described.

Claims

1. A method for facilitating the reduction of interference, said method comprising:

selecting a client having at least two antennas;

polling each of said antennas to determine signal quality;

selecting an antenna capable of providing a threshold signal quality; and

, disabling other antennas.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of said antennas is directional.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein each of said antennas is associated with a physical sector, and wherein the physical sectors of said antennas form a coverage pattern selected from the group of overlapping and non-overlapping.

4. A method for facilitating the reduction of interference, said method comprising:

selecting a client having at least two antennas and at least two attenuators, wherein each antenna is associated with an attenuator, and wherein said attenuators attenuate at least one of incoming and outgoing signals;

polling each of said antennas to determine signal quality;

selecting an antenna capable of providing a threshold signal quality;

disabling other antennas; and

,

adjusting attenuation of attenuator associated with the enabled antenna to improve signal quality.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein at least one of said antennas is directional.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein each of said antennas is associated with a physical sector, and wherein the physical sectors of said antennas form a coverage pattern selected from the group of overlapping and non-overlapping.

7. A method for facilitating adjustment of physical sector size, said method comprising:

selecting a wireless apparatus having attenuation in a receive path of said wireless apparatus;

adjusting radio transmission power of said wireless apparatus, whereby outgoing radio signals transmit a predetermined range;

adjusting attenuation of said wireless apparatus, whereby incoming radio signals are attenuated thereby limiting incoming signals to a predetermined range.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said radio transmission power is maximized and said attenuation is minimized, thereby attaining maximum coverage.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein said steps of adjusting radio transmission power and attenuation further comprise adjusting radio transmission power and attenuation such that transmission range and reception range is at least one of one-half, one-quarter, one-eighth, and one-sixteenth a maximum coverage.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein said steps of adjusting radio transmission power and attenuation further comprise adjusting radio transmission power and attenuation such that transmission range and reception range is less than one-sixteenth a maximum coverage.

11. A method for facilitating adjusting physical sector size, said method comprising:

selecting a wireless apparatus having attenuation in a combined transmit and receive path;

adjusting radio transmission power of said wireless apparatus, whereby outgoing radio signals transmit a predetermined range;

adjusting the attenuation of said wireless apparatus, whereby incoming and outgoing radio signals are attenuated, thereby limiting incoming and outgoing range.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said radio transmission power is maximized, and said attenuation is minimized, thereby attaining maximum coverage.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein said steps of adjusting radio transmission power and attenuation further comprise adjusting radio transmission power and attenuation such that transmission range and reception range is at least one of one-half, one-quarter, one-eighth, and one-sixteenth a maximum coverage.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein said steps of adjusting radio transmission power and attenuation further comprise adjusting radio transmission power and attenuation such that transmission range and reception range is less than one-sixteenth a maximum coverage.

15. A method for facilitating adjustment of physical sector size, said method comprising:

selecting a wireless apparatus having a processor adapted to attenuate an incoming radio signal;

adjusting radio transmission power of said wireless apparatus, whereby outgoing radio signals transmit a predetermined range;

adjusting processor attenuation of said wireless apparatus, whereby incoming radio signals are attenuated thereby limiting incoming signals to a predetermined range.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein said radio transmission power is maximized, and said attenuation is minimized, thereby attaining maximum coverage.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein said steps of adjusting radio transmission power and attenuation further comprise adjusting radio transmission power and attenuation such that transmission range and reception range is at least one of one-half, one-quarter, one-eighth, and one-sixteenth a maximum coverage.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein said steps of adjusting radio transmission power and attenuation further comprise adjusting radio transmission power and attenuation such that transmission range and reception range is less than one-sixteenth a maximum coverage.

19. A method for facilitating forming non-overlapping coverage, said method comprising:

determining an angle of coverage and area of coverage;

selecting a wireless apparatus adapted to attenuate incoming signals and having a plurality of directional antennas having physical sectors;

positioning said directional antennas, whereby said physical sectors of said directional antennas are substantially non-overlapping and substantially cover the angle of coverage;

adjusting a size of the physical sectors of said directional antennas, whereby the physical sectors substantially cover the area of coverage.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein said angle of coverage is at least one of about 45, 90, 180, 270 and 360 degrees.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the area of coverage is at least one of about one-half, one-quarter, one-eighth, and one-sixteenth of a maximum of said physical sector size.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the number of physical sectors include at least one of two, three, four, and six physical sectors.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein the number of physical sectors include greater than six physical sectors.

24. The method of claim 19, wherein said directional antennas are at least one of patch, omni-directional with reflector, omni-directional positioned in a horn, yagi, MIMO, array, adaptive array, dish, beam, and parabolic antennas.

25. A method for facilitating formation of overlapping coverage, said method comprising:

determining an angle of coverage and area of coverage;

selecting a wireless apparatus having a plurality of directional antennas having physical sectors;

positioning a first group of said antennas wherein the physical sectors are substantially non-overlapping and substantially cover the angle of coverage;

positioning a second group of said antennas wherein the physical sectors are substantially non-overlapping; and

,

superimposing said second group over said first group wherein each physical sector of said second group overlaps at least one physical sector of said first group.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein said angle of coverage is at least one of about 45, 90, 180, 270 and 360 degrees.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein the area of coverage is at least one of about one-half, one-quarter, one-eighth, and one-sixteenth of a maximum of said physical sector size.

28. The method of claim 25, wherein the physical sectors of said first group are substantially adjacent.

29. The method of claim 25, wherein the physical sectors of said second group are substantially adjacent.

30. The method of claim 25, wherein each antenna of said first group has substantially similar angular coverage.

31. The method of claim 25, wherein each antenna of said second group has substantially similar angular coverage.

32. A method for facilitating the reduction of interference, said method comprising:

selecting a wireless cell having a plurality of radios, a plurality of RF switches, and a plurality of antennas, said wireless cell configured to at least partially attenuate signals;

selecting a client having a radio, an RF switch, and a plurality of antennas, said client configured to at least partially attenuate signals;

establishing communication between said wireless cell and said client;

adjusting attenuation of said wireless cell to decrease interference from sources other than signals received from said client; and

,

adjusting attenuation of said client to decrease interference from sources other than signals received from said wireless cell.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the attenuation exists only in the receive path in at least one of said wireless cell and said client.

34. The method of claim 32, wherein at least one of said antennas is directional and wherein at least one of said antennas is at least one of a patch, omni-directional with reflector, omni-directional positioned in a horn, yagi, MIMO, array, adaptive array, dish, beam, and parabolic antenna.

35. The method of claim 32, wherein said client only uses the antenna that provides highest receive signal quality as compared to other said antennas.

36. The method of claim 32, wherein an angle of coverage of said client is at least one of 45, 90, 180, 270, and 360 degrees and the physical sectors of the antennas do not substantially overlap.

37. The method of claim 32, wherein said client includes two about 180-degree directional antennas arranged to provide substantially non-overlapping coverage.