Smart antenna system and method
4 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A smart antenna apparatus including a receiving system, one or more beam analysis modules, a control channel monitoring module, a processing system, and a receiving beam switch is provided. The receiving system is operable to receive a plurality of uplink beams, each including traffic signals transmitted by a mobile station. The beam analysis modules are operable to analyze the uplink beams to determine one or more characteristics of each uplink beam. The control channel monitoring module is operable to monitor control channel signals being communicated from a base station transceiver. The control channel signals include synchronization signals. The processing system is operable to synchronize the smart antenna apparatus with the base station transceiver using the synchronization signals received by the control channel monitoring module. The processing system is further operable to determine a selected beam from the plurality of uplink beams based at least in part on the one or more characteristics determined by the beam analysis modules. The receiving beam switch is operable to switch to the selected beam to allow the selected beam to be communicated to the base station transceiver.
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Citations
40 Claims
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1-23. -23. (canceled)
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24. An apparatus comprising:
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an smart antenna circuit comprising an antenna array, the smart antenna circuit further capable of being coupled to an already existing base station in a wireless communications system between a base station transceiver and at least one mobile station, the smart antenna circuit further capable of receiving or transmitting, or combinations thereof, signals along a selected beam; and
a processing system coupled to the smart antenna circuit capable of executing one or more algorithms, based on a number of parameters, to select an uplink beam for uplink signals and a downlink beam for downlink signals. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32)
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33. An apparatus comprising:
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a smart antenna circuit capable of communicating with at least one mobile station;
a sector antenna coupled to the smart antenna circuit, the sector antenna comprising one or more antenna elements, the sector antenna capable of dividing a wide beam into a two or more narrow beams and further capable of communicating signals throughout a sector;
a processing system coupled to the smart antenna circuit and a base station transceiver; and
a monitoring system coupled to the smart antenna circuit capable of;
receiving signaling information communicated between a base station transceiver and a base station controller; and
processing the signaling information to determine relevant signaling information. - View Dependent Claims (34, 35, 36, 37)
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- 40. An apparatus according to claim 41, wherein switching from the first narrow beam to the second narrow beam enables a smart antenna circuit to locate at least one mobile station within a wide beam.
Specification