Smart antenna system and method

• US 20070093271A1
• Filed: 08/30/2006
• Published: 04/26/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zarbana Digital Fund LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Faulkner Interstices LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Hovers, Omri, Kagan, Shahar
• Granted Patent: US 7,418,271 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/562.1
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/246 specially adapted for base stations
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 25/00 Antennas or antenna systems providing at least two radiating patterns arrangements for changing or varying the orientation or the shape of the directional pattern H01Q3/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/28 using beam steering
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

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.

Claims

1-23. -23. (canceled)

24. An apparatus comprising:

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.

25. An apparatus according to claim 24, wherein the uplink beam is used to communicate uplink signals received from the mobile station to a base station transceiver.

26. An apparatus according to claim 24, wherein the downlink beam is used to communicate downlink signals from the base station transceiver to the mobile station.

27. An apparatus according to claim 24, wherein the processing system further comprises a fast decision beam selection circuit capable of determining a fastest or nearly fastest beam selection substantially real time or near real time and a smart decision beam selection circuit capable of determining a beam selection.

28. An apparatus according to claim 24, wherein the processing system is further capable of determining to use the results from the fast decision beam selection during the initiation of a call from the mobile station.

29. An apparatus according to claim 24, wherein the processing system is further capable of determining to use the results from the smart decision beam selection circuit after a call from the mobile station is established.

30. An apparatus according to claim 24, further comprising a monitoring system capable of collecting signaling information for making beam selections.

31. An apparatus according to claim 30, further comprising a base station controller capable of communicating signaling and traffic information with the base station transceiver via an interface.

32. An apparatus according to claim 31, wherein the monitoring system is capable of collecting signaling information communicated between the base station controller and the base station transceiver without substantially disrupting the communication of the signaling and/or traffic Information between the base station transceiver and the base station controller.

33. An apparatus comprising:

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.

34. An apparatus according to claim 33, wherein the relevant signaling information is used by the processing system to select uplink or downlink beams, or combinations thereof.

35. An apparatus according to claim 33, wherein the base station transceiver or the at least one mobile station, or combinations thereof, are capable of communicating control channel information.

36. An apparatus according to claim 35, further comprising a control channel monitoring circuit capable of passively monitoring control channel information being communicated from the base station transceiver to the at least one mobile station without making any modifications to the base station transceiver.

37. An apparatus according to claim 33, wherein the signals may be communicated between the smart antenna circuit and a particular mobile station via a narrow beam or via a wide beam.

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.

38. An apparatus according to claim 39, wherein the smart antenna circuit is capable of communicating with at least one mobile station via a first narrow beam or second narrow beam, or a combination thereof.

39. An apparatus according to claim 40, wherein the smart antenna circuit is capable of switching from the first narrow beam to the second narrow beam.