Radio-Access Method, Related Radio Base Station, Mobile-Radio Network and Computer-Program Product Using an Assignment Scheme for Antennas' Sectors

• US 20090238566A1
• Filed: 03/31/2005
• Published: 09/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telecom Italia S.p.A.
• Original Assignee: Telecom Italia S.p.A.
• Inventors: Quasso, Roberto, Boldi, Mauro, Gianola, Paolo
• Granted Patent: US 8,270,987 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 398/59
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/085 Access point devices with remote components

Abstract

A radio base station for a mobile radio network, includes a set of remote units connected with the radio base station, preferably via a radio over fibre arrangement. Each remote unit provides radio cell coverage by means of a set of communication channels, and is equipped with a respective set of antenna elements. The communication channels are distributed over the antenna elements according to an assignment scheme that is dynamically variable.

Claims

1-30. -30. (canceled)

31. A method of controlling operation of at least one radio base station in a mobile radio network, comprising the steps of:

connecting with said radio base station a set of remote units, each of said remote units being adapted to provide radio cell coverage by means of a set of communication channels and being equipped with a respective set of antenna elements, whereby said communication channels are distributed over said antenna elements according to an assignment scheme; and

dynamically varying said assignment scheme.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein said step of dynamically varying said assignment scheme comprises the step of dynamically varying at least one of:

the radio resources assigned to said remote units;

the radiation diagram of said antenna elements; and

the radio cell coverage provided by said remote units.

33. The method of claim 31, wherein said communication channels are transmitted over cells referring to one given carrier.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein said communication channels are transmitted over cells referring to one given carrier and one given digital frame.

35. The method of claim 31, comprising the step of arranging signals passing through said remote units in frames, said step of dynamically varying said assignment scheme comprising the step of dynamically varying the arrangement of said signals in said frames.

36. The method of claim 31, comprising, in providing downlink transmission, the steps of:

generating a useful signal for a given cell in radio coverage for a given carrier; and

subjecting said useful signal to downlink processing as a function of a downlink control signal for a respective remote unit for said carrier, said downlink processing giving rise to a resulting signal to be supplied to the set antenna elements equipping said respective remote unit.

37. The method of claim 36, comprising the step of performing said downlink processing as a matrix product, wherein said downlink control signal is a matrix of downlink processing coefficients for a given antenna element of a given remote unit corresponding to a given cell for handling the downlink data flow.

38. The method of claim 31, comprising in providing uplink transmission, the steps of:

receiving a respective signal at a given antenna element of a given remote unit; and

subjecting said received respective signal to uplink processing as a function of an uplink control signal for said given remote unit for a given carrier, said uplink processing giving rise to a resulting signal assigned to a given cell in the radio coverage for a given carrier for a given remote unit.

39. The method of claim 38, comprising the step of performing said uplink processing as a matrix product, wherein said uplink control signal is a matrix of uplink processing coefficients for a given antenna element of a given remote unit corresponding to a given cell for handling the uplink data flow.

40. The method of claim 38, wherein said uplink processing comprises performing, for each given cell of a plurality of cells providing radio coverage of a given remote unit, a sum of the contribution of said resulting signal flowing as an ingoing signal into said given remote unit and the contribution of said given remote radio unit itself, whereby said given remote unit is capable of:

if said ingoing signal is zero, adding thereto its own contribution; and

if said ingoing signal is not zero, reusing said given cell and adding its own contribution thus operating as a cell repeater.

41. The method of claim 37, comprising the step of performing said matrix product on a carrier by carrier basis.

42. The method of claim 37, comprising the step of performing said matrix product as the product with one matrix comprising englobed parameters for a plurality of carriers.

43. The method of claim 31, comprising the steps of:

connecting said at least one radio base station to said set of remote units via a radio over fibre optical ring configuration;

including in said optical ring configuration at least one first optical fibre channel and at least one second optical fibre channel; and

propagating uplink and downlink signal flows related to each remote unit in said set of remote units in opposite directions over said at least one first optical fibre channel and at least one second optical fibre channel, respectively.

55. A computer program product, loadable into the memory of at least one computer and comprising software code portions capable of implementing the method of claim 31.

44. A radio base station for a mobile radio network, comprising a set of remote units connected with said radio base station, each said remote unit adapted to provide radio cell coverage by means of a set of communication channels and being equipped with a respective set of antenna elements, whereby said communication channels are distributed over said antenna elements according to an assignment scheme, wherein said assignment scheme is dynamically variable.

45. The station of claim 44, wherein said assignment scheme is dynamically variable to dynamically vary at least one of:

the radio resources assigned to said remote units;

the radiation diagram of said antenna elements; and

the radio cell coverage provided by said remote units.

46. The station of claim 44, wherein said communication channels comprise cells belonging to one given carrier.

47. The station of claim 44, wherein signals passing through said remote units are arranged in frames and wherein said assignment scheme is made dynamically variable by dynamically varying the arrangement of said signals in said frames.

48. The station of claim 44, comprising a downlink transmission path configured for:

generating a useful signal for a given cell in radio coverage for a given carrier;

subjecting said useful signal to downlink processing as a function of a downlink control signal for a respective remote unit for said carrier, said downlink processing giving rise to a resulting signal to be supplied to the set antenna elements equipping said respective remote unit.

49. The station of claim 44, wherein said downlink transmission path is configured for performing said downlink processing as a matrix product, wherein said downlink control signal is a matrix of downlink processing coefficients for a given antenna element of a given remote unit corresponding to a given cell for handling the downlink data flow.

50. The station of claim 44, comprising an uplink transmission path configured for:

receiving a respective signal at a given antenna element of a given remote unit; and

subjecting said received respective signal to uplink processing as a function of an uplink control signal for said given remote unit for a given carrier, said uplink processing giving rise to a resulting signal assigned to a given cell in the radio coverage for a given carrier for a given remote unit.

51. The station of claim 50, wherein said uplink transmission path is configured for performing said uplink processing as a matrix product, wherein said uplink control signal is a matrix of uplink processing coefficients for a given antenna element of a given remote unit corresponding to a given cell for handling the uplink data flow.

52. The station of claim 50, wherein said uplink transmission path is configured for performing, for each given cell of a plurality of cells providing radio coverage of a given remote unit, a sum of the contribution of said resulting signal flowing as an ingoing signal into said given remote unit and the contribution of said given remote radio unit itself, whereby said given remote unit is capable of:

if said ingoing signal is zero, adding thereto its own contribution; and

if said ingoing signal is not zero, reusing said given cell and adding its own contribution thus operating as a cell repeater.

53. A system comprising a radio base station according to claim 44, wherein the radio base station is connected to said set of remote units via a radio over fibre optical ring configuration and wherein said optical ring configuration comprises at least one first optical fibre channel and at least one second optical fibre channel for propagating said uplink and downlink signal flows related to each remote unit in said set of remote units in opposite directions over said at least one first optical fibre channel and at least one second optical fibre channel, respectively.

54. A mobile radio network, comprising at least one radio base station according to claim 44.