System and Method for Extending a Wireless Communication Coverage Area of a Cellular Base Transceiver Station (BTS)

• US 20110085492A1
• Filed: 10/08/2009
• Published: 04/14/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Clearwire Ip Holdings LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Clear Wireless LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Martire, Joe, Kim, John Yongchae, Tran, Thuy Thomas
• Granted Patent: US 8,842,525 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/328
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/26 Cell enhancers or enhancement, e.g. for tunnels, building shadow
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals

Abstract

The present document describes a system and method for extending a wireless communication coverage area of a cellular wireless base station transceiver (BTS) to enable control signaling and identification of mobile stations not currently within a coverage area of an existing beamform antenna pattern of the BTS, for example. A cellular BTS may scan through dead zones of coverage areas provided by the BTS to identify mobile stations not within the coverage area of the BTS, but within a possible service area of the BTS. In addition, the BTS may receive a relaying control signal from a mobile station located within the coverage area of the BTS, and the signal will indicate a location of another mobile station not within the coverage area of the BTS but within the service area of the BTS. In either example, the BTS may attempt to provide a coverage area to the mobile station located in the control signaling dead zone, for example.

Claims

1. A method of extending a wireless communication coverage area of a cellular base transceiver station (BTS), comprising:

providing a beamformed coverage area pattern, the beamformed coverage area pattern indicating geographic areas over which control component communication and data traffic communication between a mobile station and the BTS can occur;

scanning through areas to which the BTS can provide a coverage area and that are not included within the beamformed coverage area pattern;

identifying a second mobile station located within one of the areas to which the BTS can provide a coverage area and that is not included within the beamformed coverage area pattern; and

extending a beamformed coverage area to the second mobile station.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the control component communication includes network synchronization signaling between the BTS and a given mobile station for entry into a network.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein scanning comprises the BTS uniformly broadcasting control component information.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein scanning comprises providing a temporary coverage area in the areas to which the BTS can provide a coverage area and that are not included within the beamformed coverage area pattern.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the temporary coverage area is a control component coverage area.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein scanning comprises providing temporary coverage areas in a sequential manner to rotate a temporary coverage area through areas to which the BTS can provide a coverage area and that are not included within the beamformed coverage area pattern.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising performing the step of scanning periodically.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein scanning comprises enlarging the beamformed coverage area pattern to include the areas to which the BTS can provide a coverage area and that are not included within the beamformed coverage area pattern.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying a mobile station within one of the areas to which the BTS can provide a coverage area and that is not included within the beamformed coverage area pattern comprises receiving a network synchronization signal from the second mobile station.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein extending the beamformed coverage area to the second mobile station comprises providing a new beamformed coverage area pattern that enables control component communication and data traffic communication between the second mobile station and the BTS.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein extending the beamformed coverage area to the second mobile station comprises enlarging the beamformed coverage area pattern to a location of the second mobile station.

12. A method of extending a wireless communication coverage area of a cellular base transceiver station (BTS), comprising:

providing a beamformed coverage area pattern, the beamformed coverage area pattern indicating geographic areas over which control component communication and data traffic communication between a mobile station and the BTS can occur;

receiving from a first mobile station located within the beamformed coverage area pattern, information broadcast by a second mobile station not located within the beamformed coverage area pattern indicating a location of the second mobile station;

making a determination of whether the second mobile station is located within a service area of the BTS; and

based on the determination, extending a beamformed coverage area to the second mobile station.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising the second mobile station being located outside of the beamformed coverage area pattern and responsively broadcasting information indicating the location of the second mobile station.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

the first mobile station receiving the information indicating the location of the second mobile station; and

the first mobile station relaying the information indicating the location of the second mobile station to the BTS.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising the second mobile station determining the location of the second mobile station using a global positioning system (GPS) receiver.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein extending the beamformed coverage area to the second mobile station comprises providing a new beamformed coverage area pattern that enables control component communication and data traffic communication between the second mobile station and the BTS.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein extending the beamformed coverage area to the second mobile station comprises enlarging the beamformed coverage area pattern to include a location of the second mobile station.

18. A computer readable medium having stored therein instructions executable by a computing device to cause the computing device to perform the functions of:

providing a beamformed coverage area pattern, the beamformed coverage area pattern indicating geographic areas over which control component communication and data traffic communication between a mobile station and the BTS can occur;

scanning through areas to which the BTS can provide a coverage area and that are not included within the beamformed coverage area pattern;

identifying a second mobile station located within one of the areas to which the BTS can provide a coverage area and that is not included within the beamformed coverage area pattern; and

extending a beamformed coverage area to the second mobile station.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein the function of identifying the second mobile station located within one of the areas to which the BTS can provide a coverage area and that is not included within the beamformed coverage area pattern further comprises:

receiving from a first mobile station located within the beamformed coverage area pattern, information broadcast by a second mobile station not located within the beamformed coverage area pattern indicating a location of the second mobile station.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein the functions further comprise:

making a determination of whether the second mobile station is located within a service area of the BTS; and

based on the determination, extending a beamformed coverage area to the second mobile station.