Methods and Apparatus for Overlapping MIMO Physical Sectors

• US 20120147982A1
• Filed: 01/11/2012
• Published: 06/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Woodbury Wireless LLC
• Original Assignee: Rotani, Inc.
• Inventors: Lastinger, Roc, Spenik, John, Woodbury, Brian
• Granted Patent: US 8,855,089 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 375/267
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/15 Performance testing
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/024 Co-operative use of antennas of several sites, e.g. in co-ordinated multipoint or co-operative multiple-input multiple-output [MIMO] systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0413 MIMO systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0456 Selection of precoding matrices or codebooks, e.g. using matrices antenna weighting
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0495 using overlapping sectors in the same base station to implement MIMO for antennas

Abstract

A system for communicating with wireless devices. The systems includes radio groups whose MIMO physical sectors overlap. The MIMO physical sectors communicate using different channels. The MIMO physical sectors overlap to form an area of overlap. Each radio group includes directional antennas and radios. Radios are selectively coupled to the antennas. The antennas that are oriented so that the physical sectors of the antennas overlap to operate as MIMO antennas and form the MIMO physical sector for the radio group. The antennas operate as a MIMO antenna.

Claims

1. A system for wirelessly communicating with provided wireless devices via a plurality of multiple-input-multiple-output (“

MIMO”

) antennas, the system comprising;

a plurality of directional antennas;

a first radio group, the first radio group comprising a first plurality of radios and a first MIMO antenna for communicating using a first channel; and

a second radio group, the second radio group comprising a second plurality of radios and a second MIMO antenna for communicating using a second channel;

wherein;

each radio of the first plurality of radios selectively couples to one or more antennas of the plurality of antennas, the antennas coupled to the first plurality of radios operate as the first MIMO antenna;

each radio of the second plurality of radios selectively couples to one or more antennas of the plurality of antennas, the antennas coupled to the first plurality of radios operate as the second MIMO antenna;

a physical sector of each directional antenna coupled to one radio of the first plurality of radios is positioned to at least partially overlap a physical sector of at least one antenna coupled to at least one other radio of the first plurality of radios to form a MIMO physical sector of the first MIMO antenna;

a physical sector of each directional antenna coupled to one radio of the second plurality of radios is positioned to at least partially overlap a physical sector of at least one antenna coupled to at least one other radio of the second plurality of radios to form a MIMO physical sector of the second MIMO antenna;

the MIMO physical sector of the first MIMO antenna at least partially overlaps the MIMO physical sector of the second MIMO antenna thereby forming an area of overlap; and

the first channel is different from the second channel.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein at least one radio of the first plurality of radios couples to the same antenna of the plurality of antennas as at least one radio of the second plurality of radios.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the MIMO physical sector of the first MIMO antenna substantially overlaps the MIMO physical sector of the second MIMO antenna to form the area of overlap.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the physical sector of each antenna coupled to any one radio of the first plurality of radios is positioned to substantially overlap the physical sector of each antenna coupled to the other radios of the first plurality of radios.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the physical sector of each antenna coupled to any one radio of the second plurality of radios is positioned to substantially overlap the physical sector of each antenna coupled to the other radios of the second plurality of radios.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein:

the first radio group communicates with a first provided wireless device via the MIMO physical sector of the first MIMO antenna in the area of overlap using the first channel; and

the second radio group communicates with a second provided wireless device via the MIMO physical sector of the second MIMO antenna in the area of overlap using the second channel.

7. A system for wirelessly communicating with provided wireless devices via a plurality of multiple-input-multiple-output (“

MIMO”

) antennas, the system comprising;

a plurality of antennas;

a first radio group, the first radio group comprising a first plurality of radios and a first MIMO antenna for communicating using a first channel; and

a second radio group, the second radio group comprising a second plurality of radios and a second MIMO antenna for communicating using a second channel;

wherein;

each radio of the first plurality of radios selectively couples to one or more antennas of the plurality of antennas, the antennas coupled to the first plurality of radios operate as a first phased array to form a MIMO physical sector of the first MIMO antenna;

each radio of the second plurality of radios selectively couples to one or more antennas of the plurality of antennas, the antennas coupled to the second plurality of radios operate as a second phased array to form a MIMO physical sector of the second MIMO antenna;

the MIMO physical sector of the first MIMO antenna at least partially overlaps the MIMO physical sector of the second MIMO antenna thereby forming an area of overlap; and

the first channel is different from the second channel.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein at least one radio of the first plurality of radios couples to the same antenna of the plurality of antennas as at least one radio of the second plurality of radios.

9. The system of claim 7 wherein the MIMO physical sector of the first MIMO antenna substantially overlaps the MIMO physical sector of the second MIMO antenna to form the area of overlap.

10. The system of claim 7 wherein the physical sector of each antenna coupled to any one radio of the first plurality of radios is positioned to substantially overlap the physical sector of each antenna coupled to the other radios of the first plurality of radios.

11. The system of claim 7 wherein the physical sector of each antenna coupled to any one radio of the second plurality of radios is positioned to substantially overlap the physical sector of each antenna coupled to the other radios of the second plurality of radios.

12. The system of claim 7 wherein:

the first radio group communicates with a first provided wireless device via the MIMO physical sector of the first MIMO antenna in the area of overlap using the first channel; and

the second radio group communicates with a second provided wireless device via the MIMO physical sector of the second MIMO antenna in the area of overlap using the second channel.