APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR WIRELESS NETWORK ENHANCEMENT VIA VARIABLE DOWN TILT

• US 20130021204A1
• Filed: 07/19/2012
• Published: 01/24/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Walker, Gordon Kent, Wang, Jun, Zhang, Xiaoxia, Tran, Allen Minh-Triet, Grob, Matthew Stuart, Ozaki, Ernest Tadashi
• Granted Patent: US 9,294,932 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/372
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/28 using beam steering
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/30 Resource management for broadcast services

Abstract

Apparatus and methods for controlling antenna down tilt in a mixed coordinated/non-coordinated network include receiving one or more input signals defining a waveform to be transmitted, for determining a tilt angle state to be applied to the antenna based on the one or more input signals, and for transmitting a tilt control signal if the determined tilt angle state differs from a current tilt angle state associated with the antenna.

Claims

21-1. The method of claim 21, wherein the type of the waveform comprises a coordinated type, and wherein the sub-type of the waveform comprises a unicast sub-type or a broadcast sub-type.

29. An apparatus for controlling antenna down tilt in a mixed coordinated/non-coordinated network, comprising:

at least one processor configured to;

receive one or more input signals defining a waveform to be transmitted;

determine a type of the waveform defined by the one or more input signals;

determine a tilt angle state to be applied to the antenna based on the type of the waveform defined by the one or more input signals; and

compare a current tilt angle state associated with the antenna to the determined tilt angle state, and transmit a tilt control signal to adjust the down tilt of the angle if the current tilt angle state and the determined tilt angle state differ; and

a memory coupled to the at least one processor.

30. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the one or more input signals explicitly define the tilt angle state corresponding to the waveform.

31. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the processor is further configured to retrieve a stored tilt angle corresponding to the determined type.

32. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the processor is further configured to determine whether the one or more input signals is a single-cell unicast waveform, a multi-cell SFN unicast waveform, or a broadcast SFN waveform.

33. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein each type of waveform corresponds to a different tilt angle state.

34. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein the processor is further configured to select a tilt angle among at least one tilt angle state assigned to each waveform type.

35. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein the multi-cell unicast waveform and the broadcast waveform comprise coordinated waveforms.

36. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the waveform comprises a plurality of different channels in a plurality of different time slots, and wherein the processor is further configured to change the down tilt state between each of two successive time slots having different determined waveform types corresponding to different determined tilt angle states.

37. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the one or more input signals represent a plurality of different waveforms to be transmitted in a time period, and wherein the processor is further configured to transmit a plurality of tilt control signals comprising a sequence of tilt angle states corresponding to each of the plurality of different waveforms, and to adjust the down tilt of the antenna over the time period based on the sequence of tilt angle states in the plurality of tilt control signals.

38. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein the tilt control signal comprises a control signal for adjusting a transmission phase of a portion of the waveform.

39. The apparatus of claim 38, wherein the antenna comprises an antenna array, and wherein the processor is further configured to adjust the phase of a subset of a plurality of antenna coefficients corresponding to a subset of the antenna array.

40. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the processor is further configured to receive tilt control information from a network control entity.

41. The apparatus of claim 40, wherein the tilt control information comprises a timing and a down tilt state received or derived from at least one or a multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBMS) coordination entity (MCE) or a mobility management entity (MME).

42. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the antenna comprises an antenna array having a plurality of antenna elements, and wherein the tilt control signal comprises a control signal for adjusting a transmission phase of the waveform for at least one of the plurality of antenna array elements.

43. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the antenna comprises an antenna array having a plurality of antenna array elements, and wherein the tilt control signal comprises a control signal for adjusting a transmission amplitude of the waveform for at least one of the plurality of antenna array elements.

44. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the antenna comprises an antenna array having a plurality of antenna array elements, and wherein the tilt control signal comprises a control signal for adjusting a transmission phase and a transmission amplitude of the waveform for at least one of the plurality of antenna array elements.

45. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the processor is further configured to determine a sub-type of the waveform, wherein the tilt angle state for a same type of waveform varies depending on the sub-type of the waveform.

46. The apparatus of claim 45, wherein the type of waveform comprises a coordinated type, and wherein the subs-type of the waveform comprises a unicast sub-type or a broadcast sub-type.

47. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the processor is further configured to determine the tilt angle state based on a size of the network, wherein the tilt angle state for a same type of the waveform varies depending on the size of the network.

48. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the processor is further configured to determine the tilt angle state based on a time of day, wherein the tilt angle state for a same type of waveform varies depending on the time of day.

49. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the processor is further configured adjust the down tilt of the antenna based on the tilt control signal.

50. The apparatus of claim 49, wherein the antenna comprises an antenna array having a plurality of antenna array elements, and wherein the processor is configured to apply the tilt control signal to a switched delay phase shifter for adjusting the phase of the waveform for at least one of the plurality of array elements.

51. The apparatus of claim 49, wherein the antenna comprises an antenna array having a plurality of antenna array elements, and wherein the processor is configured to apply the tilt control signal to a hybrid based phase shifter for adjusting the phase of the waveform for at least one of the plurality of array elements.

52. The apparatus of claim 49, wherein the antenna comprises an antenna array having a plurality of antenna array elements, and wherein the processor is configured to apply the tilt control signal to a quarter wave phase shifter for adjusting the phase of the waveform for at least one of the plurality of array elements.

53. A computer readable medium, comprising:

at least one instruction for causing a computer to receive one or more input signals defining a waveform to be transmitted;

at least one instruction for causing the computer to determine a type of the waveform defined by the one or more input signals;

at least one instruction for causing the computer to determine a tilt angle state to be applied to the antenna based on the type of the waveform defined by the one or more input signals; and

at least one instruction for causing the computer to compare a current tilt angle state associated with the antenna to the determined tilt angle state, and transmit a tilt control signal to adjust the down tilt of the angle if the current tilt angle state and the determined tilt angle state differ.

54. An apparatus, comprising:

means for receiving one or more input signals defining a waveform to be transmitted;

means for determining a type of the waveform defined by the one or more input signals;

means for determining a tilt angle state to be applied to an antenna based on the type of the waveform defined by the one or more input signals; and

means for transmitting a tilt control signal to adjust the down tilt of the angle if the determined tilt angle state differs from a current tilt angle state associated with the antenna.