COMMUNICATION SYSTEM FOR MOBILE USERS USING ADAPTIVE ANTENNA WITH AUXILIARY ELEMENTS

• US 20130172029A1
• Filed: 02/20/2013
• Published: 07/04/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DIRECTV, LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: The DIRECTV Group, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Chang, Donald C. D., Lim, Wah L., Chang, Ming U.
• Granted Patent: US 8,706,167 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/501
• 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: H01Q 3/2605 Array of radiating elements provided with a feedback control over the element weights, e.g. adaptive arrays
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0408 using two or more beams, i.e. beam diversity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/26 Cell enhancers or enhancement, e.g. for tunnels, building shadow
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/28 using beam steering
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/042 Public Land Mobile systems, e.g. cellular systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/085 Access point devices with remote components

Abstract

A communication system communications system for communicating with mobile user terminals includes a base station having an adaptive antenna with a plurality of panels. Each of the plurality of panels are arranged to have a different field of view. Each panel has a plurality of main array antenna elements for simultaneously generating a plurality of dynamic communication beams that move with the mobile terminals and a plurality of auxiliary elements separate from the plurality of main array antenna elements used for interference cancelling signals cancelling interference between the plurality of dynamic communication beams generated by the plurality of main array elements. A gateway station is coupled to the base station. The gateway station forms a plurality of beams commands for each of the plurality of panels by communicating a plurality of control signals to the base station to form the plurality of dynamic communication beams.

Claims

1. A communications system for communicating with mobile user terminals comprising:

a base station having an adaptive antenna with a plurality of panels, each of the plurality of panels arranged to have a different field of view, each panel having a plurality of main array antenna elements for simultaneously generating a plurality of dynamic communication beams that move with the mobile terminals and a plurality of auxiliary elements separate from the plurality of main array antenna elements used for interference cancelling signals cancelling interference between the plurality of dynamic communication beams generated by the plurality of main array elements; and

a gateway station coupled to said base station, said gateway station forming a plurality of beams commands for each of the plurality of panels by communicating a plurality of control signals to the base station to form the plurality of dynamic communication beams.

2. The communications system as recited in claim 1 wherein the plurality of main array elements exclusively generate the plurality of dynamic communication beams.

3. The communications system as recited in claim 1 further comprising a main digital beam forming networks coupled to the plurality of main array antenna elements for generating the plurality of dynamic communication beams and an auxiliary digital beam forming network coupled to the plurality of auxiliary elements.

4. The communications system as recited in claim 3 wherein the plurality of auxiliary elements are weighted in a weight update block weighted to provide interference cancelling for the plurality of dynamic communication beams.

5. The communications system as recited in claim 4 wherein the weighted update block provides a weight for each of the plurality of dynamic beams.

6. The communications system as recited in claim 4 wherein a first output of the weighted update block is combined with a second output of the auxiliary beam forming circuit to form weighted portions of the auxiliary elements.

7. The communications system as recited in claim 6 wherein the weighted portions of the auxiliary elements are combined with element signals from the main array elements.

8. The communications system as recited in claim 1 wherein the plurality of auxiliary elements are used for cancelling side lobe interference of the plurality of dynamic communication beams.

9. The communications system as recited in claim 1 wherein the gateway station is positioned on a stratospheric platform.

10. The communications system as recited in claim 1 wherein the adaptive antenna comprises a phased array antenna.

11. The communications system as recited in claim 1 wherein the main array antenna elements are modular and wherein the main array elements for each one of the plurality of panels covers a same field of view.

12. The communications system as recited in claim 1 wherein the main array antenna elements comprise a plurality of modules coupled to a bus.

13. The communications system as recited in claim 12 wherein the bus is coupled to a controller.

14. The communications system as recited in claim 1 further comprising a plurality of user terminals receiving at least one of the plurality of dynamic communication beams.

15. A method of operating a communication system having a gateway station, a plurality of mobile terminals and a plurality base station comprising:

generating a first control signal at the gateway station corresponding to a plurality of main array elements of a plurality of panels of a plurality of adaptive antennas of a plurality of base stations;

generating a second control signal at the gateway station corresponding to a plurality of auxiliary elements of the plurality of panels of the plurality of adaptive antennas separate from the plurality of main array elements of the plurality of base stations;

communicating the first control signals and the second control signals to the plurality of base stations;

generating a plurality of dynamic communication beams from the main array elements that move with the mobile terminals; and

cancelling interference between the plurality dynamic communication beams with interference cancelling signals from the auxiliary elements.

16. The method as recited in claim 15 wherein generating the plurality of dynamic communication beams comprises generating the plurality of dynamic communication beams exclusively from the plurality of main array elements.

17. The method as recited in claim 15 wherein generating the plurality of dynamic communication beams from the main array elements comprises generating the plurality of dynamic communication beams using a main digital beam forming network and wherein cancelling interference comprises cancelling interference from using an auxiliary digital beam forming network coupled to the plurality of auxiliary elements.

18. The method as recited in claim 17 further comprising weighting the plurality of auxiliary elements in a weight update block to provide interference cancelling for the plurality of dynamic communication beams.

19. The method as recited in claim 18 further comprising weighting each of the plurality of dynamic communication beams.

20. The method as recited in claim 18 further comprising combining a first output of the weighted update block with a second output of the auxiliary beam forming circuit to form weighted portions of the auxiliary elements.

21. The method as recited in claim 20 further comprising combining the weighted portions of the auxiliary elements with element signals from the main array elements.

22. The method as recited in claim 15 wherein cancelling interference comprises cancelling side lobe interference of the plurality of dynamic communication beams.

23. The method as recited in claim 15 further comprising receiving at least one of the plurality of dynamic communication beams at a plurality of user terminals.