Structure of cells within a mobile communication system

• US 5,551,060 A
• Filed: 08/28/1992
• Issued: 08/27/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: NTT Mobile Communications Network Inc. (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation
• Inventors: Sakamoto, Masayuki, Fujii, Teruya
• Primary Examiner(s): Faile, Andrew
• Assistant Examiner(s): TO, DORIS HA
• Application Number:
  US07/936,450
• Time in Patent Office: 1,460 Days
• Field of Search: 455/33.1, 455/33.2, 455/33.3, 455/33.4, 455/54.1, 455/54.2, 455/56.1, 455/62, 455/101, 455/129, 343/890, 343/891, 379/58, 379/59, 379/60
• US Class Current: 455/447
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/02 Resource partitioning among network components, e.g. reuse partitioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/12 Fixed resource partitioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/24 Cell structures
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/28 using beam steering
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/30 Special cell shapes, e.g. doughnuts or ring cells
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/32 Hierarchical cell structures

Abstract

A re-use partition of cells in a mobile communication system has an outer cell (30) and an inner cell (20) which is provided in the outer cell (30). An interval of cells using the same channel or the same frequency in the inner cells is shorter than an interval in the outer cells, which is the nature of a re-use partition. Communication between a base station and a mobile station is carried out by using a channel having a higher received level of an outer cell channel or an inner cell channel. A base station has a first beam tilt antenna having tilt angle (Θ_out) for an outer cell (30), and a second beam tilt antenna having tilt angle (Θ_in) so that Θ_in is larger than Θ_out. A speech channel and a control channel are provided for each of the first antenna and the second antenna.

Claims

1. A mobile communication system having a plurality of radio cells for a service area so that each radio cell is assigned a respective channel, and a same channel is used in a plurality of radio cells which are apart from each other by more than a predetermined distance, said mobile communication system comprising:

a first cell provided in one of said radio cells, said first cell accessed by a first antenna provided in a base station, said first antenna having a first vertical directivity;

a second cell provided in said one of said radio cells, said second cell is smaller than said first cell, said second cell being provided within said first cell and being concentric and overlapped by said first cell and said second cell is accessed by a second antenna which is provided in said base station, said second antenna having a second vertical directivity which is different from said first antenna, wherein a cell area, in which said same channel is used in said second cell, is smaller than a cell area that said same channel is used in said first cell, and wherein each cell having a respective channel; and

each cell including a control channel transceiver means for controlling each respective cell,

wherein communication between a mobile station and said base station being effected through a channel having a higher signal received level in one of a communication channel and a control channel.

2. A mobile communication system according to claim 1, wherein each of said first antenna and said second antenna is a beam tilt antenna having a respective beam tilt angle.

3. A mobile communication system according to claim 2, wherein effective input power to said first and second antennas depends upon each antenna for each cell.

4. A mobile communication system according to claim 1, wherein said first cell and said second cell are in omni-structure.

5. A mobile communication system according to claim 1, wherein said first cell and said second cell are in sector structure.

6. A mobile communication system according to claim 1, wherein said first cell is in sector structure, and said second cell is in omni-structure.

7. A mobile communication system according to claim 1, wherein comparison of received levels of two channels relating to each cell and selection of cells are carried out in said mobile station.

8. A mobile communication system according to claim 7, wherein said selection of cells is effected based upon received level of said control channel provided for each cell.

9. A mobile communication system according to claim 1, wherein comparison of received levels of two channels relating to each cell and selection of cells are carried out in said base station.

10. A mobile communication system according to claim 9, wherein said selection of cells is effected in said base station based upon said higher received level of said control channel which is common to each cell.

11. A mobile communication system according to claim 9, wherein said selection of cells is effected in said base station based upon said higher received level of a speech channel.

12. A mobile communication system according to claim 1, further comprising a third antenna provided in a third cell within and concentric and overlapped by said second cell, a respective communication channel and a control channel are provided in said third cell, and communication is carried out by using the highest received level of the channels within the three cells.

13. A mobile communication system according to claim 1, wherein when all the channels in said second cell are full and some of the channels in said first cell are available, a channel in said first cell is assigned to said mobile station which stays in said second cell.

14. A mobile communication system according to claim 13, wherein said mobile station which stays in said second cell, and is assigned a speech channel of said first cell, hands over said speech channel to that of said second cell, when a channel in said second cell becomes available.

15. A mobile communication system according to claim 1, wherein said first and second antennas are sector antennas.

16. A mobile communication system according to claim 1, wherein said first antenna is a directional antenna and said second antenna is a non-directional antenna.

17. A mobile communication system according to claim 1, wherein said first antenna is a sector antenna and said second antenna is an omni-antenna.