Polarization diversity phased array cellular base station and associated methods
First Claim
1. A base station for communicating with at least one mobile station in a cellular communications system, said base station comprising:
- a first antenna array comprising a first plurality of receive antenna elements for receiving signals having a first polarization and being oriented to define a first receive coverage area;
a second antenna array comprising a second plurality of receive antenna elements for receiving signals having a second polarization different from said first polarization and being oriented to define a second receive coverage area;
antenna mounting means for mounting said first and second antenna arrays so that said first and second receive coverage areas are overlapping; and
polarization diversity receiver means connected to said first and second pluralities of receive antenna elements for processing respective first and second receive signals having said first and second polarizations from a mobile station in said overlapping area to generate an enhanced quality output receive signal based upon polarization diversity reception;
wherein said first antenna array further comprises a first plurality of transmit antenna elements arranged in a predetermined pattern for transmitting signals having said second polarization to thereby provide polarization isolation from said first plurality of receive antenna elements; and
wherein said second antenna array comprises a second plurality of transmit antenna elements arranged in a predetermined pattern for transmitting signals having said first polarization to thereby provide polarization isolation from said second plurality of receive antenna elements.
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0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A base station includes first and second antenna arrays for receiving first and second rotational polarizations, and a polarization diversity receiver connected to the first and second antenna arrays for processing respective first and second receive signals from a mobile station to generate an enhanced quality output receive signal based upon polarization diversity reception. Polarization isolation between the transmit and receive antenna elements may also provided by having a first plurality of transmit antenna elements for the second polarization mounted on a substrate carrying the first receive antenna elements. The second antenna array includes a second plurality of antenna elements of second polarization on a substrate carrying the second receive antenna elements. To achieve polarization diversity gain at the mobile station, the base station preferably further includes an alternating polarization transmitter for alternately transmitting signals at respective alternating first and second rotational polarizations. Method aspects of the invention are also disclosed.
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Citations
54 Claims
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1. A base station for communicating with at least one mobile station in a cellular communications system, said base station comprising:
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a first antenna array comprising a first plurality of receive antenna elements for receiving signals having a first polarization and being oriented to define a first receive coverage area; a second antenna array comprising a second plurality of receive antenna elements for receiving signals having a second polarization different from said first polarization and being oriented to define a second receive coverage area; antenna mounting means for mounting said first and second antenna arrays so that said first and second receive coverage areas are overlapping; and polarization diversity receiver means connected to said first and second pluralities of receive antenna elements for processing respective first and second receive signals having said first and second polarizations from a mobile station in said overlapping area to generate an enhanced quality output receive signal based upon polarization diversity reception; wherein said first antenna array further comprises a first plurality of transmit antenna elements arranged in a predetermined pattern for transmitting signals having said second polarization to thereby provide polarization isolation from said first plurality of receive antenna elements; and
wherein said second antenna array comprises a second plurality of transmit antenna elements arranged in a predetermined pattern for transmitting signals having said first polarization to thereby provide polarization isolation from said second plurality of receive antenna elements. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A base station for communicating with at least one mobile station in a cellular communications system, said base station comprising:
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a first antenna array comprising a first elongate substrate and a first plurality of receive antenna elements for receiving signals having a first polarization and being arranged on said first elongate substrate in a predetermined pattern to define a first receive coverage area; a second antenna array comprising a second elongate substrate and a second plurality of receive antenna elements for receiving signals having a second polarization different from said first polarization and being arranged on said second elongate substrate in a predetermined pattern to define a second receive coverage area overlapping with said first receive coverage area; and polarization diversity receiver means connected to said first and second pluralities of receive antenna elements for processing respective first and second receive signals received from a mobile station to generate an enhanced quality output receive signal based upon polarization diversity reception; wherein said first antenna array further comprises a first plurality of transmit antenna elements arranged in a predetermined pattern on said first elongate substrate for transmitting signals having said second polarization to thereby provide polarization isolation from said first plurality of receive antenna elements; and
wherein said second antenna array comprises a second plurality of transmit antenna elements arranged in a predetermined pattern on said second elongate substrate for transmitting signals having said first polarization to thereby provide polarization isolation from said second plurality of receive antenna elements. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A cellular base station for communicating with at least one mobile station in a cellular communications system over one of a plurality of cellular communications channels, said base station comprising:
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a first antenna array comprising a first plurality of transmit antenna elements for transmitting signals having a first polarization to the mobile station over the cellular communications channel and being arranged in a predetermined pattern to define a first transmit coverage area; a second antenna array comprising a second plurality of transmit antenna elements for transmitting signals having a second polarization different from said first polarization to the mobile station over the cellular communications channel and being arranged in a predetermined pattern to have a second transmit coverage area overlapping with said first transmit coverage area; and alternating polarization transmitter means operatively connected to said first and second antenna arrays for alternately transmitting signal segments from said first and second antenna arrays to the mobile station to provide enhanced received signal quality at the mobile station; wherein said first antenna array further comprises a first plurality of receive antenna elements arranged in a predetermined pattern for receiving signals having said second polarization from the mobile station over the cellular communications channel to thereby provide polarization isolation from said first plurality of transmit antenna elements; and wherein said second antenna array further comprises a second plurality of receive antenna elements arranged in a predetermined pattern for receiving signals having said first polarization from the mobile station over the cellular communications channel to thereby provide polarization isolation from said second plurality of transmit antenna elements. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
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32. A base station for communicating with at least one mobile station in a cellular communications system, said base station comprising:
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a first antenna array comprising a first plurality of receive antenna elements for receiving signals having a first polarization and being arranged in a predetermined pattern to define a first receive coverage area, a first plurality of transmit antenna elements arranged in a predetermined pattern for transmitting signals having a second polarization different from said first polarization to define a first transmit coverage area and to thereby provide polarization isolation from said first plurality of receive antenna elements;
a second antenna array comprisinga second plurality of receive antenna elements for receiving signals having said second polarization and being arranged in a predetermined pattern to define a second receive coverage area overlapping said first receive coverage area, and a second plurality of transmit antenna elements for transmitting signals having said first polarization and being arranged in a predetermined pattern to define a second transmit coverage area overlapping said first transmit coverage area and to thereby provide polarization isolation from said second plurality of receive antenna elements; polarization diversity receiver means connected to said first and second pluralities of receive antenna elements for processing respective first and second receive signals received from a mobile station to generate an enhanced quality output receive signal based upon polarization diversity reception; and alternating polarization transmitter means connected to said first and second pluralities of transmitter antenna elements for alternately transmitting signals at respective alternating first and second polarizations to provide enhanced received signal quality at a mobile station. - View Dependent Claims (33, 34, 35, 36, 37)
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38. A method for operating a cellular base station for communicating with at least one mobile station, the method comprising the steps of:
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receiving a first signal from a mobile station at a first polarization; receiving a second signal from said mobile station at a polarization different from said first polarization; processing said first and second receive signals to generate an enhanced quality output receive signal based upon polarization diversity reception wherein said step of receiving said first signal comprises receiving same via a first plurality of receive antenna elements arranged in a predetermined pattern, and wherein said step of receiving said second signal comprises receiving same via a second plurality of receive antenna elements arranged in a predetermined pattern; transmitting signals having said second polarization from adjacent said first plurality of receive antenna elements to thereby provide polarization isolation; and transmitting signals having said first polarization from adjacent said second plurality of receive antenna elements to thereby provide polarization isolation. - View Dependent Claims (39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45)
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46. A cellular base station for communicating with at least one mobile station in a cellular communications system over one of a plurality of cellular communications channels, said base station comprising:
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a plurality of receive antennas, a first one of said receive antennas for receiving signals having a first polarization from the mobile station over the cellular communications channel and defining a first receive coverage area, and a second one of said receive antennas adjacent said first receive antenna for receiving signals having a second polarization from the mobile station over the cellular communications channel and defining a second receive coverage area; support means for supporting said plurality of antennas such that said first and second receive antennas are oriented so that said first and second receive coverage areas overlap thereby defining an overlap receive coverage area; and a plurality of polarization diversity receivers, each of said polarization diversity receivers being connected to at least two adjacent receive coverage antennas, a first one of said polarization diversity receivers being connected to said first and second receive antennas for processing respective first and second receive signals having said first and second polarizations and received from the mobile station in said overlap receive coverage area to generate an enhanced quality output receive signal based upon polarization diversity reception; a plurality of transmit antennas, a first one of said transmit antennas for transmitting signals having said second polarization to the mobile station over the cellular communications channel and defining a first transmit coverage area, and a second one of said transmit antennas for transmitting signals having said first polarization to the mobile station over the cellular communications channel and defining a second transmit coverage area, wherein said support means supports said first and second transmit antennas so that said first and second transmit coverage areas overlap, so that said first receive coverage area and said first transmit coverage area overlap, and so that said second receive coverage area and said second transmit coverage area overlap. - View Dependent Claims (47, 48)
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49. A base station for communicating with at least one mobile station in a cellular communications system, said base station comprising:
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a plurality of antennas, a first one of said antennas receiving signals having a first polarity and transmitting signals having a second polarity and defining a first coverage area, and a second one of said antennas receiving signals having said second polarity and transmitting signals having said first polarity and defining a second coverage area; support means for supporting said plurality of antennas such that said first and second coverage areas overlap thereby defining an overlap coverage area; and a plurality of polarization diversity receivers, each of said polarization diversity receivers being connected to at least two antennas, one of said polarization diversity receivers being connected to said first and second antennas for processing respective first and second receive signals having said first and second polarizations and received from a mobile station in said overlap coverage area to generate an enhanced quality output receive signal based upon polarization diversity reception. - View Dependent Claims (50, 51)
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52. A cellular base station for communicating with at least one mobile station in a cellular communications system over one of a plurality of cellular communications channels, said base station comprising:
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a first antenna defining a first coverage area, wherein said first antenna receives signals having a first polarization from the mobile station over the cellular communications channel and transmits signals having a second polarization to the mobile station over the cellular communications channel to thereby provide polarization isolation; a second antenna adjacent said first antenna defining a second coverage area, wherein said second antenna receives signals having said second polarization from the mobile station over the cellular communications channel and transmits signals having said first polarization to the mobile station over the cellular communications channel to thereby provide polarization isolation; and support means for supporting said first and second receive antennas so that said first and second coverage areas overlap thereby defining an overlap coverage area. - View Dependent Claims (53, 54)
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Specification