Method and apparatus for providing redundant coverage within a cellular communication system
First Claim
1. In a cellular subscriber communication system in which a cell-site is used to communicate information signals to and from users within a first cell having a plurality of sectors, said cell-site including a plurality of communication transceivers in communication through a sectored antenna arrangement with said users disposed in corresponding ones of said plurality of sectors, said sectored antenna arrangement comprising:
- an antenna array having a plurality of antenna elements for projecting a corresponding plurality of antenna beams over said plurality of sectors; and
an antenna feed network for connecting said antenna elements to selected ones of said communication transceivers, said antenna feed network including a combiner array for combining selected ones of said antenna beams upon one of said communication transceivers becoming inoperative, and a switch network for providing the resultant combined beam to an operative one of said communication transceivers.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system and method for using a sectored antenna arrangement within a cellular base station to provide redundant coverage within the surrounding cell is disclosed herein. An antenna feed network connects elements of the sectored antenna arrangement to a set of communication transceivers, wherein the feed network includes a combiner array for combining selected ones of the antenna beams upon failure of one of the communication transceivers. A switch network serves to provide the resultant combined beam to an operative one of the communication transceivers.
Alternately, the sectored antenna arrangement includes an antenna array having a plurality of switchable antenna elements, each connected to one of the communication transceivers. The switchable antenna elements project a set of variable-width antenna beams over the plurality of cell sectors. Upon one of the communication transceivers becoming inoperative, an antenna control network operates to adjust beam width of a selected one of the variable-width antenna beams by switching configuration of an associated one of the switchable antenna elements.
In another approach each antenna within a primary array is disposed to project a beam over a single sector, while each element within a redundant array is designed to encompass a pair of adjacent sectors. Upon one of the transceivers becoming inoperative, a transceiver nominally assigned to cover a sector neighboring the failed sector is connected to the element within the redundant array encompassing both the failed and neighboring sectors.
88 Citations
20 Claims
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1. In a cellular subscriber communication system in which a cell-site is used to communicate information signals to and from users within a first cell having a plurality of sectors, said cell-site including a plurality of communication transceivers in communication through a sectored antenna arrangement with said users disposed in corresponding ones of said plurality of sectors, said sectored antenna arrangement comprising:
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an antenna array having a plurality of antenna elements for projecting a corresponding plurality of antenna beams over said plurality of sectors; and an antenna feed network for connecting said antenna elements to selected ones of said communication transceivers, said antenna feed network including a combiner array for combining selected ones of said antenna beams upon one of said communication transceivers becoming inoperative, and a switch network for providing the resultant combined beam to an operative one of said communication transceivers. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
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5. In a cellular subscriber communication system in which a cell-site is used to communicate information signals to and from users within a first cell having a plurality of sectors, said cell-site including a plurality of communication transceivers in communication through a sectored antenna arrangement with said users disposed in corresponding ones of said plurality of sectors, said sectored antenna arrangement comprising:
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a first antenna array for projecting a first set of antenna beams wherein each antenna of said beams is projected over one of said sectors, each of said antenna beams being processed by one of said plurality of communication transceivers; a second antenna array for projecting a second set of antenna beams, wherein each antenna beam within said second set is projected over a group of at least two of said sectors and is processed by one of said communication transceivers; and a switching network for selectively connecting said communication transceivers to said first and second antenna arrays. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7)
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8. In a cellular subscriber communication system in which a cell-site is used to communicate information signals to and from users within a first cell having a plurality of sectors, said cell-site including a plurality of communication transceivers in communication through a sectored antenna arrangement with said users disposed in corresponding ones of said plurality of sectors, said sectored antenna arrangement comprising:
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an antenna array including a plurality of switchable antenna elements for projecting a set of variable-width antenna beams over said plurality of sectors, each of said switchable antenna elements being connected to one of said communication transceivers; and an antenna control network for adjusting beam width of a selected one of said variable-width antenna beams upon one of said communication transceivers becoming inoperative by switching configuration of an associated one of said switchable antenna elements. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. In a cellular subscriber communication system in which a cell-site is used to communicate information signals to and from users within a first cell having a plurality of sectors, said cell-site including a plurality of communication transceivers in communication through a sectored antenna arrangement with said users disposed in corresponding ones of said plurality of sectors, said sectored antenna arrangement comprising:
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an antenna array including a plurality of switchable antenna elements for projecting a set of variable-width antenna beams over said plurality of sectors, each of said switchable antenna elements including a set of radiative elements switchably connected to one of said communication transceivers; an array of switches for switchably connecting said radiative elements to said communication transceivers; and an antenna control network for adjusting beam width of a selected one of said variable-width antenna beams upon one of said communication transceivers becoming inoperative by changing state of selected ones of said switches. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18)
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19. In a cellular subscriber communication system in which a cell-site is used to communicate information signals to and from users within a first cell having a plurality of sectors, said cell-site including a plurality of communication transceivers in communication through a sectored antenna arrangement with said users disposed in corresponding ones of said plurality of sectors, a method for providing redundant coverage of said sectors comprising the steps of:
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projecting a plurality of antenna beams over said plurality of sectors using a corresponding plurality of antenna elements; connecting said antenna elements to selected ones of said communication transceivers and combining selected ones of said antenna beams upon failure of one of said communication transceivers; and providing the resultant combined beam to an operative one of said communication transceivers.
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20. In a cellular subscriber communication system in which a cell-site is used to communicate information signals to and from users within a first cell having a plurality of sectors, said cell-site including a plurality of communication transceivers in communication through a sectored antenna arrangement with said users disposed in corresponding ones of said plurality of sectors, a method for providing redundant coverage of said sectors comprising the steps of:
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projecting a set of variable-width antenna beams over said plurality of sectors using a corresponding plurality of switchable antenna elements wherein selected ones of said switchable antenna elements are connected to corresponding ones of said communication transceivers; and adjusting beam width of a selected one of said variable-width antenna beams upon one of said communication transceivers becoming inoperative by switching configuration of an associated one of said switchable antenna elements.
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Specification