Polarization diversity phased array cellular base station and associated methods

• US 6,201,801 B1
• Filed: 03/02/1998
• Issued: 03/13/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Unwired Planet LLC (JP Morgan Chase & Co)
• Original Assignee: Ericsson, Inc. (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Inventors: Dent, Paul Wilkinson
• Primary Examiner(s): Olms, Douglas
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sam, Phirin
• Application Number:
  US09/033,179
• Time in Patent Office: 1,107 Days
• Field of Search: 370/342, 370/310, 370/312, 370/315, 370/316, 370/321, 370/323, 370/325, 370/326, 370/328, 370/329, 370/334, 370/336, 370/337, 370/338, 370/339, 370/341, 370/345, 370/347, 455/407, 455/408, 455/450, 455/17, 455/509, 455/517, 455/82, 455/78, 455/88, 455/94, 455/103, 455/121, 455/132, 455/179.1
• US Class Current: 370/342
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/246 specially adapted for base stations
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/065 Patch antenna array
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/08 the units being spaced along or adjacent to a rectilinear path waveguide fed H01Q21/0037
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/205 providing an omnidirectional coverage turnstile aerials H01Q21/26
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/24 Combinations of antenna units polarised in different directions for transmitting or receiving circularly and elliptically polarised waves or waves linearly polarised in any direction circularly polarised patch antennas H01Q9/0428; circularly polarised horns H01Q13/0241; cross-polarised horns H01Q13/0258; polarisation converters H01Q15/242; cross-polarised rear feeds H01Q19/136; crossed polarisation dual antenna H01Q25/001
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/0421 with a shorting wall or a shorting pin at one end of the element H01Q9/0414 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/0428 radiating a circular polarised wave
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/0435 using two feed points
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/06 at the transmitting station
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/086 using weights depending on external parameters, e.g. direction of arrival [DOA], predetermined weights or beamforming
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/10 Polarisation diversity; Directional diversity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/00 Network planning, e.g. coverage or traffic planning tools; Network deployment, e.g. resource partitioning or cells structures
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/24 Cell structures
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/28 using beam steering

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.

Claims

1. A mobile station for communicating with a radiotelephone communications system transmitting coded successive signal segments at respective alternating first and second polarizations, said mobile station comprising:

an antenna for receiving said successive signal segments transmitted from said radiotelephone communications system at said respective alternating first and second polarizations; and

a receiver coupled with said antenna wherein said receiver decodes said successive signal segments received at said respective alternating first and second polarizations from said radiotelephone communications system to thereby achieve polarization diversity gain.

2. A mobile station according to claim 1 wherein said coded signal segments transmitted from said radiotelephone communications system are time division multiple access (TDMA) signal segments, and wherein said receiver includes means for receiving said TDMA signal segments.

3. A mobile station according to claim 1 wherein the coded signal segments are transmitted from at least one satellite base station of the radiotelephone communications system.

4. A mobile station according to claim 1 wherein the coded signal segments are transmitted from at least one terrestrial base station of the radiotelephone communications system.

20. A mobile station according to claim 1 wherein the coded successive signal segments comprise interleaved coded successive signal segments and wherein said receiver deinterleaves said interleaved coded successive signal segments received at said respective alternating first and second polarizations.

5. A method for communicating between a radiotelephone communications system and at least one mobile station, the method comprising the steps of:

alternately transmitting successive signal segments from said radiotelephone communications system at respective alternating first and second polarizations; and

receiving said successive signal segments having said respective alternating first and second polarizations at said mobile station to provide polarization diversity gain at said mobile station; and

decoding said successive signal segments received at said alternating first and second polarizations.

6. A method according to claim 5 further comprising the step of generating coded and interleaved time division multiple access signal segments for transmission at said alternating first and second polarizations.

7. A method according to claim 5 wherein said first polarization is right hand-circular-polarization, and wherein said second polarization is left-hand-circular polarization.

8. A method according to claim 5 wherein said successive signal segments are alternately transmitted from at least one satellite base station of said radiotelephone communications system.

9. A method according to claim 5 wherein said successive signal segments are alternately transmitted from at least one terrestrial base station of said radiotelephone communications system.

21. A method according to claim 5 wherein said step of alternately transmitting successive signal segments comprises alternately transmitting interleaved successive signal segments, said method further comprising the step of:

deinterleaving said interleaved successive signal segments received at said alternating polarizations.

10. A method for receiving communications at a mobile station wherein a radiotelephone communications system transmits a first signal segment at a first polarization during a first time slot, wherein the radiotelephone communications system transmits a second signal segment at a second polarization during a second time slot, and wherein the radiotelephone communications system transmits a third signal segment at the first polarization during a third time slot so that the first, second, and third signal segments are alternatingly transmitted at the first and second polarizations, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving the first signal segment from the radiotelephone communications system at the first polarization during the first time slot;

receiving the second signal segment from the radiotelephone communications system at the second polarization during the second time slot;

receiving the third signal segment from the radiotelephone communications system at the first polarization during the third time slot so that the first, second, and third signal segments are alternatingly received at the first and second polarizations; and

decoding the first, second, and third signal segments at the mobile station to provide polarization diversity gain at the mobile station.

11. A method according to claim 10 wherein the first time slot comprises a first time division multiple access (TDMA) time slot, wherein the second time slot comprises a second time division multiple access (TDMA) time slot, and wherein the third time slot comprises a third time division multiple access (TDMA) time slot.

12. A method according to claim 10 wherein the first polarization is right-hand-circular polarization and wherein the second polarization is left-hand circular polarization.

13. A method according to claim 10 wherein said firsts second, and third signal segments are transmitted from at least one satellite of the radiotelephone communications system.

14. A method according to claim 10 wherein the first, second, and third signal segments are transmitted from at least one terrestrial base station of the radiotelephone communications system.

22. A method according to claim 10 wherein the first, second, and third signals segments are interleaved, said method further comprising the step of:

deinterleaving said interleaved signal segments received at said alternating polarizations.

15. A mobile station for providing communications with a radiotelephone communications system wherein the radiotelephone communications system transmits a first signal segment at a first polarization during a first time slot, wherein the radiotelephone communications system transmits a second signal segment at a second polarization during a second time slot, and wherein the radiotelephone communications system transmits a third signal segment at the first polarization during a third time slot so that the first, second, and third signal segments are alternatingly transmitted at the first and second polarizations, the mobile station comprising:

a receiver which receives the first signal segment from the radiotelephone communications system at the first polarization during the first time slot, which receives the second signal segment from the radiotelephone communications system at the second polarization during the second time slot, and which receives the third signal segment from the radiotelephone communications system at the first polarization so that the first, second, and third signal segments are alternatingly received at the first and second polarizations; and

a decoder coupled to said receiver wherein said decoder decodes the first, second, and third signal segments at the mobile station to provide polarization diversity gain at the mobile station.

16. A mobile station according to claim 15 wherein the first time slot comprises a first time division multiple access (TDMA) time slot and wherein the second time slot comprises a second time division multiple access (TDMA) time slot.

17. A mobile station according to claim 15 wherein the first polarization is right-hand-circular polarization and wherein the second polarization is left-hand-circular polarization.

18. A mobile station according to claim 15 wherein said firsts second, and third signal segments are transmitted from at least one satellite of the radiotelephone communications system.

19. A mobile station according to claim 15 wherein the first, second, and third signal segments are transmitted from at least one terrestrial base station of the radiotelephone communications system.

23. A mobile station according to claim 15 wherein the first, second, and third signal segments are interleaved, and wherein the decoder deinterleaves said interleaved signal segments received at said alternating polarizations.