Base station device and transmission method

• US 6,556,845 B1
• Filed: 05/08/2000
• Issued: 04/29/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Godo Kaisha IP Bridge 1 (IP Bridge, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Hiramatsu, Katsuhiko, Ide, Minako
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Thanh Cong
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ewart, James D
• Application Number:
  US09/530,914
• Time in Patent Office: 1,086 Days
• Field of Search: 455/277.1, 455/277.2, 455/278.1, 455/279.1, 455/562, 342/457, 342/383
• US Class Current: 455/562.1
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/246 specially adapted for base stations
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/26 varying the relative phase or relative amplitude of energisation between two or more active radiating elements; varying the distribution of energy across a radiating aperture H01Q3/12, H01Q3/22, H01Q3/24 take precedence
• 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: H01Q 3/30 varying the relative phase between the radiating elements of an array H01Q3/2605, H01Q3/2658, H01Q3/2682, H01Q3/44 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0617 for beam forming
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A multiplication circuit 152 multiplies signals, which are subjected to variable directional transmission, by weighting factors with respect to the respective antennas 101 to 103, and outputs the resultant to combining circuits 155 to 157, respectively. The signals input to the combining circuit 155 are combined and radio modulated by a radio section 104, and transmitted from the antenna 101. Whereby, in a case where variable directional transmission is performed with respect to only some terminal apparatuses, signals, which are subjected to no variable directional transmission, can be transmitted after spreading them from the respective antennas of an array antenna.

Claims

1. A base station apparatus comprising:

an adaptive array antenna for forming directivity using a plurality of antenna elements

a signal divider that divides first signals, which are subjected to variable directional transmission, into signal components whose number is the same as that of said antenna elements;

a weighter that assigns weights to the respective signal components of said first signals;

a signal allocator that allocates second signals, which are subjected to omni-directional transmission, to any one of said antenna elements;

a signal combiner that combines said first and second signals transmitted from the same one of said antenna elements; and

a radio transmitter that radio transmits the combined signal from each of said antenna elements.

2. The base station apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said allocating means spreads the allocating destinations of the respective second signals.

3. The base station apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said allocating means minimizes the difference between the respective antenna elements in the number of second signals to be allocated to the respective antenna elements.

4. The base station apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said allocating means minimizes the difference between the respective antenna elements in transmission power based on transmission power of the weighted first signal components and that of the weighted second signal components.

5. The base station apparatus according to claim 1, wherein connection switches are provided on the way of each path through which said second signals are sent to the antenna element, said allocating means connects said connection switch provided on the way of the antenna element of the allocating destination of the respective second signals, and disconnects the other switches.

6. The base station apparatus according to claim 1, wherein multipliers, which multiply input second signals by coefficients, are provided on the way of each path through which said second signals are sent to the antenna elements, said allocating means outputs a coefficient of “

1”

to the multiplier provided on the way of the antenna element of the allocating destination of the respective second signals, and outputs a coefficient of “

0”

to the other multipliers.

7. A terminal apparatus, which performs radio communications with the base station apparatus described in claim 1.

8. A transmitting method comprising the steps of:

dividing first signals, which are subjected to adaptive directional transmission, into signal components whose number is the same as that of antenna elements of an adaptive array antenna;

assigning weights to the respective signal components of said first signals;

allocating second signals, which are subjected to omni-directional transmission, to any one of said antenna elements;

combining said first and second signals transmitted from the same one of said antenna elements and radio transmitting the combined signal from each of said antenna elements.

9. The transmitting method according to claim 8, wherein said allocating step spreads the allocating destinations of the respective second signals.

10. The transmitting method according to claim 8, wherein said allocating step minimizes the difference between the respective antenna elements in the number of second signals to be allocated to the respective antenna elements.

11. The transmitting method according to claim 8, wherein said allocating step minimizes the difference between the respective antenna elements in transmission power based on transmission power of the weighted first signal components and that of the weighted second signal components.

12. The transmitting method according to claim 8, wherein connection switches are provided on the way of each path through which said second signals are sent to the antenna element, said allocating means connects said connection switch provided on the way of the antenna element of the allocating destination of the respective second signals, and disconnects the other switches.

13. The transmitting method according to claim 8, wherein multipliers, which multiply input second signals by coefficients, are provided on the way of each path through which said second signals are sent to the antenna elements, said allocating means outputs a coefficient of “

1”

to the multiplier provided on the way of the antenna element of the allocating destination of the respective second signals, and outputs a coefficient of “

0”

to the other multipliers.

14. A base station apparatus, comprising:

an adaptive array antenna that provides beam directivity using a plurality of antenna elements

a signal decomposition unit that decomposes a first signal, which is subject to adaptive directional transmission, into signal components, each of the signal components corresponding to a distinct one of the antenna elements;

a weighting unit that assigns a weight to each of the respective signal components of the first signal;

a signal allocator that allocates a second signal, which is subject to non-adaptive directional transmission, to one of the antenna elements;

a combiner that combines the second signal and a designated one of the signal components of the first signal into a combined signal; and

a transmitter that transmits the combined signal from the one of the antenna elements corresponding to the designated signal component and transmits each of the signal components, other than the designated signal component, from the corresponding one of the antenna elements.

15. A transmitting method, comprising:

dividing a first signal that is subject to adaptive directional transmission into signal components, each of the signal components corresponding to a distinct antenna element of an adaptive array antenna comprising a plurality of antenna elements;

assigning a weight to each of the respective signal components of the first signal;

allocating a second signal, which is subject to non-adaptive directional transmission, to one of the antenna elements combining the second signal and a designated one of the signal components of the first signal into a combined signal;

transmitting the combined signal from the one of the antenna elements corresponding to the designated signal component; and

transmitting each of the signal components, other than the designated signal component, from the corresponding one of the antenna elements.