Wireless communication network

• US 6,728,554 B1
• Filed: 09/11/2000
• Issued: 04/27/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Systems LLC
• Original Assignee: International Systems LLC
• Inventors: Wegner, Allan
• Primary Examiner(s): Appiah, Charles
• Assistant Examiner(s): CRAVER, CHARLES R
• Application Number:
  US09/659,010
• Time in Patent Office: 1,324 Days
• Field of Search: 455/562, 455/561, 455/560, 455/296, 455/272, 455/273, 455/269, 455/226--22, 455/422, 455/423, 455/424, 455/446-449, 455/25-63, 455/121, 342/373, 342/374, 342/432-437, 343/799, 343/800, 343/810-820
• US Class Current: 455/562.1
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/246 specially adapted for base stations
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/24 varying the orientation by switching energy from one active radiating element to another, e.g. for beam switching
• 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: H04B 7/0408 using two or more beams, i.e. beam diversity
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/088 using beam selection

Abstract

A wireless communication network which includes an antenna array for receiving and transmitting signals to and from remote users which is capable of adapting to widely varying traffic levels. Different antenna elements can be turned on during high user periods and off when there are fewer users. Also, beam width can be varied, with fewer antennas having wide beams in use when traffic levels are low and more antennas with narrow beams when traffic is high. Generally, the maximum capability uses 180 antenna elements with beam widths of about 2° to cover a full 360°. This network can act as either a circuit switched network or a packet switched network, as desired.

Claims

1. A wireless communication network which comprises;

a central facility comprising a plurality of radially arranged, substantially equally spaced, antenna elements for transmitting signals to, and receiving signals from, remote users;

said antenna elements having beam widths totaling at least about 360°

each of said antenna elements capable of simultaneous two way communication with multiple of said remote users;

each of said beam widths formed by one or a plurality of said antenna elements, the size of said beam widths being inversely proportional to the number of antenna elements forming it;

control means for increasing and decreasing beam width in inverse proportion to the number of active remote users; and

means for turning some of said antenna elements on in inverse proportion to the number of said users and off in inverse proportion to the number of active remote users.

2. The wireless communications network according to claim 1 including a circuit switched network including a multiplexer to combine and route multiple circuit switched digital data streams between said central facility and said antenna elements.

3. The wireless communications network according to claim 2 wherein said circuit switched network includes switch for connecting to a public switched telephone network, a multiplexer connected to said switch and a beam selector comprising a distribution network and beam former for connection to said antenna elements.

4. The wireless communications network according to claim 3 wherein said public switched network further includes a gateway for connection to a public switched telephone network, a router and a distribution network beam selector for connection to said antenna elements.

5. The wireless communications network according to claim 1 including a packet switched network including a router to combine and route multiple circuit switched digital data streams between said central facility and said antenna elements.

6. The wireless communication network according to claim 4 further including a beam shaper/null steerer unit connected between said transceiver modem modules and said switchable Butler matrix to optimize the received beam shape for each signal from each antenna module to maximize received signal to noise ratio.

7. The wireless communications network according to claim 1 including an amplifier module and a transceiver modem module for each antenna element and a Butler matrix to cause a beam of predetermined beamwidth to be radiated under control of a microprocessor-based controller.

8. The wireless communications network according to claim 1 further including a receiver beam shaper/null steerer mans to optimize the received beam shape for each channel to maximize received signal-to-noise ratio.

9. The wireless communications network, and control means for increasing beam width as the number of users decreases and decreasing beam width as the number of users increases;

and

means for turning some antenna elements of said array on as said number of users increases and off as said number of users decreases according to claim 1 wherein said means for increasing and decreasing beam width has the capacity to vary beam angular width from about 2 to 120 degrees.

10. A wireless communications network which comprises:

a multiplexer for combining and routing multiple circuit switched, serial, digital data streams to and from a central office;

a distribution network for routing serial digital data streams between said multiplexer and predetermined antenna beams and to optimize and select beam widths;

a plurality of transceiver modem modules for converting an incoming serial digital stream from said distribution network to a modulated radio frequency stream for transmission by antenna beams and for converting a modulated radio frequency signal from antennas back into a serial digital data stream for transmission to said central office via said distribution network;

a switchable Butler matrix to receive a modulated radio frequency stream from said transceiver modules and direct it to said antennas at an optimum bandwidth and to receive a modulated radio frequency stream from said antennas and direct it to said transceiver modules;

a plurality of amplifier modules to amplify said modulated radio frequency streams passing to and from said switchable Butler matrix; and

an antenna element array, each antenna element of said antenna element array capable of simultaneous two way communication with multiple remote users, each of said antenna elements for transmitting signals received from said amplifier modules and to direct received signals to said amplifier modules.

11. A method of providing wireless communication between a central facility and remote users, which comprises the steps of:

providing a plurality of radially arranged, substantially equally spaced, antenna elements for transmitting signals to, and receiving signals from, remote users;

said antenna elements together having beam widths covering at least about 360°

;

when the number of users decreases, turning some of said antenna elements off and expanding beam width of the antenna elements remaining on to maintain said coverage; and

when the number of users increases turning more of said antenna elements on and reducing beam width to maintain said coverage.