Radio receiver and receiving method for controlling the beam-width of an antenna

• US 7,046,965 B2
• Filed: 02/14/2003
• Issued: 05/16/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Inventors: Otsu, Toru, Maeda, Koji, Aburakawa, Yuji
• Primary Examiner(s): Milord, Marceau
• Application Number:
  US10/366,346
• Publication Number:
  US 20030157897A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,187 Days
• Field of Search: 455/501, 455/67.11, 455/67.16, 455/561, 455/562.1, 455/63.1, 455/101, 455/114.2, 455/296, 455/295, 342/372, 342/367, 342/373
• US Class Current: 455/67.13
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/246 specially adapted for base stations
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 25/00 Antennas or antenna systems providing at least two radiating patterns arrangements for changing or varying the orientation or the shape of the directional pattern H01Q3/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/2611 Means for null steering; Adaptive interference nulling
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/28 varying the amplitude

Abstract

A radio receiver is provided with a beam-width-variable antenna that receives a radio signal and is capable of changing the beam-width; an interference canceler for removing interference waves from the received radio signal and outputting an interference-wave-removed signal; a measuring device for measuring reception quality of the received signal based on the interference-wave-removed signal; and a beam-width controller for controlling the beam-width of the beam-width-variable antenna based on the reception quality from the measuring device.

Claims

1. A radio receiver comprising:

a beam-width-variable antenna that receives a radio signal and is capable of changing a beam-width thereof;

an interference canceller configured to remove interference waves from the received radio signal and outputting an interference-wave-removed signal;

a measuring device configured to measure reception quality of the received signal based on the interference-wave-removed signal; and

a beam-width controller configured to control the beam-width of the beam-width variable antenna based on the reception quality received from the measuring device.

2. A radio receiver as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the reception quality is determined by a carrier-to-interference ratio (CIR).

3. The radio receiver as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the reception quality is determined by a received-signal-to-interference ratio.

4. The radio receiver as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the beam-width controller narrows the beam-width of the antenna when the reception quality is lower than a predetermined threshold.

5. The radio receiver as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the beam-width controller broadens the beam-width of the antenna when the reception quality is higher than a predetermined threshold.

6. The radio receiver as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the beam-width controller narrows the beam-width of the antenna when the reception quality is lower than a first predetermined threshold, and broadens the beam-width of the antenna when the reception quality is higher than a second predetermined threshold that is larger than the first predetermined threshold.

7. A base station comprising:

a beam-width-variable antenna that receives a radio signal and is capable of changing a beam-width thereof;

an interference canceller configured to remove interference waves from the received radio signal and outputting an interference-wave-removed signal;

a measuring device configured to measure reception quality of the received signal based on the interference-wave-removed signal; and

a beam-width controller configured to control the beam-width of the beam-width variable antenna based on the reception quality received from the measuring device,

wherein a base station employing the receiver is configured to communicate with a plurality of other base stations at the same time.

8. A mobile communication system comprising

a beam-width-variable antenna that receives a radio signal and is capable of changing a beam-width thereof;

an interference canceller configured to remove interference waves from the received radio signal and outputting an interference-wave-removed signal;

a measuring device configured to measure reception quality of the received signal based on the interference-wave-removed signal; and

a beam-width controller configured to control the beam-width of the beam-width variable antenna based on the reception quality received from the measuring device, wherein

a base station employing the receiver is configured to communicate with a plurality of other base stations at the same time, and is configured to establish a radio entrance network between the base stations.

9. A radio receiving method, comprising the steps of:

receiving a radio signal using a beam-width-variable antenna capable of changing a beam-width thereof;

removing interference waves from the received radio signal and outputting an interference-wave-removed signal;

measuring reception quality of the received signal based on the interference-wave-removed signal; and

controlling the beam-width of the beam-width-variable antenna based on the measured reception quality.

10. The radio receiving method as claimed in claim 9, wherein

the reception quality is determined by a carrier-to-interference radio (CIR).

11. The radio receiving method as claimed in claim 9, wherein

the reception quality is determined by a received-signal-to-interference ratio.

12. The radio receiving method as claimed in claim 9, wherein

the controlling step narrows the beam-width of the antenna when the reception quality is lower than a predetermined threshold.

13. The radio receiving method as claimed in claim 9, wherein

the controlling step broadens the beam-width of the antenna when the reception quality is higher than a predetermined threshold.

14. The radio receiving method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the controlling step narrows the beam-width of the antenna when the reception quality is lower than a first predetermined threshold, and broadens the beam-width of the antenna when the reception quality is higher than a second predetermined threshold that is larger than the first predetermined threshold.