Method for configuring a communication network, related network architecture and computer program product therefor
First Claim
1. A method for configuring a communication network having a plurality of antennas comprising the steps of:
- a) including in said plurality of antennas at least one reconfigurable antenna adapted to serve communication traffic in a respective coverage area, said reconfigurable antenna having a radiation diagram exhibiting a plurality of selectively adjustable gain values for a set of directions, each direction in said set defining a propagation path between the antenna and a portion of said coverage area;
b) determining, for each direction in said set, at least one value of communication traffic and at least one attenuation value over said propagation path; and
c) selectively and independently allotting to each direction in said set a respective gain value in the radiation diagram of said reconfigurable antenna as a function of said at least one of said traffic value (Tpixel) and of said attenuation value (apixel) determined for said direction.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A communication network includes a plurality of antennas and includes among the antennas at least one reconfigurable antenna adapted to serve communication traffic in a respective coverage area, the reconfigurable antenna having a radiation diagram exhibiting a plurality of selectively adjustable gain values for a set of directions, each direction in the set defining a propagation path between the antenna and a portion of the coverage area, determining, for each direction in the set, at least one value of communication traffic and at least one attenuation value over the propagation path, and selectively and independently alloting to each direction in the set a respective gain value as a function of at least one of the value of communication traffic and the attenuation value determined for that direction. The arrangement is adapted for use in communication networks such as second and third generation mobile communication networks employing electrically controllable antennas.
101 Citations
32 Claims
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1. A method for configuring a communication network having a plurality of antennas comprising the steps of:
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a) including in said plurality of antennas at least one reconfigurable antenna adapted to serve communication traffic in a respective coverage area, said reconfigurable antenna having a radiation diagram exhibiting a plurality of selectively adjustable gain values for a set of directions, each direction in said set defining a propagation path between the antenna and a portion of said coverage area; b) determining, for each direction in said set, at least one value of communication traffic and at least one attenuation value over said propagation path; and c) selectively and independently allotting to each direction in said set a respective gain value in the radiation diagram of said reconfigurable antenna as a function of said at least one of said traffic value (Tpixel) and of said attenuation value (apixel) determined for said direction. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A network architecture for a communication network including a plurality of antennas comprising:
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at least one reconfigurable antenna adapted to serve communication traffic in a respective coverage area, wherein said at least one reconfigurable antenna has a radiation diagram exhibiting a plurality of selectively adjustable gain values for a set of directions, and wherein each direction in said set defines a propagation path between the antenna and a portion of said coverage area, and has associated at least one value of communication traffic (Tpixel) and at least one attenuation value (apixel) over said propagation path, and a respective gain value for said radiation diagram which is a function of at least one of said traffic value (Tpixel) and of said attenuation value (apixel). - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A computer program product capable of being loadable in the memory of at least one computer and including software code portions for performing a method of configuring a communication network having a plurality of antennas, the method comprising the steps of:
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a) including in said plurality of antennas at least one reconfigurable antenna adapted to serve communication traffic in a respective coverage area, said reconfigurable antenna having a radiation diagram exhibiting a plurality of selectively adjustable gain values for a set of directions, each direction in said set defining a propagation path between the antenna and a portion of said coverage area; b) determining, for each direction in said set, at least one value of communication traffic and at least one attenuation value over said propagation path; and c) selectively and independently allotting to each direction in said set a respective gain value in the radiation diagram of said reconfigurable antenna as a function of said at least one of said traffic value (Tpixel) and of said attenuation value (apixel) determined for said direction.
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21. A method for configuring a communication network including a plurality of antennas, the method comprising:
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including in said plurality of antennas at least one reconfigurable antenna adapted to serve communication traffic in a respective coverage area, said reconfigurable antenna having a radiation diagram exhibiting a plurality of selectively adjustable gain values for a set of directions, each direction in said set defining a propagation path between the antenna and a portion of said coverage area, each portion including a plurality of pixels, wherein each pixel has an associated value of communication traffic and a propagation path from said antenna with an associated attenuation value; determining, for each direction in said set, a reference attenuation value over the propagation path defined by the direction, said reference attenuation value depending on a benefit/cost ratio for the pixels included in said portion, said benefit/cost ratio being a ratio between said communication traffic value and said attenuation value in each said pixel; determining a maximum attenuation value (Amax) of said reference attenuation values (ami) associated with each direction; determining a maximum gain value (Gmax) of said radiation diagram of said at least one reconfigurable antenna in said coverage area; associating said maximum gain value with the direction having said maximum attenuation value; and determining for the other directions a respective gain value (Gmi) in the radiation diagram of said reconfigurable antenna based on the relationship
Gmi=Gmax−
(Amax−
ami). - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25)
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26. A method for configuring a communication network including a plurality of antennas each serving a respective amount of traffic within a respective coverage area, the method comprising:
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determining a reference amount of traffic served by said plurality of antennas in the network; setting at least one difference threshold with respect to said reference amount of traffic; identifying among said plurality of antennas a subset of antennas, wherein the respective amounts of traffic served by the antennas in said subset reach said difference threshold; configuring the antennas in said subset as reconfigurable antennas, each having a radiation diagram exhibiting a plurality of selectively adjustable gain values for a set of directions, each direction in said set defining a propagation path between the antenna and a portion of said coverage area; and applying to the reconfigurable antennas in said subset the following steps to reconfigure said network; determining, for each direction in said set, a reference attenuation value over the propagation path defined by the direction, said reference attenuation value depending on a benefit/cost ratio for the pixels included in said portion, said benefit/cost ratio being a ratio between a communication traffic value and an attenuation value in each said pixel; and determining a maximum attenuation value of said reference attenuation values associated with each direction. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29)
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30. A network architecture for a communication network including a plurality of antennas, the network architecture comprising:
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at least one reconfigurable antenna adapted to serve communication traffic in a respective coverage area, wherein said at least one reconfigurable antenna has a radiation diagram exhibiting a plurality of selectively adjustable gain values for a set of directions, and wherein each direction in said set; defines a propagation path between the antenna and a portion of said coverage area, said portion including a plurality of pixels, wherein each pixel has an associated value of communication traffic and a propagation path from said antenna with an associated attenuation value, and has associated; a reference attenuation value over the propagation path defined by the direction, said reference attenuation value depending on a benefitlcost ratio for the pixels included in said portion, said benefitlcost ratio being a ratio between said communication traffic value and said attenuation value in each said pixel, and a respective gain value (Gmi), said respective gain value being determined by means of the relationship
Gmi=Gmax−
(Amax−
ami)where Amax is a maximum attenuation value of said reference attenuation values (ami) associated with each direction in said coverage area and Gmax is the maximum gain value of said radiation diagram of said at least one reconfigurable antenna associated with the direction having said maximum attenuation value. - View Dependent Claims (31)
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32. A computer program product loadable in the memory of at least one computer and including software code portions for performing a method of configuring a communication network including a plurality of antennas, the method comprising:
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including in said plurality of antennas at least one reconfigurable antenna adapted to serve communication traffic in a respective coverage area, said reconfigurable antenna having a radiation diagram exhibiting a plurality of selectively adjustable gain values for a set of directions, each direction in said set defining a propagation path between the antenna and a portion of said coverage area, each portion including a plurality of pixels, wherein each pixel has an associated value of communication traffic and a propagation path from said antenna with an associated attenuation value; determining, for each direction in said set, a reference attenuation value over the propagation path defined by the direction, said reference attenuation value depending on a benefit/cost ratio for the pixels included in said portion, said benefit/cost ratio being a ratio between said communication traffic value and said attenuation value in each said pixel; determining a maximum attenuation value (Amax) of said reference attenuation values (ami) associated with each direction; determining a maximum gain value (Gmax) of said radiation diagram of said at least one reconfigurable antenna in said coverage area; associating said maximum gain value with the direction having said maximum attenuation value; and determining for the other directions a respective gain value (Gmi) in the radiation diagram of said reconfigurable antenna based on the relationship
Gmi=Gmax−
(Amax−
ami).
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Specification