Radio communication system, mobile terminal unit thereof, and azimuth determining method

• US 8,050,719 B2
• Filed: 11/12/2008
• Issued: 11/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Ohta, Gen-Ichirou, Hirano, Jun, Aramaki, Takashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Milord; Marceau
• Application Number:
  US12/269,645
• Publication Number:
  US 20090131112A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,084 Days
• Field of Search: 455/562.1, 455/69, 455/107, 455/25, 455/575.7, 455/63.4, 370/335, 342/444, 342/357.03, 342/405, 342/442, 701/213
• US Class Current: 455/562.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 3/14 Systems for determining direction or deviation from predetermined direction aerial arrangements for changing or varying the orientation or the shape of the directional pattern H01Q3/00; combinations of different interacting aerial units for giving a desired directional characteristic H01Q21/29; aerials or aerial systems providing at least two radiation patterns H01Q25/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3833 Hand-held transceivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

Disclosed are a mobile station unit which can obtain azimuth information with a simple construction and a radio communication system including the mobile terminal unit. According to the present invention, in a terminal station, an arrival direction obtaining section 203 obtains an arrival direction of a received azimuth designation signal from a reference station or another terminal station using an arithmetic operation or the like. A transmitting direction forming section 204 determines the direction opposite to the arrival direction obtained by the arrival direction obtaining section 203 as a transmitting direction. A reference azimuth detecting section 207 detects the transmitting direction determined by the transmitting direction forming section 204 as a reference azimuth. An azimuth designation signal generating section 205 generates an azimuth designation signal so as to radiate radio waves having directivity in the transmitting direction determined by the transmitting direction forming section 204.

Claims

1. A radio communication system comprising:

a plurality of transmitting stations and at least one transmitting/receiving station both arranged in a given area, wherein each of said plurality of transmitting stations comprises a transmitting section for transmitting an azimuth designation signal having directivity in a direction determined in accordance with a position within said area, and said transmitting/receiving station comprises a receiving section that receives said azimuth designation signal(s) when said azimuth designation signal(s) transmitted from one or more of said plurality of transmitting stations is/are receivable and/or when said azimuth designation signal(s) transmitted from said transmitting/receiving station(s) other than said transmitting/receiving station, in which said receiving section is included, is/are receivable;

an arrival direction obtaining section that obtains an arrival direction of said azimuth designation signal(s) received by said receiving section;

a received power measuring unit that respectively measures received power of said plurality of azimuth designation signals received;

a vector generating section that generates a vector having magnitude of said received power and direction of said arrival direction on the basis of said received power and said arrival direction;

a combined vector generating section that generates a combined vector by combining said vectors respectively generated for said received azimuth designation signals;

an azimuth designation signal generating section that generates a new azimuth designation signal on the basis of the magnitude and the direction of said combined vector, by determining the direction of said combined vector as an arrival direction of an azimuth designation signal and by obtaining directional information on the basis of this arrival direction; and

a transmitting section that transmits said new azimuth designation signal generated by said azimuth designation signal generating section with directivity in a direction of said combined vector or in a direction having a predetermined angle with said combined vector.

2. A radio communication system according to claim 1, wherein:

said transmitting station and said transmitting/receiving stations respectively add priority information to said azimuth designation signals and then respectively transmit resultant signals, and

said azimuth designation signal generating section weights said plurality of received azimuth designation signals in accordance with said priority information to determine a transmitting direction of said new azimuth designation signal.

3. A radio communication system according to claim 1, further comprising a priority adding section that adds priority to said azimuth designation signal, said priority being arranged to decrease as the number of consecutive transmissions through said transmitting/receiving station(s) increases.

4. A stationary transmitting station arranged in a service area in which a radio communication system is configured to provide a radio communication service, comprising:

a generation section that generates an azimuth designation signal; and

a transmission section that transmits said azimuth designation signal, wherein;

said azimuth designation signal indicates directivity in a direction determined when said stationary transmitting station is arranged in said service area in such a manner that said direction represents a longitudinal direction of said service area.

5. The stationary transmitting station according to claim 4, wherein the direction of said directivity is set along a road along which said service area is provided.

6. A terminal station arranged in a service area in which a plurality of stationary transmitting stations are arranged and in which a radio communication system is configured to provide a radio communication service, the terminal station comprising:

a reception section that receives a first azimuth designation signal from one of the plurality of the stationary transmitting stations; and

a transmission section that transmits a second azimuth designation signal in a direction opposite to an arrival direction of said first azimuth designation signal, wherein;

said first azimuth designation signal indicates directivity in a basis direction determined when each stationary transmitting station is arranged in said service area in such a manner that said basis direction represents a longitudinal direction of said service area.

7. A transmission method performed by a stationary transmitting station arranged in a service area in which a radio communication system is configured to provide a radio communication service, comprising:

generating an azimuth designation signal; and

transmitting said azimuth designation signal, wherein;

said azimuth designation signal indicates directivity in a direction determined when said stationary transmitting station is arranged in said service area in such a manner that the direction represents a longitudinal direction of said service area.

8. A transmission method performed by a terminal station arranged in a service area in which a radio communication system is configured to provide a radio communication service, comprising:

receiving a first azimuth designation signal from a stationary transmitting station; and

transmitting a second azimuth designation signal in a direction opposite to an arrival direction of said first azimuth designation signal, wherein;

said first azimuth designation signal indicates directivity in a basis direction determined when said stationary transmitting station is arranged in said service area in such a manner that said basis direction represents a longitudinal direction of said service area.