Communication performance guidance in a user terminal

• US 8,494,558 B2
• Filed: 02/23/2010
• Issued: 07/23/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Larsson, Kjell, Jnsson, Tomas, kvist, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): PATEL, MAHENDRA R
• Application Number:
  US13/519,366
• Publication Number:
  US 20120309418A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,246 Days
• Field of Search: 455/517, 455/450, 455/452.2, 455/452.1, 455/277.1, 455/13.3, 455/404.2, 455/41.2, 455/457, 455/456.1, 455/456.2, 455/446, 455/226.1, 370/334, 370/328, 370/278, 370/252, 370/329, 370/480, 375/295, 375/260, 375/267, 375/345, 714/748, 342/432, 342/367, 342/368
• US Class Current: 455/456.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/27 for locating or positioning the transmitter
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/309 Measuring or estimating channel quality parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/327 Received signal code power [RSCP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0434 using multiple eigenmodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0617 for beam forming
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0619 using feedback from receiving side feedback signaling for adaptive modulation/coding H04L1/0001
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/10 Polarisation diversity; Directional diversity
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/24 Arrangements for testing

Abstract

A user terminal (100, 200, 300, 400), a UE, for a wireless communications system. The UE comprises an antenna unit (130) and a receiver unit (125) for receiving signals on a radio channel within the system. The UE also comprises a sensor (115) for sensing the position of the UE and for generating an output signal indicative of said position. The UE further comprises an evaluation unit (120) which is arranged to measure the UE'"'"'s communication performance over the channel and to also receive the output signal from the sensor and to generate a first control signal (S1) which indicates if altering the position of at least part of the UE, and thereby the position of the UE'"'"'s antenna unit (130), will result in an increased communication performance over the channel for the UE.

Claims

1. A user terminal (UE) for a wireless communications system, the UE comprising:

an antenna unit and a receiver unit for receiving signals on a radio channel within the system, the antenna unit having one or more electrically steerable beams and being arranged to steer said beam or beams by a first control signal;

a sensor, within the UE, for sensing the position of the UE and for generating an output signal to the evaluation unit indicative of said position; and

an evaluation unit which is arranged to measure the UE'"'"'s communication performance over the radio channel, to receive the output signal from the sensor within the UE, and to generate the first control signal, which indicates whether altering the position of at least part of the UE, and thereby the position of the UE'"'"'s antenna unit, will result in an increased communication performance over the radio channel for the UE, to obtain an increased Multiple-Input, Multiple-Output (MIMO) range.

2. The UE of claim 1, being a UE that is also arranged for MIMO use within the wireless communications system, with the antenna unit and the receiver unit of the UE being arranged to receive signals on said radio channel with varying radio channel radio-channel rank, wherein the evaluation unit is also arranged to measure the radio channel radio-channel rank of the signals on the radio channel as received by the UE and to generate the first control signal so that the first control signal indicates whether altering the position of the UE will result in increased communication performance for the UE by means of obtaining an altered radio channel radio-channel rank.

3. The UE of claim 1, in which the evaluation unit is arranged to use at least one of the following parameters when measuring the UE'"'"'s communication performance over the radio channel and when generating the first control signal:

a data throughput in the UE;

a delay for received data in the UE;

a bit error rate for received data in the UE;

a bit rate for received data in the UE;

a bit error pattern for received data in the UE; and

Channel Quality Indicator, CQI, statistics.

4. The UE of claim 1, wherein the sensor is arranged to sense the position of the UE by sensing the geographical position of the UE.

5. The UE of claim 1, wherein the sensor is arranged to sense the position of the UE by sensing the rotational position of the UE.

6. The UE of claim 1, in which the evaluation unit is arranged to generate the first control signal by comparing the UE'"'"'s communication performance at its current position against one or both of:

a measured communication performance in at least one previous position of the UE; and

a calculated communication performance in an alternative position of the UE.

7. The UE of claim 1, in which the evaluation unit is also arranged to sample the communication performance of the UE at different positions, rotational or geographical, or both, during movement of the UE, and to include information about such samples in its output signal, the evaluation unit being arranged to use this information in generating the first control signal.

8. The UE of claim 1, comprising an indicator arranged to generate an audio or visual signal indicative of a movement for the UE indicated by the first control signal.

9. The UE of claim 1, in which the antenna unit comprises at least two sub-antennas of different polarizations.

10. The UE of claim 1, also comprising a transmitter unit for transmitting signals over a radio channel with varying rank within the system, wherein the evaluation unit is also arranged to generate a second control signal that indicates whether altering the position of at least part of the UE will provide an improved communication performance of the transmitted signals, and, if so, how said position should be altered.

11. The UE of claim 10, in which the second control signal is based on the first control signal.

12. The UE of claim 10, in which the evaluation unit is arranged to receive feedback signals from another party in the system to which the UE transmits, and to use said feedback signals in order to generate the second control signal.

13. A system comprising the UE of claim 1 and further comprising a powered docking station for placing the UE in, said docking station being adapted to receive at least the first control signal and to alter the position of at least part of the UE in a manner indicated by said control signal.