Antenna array, network planning system, communication network and method for relaying radio signals with independently configurable beam pattern shapes using a local knowledge

• US 8,977,309 B2
• Filed: 09/21/2009
• Issued: 03/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Kathrein-Werke KG. (Kathrein SE)
• Inventors: Schmidt, Georg, Weckerle, Martin, Schlee, Johannes, Neumann, Dirk, Fuchs, Johannes
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Hai V
• Application Number:
  US12/563,693
• Publication Number:
  US 20110069633A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,996 Days
• Field of Search: 455/507
• US Class Current: 455/507
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/246 specially adapted for base stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0408 using two or more beams, i.e. beam diversity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2025/03426 transmission using multiple-input and multiple-output channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2025/03808 Transmission of equaliser coefficients
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 25/03343 Arrangements at the transmitter end
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/28 using beam steering

Abstract

The present disclosure provides an antenna array (1) for relaying radio signals into a cell (10) of a communication network (500). The antenna array (1) comprises a plurality of uplink beam forming vectors (20u) selectable as an uplink beam shape for an uplink relaying and a plurality of downlink beam forming vectors (20d) selectable as a down link beam shape for a down link relaying. The plurality of uplink beam forming vectors (20u) and/or the plurality of the downlink beam forming vectors (20d) may be adjusted at a digital radio interface and forwarded from the digital radio interface to the antenna array (1). An individual one (22u) of the plurality of uplink beam forming vectors (20u) and an individual one (22d) of the plurality of downlink beam forming vectors (20d) are independently selectable using a local knowledge (60) about the cell 10. The present disclosure further provides a communication network (500) comprising a plurality of the antenna arrays (1-1, 1-2, . . . , 1-N) for relaying radio signals into the communication network (500). The communication network (500) further comprises a network playing system (200) adapted to independently select an individual one (22u-1, 22u-2, . . . , 22u-N) of the plurality of uplink beam forming vectors (20u-1, 20u-2, . . . , 20u-N) and an individual one (22d-1, 22d-2, . . . , 22d-N) of the plurality of downlink beam forming vectors (20d-1, 20d-2, . . . , 20d-N) for at least one of the antenna arrays (1-1, 1-2, . . . , 1-N) using a local knowledge (600) about the communication network (500). The present disclosure further provides a method for relaying radio signals into a cell (10) of the communication network (500), a method (2000) for planning the communication network (500), and a method (5000) for relaying radio signals into cells (10-1, 10-2, . . . , 10-N) of the communication network (500); all methods (1000, 2000, 5000) using a knowledge (600) about the communications network (500).

Claims

1. An Antenna array comprising a plurality of antenna elements for relaying radio signals into a cell of a communication network the antenna array comprising:

a plurality of uplink beam forming vectors for forming a plurality of uplink beam shapes, wherein an individual one of the plurality of uplink beam forming vectors comprises uplink factors for the antenna elements for creating an individual one of the plurality of uplink beam shapes wherein the uplink factors each comprise an amplitude weighting and at least one of a phase weighting, or a delay that is applied to each individual one of the antenna elements;

a plurality of downlink beam forming vectors for forming a plurality of downlink beam shapes, wherein an individual one of the plurality of downlink beam forming vectors comprises downlink factors of the antenna elements for creating an individual one of the plurality of downlink beam shapes wherein the downlink factors each comprise an amplitude weighting and at least one of a phase weighting or a delay that is applied to each individual one of the antenna elements;

a link for receiving at least one of the plurality of uplink beam forming vectors, the plurality of downlink beam forming vectors, the individual one of the plurality of uplink beam forming vectors and the individual one of the plurality of downlink beam forming vectors and

wherein at least one of the uplink factors of the individual one of the plurality of uplink beam forming vectors and the downlink factors of the individual one of the plurality of downlink beam forming vectors are independently selectable for providing ones of the plurality of different uplink beam shapes different from ones of the plurality of downlink beam shapes different from ones of the plurality of downlink beam shapes, wherein the independent selection is based on a local knowledge of the cell.

2. The antenna array according to claim 1, wherein the individual one of the plurality of uplink beam forming vectors comprises the uplink factors for a subset of the antenna elements.

3. The antenna array according to claim 1, wherein the individual one of the plurality of downlink beam forming vectors comprises the downlink factors for a subset of the antenna elements.

4. The antenna array according to claim 1, wherein the local knowledge about the cell comprises at least one of:

a topology of the cell and a distribution of users within the cell.

5. The antenna array according to claim 4, wherein the local knowledge about the cell further comprises at least one of a received signal strength (pu) for the plurality of uplink beam forming vectors (20u), a received signal strength (pd) for the plurality of downlink beam forming vectors, a signal to interference and noise ratio (SINR-u) for the plurality of uplink beam forming vectors, a signal to interference and noise ratio (SINR-d) for the plurality of downlink beam forming vectors, a coverage area for the plurality of uplink beam forming vectors, a coverage area for the plurality of downlink beam forming vectors, a normalised signal to interference ratio (SINR-Nu) with respect to the coverage area for the plurality of uplink beam forming vectors, a normalised signal to interference and noise ratio (SINR-Nd) with respect to the coverage area for the plurality of downlink beam forming vectors, an equivalent isotropically radiated power (EIRP) of the plurality of antenna elements.

6. The antenna array according to claim 1, further comprising a local network planning module for providing the local knowledge about the cell.

7. The antenna array according to claim 6, wherein the local network planning module is forwarding at least one of the plurality of uplink beam forming vectors, the plurality of downlink beam forming vectors, the individual one of the plurality of uplink beam forming vectors and the individual one of the plurality of downlink beam forming vectors to the link.

8. The antenna array according to claim 1 further comprising a local knowledge update module for monitoring and updating the local knowledge about the cell.

9. The antenna array according to claim 1, wherein the individual one of the plurality of uplink beam forming vectors and the individual one of the plurality of downlink beam forming vectors yield beam shapes being substantially identical.

10. The antenna array according claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of uplink beam forming vectors and the plurality of downlink beam forming vectors yield beam shapes with varying tilt angles.

11. A communication network comprising:

a plurality of antenna arrays with a plurality of antenna elements for relaying radio signals into cells of the communication network, each of the antenna arrays comprising;

a plurality of uplink beam forming vectors, for forming a plurality of uplink beam shapes of an individual antenna array, wherein an individual one of the plurality of uplink beam forming vectors comprises uplink factors for the antenna elements for creating an individual one of the plurality of uplink beam shapes wherein the uplink factors each comprise an amplitude weighting, and at least one of a phase weighting or a delay that is applied to each individual one of the antenna elements;

a plurality of downlink beam forming vectors, for forming a plurality of downlink beam shapes of the individual antenna array, wherein an individual one of the plurality of downlink beam forming vectors comprises downlink factors for the antenna elements for creating an individual one of the plurality of downlink beam shapes wherein the downlink factors each comprise an amplitude weiqhting and at least one of a phase weighting or a delay that is applied to each individual one of the antenna elements;

a link for receiving at least one of the plurality of uplink beam forming vectors, the plurality of downlink beam forming vectors, the individual one of the plurality of uplink beam forming vectors and the individual one of the plurality of downlink beam forming vectors and

a network planning system for independently selecting and forwarding at least one of the uplink factors of the individual one of the plurality of uplink beam forming vectors and the downlink factors for the individual one of the plurality of downlink beam forming vectors for at least one of the antenna arrays for providing ones of the plurality of different uplink beam shapes different from ones of the plurality of downlink beam shapes to at least one the links of the antenna arrays, the independent selection being bases on a local knowledge of the communication network.

12. The communication network according to claim 11, wherein the individual one of the plurality of uplink beam forming vectors comprises the uplink factors for a subset of the antenna elements.

13. The communication network according to claim 11, wherein the individual one of the plurality of downlink beam forming vectors comprises the downlink factors for a subset of the antenna elements.

14. The communication network according to claim 11, wherein the local knowledge about the communication network comprises at least one of:

a topology of the cells and a distribution of users within the cells.

15. The communication network according to claim 14, wherein the local knowledge about the communication network for at least one of the plurality of antenna arrays of the communication network comprises at least one of a received signal strength for the plurality of uplink beam forming vectors, a received signal strength (pd-1, pd-2, . . . , pd-N) for the plurality of downlink beam forming vectors, a signal to interference and noise ratio for the plurality of uplink beam forming vectors, a signal to interference and noise ratio for the plurality of downlink beam forming vectors, a coverage area for the plurality of uplink beam forming vectors, a coverage area for the plurality of downlink beam forming vectors, a normalised signal to interference and noise ratio with respect to the coverage area for the plurality of uplink beam forming vectors, a normalised signal to interference and noise ratio with respect to the coverage area for the plurality of downlink beam forming vectors, an equivalent isotropically radiated power (EIRP) of the antenna elements.

16. The communication network according to claim 11, wherein a local knowledge divider module is providing a local knowledge of the cells of the network based on the local knowledge about the network.

17. The communication network according to claim 11, comprising a local knowledge update module for monitoring and updating the local knowledge about the communication network.

18. The communication network according to claim 11, wherein the individual one of the plurality of uplink beam forming vectors and the individual one of the plurality of downlink beam forming vectors both yield substantially identical beam shapes for at least one of the plurality of antenna arrays.

19. The communication network according to claim 11, wherein at least one of the plurality of uplink beam forming vectors and the plurality of downlink beam forming vectors yield beam patterns with varying tilt angles for at least one of the plurality of antenna arrays.

20. The communication network according to claim 11, wherein the individual one of the plurality of uplink beam forming vectors substantially generates a beam shape of a first polarization and the individual one of plurality of downlink beam forming vectors generates a beam shape substantially of a second polarization for at least one of the plurality of antenna arrays.

21. A network planning system for planning a communication network, the communication network comprising:

a plurality of antenna arrays with a plurality of antenna elements for relaying radio signals into cells of the communication network, each of the antenna arrays comprising;

a plurality of uplink beam forming vectors for forming a plurality of uplink beam shapes for an individual one of the antenna arrays, wherein an individual one of the plurality of uplink beam forming vectors comprises uplink factors for the antenna elements for creating an individual one of the plurality of uplink beam shapes wherein the uplink factors each comprise an amplitude weighting and at least one of a phase weighting or a delay that is applied to each individual one of the antenna elements;

a plurality of downlink beam forming vectors for forming a plurality of downlink beam shapes for the individual one of the antenna arrays, wherein an individual one of the plurality of downlink beam shapes comprises downlink factors for the antenna elements for creating an individual one of the plurality of downlink beam shapes wherein the downlink factors each comprise an amplitude weighting and at least one of a phase weighting or a delay that is applied to each individual one of the antenna elements

a link for receiving at least one of the plurality of uplink beam forming vectors, the plurality of downlink beam forming vectors, the individual one of the plurality of uplink beam forming vectors and the individual one of the plurality of downlink beam forming vectors;

wherein the network planning system independently selects and forwards at least one of the uplink factors of the individual one of the plurality of uplink beam forming vectors and the downlink factors of the individual one of the plurality of downlink beam forming vectors, for at least one of the plurality of antenna arrays for providing ones of the plurality of different uplink beam shapes different from ones of the plurality of downlink beam shapes to at least one of the links of the antenna arrays, and wherein the independent selection is based on the planning of the communication network.

22. The network planning system according to claim 21, wherein the individual one of the plurality of uplink beam forming vectors comprises the uplink factors for a subset of the antenna elements.

23. The network planning system according to claim 21, wherein the individual one of the plurality of downlink beam forming vectors comprises the downlink factors for a subset of the antenna elements.

24. The network planning system according to claim 21, using a local knowledge about the communication network for selecting the individual one of the plurality of uplink beam forming vectors and the individual one of the plurality of downlink beam forming vectors for at least one of the plurality of antenna arrays.

25. The network planning system according to claim 24, further comprising:

a local knowledge module providing the local knowledge about the communication network.

26. The network planning system according to claim 24, wherein the local knowledge about the communication network for at least one of the antenna arrays of the network comprises at least one of:

a topology of the cells of the communication network and a geographical distribution of users within the cells of the communication network.

27. The network planning system according to claim 26, wherein the local knowledge about the communication network for at least one of the antenna arrays of the communication network further comprises at least one of a received signal strength for the plurality of uplink beam forming vectors, a received signal strength for the plurality of downlink beam forming vectors, a signal to interference and noise ratio for the plurality of uplink beam forming vectors, a signal to interference and noise ratio for the plurality of downlink beam forming vectors, a coverage area for the plurality of uplink beam forming vectors, a coverage area for the plurality of downlink beam forming vectors, a normalised signal to interference and noise ratio with respect to the coverage area for the plurality of uplink beam forming vectors, a normalised signal to interference and noise ratio (SINR-Nd1, SINR-Nd2, . . . , SINR-NdN) with respect to the coverage area for the plurality of downlink beam forming vectors, an equivalent isotropically radiated power (EIRP) of the antenna elements.

28. The network planning system according to claim 24, further comprising a local knowledge divider module adapted to provide a local knowledge about the cells of the communication network based on the local knowledge about the communication network.

29. The network planning system according to claim 21, forwarding at least one of the plurality of uplink beam forming vectors, the plurality of downlink beam forming vectors, the individual one of the plurality of uplink beam forming vectors and the individual one of the plurality of downlink beam forming vectors to a link of at least one of the plurality of antenna arrays.

30. The network planning system according to claim 21, further comprising a local knowledge update module for monitoring and updating the local knowledge about the communication network.

31. The network planning system according to claim 21, wherein the individual one of the plurality of uplink beam forming vectors and the individual one of the plurality of downlink beam forming vectors both yield beam shapes being substantially identical for at least one of the plurality of the antenna arrays.

32. The network planning system according to claim 21, wherein at least one of the plurality of uplink beam forming vectors and the plurality of downlink beam forming vectors yield shapes with varying tilt angles for at least one of the plurality of the antenna arrays.

33. The network planning system according to claim 21, wherein the individual one of the plurality of uplink beam forming vectors yields a beam shape substantially being of a first polarization and the individual one of the plurality of downlink beam forming vectors yields a beam shape substantially being of a second polarization for at least one of the plurality of the antenna arrays.

34. A method for generating beam shapes for a relaying of radio signals into a cell of a communication network, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a local knowledge of the cell;

providing a plurality of uplink beam forming vectors for forming a plurality of uplink beam shapes for an antenna array with a plurality of antenna elements, wherein an individual one of the plurality of uplink beam forming vectors comprises uplink factors for the antenna elements for creating an individual one of the plurality of uplink beam shapes wherein the uplink factors each comprise amplitude weighting and at least one of an a phase weighting or a delay that is applied to each individual one of the antenna elements; and

providing a plurality of downlink beam forming vectors adapted to form a plurality of downlink beam shapes, wherein an individual one of the plurality of downlink beam shapes comprises downlink factors for the antenna elements for creating an individual one of the downlink beam shapes wherein the downlink factors each comprise an amplitude weighting and at least one of a phase weighting, or a delay that is applied to each individual one of the antenna elements

selecting at least one of the downlink factors and the uplink factors independently from each other for providing ones of the plurality of uplink beam shapes different from ones of the plurality of downlink beam shapes, the independent selection being based on the knowledge of the cell;

forwarding the selected downlink factors and uplink factors to at least one of the links of the antenna arrays.

35. The method according to claim 34, wherein the individual one of the plurality of uplink beam forming vectors comprises the uplink factors for a subset of the antenna elements.

36. The method according to claim 34, wherein the individual one of the plurality of downlink beam forming vectors comprises the downlink factors for a subset of the antenna elements.

37. The method according to claim 34 further comprising:

selecting an individual one of the plurality of uplink beam forming vectors;

selecting an individual one of the plurality of downlink beam forming vectors;

wherein the selecting of the individual one of the plurality of uplink beam forming vectors is independent from the selecting of the individual one of the plurality of downlink beam forming vectors.

38. A method for relaying radio signals using generated beam shapes into a cell of a communication network, the generated beam shapes being relayed by an antenna array with a plurality of antenna elements, the method comprising the steps of:

generating beam shapes; and

relaying radio signals into the cell by the antenna array using the generated beam shapes,

wherein the generating of beam shapes comprises;

providing a plurality of uplink beam forming vectors for forming a plurality of uplink beam shapes for an antenna array with a plurality of antenna elements, wherein an individual one of the plurality of uplink beam forming vectors comprises uplink factors for the plurality of antenna elements for creating an individual one of the plurality of uplink beam shapes wherein the uplink factors each comprise an amplitude weighting and at least one of a phase weighting, or a delay that is applied to each individual one of the antenna elements; and

providing a plurality of downlink beam forming vectors for forming a plurality of downlink beam shapes, wherein an individual one of the plurality of downlink beam forming vectors comprises downlink factors for the plurality of antenna elements for creating an individual one of the plurality of downlink beam shapes wherein the downlink factors each comprise an amplitude weighting and at least one of a phase weighting or a delay that is applied to each individual one of the antenna elements;

selecting at least one of the downlink factors and the uplink factors independently from each other for providing ones of the plurality of uplink beam shapes different from ones of the plurality of downlink beam shapes, the selecting being based on a local knowledge of a cell;

forwarding the selected downlink factors and uplink factors to at least one of the links of the antenna arrays.

39. The method according to claim 38 further comprising a step of:

monitoring the relaying of radio signals into the cell.

40. The method according to claim 38 further comprising;

checking if an updating of the local knowledge about the cell is required and updating the local knowledge about the cell.

41. The method according to claim 38, wherein the individual one of the plurality of uplink beam forming vectors comprises the uplink factors for a subset of the antenna elements.

42. The method according to claim 38, wherein the individual one of the plurality of downlink beam forming vectors comprises the downlink factors for a subset of the antenna elements.

43. The method according to claim 38, wherein the generating of beam shapes further comprises:

selecting the uplink factors of the individual one of the plurality of uplink beam forming vectors;

selecting the downlink factors of the individual one of the plurality of downlink beam forming vectors;

wherein the selecting of the uplink factors of the individual one of the plurality of uplink beam forming vectors is independent from the selecting of the downlink factors of the individual one of the plurality of downlink beam forming vectors.

44. The method according to claim 38, wherein the step of relaying radio signals into the cell comprises:

applying the selected one of the plurality of uplink beam forming vectors to the antenna array;

applying the selected one of the plurality of downlink beam forming vectors to the antenna array.

45. A method for planning a communication network comprising a plurality of antenna arrays with a plurality of antenna elements for relaying generated radio signals into cells of the communication network, the method comprising:

generating beam shapes for a relaying of radio signals into an individual one of the cells for at least one of the antenna arrays,

wherein the step of generating beam shapes for a relaying of radio signals comprises;

providing a plurality of uplink beam forming vectors for forming a plurality of uplink beam shapes for at least an individual one of the plurality of antenna arrays with the plurality of antenna elements, wherein an individual one of the plurality of uplink beam forming vectors comprises uplink factors for the plurality of antenna elements for creating an individual one of the plurality of uplink beam shapes wherein the uplink factors each comprise an amplitude weighting and at least one of a phase weighting or a delay that is applied to each individual one of the antenna elements; and

providing a plurality of downlink beam forming vectors for forming a plurality of downlink beam shapes for at least one of the plurality of the antenna arrays with the plurality of antenna elements, wherein an individual one of the plurality of downlink beam forming vectors comprises downlink factors for the plurality of antenna elements for creating an individual one of the plurality of downlink beam shapes wherein the downlink factors each comprise an amplitude weighting and at least one of a phase weighting or a delay that is applied to each individual one of the antenna elements;

selecting at least one of the downlink factors and the uplink factors independently from each other for providing ones of the plurality of uplink beam shapes different from ones of the plurality of downlink beam shapes;

forwarding the selected downlink factors and uplink factors to at least one of the links of the antenna arrays.

46. The method according to claim 45 further comprising a step of:

providing a local knowledge about the communication network.

47. The method according to claim 46 further comprising:

providing a local knowledge about the cells based on the local knowledge about the communication network.

48. The method according to claim 46, further comprising:

checking whether generating beam shapes for a relaying of radio signals for further cells is required and generating beam shapes for a relaying of radio signals for the further cells.

49. The method according to claim 48, wherein the individual one of the plurality of uplink beam forming vectors comprises the uplink factors for a subset of the antenna elements.

50. The method according to claim 48, wherein the individual one of the plurality of downlink beam forming vectors comprises the downlink factors for a subset of the antenna elements.

51. The method according to claim 48, wherein the step of generating beam shapes for a relaying of radio signals comprises:

selecting the individual one of the plurality of uplink beam forming vectors for at least one of the plurality of antenna arrays with the plurality of antenna elements;

selecting the individual one of the plurality of downlink beam forming vectors for at least one of the plurality of antenna arrays with the plurality of antenna elements;

forwarding the selected downlink factors and uplink factors to at least one of the links of the antenna arrays

wherein the selecting of the individual one of the plurality of uplink beam forming vectors for at least one of the plurality of antenna arrays with the plurality of antenna elements is independent from the selecting of the individual one of the plurality of downlink beam forming vectors for the at least one of the plurality of antenna arrays.

52. The method according to claim 46, wherein the step of generating beam shapes for a relaying of radio signals further comprises:

checking if an updating of the local knowledge about the cells is required and updating the local knowledge about the cells.

53. The method according to claim 52, further comprising:

checking if the updating of the local knowledge about the cells was carried out; and

updating the local knowledge about the communication network.

54. A method for relaying radio signal using generated beam shapes into cells of a communication network comprising a plurality of antenna arrays with a plurality of antenna elements, the method comprising the steps:

providing a local knowledge about the communication network

generating beam shapes for a relaying of radio signals into an individual one of the cells for at least one of the antenna arrays;

relaying radio signals into the individual one of the cells by the at least one of the antenna arrays,

wherein the step of generating beam shapes for a relaying of radio signals comprises;

providing a plurality of uplink beam forming vectors adapted to form a plurality of uplink beam shapes for at least an individual one of the plurality of antenna arrays with the plurality of antenna elements, wherein an individual one of the plurality of uplink beam forming vectors comprises uplink factors for the antenna elements for creating an individual one of the plurality of uplink beam shapes wherein the uplink factors each comprise an amplitude weighting and at least one of a phase weighting or a delay that is applied to each individual one of the antenna elements; and

providing a plurality of downlink beam forming vectors adapted to form a plurality of downlink beam shapes for at least one of the plurality of the antenna arrays with the plurality of antenna elements, wherein an individual one of the plurality of downlink beam forming vectors comprises downlink factors for the antenna elements for creating an individual one of the plurality of uplink beam shapes wherein the downlink factors each comprise an amplitude weighting and at least one of a phase weighting or a delay that is applied to each individual one of the antenna elements;

wherein at least one of the downlink factors and the uplink factors are independently selected for providing ones of the plurality of different uplink beam shapes different from ones of the plurality of and downlink beam shapes, the independent selection being based on the local knowledge

forwarding the selected downlink factors and uplink factors to at least one of the antenna arrays.

55. The method according to claim 54 further comprising:

dividing the local knowledge about the communication network into a local knowledge about the cells.

56. The method according to claim 54, wherein the individual one of the plurality of uplink beam forming vectors comprises the uplink factors for a subset of the antenna elements.

57. The method according to claim 54, wherein the individual one of the plurality of downlink beam forming vectors comprises the downlink factors for a subset of the antenna elements.

58. The method according to claim 54, wherein the step of generating beam shapes for a relaying of radio signals further comprises:

selecting the individual one of the plurality of uplink beam forming vectors for at least one of the antenna arrays with the plurality of the antenna elements;

selecting the individual one of the plurality of downlink beam forming vectors for at least one of the antenna arrays;

wherein the controlling of the individual one of the plurality of uplink beam forming vectors for at least one of the antenna arrays is independent from the selecting of the individual one of the plurality of downlink beam forming vectors for the at least one of the antenna arrays with the plurality of antenna elements.

59. The method according to claim 54, further comprising:

checking if an updating of the local knowledge about the cells is required and updating the local knowledge about the cells.

60. The method according to claim 54, further comprising:

checking if an updating of local knowledge about the cells was carried out; and

updating the local knowledge about the communication network.

61. The method according to claim 54, wherein the step of relaying of radio signals into the cells comprises:

applying the uplink factors of the selected one of the plurality of uplink beam forming vectors to at least one of the the antenna arrays (with the plurality of antenna elements;

applying the downlink factors of the selected one of the plurality downlink beam forming vectors to at least one of the antenna arrays with the plurality of antenna elements.

62. Computer program product embodied on a non-transitory computer-readable medium and the computer-readable medium comprising executable instructions for a manufacture of an antenna array with a plurality of antenna elements for relaying radio signals into a cell of a communication network;

the antenna array comprising;

a plurality of uplink beam forming vectors for forming a plurality of uplink beam shapes, wherein an individual one of the plurality of uplink beam forming vectors comprises uplink factors for the antenna elements for creating an individual one of the plurality of uplink beam shapes wherein the uplink factors each comprise an amplitude weighting and at least one of a phase weighting or a delay that is applied to each individual one of the antenna elements;

a plurality of downlink beam forming vectors for forming a plurality of downlink beam shapes, wherein an individual one of the plurality of downlink beam forming vectors comprises downlink factors for the antenna elements for creating an individual one of the plurality of downlink beam shapes wherein the downlink factors each comprise an amplitude weighting, at least one of a phase weighting, or a delay that is applied to each individual one of the antenna elements; and

wherein at least one of the uplink factors of the individual one of the plurality of uplink beam forming vectors and the downlink factors of the individual one of the plurality of downlink beam forming vectors are independently selected for providing ones of the plurality of different uplink beam shapes different from ones of the plurality of downlink beam shapes, the independent selection being based on a local knowledge of the cell; and

wherein the at least one of the uplink factors and at least one of the downlink factors are forwarded to at least one of the antenna arrays.

63. Computer program product embodied on a non-transitory computer-readable medium and the computer-readable medium comprising executable instructions for the execution of a manufacture of a network planning system for planning a communication network, the communication network comprising:

a plurality of antenna arrays with the plurality of antenna elements for relaying radio signals into cells of the communication network, each of the antenna arrays comprising;

a plurality of uplink beam forming vectors for forming a plurality of uplink beam shapes for an individual one of the antenna arrays, wherein an individual one of the plurality of uplink beam forming vectors comprises uplink factors for the antenna elements for creating an individual one of the plurality of uplink beam shapes wherein the uplink factors each comprise an amplitude weighting and at least one of a phase weighting or a delay that is applied to each individual one of the antenna elements;

a plurality of downlink beam forming vectors for forming a plurality of downlink beam shapes for the individual one of the antenna arrays, wherein an individual one of the plurality of downlink beam forming vectors comprises downlink factors for the antenna elements for creating an individual one of the plurality of downlink beam shapes wherein the downlink factors each comprise an amplitude weighting and at least one of a phase weighting or a delay that is applied to each individual one of the antenna elements;

wherein the network planning system is adapted to independently select at least one of the uplink factors of the individual one of the plurality of uplink beam forming vectors and the downlink factors of the individual one of the plurality of downlink beam forming vectors, for at least one of the plurality of antenna arrays, for providing ones of the plurality of different uplink beam shapes different from ones of the plurality of downlink beam shapes and forwarding the at least one of the uplink factors and at least one of the downlink factors to at least one of the antenna arrays.

64. Computer program product embodied on a non-transitory computer-readable medium and the computer-readable medium comprising executable instructions for the execution of a method for generating beam shapes for a relaying of radio signals into a cell of a communication network, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a plurality of uplink beam forming vectors for forming a plurality of uplink beam shapes for an antenna array with a plurality of antenna elements, wherein an individual one of the plurality of uplink beam forming vectors comprises uplink factors for the antenna elements for creating an individual one of the plurality of uplink beam shapes wherein the uplink factors each comprise an amplitude weighting and at least one of a phase weighting or a delay that is applied to each individual one of the antenna elements; and

providing a plurality of downlink beam forming vectors for forming a plurality of downlink beam shapes, wherein an individual one of the plurality of downlink beam forming vectors comprises downlink factors for the antenna elements for creating an individual one of the plurality of downlink beam shapes wherein the downlink factors each comprise an amplitude weighting and at least one of a phase weighting or a delay that is applied to each individual one of the antenna elements;

wherein at least one of the downlink factors and the uplink factors are independently selected for providing ones of the plurality of different uplink beam shapes different from ones of the plurality of downlink beam shapes and wherein at least one of the uplink factors and at least one of the downlink factors are forwarded to at least one of the antenna arrays, wherein the independent selection is based on a local knowledge of the communication network.

65. Computer program product embodied on a non-transitory computer-readable medium and the computer-readable medium comprising executable instructions for the execution of a method for relaying radio signals using generated beam shapes into a cell of a communication network, the method comprising the steps of:

generating beam shapes; and

relaying radio signals using the generated beam shapes into the cell, wherein the step of generating beam shapes comprises;

providing a plurality of uplink beam forming vectors for forming a plurality of uplink beam shapes for an antenna array with a plurality of antenna elements, wherein an individual one of the plurality of uplink beam forming vectors comprises uplink factors for the antenna elements for creating an individual one of the plurality of uplink beam shapes wherein the uplink factors each comprise at least one of an amplitude weighting, a phase weighting, or a delay that is applied to each individual one of the antenna elements; and

providing a plurality of downlink beam forming vectors for forming a plurality of downlink beam shapes, wherein an individual one of the plurality of downlink beam shapes comprises downlink factors for the antenna elements for creating an individual one of the downlink beam shapes wherein the downlink factors each comprise at least one of an amplitude weighting, a phase weighting, or a delay that is applied to each individual one of the antenna elements;

wherein at least one of downlink factors and the uplink factors are independently selected for providing ones of the plurality of different uplink beam shapes different from ones of the plurality of downlink beam shapes, the independent selection being based on a local knowledge in a cell; and

wherein at least one of the uplink factors and at least one of the downlink factors are forwarded to at least one of the antenna arrays.

66. Computer program product embodied on a non-transitory computer-readable medium and the computer-readable medium comprising executable instructions for the execution of a method for planning a communication network comprising a plurality of antenna arrays with a plurality of antenna elements for relaying radio signals into cells of the communication network, the method comprising:

generating beam shapes for a relaying of radio signals into an individual one of the cells for at least one of the antenna arrays,

wherein the step of generating beam shapes comprises;

providing a plurality of uplink beam forming vectors for forming a plurality of uplink beam shapes for at least an individual one of the plurality of antenna arrays with the plurality of antenna elements, wherein an individual one of the plurality of uplink beam forming vectors comprises uplink factors for the plurality of the antenna elements for creating an individual one of the plurality of uplink beam shapes wherein the uplink factors each comprise an amplitude weighting and at least one of a phase weighting or a delay that is applied to each individual one of the antenna elements; and

providing a plurality of downlink beam forming vectors for forming a plurality of downlink beam shapes for at least one of the plurality of the antenna arrays with the plurality of antenna elements, wherein an individual one of the plurality of downlink beam forming vectors comprises downlink factors for the plurality of the antenna elements for creating an individual one of the plurality of downlink beam shapes wherein the downlink factors each comprise an amplitude weighting and at least one of a phase weighting, or a delay that is applied to each individual one of the antenna elements;

wherein at least one of downlink factors and the uplink factors are independently selected for at least one of the antenna arrays for providing ones of the plurality of uplink beam shapes different from ones of the plurality of downlink beam shapes, the independent selection being based on a local knowledge of the cell; and

wherein at least one of the uplink factors and at least one of the downlink factors are forwarded to at least one of the antenna arrays.

67. Computer program product embodied on a non-transitory computer-readable medium and the computer-readable medium comprising executable instructions for the execution of a method for relaying radio signal using generated beam shapes into cells of a communication network, the communication network comprising a plurality of antenna arrays with a plurality of antenna elements, the method comprising the steps:

providing a local knowledge about the communication network;

generating beam shapes for a relaying of radio signals into an individual one of the cells for at least one of the antenna arrays;

relaying radio signals into the individual one of the cells by the at least one of the antenna arrays,

wherein the step of generating beam shapes comprises;

providing a plurality of uplink beam forming vectors for forming a plurality of uplink beam shapes for at least an individual one of the plurality of antenna arrays with the plurality of antenna elements, wherein an individual one of the plurality of uplink beam forming vectors comprises uplink factors for the plurality of the antenna elements for creating an individual one of the plurality of uplink beam shapes wherein the uplink factors each comprise an amplitude weighting and at least one of a phase weighting or a delay that is applied to each individual one of the antenna elements; and

providing a plurality of downlink beam forming vectors for forming a plurality of downlink beam shapes for at least one of the plurality of the antenna arrays with the plurality of antenna elements, wherein an individual one of the plurality of downlink beam forming vectors comprises downlink factors for the plurality of the antenna elements for creating an individual one of the plurality of downlink beam shapes wherein the downlink factors each comprise an amplitude weighting and at least one of a phase weighting or a delay that is applied to each individual one of the antenna elements;

wherein at least one of downlink factors and the uplink factors are independently selected for at least one of the antenna arrays for providing ones of the plurality of uplink beam shapes different from ones of the plurality of downlink beam shapes, the independent selection being based on a local knowledge of the cell; and

wherein at least one of the uplink factors and at least one of the downlink factors are forwarded to at least one of the antenna arrays.