Non-directional transmitting from a wireless data base station having a smart antenna system

• US 6,982,968 B1
• Filed: 09/29/2000
• Issued: 01/03/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: ArrayComm LLC (Ygomi LLC)
• Inventors: Barratt, Craig H., Michael, Youssefmir, Trott, Mitchell D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Chi
• Assistant Examiner(s): LY, ANH VU H
• Application Number:
  US09/676,888
• Time in Patent Office: 1,922 Days
• Field of Search: 370/277, 370/278, 370/328, 370/334, 370/345, 370/347, 370/442, 455/561, 455/562
• US Class Current: 370/328
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/06 Hybrid resource partitioning, e.g. channel borrowing

Abstract

A method, communication apparatus, and machine-readable medium to transmit a downlink signal in a substantially non directional manner from a first communication station of a communication system on a first downlink conventional channel. The first communication station includes a smart antenna system having a plurality of antenna elements. The method includes providing a first set of sequential time intervals for the communication device for communication with its remote communication devices. One or more remote communication devices of the communication system known to the first communication station to be undesired remote communication devices transmit a signal on a first uplink conventional channel. The signals transmitted are received. In one version, they are received at the first communication station, and in another version, by another communication station of the communication system. The signal received are used to configure the smart antenna system for transmitting a downlink signal in a non-directional manner that includes mitigating interference towards the undesired remote communication devices on the first downlink conventional channel.

Claims

1. A method of transmitting a downlink signal from a first communication station of a communication system to a remote communication device, the first communication station having a smart antenna system, the method comprising:

providing a first set of sequential time intervals for the first communication station, each of the time intervals having a selected number of downlink conventional channels, and an associated conventional channel on an uplink conventional channel associated with each of the downlink conventional channels, each associated uplink conventional channel having predefined relationship to its associated downlink conventional channel;

providing one or more further sets of sequential time intervals, each set of the one or more further sets of sequential time intervals associated with one or more other communication stations of the communication system, the further sets of sequential time intervals for communication between the other communication stations and one or more other remote communication devices associated with the other communication stations;

receiving one or more uplink signals from one or more of the other, undesired remote communication devices as interference on one or more uplink channels associated with a first downlink conventional channel;

determining a downlink smart antenna processing strategy for transmitting from the first communication station in a non-directional manner on the first downlink conventional channel, the strategy including mitigating interference towards the one or more other remote communication devices to reduce with respect to the one or more undesired remote communication devices, a strength of a signal transmitted by the first communication station on the first downlink conventional channel, the downlink processing strategy using the received unlink signals as inputs to provide interference mitigation; and

transmitting a downlink signal in a non-directional manner from the first communication station on the first downlink conventional channel using the determined downlink processing strategy.

2. A method as described in claim 1,

wherein the downlink signal is a paging signal to a first remote communication device of the first communication station,

wherein each remote communication device associated with the first communication station has an active state wherein it is in active communication with the first communication station, and an idle state wherein it has established its identity but is not actively communicating, and

wherein the first remote communication device is in an idle state during the transmitting step of the paging signal.

3. A method as described in claim 2, wherein the first remote communication device includes a second plurality of antenna elements.

4. A method as described in claim 3, wherein the first remote communication device includes a second smart antenna system that includes the second plurality of antenna elements.

5. A method as described in claim 2, wherein the first remote communication device includes a remote user terminals.

6. A method as described in claim 5, wherein at least one remote user terminal is mobile.

7. A method as described in claim 1,

wherein the downlink signal is a broadcast signal to one or more remote communication devices of the first communication station, and

wherein the downlink strategy determining step determines a downlink smart antenna processing strategy for transmitting the downlink signal in a substantially omnidirectional manner except for simultaneously mitigating interference towards the undesired remote communication devices.

8. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the first communication station comprises a cellular base station.

9. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the first communication station is coupled to an external data and/or voice network.

10. A method as described in claim 9, wherein the external network includes the Internet.

11. A method as described in claim 1,

wherein the one or more other communication stations of the system are each associated with one or more of the further sets of sequential time intervals, and

wherein the one or more of the other, undesired remote communication devices include a remote communication device associated with the one or more other communication stations.

12. A method as described in claim 11,

wherein each of the downlink conventional channels of the first and of the further sets of time intervals are associated with one or more of the uplink conventional channels of the same respective set of time intervals, such that any remote communication device receiving data from its associated communication station during a first downlink conventional channel has first transmitted data to its associated communication station on an associated uplink conventional channel of its set of sequential time intervals,

wherein the first communication station knows the association of a downlink conventional channel and its one or more associated uplink conventional channels of the further sets,

wherein receiving the one or more uplink signals includes receiving on uplink channels known to the first communication station to be the uplink channel associated with the first downlink channel on which the downlink message is to be transmitted, and

wherein receiving the one or more uplink signals includes receiving the signals at the first communication station.

13. A method as described in claim 1,

wherein each of the downlink conventional channels of the first and of the further sets of time intervals are associated with one or more of the uplink conventional channels of the same respective set of time intervals, such that any remote communication device receiving data from its associated communication station during a first downlink conventional channel has first transmitted data to its communication station on an associated uplink conventional channel of its set of sequential time intervals,

wherein receiving the one or more uplink signals includes receiving on one or more associated uplink channels known to the first communication station to be associated with the first downlink channel, and

wherein receiving the one or more uplink signals includes receiving the one or more uplink signals from the one or more undesired remote communication devices at the first communication station.

14. A method as described in claim 13, wherein each of the selected number of downlink conventional channels is a distinct downlink data transfer period in the intervals of the first and any further sets, and wherein each associated uplink conventional channel is a distinct associated data transfer period of the intervals of the respective set of sequential time intervals, the associated data transfer periods being for uplink communication.

15. A method as described in claim 1, further comprising:

forming side information about the undesired remote communication devices from the received one or more uplink signals;

storing the side information in a database in the first communication station; and

retrieving the side information from the database,

wherein determining the downlink processing strategy includes using the retrieved side information as inputs.

16. A method as described in claim 15,

wherein receiving the one or more uplink signals comprises receiving at the first communication station.

17. A method as described in claim 15,

wherein the communication system includes an inter-communication-device communication mechanism,

wherein receiving the one or more uplink signals includes receiving the signals at the one or more other communication stations,

wherein forming the side information for each undesired remote communication device occurs at the other communication station receiving the signal from said each undesired remote communication device, and

wherein the side information is communicated to the first communication station using the inter-communication-device communication mechanism.

18. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the first communication station includes at least a first remote communication device and a second remote communication device,

wherein receiving the one or more uplink signals includes receiving a signal at the first communication station transmitted by the second remote communication device to the first communication station on a first associated uplink conventional channel associated with the first downlink conventional channel,

wherein determining the downlink processing strategy includes using the signal received from the second remote communication device as an input to determine the downlink Processing strategy, and the determined downlink processing strategy to simultaneously

(i) transmit data to the second remote communication device in a directional manner, and (ii) transmit a downlink message to the first remote communication device in a manner that mitigates interference towards the second remote communication device on the first downlink conventional channel, and

wherein transmitting the downlink signal includes simultaneously transmitting data to the second remote communication device in a directional manner and the downlink message to the first remote communication device in a substantially non-directional manner that includes mitigating interference towards the second remote communication device.

19. A method as described in claim 18,

wherein each remote communication device has a state of active communication with its associated communication station, and an idle state wherein each remote communication device has established its identity but is not actively communicating with its communication station, and

wherein the first remote communication device is in the idle state.

20. A method as described in claim 19, wherein each of the selected number of downlink conventional channels is a distinct downlink data transfer period in the intervals of the set, and wherein each associated uplink conventional channel is a distinct associated data transfer period of the intervals of the set, the associated data transfer periods being for uplink communication.

21. A method as described in claim 19,

wherein the provided further sets of sequential time intervals include a set of sequential time intervals for each other communication station;

wherein each downlink conventional channel of the further sets of sequential time intervals is associated with one or more of the associated uplink conventional channels,

wherein each of the further sets of sequential time intervals is coordinated with the first set of sequential time intervals such that the first communication station knows the association between a downlink conventional channel and an uplink conventional channel for each of the further sets,

wherein receiving the one or more uplink signals includes receiving signals at the first communication station on one or more associated uplink conventional channels of the further sets of sequential time intervals associated with, and temporally preceding, the downlink conventional channel of the further sets of sequential time intervals wherein the downlink transmitting step is to occur, and

wherein determining the downlink processing strategy includes generating a strategy for transmitting the paging message to the first remote communication device in a manner that mitigates interference towards the second remote communication device and towards any remote communication devices of the other communication stations wherefrom signals are received on the associated uplink channels in the receiving step.

22. A method as described in claim 18,

wherein each of the downlink conventional channels is associated with one or more of the associated uplink conventional channels, such that any remote communication device receiving data from its communication station during a first downlink conventional channel has transmitted data to its communication station on an associated uplink conventional channel;

wherein receiving the one or more uplink signals includes receiving one or more signals on the first associated uplink conventional channel, including receiving the signal transmitted by the second remote communication device;

wherein determining the downlink processing strategy includes using the one or more uplink signals received, the determined strategy to transmit on a downlink conventional channel associated with the first uplink conventional channel; and

wherein simultaneously transmitting the data to the second remote communication device includes transmitting on a downlink conventional channel associated with and occurring later than the first associated uplink conventional channel.

23. A method as described in claim 18, wherein determining the downlink processing strategy includes generating a strategy for transmitting the downlink message to the first remote communication device in a direction wherefrom there were no substantial signals received on the uplink on the first associated uplink conventional channel in the receiving step.

24. A method as described in claim 23, wherein determining the downlink processing strategy includes generating a strategy for transmitting the downlink message to the first remote communication device, determining the downlink processing strategy further including using a criterion from the received signal covariance of the signals received in the receiving step.

25. A method as described in claim 18, wherein determining the downlink processing strategy includes generating a strategy for transmitting the downlink message to the first remote communication device, determining the downlink processing strategy further including using a criterion that includes directing a null towards the second remote communication device.

26. A method as described in claim 1, wherein determining the downlink processing strategy includes generating a strategy for transmitting the downlink signal in a direction wherefrom there were no substantial signals received on the uplink on the first uplink conventional channel in the receiving step.

27. A method as described in claim 26, wherein determining the downlink processing strategy includes compensating for a received signal covariance of the signals received in the receiving step.

28. A first communication station comprising:

a smart antenna system to communicate with at least one remote communication device using a smart antenna processing strategy, the smart antenna system including a plurality of antenna elements;

an uplink reception unit, coupled to the antenna elements to provide an uplink conventional channel associated with each of a plurality of downlink conventional channels, each unlink conventional channel having a predefined relationship to its associated downlink conventional channel, and receive one or more uplink signals from one or more undesired remote communication devices on one or more uplink conventional channels associated with a first downlink conventional channel;

a processor, coupled to the uplink reception unit, the processor to determine a downlink smart antenna processing strategy for transmitting from the first communication station in a non-directional manner, the downlink processing strategy using the one or more received uplink signals, to generate interference mitigation towards the one or more undesired remote communication devices to reduce, on one or more uplink conventional channels of the one or more undesired remote communication devices, a strength of a signal transmitted by the first communication station on the first downlink conventional channel; and

a downlink transmission unit, coupled to the antenna elements and to the processor, to provide the first downlink conventional channel to transmit a downlink signal in a non-directional manner from the first communication station using the determined downlink processing strategy, provide a selected number of downlink conventional channels of a first set of sequential time intervals for the first communication station, the first set including the first downlink conventional channel, and provide one or more additional sets of sequential time intervals, each associated with one or more other communication stations for communication between the other communication stations and one or more remote communication devices associated with the other communication stations.

29. A first communication station as described in claim 28,

wherein the downlink signal is a paging signal to a first remote communication device of the first communication station,

wherein each remote communication device associated with the first communication station has an active state wherein it is in active communication with the first communication station, and an idle state wherein it has established its identity but is not actively communicating, and

wherein the first remote communication device is in an idle state during the transmitting of the paging signal.

30. A first communication station as described in claim 28,

wherein the downlink signal is a broadcast signal to one or more remote communication devices of the first communication station, and

wherein the processor determines the downlink strategy for transmitting the downlink signal in a substantially omnidirectional manner except for simultaneously mitigating interference towards the undesired remote communication devices.

31. A first communication station as described in claim 28, wherein the first communication station is coupled to an external data and/or voice network.

32. A first communication station as described in claim 31, wherein the external data and/or voice network includes the Internet.

33. A first communication station as described in claim 28, wherein the remote communication devices include a first remote user terminal.

34. A first communication station as described in claim 33, wherein the first remote user terminal is mobile.

35. A first communication station as described in claim 28, wherein the downlink signal includes voice.

36. A first communication station as described in claim 28, wherein the downlink signal includes information exchanged via the Internet.

37. A machine-readable medium having stored thereon information representing a set of machine-executable instructions, that, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to perform a method of transmitting a downlink signal from a first communication station of a communication system to a remote communication device, the first communication station having a smart antenna system, the method comprising:

providing a first set of sequential time intervals for the first communication station, each of the time intervals having a selected number of downlink conventional channels, and an associated conventional channel on an unlink conventional channel associated with each of the downlink conventional channels, each associated uplink conventional channel having a predefined relationship to its associated downlink conventional channel;

providing one or more further sets of sequential time intervals, each set of the one or more further sets of sequential time intervals associated with one or more other communication stations of the communication system, the further sets of sequential time intervals for communication between the other communication stations and one or more other remote communication devices associated with the other communication stations;

receiving one or more unlink signals from one or more of the other, undesired remote communication devices as interference on one or more unlink channels associated with a first downlink conventional channel;

determining a downlink smart antenna processing strategy for transmitting from the first communication station in a non-directional manner on the first downlink conventional channel, the strategy including mitigating interference towards the one or more other remote communication devices to reduce, with respect to the one or more undesired remote communication devices, a strength of a signal transmitted by the first communication station on the first downlink conventional channel, the downlink processing strategy using the received uplink signals as inputs to provide interference mitigation; and

transmitting a downlink signal in a non-directional manner from the first communication station on the first downlink conventional channel using the determined downlink processing strategy.

38. A machine readable medium as described in claim 37,

wherein the downlink signal is a paging signal to a first remote communication device of the first communication station,

wherein each remote communication device associated with the first communication station has an active state wherein it is in active communication with the first communication station, and an idle state wherein it has established its identity but is not actively communicating, and

wherein the first remote communication device is in an idle state during the transmitting of the paging signal.

39. A machine-readable medium as described in claim 38, wherein the first remote communication device includes a second plurality of antenna elements.

40. A machine-readable medium as described in claim 39, wherein the first remote communication device includes a second smart antenna system that includes the second plurality of antenna elements.

41. A machine-readable medium as described in claim 38, wherein the remote communication devices include a first remote user terminal.

42. A machine-readable medium as described in claim 41, wherein the first remote user terminal is mobile.

43. A machine-readable medium as described in claim 37,

wherein the downlink signal is a broadcast signal to one or more remote communication devices of the first communication station, and

wherein determining the downlink processing strategy comprises determining a downlink smart antenna processing strategy for transmitting the downlink signal in a substantially omnidirectional manner except for simultaneously mitigating interference towards the undesired remote communication devices.

44. A machine-readable medium as described in claim 37, wherein the first communication station comprises a cellular base station.

45. A machine-readable medium as described in claim 37, wherein the first communication station is coupled to an external data and/or voice network.

46. A machine-readable medium as described in claim 45, wherein the external network includes the Internet.

47. A method of transmitting a downlink signal in a non-directional manner from a first communication station having a smart antenna system on a first downlink conventional channel to a first remote communication device, while communicating with one or more other remote communication devices on the same first downlink conventional channel, the method comprising:

receiving one or more uplink signals from the other remote communication devices;

determining a downlink smart antenna processing strategy using the received uplink signals, the downlink processing strategy to be used to transmit from the first communication station in a non-directional manner on the first downlink conventional channel, and to transmit to the one or more other remote communication devices on the same first downlink conventional channel;

transmitting a first downlink signal in a non-directional manner from the first communication station, and one or more other downlink signals to the one or more other remote communication devices, on the first downlink conventional channel using the determined downlink strategy;

providing a set of sequential time intervals for the first communication station, each of the time intervals having a selected number of downlink conventional channels including the first downlink conventional channel, each of the downlink conventional channels further having an associated uplink conventional channel in the time intervals, each associated uplink conventional channel having a predefined relationship to its associated downlink conventional channel; and

providing a set of further sequential time intervals associated with a different communication station, each of the further time intervals having a selected number of downlink conventional channels associated with the different communication station;

wherein receiving the one or more uplink signals includes receiving on a first uplink channel associated with the first downlink conventional channel a second uplink signal from the second remote communication device transmitted at the first communication station, and

wherein determining the downlink processing strategy includes using the received signals as an input to determine a downlink processing strategy to simultaneously

(i) transmit downlink data to the second remote communication device in a directional manner, and (ii) transmit the first downlink signal to the first remote communication device in a manner that mitigates interference towards the second remote communication device on the first downlink conventional channel.

48. A method as described in claim 47, wherein the first communication station comprises a cellular base station.

49. A method as described in claim 47, wherein the first remote communication device includes a second plurality of antenna elements.

50. A method as described in claim 49, wherein the first remote communication device includes a second smart antenna system that includes the second plurality of antenna elements.

51. A method as described in claim 47, wherein the first communication station is coupled to an external data and/or voice network.

52. A method as described in claim 47, wherein the one or more other remote communication device include a first remote user terminal.

53. A method as described in claim 52, wherein the first remote user terminal is mobile.

54. A method as described in claim 47, wherein the first downlink signal includes voice.

55. A method as described in claim 47, wherein the first downlink signal includes information exchanged via the Internet.

56. A method as described in claim 47,

wherein each remote communication device has a state of active communication with its associated communication station and an idle state wherein each remote communication device has established its identity but is not actively communicating with its communication station, and

wherein the first remote communication device is in the idle state.

57. A method as described in claim 56, wherein determining the downlink processing strategy includes generating a strategy to transmit the first downlink signal in a direction wherefrom there were no substantial signals received on the uplink on the first associated uplink conventional channel in the receiving step.

58. A method as described in claim 57, wherein determining the downlink processing strategy includes using a criterion that is determined from the received signal covariance of the signals received in receiving step.

59. A method as described in claim 47,

wherein each of the downlink conventional channels is associated with one or more of the uplink conventional channels, such that any remote communication device receiving data from its communication device during a first downlink conventional channel has transmitted data to its communication device on an associated uplink conventional channel;

and

wherein determining the downlink processing strategy includes using the one or more uplink signals received, the determined strategy for transmitting on a downlink conventional channel associated with and occurring later than the first associated uplink conventional channel.

60. A method as described in claim 56, wherein each of the selected number of downlink conventional channels is a distinct downlink data transfer period in the intervals of the set, and wherein each associated uplink conventional channel is a distinct associated data transfer period of the intervals of the set, the associated data transfer periods being for uplink communication.

61. A method as described in claim 56, wherein determining the downlink processing strategy includes generating a strategy to transmit the paging signal according to a criterion that includes directing nulls towards the second remote communication device.