Multiple basestation communication system having adaptive antennas

• US 7,187,949 B2
• Filed: 05/15/2001
• Issued: 03/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: DIRECTV, LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: The DIRECTV Group, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Chang, Donald C. D., Lim, Wah L., Chang, Ming U.
• Primary Examiner(s): Eng; George
• Assistant Examiner(s): Torres; Marcos L
• Application Number:
  US09/858,956
• Publication Number:
  US 20020132643A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,121 Days
• Field of Search: 455/427, 455/428, 455/429, 455/430, 455/431, 455/422.1, 455 111- 138, 455/63.4, 455/420, 455/501, 455/68, 455/63.1, 455/524, 455/550.1, 455/553.1, 455/88, 455/554.2, 455/560, 455561-5621, 455/5
• US Class Current: 455/562.1
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/246 specially adapted for base stations
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 25/00 Antennas or antenna systems providing at least two radiating patterns arrangements for changing or varying the orientation or the shape of the directional pattern H01Q3/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/2605 Array of radiating elements provided with a feedback control over the element weights, e.g. adaptive arrays
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0408 using two or more beams, i.e. beam diversity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/26 Cell enhancers or enhancement, e.g. for tunnels, building shadow
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/28 using beam steering
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/14 WLL [Wireless Local Loop]; RLL [Radio Local Loop]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/085 Access point devices with remote components

Abstract

A communication system has a first plurality of wireless basestations having adaptive antennas with a plurality of main array antenna elements for generating a plurality of communication beams. The system further includes a gateway station coupled to the first plurality of wireless basestations. The gateway station forms a plurality of beam commands by communicating a plurality of control signals to the first plurality of wireless basestations to form the communication beams. A second plurality of wireless base stations having a second plurality of adaptive antennas with a second plurality of main array antenna elements for generating a plurality of communication beams to communicate with said mobile user and a fixed user. The beams include a first link and a second link from the first plurality of basestations that communicate with the fixed user terminal and a third link and fourth link from the second plurality of wireless basestations to communicate with the mobile user terminal.

Claims

1. A communication system for communicating with a fixed user terminal and a mobile user terminal comprising:

a first plurality of wireless base stations having a first plurality of adaptive antennas each having a first plurality of panels with a first plurality of reconfigurable antenna elements for generating a first plurality of communication beams to communicate with said fixed user terminal;

a second plurality of wireless base stations having a second plurality of adaptive antennas each having a second plurality of panels with a second plurality of reconfigurable antenna elements for generating a second plurality of communication beams to communicate with said mobile user terminal; and

a gateway station coupled to said first plurality of wireless base stations and said second plurality of wireless base stations through wireless feeder links, said gateway station forming a plurality of beams by communicating a plurality of control signals to the first plurality of wireless base stations and the second plurality of wireless base stations to form the communication beams so that a first link from a first base station of the first plurality of wireless base stations and a second link from a second base station of the first plurality of wireless base stations are used to communicate with a fixed user terminal and a third link from a third base station of the second plurality of wireless base stations and a fourth link from a fourth base station of the second plurality of wireless base stations are used to communicate with a mobile user terminal.

3. A communication system as recited in claim 1 wherein said first plurality of wireless base stations comprises a plurality of auxiliary elements for canceling interference between the first plurality of communication beams.

4. A communication system as recited in claim 1 wherein said second plurality wireless base stations comprises a plurality of auxiliary elements for canceling interference between the second plurality of communication beams.

5. A communication system as recited in claim 1 wherein said gateway station is rf coupled to said first plurality of wireless base stations and second plurality of wireless base stations.

6. A communication system as recited in claim 1 wherein said first plurality of reconfigurable elements is modular.

7. A communication system as recited in claim 1 wherein said second plurality of reconfigurable elements is modular.

8. A communication system as recited in claim 1 wherein said first plurality of reconfigurable elements are coupled to a bus and a bus controller.

9. A communication system as recited in claim 1 wherein said second plurality of reconfigurable elements are coupled to a bus and a bus controller.

10. A communication system as recited in claim 1 further comprising a nulling processor.

11. A communication system as recited in claim 10 wherein said nulling processor comprises an element code despread and a user code despread.

12. A communication system as recited in claim 10 wherein said nulling processor comprises a weighted feedback loop similarly coupled to an output signal.

13. A communication system as recited in claim 10 wherein said nulling processor comprises auxiliary elements coupled to an output signal.

14. A communication system as recited in claim 1 wherein said base station comprises a plurality of summing blocks coupled to said main array element for generating a summed signal, said gateway station comprising an analog-to-digital converter coupled to a noise injection circuit and said summed signal, said summed signal coupled to a demultiplexer and a digital beam forming circuit.

2. A communication system for communicating with a fixed user terminal and a mobile user terminal comprising:

a first plurality of wireless base stations having a first plurality or adaptive antennas with a first plurality of reconfigurable antenna elements for generating a first plurality of communication beams to communicate with said fixed user terminal;

a second plurality of wireless base stations having a second plurality of adaptive antennas with a second plurality of reconfigurable antenna elements for generating a second plurality of communication beams to communicate with said mobile user terminal; and

a gateway station coupled to said first plurality of wireless base stations and said second plurality of wireless base stations through wireless feeder links, said gateway station forming a plurality of beams by communicating a plurality of a control signals to the first plurality of wireless base stations and the second plurality of wireless base stations to form the communication beams having a first link from a first base station of the first plurality of wireless base stations and a second link from a second base station wherein said first plurality of reconfigurable elements is less than said second plurality of reconfigurable elements.

15. A communication system comprising:

a first plurality of wireless base stations each having an adaptive antenna with a first plurality of reconfigurable antenna elements for generating a first plurality of communication beams;

a second plurality of wireless base stations having adaptive antennas with a second plurality of reconfigurable antenna elements for generating a second plurality of communication beams;

a gateway station coupled to said first plurality of wireless base stations and said second plurality of wireless base stations through wireless feeder links, said gateway station forming the first and second plurality of communication beams by communicating a plurality of control signals to the first plurality and said second plurality of base stations to form the communication beams using at least a first link from a first base station and a second link from a second base station of the first plurality of wireless base stations and a third link from a third base station and a fourth link from a fourth base station of the second plurality of base stations directed to a user terminal.

16. A communication system as recited in claim 15 wherein said first plurality of reconfigurable elements are disposed in a first plurality of panels and a second plurality of reconfigurable elements are disposed in a second plurality of panels.

17. A communication system as recited in claim 15 wherein said gateway station is rf coupled to said first plurality and second plurality of wireless base stations.

18. A communication system as recited in claim 15 wherein said first plurality of reconfigurable elements is modular.

19. A method of operating a communication system comprising:

generating a first plurality of communication beams a first plurality of wireless base stations having adaptive antennas with a first plurality of main array antenna elements for generating a plurality of communication beams;

generating a second plurality of communication beams from a second plurality of wireless base stations having adaptive antennas with a second plurality of main array antenna elements;

coupling a gateway station to said first plurality of wireless base stations and said second plurality of wireless base stations through a plurality of multiple dynamic links; and

forming the first and second plurality of communication beams with a plurality of data packets by communicating a plurality of control signals to the first plurality and said second plurality of base stations to form the first and second plurality of communication beams using at least a first link from a first base nation and a second link from a second of the first plurality of wireless base stations and a third link from a third base station of the second plurality of wireless base stations and a fourth link from a fourth of the second plurality of base stations so that said first link, said second link, said third link and said fourth link are directed to a user terminal.