Lucent Technologies Inc.

Max Aaron Solondz

Norman Gerard Ziesse

Roger David Benning

Maria E Palamara

Alex Matusevich

Philip Lamoureux

Shang-Chieh Liu

Richard Thomas Aiken

Myles Patrick Murphy

Joseph K Nordgaard

In the method of making downlink operational measurements a measurement request from one of a main controller and a first base station is sent to at least a second base station. The measurement request requests the second base station to instruct mobile terminals in communication therewith to make operation measurements of at least one signal transmitted by the first base station. The second base station transmits a measurement instruction to the mobile terminals in communication therewith in response to the measurement request. The measurement instruction instructs the mobile terminals in communication with the second base station to make operational measurements of the signal transmitted from the first base station. Then the second base station receives results of the operational measurements from the mobile terminals in communication therewith. Alternatively or in addition, the second base station makes the operational measurements.

Method of making downlink operational measurements in a wireless communication system

In a mobile communication system, independent versions of a signal are transmitted over plural antennas. The antennas are either spatially separated or orthogonally polarized with respect to each other so that the independent versions of the signal are not subjected to correlated fading. Each independent version of the signal is transmitted from a respective antenna a fixed delay after transmission of a previous version of a signal from a different antenna. The fixed delay is at least one information bit of the signal. Received versions of the signal are equalized in an equalizer or RAKE architecture to provide a composite signal. The equalizer has respective sets of equalizer taps that are separated from adjacent sets of equalizer taps by the fixed delay. The RAKE architecture has respective sets of RAKE fingers that are separated from adjacent sets of RAKE fingers by the fixed delay.

Transmit diversity and reception equalization for radio links

The downtilt angles of two (or more) variable-phase, phased-array antennas are simultaneously controlled by configuring each antenna with an integrated power-splitter/phase-shifter assembly that splits (and/or combines) power and shifts phase for signals transmitted (and/or received) by the antenna. Movable components in each of the integrated power-splitter/phase-shifter assemblies are connected to a common linkage, which is in turn configured to a common motor, which is controlled by a controller. Motion of the common motor is translated (e.g., by one or more gear boxes) into motion of the linkage, which moves the components within the integrated assemblies, thereby changing the electro-magnetic characteristics of a (e.g., microstrip) conductor within each integrated assembly to control the amount of phase shift applied to the signals. In one implementation, the movable components in the integrated assemblies are dielectric wedges that are sandwiched between the microstrip conductor and a ground plane, where movement of the wedges between the microstrip conductor and the ground plane changes the phase-shift angle applied to signals at that position along the microstrip conductor. The present invention is especially suitable for the separate uplink and downlink antenna arrays used in base stations of wireless communication networks.

Downtilt control for multiple antenna arrays

High speed data transfer from a base station to a mobile terminal is provided using an additional wide band communication channel that supplements the communications provided by the reverse (mobile to base station) and forward (base station to mobile) links used in cellular or PCS communications systems. In one embodiment, the standard forward and reverse links are used as control channels for data transfers over the additional or adjunct forward wide band channel. In another embodiment, the communications carried out over the narrow band forward link channel are sent over the adjunct wide band forward channel thereby eliminating the need for a narrow band forward link channel.

Wireless data communications using asymmetric channel allocation

An apparatus and method of adaptive sectorization that is amiable to CDMA environments using an antenna configuration and a phase shifter network that can form a variable width beam over which a pilot signal and other downlink signals may be transmitted. The antenna configuration having at least an antenna sub-array with two or more antenna elements. The phase shifter network having a plurality of switches for adjusting beam width by directing signals to be transmitted over one or more of the antenna elements, and phase shifters for shifting phases of the signals to be transmitted over the one or more antenna elements.

Variable sectorization tower top applique for base stations

A time slotted system capable of switching between two or more antennas during the guard times of the time slots. Switching between antennas during the guard time of the time slots eliminates any disturbance to the user, since it eliminates any loud noise, or popping that can occur during the switching between antennas. The beamwidth of each of the antennas is narrower than needed to cover a sector of a cell of the system, increasing the size of the cell due to the larger gain of the narrower beamwidth antenna elements. The system also includes a scanning radio for determining the optimal signal amongst the signals received on the antennas, and a switch for coupling the antenna receiving the optimal signal to a receiver system. In one embodiment of the invention the optimal signal is based on the information content of the signal, such as the signal's bit error rate. In another embodiment of the invention, the optimal antenna is selected, and a plurality of a combined signals is obtained by combining the signal received on the optimal antenna and a signal received on one of the other antennas, until all of the antennas have been paired with the optimal antenna. The optimal combined signal is selected, and the antenna pair that received the signals that produced the optimal combined signal are coupled to the receiver system.

Intelligent antenna sub-sector switching for time slotted systems

A cellular base station transmitter/receiver system is provided which combines adaptive array processing, for the uplink RF signals, and fixed beam switching, for the downlink RF signals. An example of the configuration employs at least four antenna ports, with all four ports being used to provide uplink RF signals to a receiver processor, two being used to supply narrow beam uplink signals and two being used to supply wide beam uplink signals. Two of the four ports are used to provide beam switched narrow beam downlink RF signals.

Transmitter/receiver for combined adaptive array processing and fixed beam switching

An antenna array system includes a first array for operating in a transmit mode and a receive mode and a second array spaced apart for operating in the receive mode. A receiver adjusts a receive radiation pattern in the receive mode and provides a control signal for a transmit radiation pattern of the transmit mode.

Antenna array system having coherent and noncoherent reception characteristics

A system for customizing service in a wireless communication system in accordance with a user profile, unique to each user of the system, is described. In this system, a base station receives a call establishment request either via an external MTSO (mobile telephone switch office) or PSTN (public telephone switch network), or internally from a call establishment request, broadcasted by a wireless terminal associated with a first subscriber within a cell of interest. Both the base station and the wireless terminal are located in a cell (i.e., the cell of interest) of the wireless communication system. The base station determines whether it has a free channel, or resource, to service the call establishment request. If the base station does not have a free channel to service the call establishment request, then a call processor determines a service priority level contained in a user profile of the first subscriber. This service priority level is communicated to the base station. The base station processes the call establishment request in accordance with the service priority level of the first subscriber and service priority levels of second subscribers that are involved in telephone calls active in the cell.

Service customization in a wireless communication system

A wireless telecommunications system base station architecture is disclosed that supports receive diversity, sectorization, and radio pooling without the need for a sniffer radio or a switching matrix between the radios and the receive antennas. An illustrative embodiment of the present invention comprises: a first receive antenna for receiving a first incoming signal; a second receive antenna for receiving a second incoming signal; a first transmit antenna for transmitting into a first sector; a second transmit antenna for transmitting into a second sector; a first switch for receiving a first outgoing signal and a first control signal, and for routing the first outgoing signal to at least one of the first transmit antenna and the second transmit antenna based on the first control signal; and a first radio for receiving the first incoming signal from the first receive antenna and the second incoming signal from the second receive antenna, and for providing the first outgoing signal and the first control signal to the first switch.

Architecture for multi-sector base stations

A system for servicing call establishment requests in a cellular telephone system on a priority basis is described. In this system, a base station receives a call establishment request either via an external MTSO (mobile telephone switch office) or PSTN (public telephone switch network), or internally from a call establishment request, broadcasted by a mobile unit associated with a first subscriber within the cell of interest. Both the base station and the mobile unit are located in a cell (i.e., the cell of interest) of the cellular telephone system. The base station determines whether it has a free channel to service the call establishment request. If the base station does not have a free channel to service the call establishment request, then a call processor determines a service priority level of the first subscriber. This service priority level is communicated to the base station. The base station processes the call establishment request in accordance with the service priority level of the first subscriber and service priority levels of second subscribers that are involved in telephone calls active in the cell.

Growing community of inventors

Morris Township, NJ, United States of America

Max Aaron Solondz