US 2004/0023657 A1Published application

Apparatus for increasing cell capacity in mobile communication system using adaptive sectorization and method for controlling the same

AssigneeUTStarcom, Inc.

InventorSang Hoon Lim

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Abstract

An apparatus for increasing a cell capacity in a mobile communication system using an adaptive sectorization and a method for controlling the same. The apparatus comprises an adaptive sector unit for converting radio frequency (RF) signals of two forward paths into beam signals of m forward paths in a forward link and beam signals of m reverse paths into RF signals of two reverse paths in a reverse link in consideration of a user distribution of each sector based on a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) of each sector, respectively, an analog beam former for forming a multibeam of fixed beams y and variable beams x for each sector, and converting beam signals into antenna signals in the forward link and antenna signals into beam signals in the reverse link, respectively, a power amplifier for power-amplifying antenna signals of n forward paths for each sector from the analog beam former, and a front-end unit for, in the forward link, receiving n-path antenna signals of each sector from the power amplifier and transmitting the received antenna signals through a multi-array antenna module for each sector, and for, in the reverse link, receiving n-path antenna signals from the multi-array antenna module for each sector and performing noise removal and filtering functions with respect to the received antenna signals.

Claims13

Dependent claims

An apparatus for increasing a cell capacity in a mobile communication system using an adaptive sectorization, said mobile communication system including a base station system having a plurality of sectors, said base station system including a transceiver for performing a variety of functions associated with transmission/reception of data, said transceiver including a radio frequency (RF) controller, said apparatus comprising:

an adaptive sector unit for determining a user distribution of each of said sectors on the basis of a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) of each of said sectors from said RF controller, for, in a forward link, receiving RF signals of two forward paths for each of said sectors from said transceiver, switching paths corresponding to variable beams of each of said sectors from one of said sectors with a highest one of the user distributions to another one of said sectors with a lowest one of the user distributions in consideration of the respective user distributions of said sectors to generate beam signals of m forward paths for each of said sectors, and outputting the generated beam signals, and for, in a reverse link, receiving beam signals of m reverse paths, containing y fixed beam paths, for each of said sectors, mixing the received beam signals into ones of two reverse paths and outputting the resulting signals to said transceiver;
an analog beam former for, in said forward link, receiving said beam signals of said m forward paths for each of said sectors from said adaptive sector unit, converting the received beam signals into antenna signals of n forward paths for each of said sectors to form a multibeam of fixed beams and variable beams for each of said sectors, and outputting the resulting antenna signals, and for, in said reverse link, receiving antenna signals of n reverse paths for each of said sectors, converting the received antenna signals into said beam signals of said m reverse paths and outputting the resulting beam signals to said adaptive sector unit;
a power amplifier for power-amplifying said antenna signals of said n forward paths for each of said sectors from said analog beam former and outputting the resulting signals;
and
a front-end unit for, in said forward link, receiving n-path antenna signals of each of said sectors from said power amplifier and transmitting the received antenna signals through λ/3 antennas for each of said sectors, and for, in said reverse link, receiving n-path antenna signals from said λ/3 antennas for each of said sectors, performing noise removal and filtering functions with respect to the received antenna signals and outputting the resulting signals to said analog beam former over said n reverse paths for each of said sectors.

2 more elements

A method for controlling an apparatus for increasing a cell capacity in a mobile communication system using an adaptive sectorization, by means of an adaptive sector processor of an adaptive sector unit, said method comprising the steps of:

a) recognizing that a given base station is a 2-sector base station having an alpha sector and a beta sector and that said alpha sector and beta sector are each allocated four fixed beams and two variable beams;
b) receiving respective RSSIs of said sectors from an RF controller, recognizing on the basis of the received RSSIs that said alpha sector has a higher user distribution than that of said beta sector, and calculating a difference of said RSSI of said beta sector from said RSSI of said alpha sector;
c) determining whether said RSSI of said alpha sector is greater than a first predetermined threshold value and said difference of said RSSI of said beta sector from said RSSI of said alpha sector is greater than a second predetermined threshold value;
d) ending an entire operation if it is determined at said step c) that said RSSI of said alpha sector is not greater than said first predetermined threshold value, or said difference of said RSSI of said beta sector from said RSSI of said alpha sector is not greater than said second predetermined threshold value, and determining whether both two variable beams at left boundary areas of said alpha and beta sectors have been allocated to said beta sector, if it is determined at said step c) that said RSSI of said alpha sector is greater than said first predetermined threshold value and said difference of said RSSI of said beta sector from said RSSI of said alpha sector is greater than said second predetermined threshold value;
e) determining whether both two variable beams at right boundary areas of said alpha and beta sectors have been allocated to said beta sector, if it is determined at said step d) that both said two variable beams at said left boundary areas of said alpha and beta sectors have been allocated to said beta sector;
and
f) allocating one of said two variable beams at said right boundary areas of said alpha and beta sectors to said beta sector if it is determined at said step e) that neither of said two variable beams at said right boundary areas of said alpha and beta sectors has been allocated to said beta sector.

4 more elements

a) recognizing that a given base station is a 3-sector base station having an alpha sector, a beta sector and a gamma sector and that said alpha sector, beta sector and gamma sector are each allocated two fixed beams and two variable beams;
b) receiving respective RSSIs of said sectors from an RF controller, recognizing on the basis of the received RSSIs that said sectors have user distributions in the order of “alpha sector>beta sector>gamma sector”, and calculating a difference of said RSSI of said gamma sector from said RSSI of said alpha sector;
c) determining whether said RSSI of said alpha sector is greater than a first predetermined threshold value and said difference of said RSSI of said gamma sector from said RSSI of said alpha sector is greater than a second predetermined threshold value;
d) ending an entire operation if it is determined at said step c) that said RSSI of said alpha sector is not greater than said first predetermined threshold value, or said difference of said RSSI of said gamma sector from said RSSI of said alpha sector is not greater than said second predetermined threshold value, and determining whether both two variable beams between said alpha sector and said gamma sector have been allocated to said gamma sector, if it is determined at said step c) that said RSSI of said alpha sector is greater than said first predetermined threshold value and said difference of said RSSI of said gamma sector from said RSSI of said alpha sector is greater than said second predetermined threshold value;
e) calculating a difference of said RSSI of said beta sector from said RSSI of said alpha sector and a difference of said RSSI of said gamma sector from said RSSI of said beta sector if it is determined at said step d) that both said two variable beams between said alpha sector and said gamma sector have been allocated to said gamma sector;
f) determining whether said difference of said RSSI of said beta sector from said RSSI of said alpha sector is greater than said difference of said RSSI of said gamma sector from said RSSI of said beta sector;
g) determining whether said difference of said RSSI of said beta sector from said RSSI of said alpha sector is greater than said second threshold value, if it is determined at said step f) that said difference of said RSSI of said beta sector from said RSSI of said alpha sector is greater than said difference of said RSSI of said gamma sector from said RSSI of said beta sector;
h) ending the entire operation if it is determined at said step g) that said difference of said RSSI of said beta sector from said RSSI of said alpha sector is not greater than said second threshold value, and determining whether both two variable beams between said alpha sector and said beta sector have been allocated to said beta sector, if it is determined at said step g) that said difference of said RSSI of said beta sector from said RSSI of said alpha sector is greater than said second threshold value;
and
i) allocating one of said two variable beams between said alpha sector and said beta sector belonging to said alpha sector to said beta sector if it is determined at said step h) that neither of said two variable beams between said alpha sector and said beta sector has been allocated to said beta sector.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.