Zoned microcell with sector scanning for cellular telephone system

Abstract

A zoned microcell system with sector scanning for cellular telephone systems has a plurality of contiguous cells, each having a different assigned set of transmission frequency channels, arranged with handoff means for maintaining continuous communication with mobile telephones moving from cell to cell. The system includes at least one cell having a plurality of transmitting and receiving antenna sets. Each set is positioned at a respective antenna sub-site within the periphery of the cell at a suitable location, and is configured so that propagation and reception of signals is limited to a transmission zone which is substantially within the boundaries of the cell and which is substantially less in area than the cell. Control means monitor the strength of the signal received by each of the antenna sets at each frequency channel in the assigned set. Transmission, at each frequency channel in the assigned set, is confined to the antenna set at one sub-site in the cell having the strongest received signal at each frequency to thus limit signal propagation to the transmission zone served by that set. In one embodiment, further signal strength monitoring is provided at each sub-site. Transmission, at each frequency channel in the assigned set, is confined to a specific sub-set of antennas at the sub-site. In this way, transmission at each frequency channel in the assigned set is confined to a limited sector within the transmission zone.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.