Spatial division multiple access wireless communication systems

A wireless system for communication of downlink signals from a base station to users at locations remote from said base station, said wireless system comprising:

• spatial multiplexing means for combining downlink signals to be transmitted from said base station in downlink channels to said users, and
• transmitting means having an input connected to said spatial multiplexing means for transmitting the combined downlink signals and including plural transmitting antennas and multichannel transmitters with one multichannel transmitter for each transmitting antenna and with one channel of each of said multichannel transmitters for each of said downlink channels,
• whereby said downlink signals are transmitted to said users in a spatially selective manner and,
• wherein said base station is one of a plurality of base stations, and wherein said spatial multiplexing means comprises:
• means for selecting at least one base station from said plurality of base stations for transmission of each of said downlink signals to each user,
• said spatial multiplexing means including means for combining said downlink signals for each of said downlink channels for each of said transmitting antennas at said selected at least one base station.

A wireless system for full duplex communication of downlink signals and uplink signals between a base station and users physically remote from said base station, said wireless system comprising:

• receiving means at said base station for detecting combinations of arriving signals from said users in said uplink channel and including a plurality of receiving antennas and multichannel receivers with on multichannel receiver for each of said receiving antennas, each channel of each of said multichannel receivers dedicated to an uplink channel,
• processing means for processing said combinations of arriving signals in each uplink channel, said processing means comprising:
• means for determining the number of arriving signals in each of said uplink channels by employing statistical methods using eigenvalues of a covariance matrix calculated using said combinations of arriving signals,
• means for obtaining parameters of said arriving signals including directions of arrival of said arriving signals, and
• means for tracking user parameters including locations of said users from said parameters and said combinations of arriving signals,
• spatial demultiplexing means for obtaining estimates of the uplink signals in each uplink channel from said combinations of arriving signals and said parameters of arriving signals and said user parameters,
• spatial multiplexing means using said parameters of arriving signals and said user parameters for combining downlink signals from said base station to said users in at least one downlink channel, and
• transmitting means having an input connected to said spatial multiplexing means for transmitting the combined downlink signals and including a plurality of transmitting antennas and multichannel transmitters with one multichannel transmitter for each of said transmitting antennas, one channel of said multichannel transmitters dedicated to a downlink channel and to the spatial transmission of said downlink signals to said users in said at least one downlink channel,
• whereby reception of multiple uplink signals in multiple uplink channels from said users and transmission of multiple downlink signals in multiple downlink channels to said users can occur simultaneously.