Adaptive sectorization in a spread spectrum communication system

A digital communication system in which information signals are communicated among a plurality of users, said system comprising;

• means for providing a set of electromagnetic beams for receiving multipath signal components of a plurality of information signals transmitted by a corresponding plurality of users so as to generate a set of received signals;
• switching means for spatially tracking said multipath signal components by altering allocation of subsets of said beam signals among a plurality of traffic channels, each of said traffic channels being associated with one of said plurality of users;
• and
• receiver means for recovering a first of said information signals from a first of said subsets of beam signals allocated to a first of said traffic channels associated with a first of said users.

A digital communication system in which information signals are communicated via at least one base station among a plurality of users, said system comprising:

• an array of antenna elements, located at said base station, for providing a first set of electromagnetic beams for receiving information signals transmitted by said plurality of users to as to generate a first set of received signals;
• a first beam-forming matrix, coupled to said array of antenna elements, for producing a first set of beam signals based on samples to said set of received signals, said beam-forming matrix including means for weighting and combining selected ones of said received signal samples;
• switching means for spatially tracking said information signals received at said base station by altering allocation of subsets of said beam signals among a plurality of traffic channels wherein each of said traffic channels is associated with one of said plurality of users;
• and
• a set of receivers coupled to said switching means, each of said receivers including means for extracting an information signal from the subset of beam signals allocated to one of said traffic channels.

A method for communicating information signals among a plurality of users within a digital communication system, said method comprising the steps of:

• providing first and second electromagnetic beams for receiving a first information signal component over a first transmission path so as to generate first and second received signals, said first information signal component comprising at least a portion of a first information signal transmitted by a first of said users;
• generating first and second beam signals from said first and second received signals;
• demodulating said first and second beam signals in order to provide first and second estimates of said information signal;
• and
• generating a first tracking signal based on said first and second estimates of said information signal, said first tracking signal being useable to spatially track said first transmission path.

A method for communicating information signals among a plurality of users within a digital communication system, said method comprising the steps of:

• providing a set of electromagnetic beams for receiving multipath signal components of a plurality of information signals transmitted by a corresponding plurality of users so as to generate a set of received signals;
• generating a set of beam signals based on said set of received signals;
• spatially tracking said multipath components by altering allocation (of subsets of said beam signals among a plurality of traffic channels, each of said traffic channels being associated with one of said plurality of users;
• and
• recovering a first of said information signals from a first of said subsets of beam signals allocated to a first of said traffic channels associated with a first of said users.