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US 6,549,529 B1Granted
System and method for controlling antenna downtilt/uptilt in a wireless communication network
AssigneeLucent Technologies Inc.
InventorsLawrence Drabeck, Karl Hampel, Paul Mankiewich, Paul Polakos, Ajay Rajkumar, Anthony Triolo, Norman Ziesse
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The wireless communication system includes antennas having electrically controllable downtilt angles and downtilt controllers associated with each antenna. The downtilt controllers receive instructions from a main controller, and adjust the downtilt angles of the associated antennas in accordance with the received instructions.
Claims39
A wireless communication system, comprising:
- a plurality of cell sites, each cell site including an antenna having an electrically controllable downtilt angle and an associated downtilt controller controlling a downtilt angle of said associated antenna;
- and
- a main controller outputting a control signal to said downtilt controllers of at least two cell sites to adjust said downtilt angle of said associated antennas of said at least two cell sites and the relationship therebetween,
- wherein said main controller generates and outputs said main control signals based on at least one operational measurement of said wireless communication system.
1 more element
A wireless communication system, comprising:
- a primary cell site including a primary antenna having an electrically controllable downtilt angle and a primary downtilt controller controlling said downtilt angle of said primary antenna, said primary antenna having a primary coverage area based on said downtilt angle thereof;
- at least one secondary cell site including a secondary antenna having an electrically controllable downtilt angle and a secondary downtilt controller controlling said downtilt angle of said secondary antenna, said secondary antenna having a secondary coverage area based on said downtilt angle thereof, said secondary coverage area being adjacent to said primary coverage area;
- and
- a main controller determining whether said primary coverage area is overloaded, and outputting control signals to said primary and secondary downtilt controllers to adjust a boundary between said primary and secondary coverage areas by respectively changing said downtilt angles of said primary and secondary antennas when said primary coverage area is overloaded.
1 more element
A method of controlling antenna tilt in a controller of a wireless communication system, comprising:
- providing a plurality of cell sites, each cell site including an antenna, each antenna having an electrically controllable downtilt angle and an associated downtilt controller controlling a downtilt angle of said associated antenna;
- outputting a control signal to said downtilt controllers of at least two cell sites to adjust said downtilt angle of said associated antennas of said at least two cell sites such that the relationship between associated antennas is adjusted,
- wherein said outputting step outputs said main control signals based on at least one operational measurement of said wireless communication system.
A method of controlling antenna tilt in a wireless communication system, comprising:
- providing a primary cell site including a primary antenna having an electrically controllable downtilt angle and a primary downtilt controller controlling said downtilt angle of said primary antenna, said primary antenna having a primary coverage area based on said downtilt angle thereof;
- providing at least one secondary cell site including a secondary antenna having an electrically controllable downtilt angle and a secondary downtilt controller controlling said downtilt angle of said secondary antenna, said secondary antenna having a secondary coverage area based on said downtilt angle thereof, said secondary coverage area being adjacent to said primary coverage area;
- first determining whether said primary coverage area is overloaded;
- and
- outputting control signals to said primary and secondary downtilt controllers to adjust a boundary between said primary and secondary coverage areas by respectively changing said downtilt angle of said primary and secondary antennas when said primary coverage area is overloaded.
2 more elements
A wireless communication system, comprising:
- a first antenna at a first cell site having an electrically controllable downtilt angle;
- a first downtilt controller outputting a control signal to said first antenna to control said downtilt angle of said first antenna;
- a second antenna at a second cell site having an electrically controllable downtilt angle;
- a second downtilt controller outputting a control signal to said second antenna to control said downtilt angle of said second antenna;
- a main controller outputting a main control signal to said first downtilt controller and said second downtilt controller to adjust a relationship between said first and second antennas,
- wherein said main controller generates and outputs said main control signal based on at least one operational measurement of said wireless communication system.
3 more elements
A wireless communication system, comprising:
- a primary cell site including a primary antenna having an electrically controllable downtilt angle and a primary downtilt controller controlling said downtilt angle of said primary antenna, said primary antenna having a primary coverage area based on said downtilt angle thereof;
- at least one secondary cell site including a secondary antenna having an electrically controllable downtilt angle and a secondary downtilt controller controlling said downtilt angle of said secondary antenna, said secondary antenna having a secondary coverage area based on said downtilt angle thereof, said secondary coverage area being adjacent to said primary coverage area;
- and
- a main controller determining whether said primary coverage area is overloaded, and outputting control signals to said primary and secondary downtilt controllers to adjust a boundary between said primary and secondary coverage areas by respectively changing said downtilt angles of said primary and secondary antennas when said primary coverage area is overloaded,
- wherein said main controller outputs control signals to said primary downtilt controller to simultaneously adjust said downtilt angle of said primary antenna and said down tilt angle of said secondary antenna.
2 more elements
A method of controlling antenna tilt in a controller of a wireless communication system, comprising:
- first outputting a first control signal to a first antenna at a first cell site having an electrically controllable downtilt angle to control said downtilt angle of said first antenna;
- second outputting a second control signal to a second antenna at a second cell site having an electrically controllable downtilt angle to control said downtilt angle of said second antenna;
- and
- controlling said first and second outputting steps based on a determined adjustment of the relationship between said first antenna and said second antenna,
- wherein said controlling step determines said adjustment based on at least one operational measurement of said wireless communication system.
2 more elements
A method of controlling antenna tilt in a wireless communication system, comprising:
- first outputting a first control signal to a first antenna having an electrically controllable downtilt angle to control said downtilt angle of said first antenna;
- second outputting a second control signal to a second antenna having an electrically controllable downtilt angle to control said downtilt angle of said second antenna;
- and
- controlling said first and second outputting steps such that the relationship between said first antenna and said second antenna is adjusted, wherein
- said first control signal indicates one of a desired downtilt angle for said first antenna and a desired change in said downtilt angle of said first antenna, and
- said second control signal indicates one of a desired downtilt angle for said second antenna and a desired change in said downtilt angle of said antenna.
3 more elements
A method of controlling antenna tilt in a wireless communication system, comprising:
- providing a primary cell site including a primary antenna having an electrically controllable downtilt angle and a primary downtilt controller controlling said downtilt angle of said primary antenna, said primary antenna having a primary coverage area based on said downtilt angle thereof;
- providing at least one secondary cell site including a secondary antenna having an electrically controllable downtilt angle and a secondary downtilt controller controlling said downtilt angle of said secondary antenna, said secondary antenna having a secondary coverage area based on said downtilt angle thereof, said secondary coverage area being adjacent to said primary coverage area;
- first determining whether said primary coverage area is overloaded;
- and
- outputting control signals to said primary and secondary downtilt controllers to adjust a boundary between said primary and secondary coverage areas by respectively changing said downtilt angle of said primary and secondary antennas when said primary coverage area is overloaded,
- wherein said outputting step outputs control signals to said primary downtilt controller and secondary downtilt controller to simultaneously adjust the downtilt angle of said primary antenna and said secondary antenna.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.