Method and apparatus for performing directional re-scan of an adaptive antenna

In a wireless communications system, a method for establishing optimal weights in a period during which known data is received at the subscriber unit, wherein the subscriber unit comprises a plurality of elements cooperating to form a subscriber unit antenna, said method comprising the steps of:

• (a) applying weights to the signal received at each of the plurality of elements;
• (b) detecting the known data at each of the plurality of antenna elements;
• (c) combining the received known data detected at each of the plurality of antenna elements to produce a combined known data signal;
• (d) determining a signal quality metric for the combined known data signal at the current directional angle, as determined by the weights, of the subscriber unit antenna;
• (e) adjusting the weights of at least one of the plurality of antenna elements to establish a different directional angle for the subscriber unit antenna;
• (g) repeating steps (b) through (e);
• (h) selecting the optimal signal quality metric of the combined known data signal;
• and
• (i) adjusting the weights for the plurality of antenna elements to achieve the directional angle associated with the selected optimal signal quality metric.

A method for establishing optimal weights for a plurality of antenna elements of a subscriber unit antenna transmitting and receiving information in a wireless communications system, said method comprising the steps of:

• (a) activating a timer;
• (b) determining when the timer has expired;
• (c) when the timer has expired, terminating the transmitting and receiving of information;
• (d) initiating a standby state;
• (e) applying the weights to a signal received at each of the plurality of antenna elements;
• (f) detecting a received pilot signal at each of the plurality of antenna elements;
• (g) combining the received pilot signal detected at each of the plurality of antenna elements to produce a combined received pilot signal;
• (h) determining a signal quality metric for the combined received pilot signal at the current directional angle of the subscriber unit antenna;
• (i) adjusting the weight control settings of at least one of the plurality of antenna elements to establish a different directional angle for the subscriber unit antenna;
• (j) repeating steps (e) through (i);
• (k) selecting the optimal signal quality metric from among the signal quality metrics determined at the step (h);
• and
• (l) adjusting the weights for the plurality of antenna elements to achieve the directional angle associated with the selected optimal signal quality metric.

A method for establishing an optimal directional angle for a subscriber unit antenna in a wireless communication system comprising a base station for communicating over a forward link with the subscriber unit, and wherein the subscriber unit communicates with the base station over a reverse link, said method comprising the steps of:

• (a) receiving known data at the subscriber unit over the forward link;
• (b) determining a signal quality metric for the known data at the current directional data of the subscriber unit antenna;
• (c) changing the directional angle of the subscriber unit antenna;
• (d) repeating the steps (a) through (c);
• (e) selecting the optimum signal quality metric from among the signal quality metrics determined at a step (b) during the repetitions through the steps (a) through (c);
• (f) setting the forward link directional angle of the antenna to the directional angle associated with the signal quality metric selected at the step (e);
• (g) receiving known data at the base station over the reverse link;
• (h) determining a signal quality metric for the known data at the current directional angle of the subscriber unit antenna;
• (i) changing the directional angle of the subscriber unit antenna;
• (j) repeating the steps (g) through (i);
• (k) selecting the optimal forward signal quality metric among the signal quality metrics determined at the step (h) during the repetitions through the steps (g) through (i);
• (l) setting the reverse link directional angle of the antenna to the directional angle associated with the signal quality metric selected at the step (l).

A method for establishing an optimal directional angle for a subscriber unit antenna in a wireless communication system comprising a base station for communicating over a forward link with the subscriber unit, and wherein the subscriber unit communicates with the base station over a reverse link, said method comprising the steps of:

• (a) receiving known data at the subscriber unit over the forward link;
• (b) determining a signal quality metric for the known data at the current directional data of the subscriber unit antenna;
• (c) changing the directional angle of the subscriber unit antenna;
• (d) repeating the steps (a) through (c);
• (e) selecting the optimum signal quality metric from among the signal quality metrics determined at a step (b) during the repetitions through the steps (a) through (c);
• (f) setting the forward link directional angle of the antenna to the directional angle associated with the signal quality metric selected at the step (e).

A method for establishing an optimal directional angle for a subscriber unit antenna in a wireless communication system comprising a base station for communicating over a forward link with the subscriber unit, and wherein the subscriber unit communicates with the base station over a reverse link, said method comprising the steps of:

• (a) receiving known data at the base station over the reverse link;
• (b) determining a signal quality metric for the known data at the current directional angle of the subscriber unit antenna;
• (c) changing the directional angle of the subscriber unit antenna;
• (d) repeating the steps (a) through (c);
• (e) selecting the optimal reverse link signal quality metric among the signal quality metrics determined at the step (b) during the repetitions through the steps (a) through (d);
• (f) setting the reverse link directional angle of the antenna to the directional angle associated with the signal quality metric selected at the step (e).

An antenna apparatus for use with a receiver in a wireless communications system, said antenna apparatus comprising:

• a plurality of antenna elements;
• a first module for applying weights to the signal received at each of said plurality of elements to establish a directional angle for said antenna apparatus;
• a second module for detecting a received pilot signal at each of said plurality of antenna elements;
• a combiner for combining the received pilot signal detected at each of said plurality of antenna elements to produce a combined received pilot signal;
• a third module for determining a signal quality metric for the combined received pilot signal at each directional angle;
• wherein said first module is responsive to the determined signal quality metrics for adjusting the weights to establish a directional angle for said antenna apparatus that is representative of the optimum signal quality metric.

In a wireless communications system, an antenna apparatus for establishing an optimal antenna directional angle at a subscriber unit, said antenna apparatus comprising:

• a plurality of antenna elements:
• a first module for applying a weight to the signal received at each of said plurality of elements;
• a second module for receiving known data at each of the plurality of antenna elements;
• a combiner for combining the received known data to produce a combined known data signal;
• a third module for determining a signal quality metric for the combined known data signal at the current directional angle, wherein the current directional angle is determined by the weight applied to the signal received at each of said plurality of elements;
• a fourth module for controlling said first module to apply different weights to one or more of the signals received at each of said plurality of elements, wherein the third module determines a plurality of signal quality metrics in response to the applied different weights,
• a fifth module for determining an optimum signal quality metric from among the plurality of signal quality metrics;
• wherein said first module is responsive to the determined optimum signal quality metric for applying the weights corresponding to the optimum signal quality metric to establish an antenna directional angle that corresponds to the optimum signal quality metric.

An antenna for a subscriber unit of a wireless communications system, wherein the wireless communication system further comprises a base station for communicating over a forward link with the subscriber unit, and wherein the subscriber unit communicates with the base station over a reverse link, said antenna comprising:

• at the subscriber unit:
• a plurality of elements;
• a first module for applying weights to the signal received at each of said plurality of elements to establish a directional angle for said antenna;
• a second module for receiving a forward link known signal at each of the plurality of antenna elements;
• a combiner for combining the received known signal at each of said plurality of elements to produce a combined known signal;
• a third module for determining a signal quality metric for the combined known signal at each directional angle;
• wherein said first module is responsive to the determined signal quality metrics for adjusting the weights to establish an optimum forward link directional angle of said antenna;
• at the base station:
• a first module for receiving a known signal over the reverse link;
• a second module for determining a signal quality metric for the known signal received at the current directional angle of said antenna;
• wherein the directional angle of said antenna is changed;
• a third module for transferring the reverse link signal quality metrics obtained at the base station for each directional angle of said antenna to the subscriber unit;
• and
• at the subscriber unit a fourth module responsive to the determined reverse link signal quality metrics for setting the reverse link directional angle of said antenna to the directional angle associated with the optimum signal quality metric for the reverse link.