Patent · US Expired

Method and system for improving handoffs in cellular mobile radio systems

US6580910B1 · kind B1 · utility

21Cited by
17References
12Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateDec 19, 1997
Grant dateJun 17, 2003
Priority date
Expiry dateDec 19, 2017

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH04W36/38
  • WIPO fieldDigital communication
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A method and system are disclosed for making inter-cell handoffs to a cell of a base station including a directional antenna array. The handoff algorithm includes taking into account uplink direction of arrival measurements in at least one candidate target base station, made on signals from the mobile radio terminal to it's serving base station, and directly after handoff using a directional narrow lobe from the antenna array. The narrow lobe can be used immediately after the handoff in the radio base stations that have antenna arrays, by including the direction (of arrival information) to the mobile radio terminal in the handoff order to the target base station. Also disclosed are a method and system for measuring uplink interference on idle narrow lobe traffic channels, and using this information when selecting at handoff a target base station and traffic channel.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.