Patent · US Active

Asymmetrical beams for spectrum efficiency

US8311582B2 · kind B2 · utility

5Cited by
17References
28Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateMar 19, 2007
Grant dateNov 13, 2012
Priority date
Expiry dateJul 24, 2027

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH04W16/24
  • WIPO fieldDigital communication
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A method and apparatus for increasing capacity and performance of a base station for a sectorized cellular wireless network is disclosed in which one of the sector antennas is replaced or supplanted by a novel sub-sector antenna that generates a plurality of asymmetrical sub-sector coverage areas that collectively substantially cover the coverage area of the replaced sector antenna. The use of asymmetrical coverage areas permits the total coverage area to closely approximate the symmetrical sector coverage area without creating excessively large sub-sector handover zones or introducing severe degradation in the network performance. This in turn permits the selective replacement of a single sector antenna rather than the wholesale replacement of all sector antennas in a region, leading to lower transitional costs and the ability to provide a focused approach to capacity planning.

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