Device including antenna and control method thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11051179-B2
Application number	US-201715822004-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 24, 2017
Priority date	Nov 25, 2016
Publication date	Jun 29, 2021
Grant date	Jun 29, 2021

Abstract

A device including an antenna and a control method thereof are provided. In the method, a base station receives, from at least one terminal, a reference signal transmitted through at least one beam based on beam sweeping. Also, the base station calculates an angle between the base station and the at least one terminal transmitting the reference signal by using the received reference signal for each beam, and computes an optimal antenna orientation of a base station antenna of the base station by using the calculated angle. Further, the base station adjusts an orientation of the base station antenna according to the optimal antenna orientation of the base station antenna.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A communication method of a base station, the method comprising:
receiving each reference signal transmitted from a plurality of terminals through at least one beam based on beam sweeping, wherein a physical orientation of a base station antenna of the base station is changed by a motor coupled to the base station antenna and a direction of beam of the base station antenna is physically changed in a state where the beam fixed to front in the beam sweeping;
identifying each angle between the base station and each of the plurality of terminals based on the each reference signal for each of the at least one beam;
determining an antenna orientation of a base station antenna of the base station based on at least one of the each angle, each traffic amount of the plurality of terminals or a subscriber level of each user of the plurality of terminals; and
adjusting a physical orientation of the base station antenna using the motor according to the antenna orientation of the base station antenna,
wherein a direction of beam of the base station antenna is physically changed in a state where the beam fixed to the front.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the identifying of the each angle includes:
measuring received signal strength of the each reference signal for each of the at least one beam; and
identifying the each angle between the at least one terminal and the base station according to a beam having a greatest received signal strength of the each reference signal.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the identifying of the each angle includes:
measuring strength of the each reference signal for each of the at least one beam;
estimating a channel of each of the at least one beam according to the strength of the each reference signal for each of the at least one beam;
detecting a peak position in the estimated channel;
determining a line-of-sight (LoS) path from the peak position; and
identifying the each angle between the at least one terminal and the base station by using the LoS path and a beam pattern.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the antenna orientation of the base station antenna is determined to maximize signal strength of the each reference signal of the at least one terminal.

5. The method of claim 4 ,
wherein the antenna orientation of the base station antenna is determined based on the each angle between the plurality of terminals and the base station, each position of the plurality of terminals, or information about each user of the plurality of terminals, and
wherein the information about the each user of the plurality of terminals includes charging information for each user of the plurality of terminals, or information about a signal quality required by each user of the plurality of terminals.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the determining of the antenna orientation of a base station antenna includes:
identifying each position of the plurality of terminals transmitting the each reference signal based on-a each strength of the each reference signal; and
determining the antenna orientation of the base station antenna based on the each angle between the plurality of terminals and the base station and using position information of the each of the plurality of terminals.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein, when there is an additional base station, the antenna orientation of the base station antenna is determined based on information of the additional base station, the each angle between the plurality of terminals and the base station, and information about each position of the plurality of terminals.

8. A base station comprising:
at least one base station antenna;
a transceiver configured to transmit and receive a signal; and
a controller configured to:
receive each reference signal transmitted from a plurality of terminals through at least one beam based on beam sweeping, wherein a physical orientation of a base station antenna of the base station is changed by a motor coupled to the base station antenna and a direction of beam of the base station antenna is physically changed in a state where the beam fixed to front in the beam sweeping,
identify each angle between the base station and each the plurality of terminals based on the each reference signal for each of the at least one beam,
determine an antenna orientation of a base station antenna of the base station based on at least one of the each angle, each traffic amount of the plurality of terminals or a subscriber level of each user of the plurality of terminals, and
adjust a physical orientation of the base station antenna using the motor according to the antenna orientation of the base station antenna,

wherein a direction of beam of the base station antenna is physically changed in a state where the beam fixed to the front.

9. The base station of claim 8 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
measure received signal strength of the each reference signal for each of the at least one beam, and
identify each angle between the plurality of terminals and the base station according to a beam having a greatest received signal strength of the each reference signal.

10. The base station of claim 8 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
measure strength of the each reference signal for each of the at least one beam, to estimate a channel of each beam according to the strength of the each reference signal for each of the at least one beam,
detect a peak position in the estimated channel,
determine a line-of-sight (LoS) path from the peak position, and
identify each angle between the plurality of terminals and the base station by using the LoS path and a beam pattern.

11. The base station of claim 8 , wherein the antenna orientation of the base station antenna is determined to maximize signal strength of the each reference signal of the plurality of terminals.

12. The base station of claim 11 ,
wherein the controller is further configured to determine the antenna orientation of the base station antenna based on at least one of the each angle between the plurality of terminals and the base station, each position of the plurality of terminals, or information about each user of the plurality of terminals, and
wherein the information about each user of the plurality of terminals includes at least one of charging information for each user of the plurality of terminals, or information about a signal quality required by each user of the plurality of terminals.

13. The base station of claim 8 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
identify each position of the plurality of terminals transmitting the each reference signal based on a strength of the each reference signal, and
determine the antenna orientation of the base station antenna based on the each angle between the plurality of terminals and the base station and using position information of each of the plurality of terminals.

14. The base station of claim 8 , wherein, when there is an additional base station, the controller is further configured to determine the antenna orientation of the base station antenna based on information of the additional base station, the each angle between the plurality of terminals and the base station, and information about each position of the plurality of terminals.

15. A communication method of a terminal, the method comprising:
transmitting a reference signal to a base station through at least one beam based on beam sweeping;
receiving, from the base station, information for adjusting to an antenna orientation of a terminal antenna of the terminal in response to the refere

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Chang Sanghyun

Classifications

• H04W72/542

  using measured or perceived quality · CPC title

• H04B17/318

  Received signal strength · CPC title

• H04B7/155

  Ground-based stations (H04B7/204 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H04B7/10 Primary

  Polarisation diversity; Directional diversity · CPC title

• G01S3/20 Primary

  derived by sampling signal received by an antenna system having periodically-varied orientation of directivity characteristic · CPC title