Method for adaptive distributed mobile communications, corresponding system and computer program product

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9960821-B2
Application number	US-200813142568-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 30, 2008
Priority date	Dec 30, 2008
Publication date	May 1, 2018
Grant date	May 1, 2018

Abstract

A method of arranging exchange of signals between user terminals in a cellular communication system and at least one base station including a central unit and a plurality of remote units. The method includes exchanging signals with at least one user terminal simultaneously via at least two remote units by applying at the at least two remote units, separate distributing weighting functions to the signals exchanged with the at least one user terminal.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of arranging exchange of signals between user terminals in a cellular communication system and at least one base station comprising a central unit and a plurality of remote units, comprising:
exchanging at least one user signal with a corresponding user terminal simultaneously via at least two of said remote units;
applying, at said at least two remote units, beam-forming weights that are calculated in the central unit; and
in a different step, applying, at said at least two remote units, separate complex distributing weights, determined in the central unit, to said user signal exchanged with said at least one user terminal.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein said at least two remote units comprises a plurality of antenna elements, and wherein the method comprises applying complex beam-forming weights to said signals exchanged with said at least one user terminal.

3. The method of claim 1 , comprising exchanging the signals between said central unit and said remote units in the form of antenna carriers, wherein said antenna carriers comprises user resources to be sent to and/or received from said user terminals.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein said signals exchanged between said user terminals and said at least one base station are orthogonal frequency division multiple access signals, and wherein said user resources are orthogonal frequency division multiple access signals in the frequency domain.

5. The method of claim 3 , wherein said signals exchanged between said user terminals and said at least one base station are code division multiple access signals, and wherein said user resources are code division multiple access symbol level signals.

6. The method of claim 3 , wherein said remote units are connected to said central unit via an optical fiber ring.

7. The method of claim 6 , comprising performing at each remote unit in said optical fiber ring the steps of:
receiving said antenna carriers from a previous remote unit in said optical fiber ring;
extracting the user resources to be sent to associated user terminals; and
forwarding said antenna carriers to a next remote unit in said optical fiber ring.

8. The method of claim 6 , comprising performing at each remote unit in said optical fiber ring the steps of:
receiving said antenna carriers from a previous remote unit in said optical fiber ring;
combining said antenna carriers with the user resources received from associated user terminals; and
forwarding said combined antenna carriers to a next remote unit in said optical fiber ring.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein said complex distributing weights to be applied by said remote units are capable of being configured via digital commands.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein said complex distributing weights to be applied by said remote units are capable of being configured for allocating dynamically said remote units to said user terminals.

11. The method of claim 2 , wherein said beam-forming weights to be applied by said remote units are capable of being configured via digital commands.

12. The method of claim 2 , wherein said complex distributing weights and said beam-forming weights to be applied by said remote units are capable of being configured for implementing a space division multiple access technique.

13. A distributed antenna system for exchanging signals with user terminals in a cellular communication system, comprising a central unit and a plurality of remote units, wherein said distributed antenna system is configured to:
exchange at least one user signal with a corresponding user terminal simultaneously via at least two of said remote units;
apply, at said at least two remote units, beam-forming weights that are calculated in the central unit; and
in a different step, apply, at said at least two remote units, separate complex distributing weights, determined in the central unit, to said user signal exchanged with said at least one user terminal.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a computer program product, loadable in a memory of at least one computer and comprising software code portions configured to perform the steps of:
exchanging at least one user signal with a corresponding user terminal simultaneously via at least two remote units;
applying, at said at least two remote units, beam-forming weights that are calculated in the central unit; and
in a different step, applying, at said at least two remote units, separate complex distributing weights, determined in the central unit, to said user signal exchanged with said at least one user terminal.

Assignees

• Boldi Mauro
• Gianola Paolo
• Melis Bruno
• Ruscitto Alfredo
• Telecom Italia Spa

Inventors

• Boldi Mauro
• Gianola Paolo
• Melis Bruno
• Ruscitto Alfredo

Classifications

• H04B7/026

  Co-operative diversity, e.g. using fixed or mobile stations as relays · CPC title

• H04B7/0617

  for beam forming · CPC title

• H04B7/022 Primary

  Site diversity; Macro-diversity (using two or more spaced independent antennas H04B7/04) · CPC title