Among other things, a communication system comprising remote units and a controller is described. Each of the remote units comprises one or more radio frequency (RF) units to exchange RF signals with mobile devices. At least some of the RF signals comprise information destined for, or originating from, a mobile device. The controller comprises one or more modems and is connected to an external network. At least one of the modems is a baseband modem and is configured to pass first data corresponding to the information. The at least one of the modems is configured to perform real-time scheduling of the first data corresponding to the information. The controller is separated from the remote units by an intermediate network. The intermediate network comprises a switched Ethernet network over which second data corresponding to the information is carried in frames between the controller and the remote units.

Radio access networks

A method and system suitable for supporting various wireless services on a Distributed Antenna System (DAS). The DAS can provide wireless services including voice and data services using the same equipment. The DAS can include one or more active antenna units controlled by an access point, and includes control channels for transferring control and status information between the access point and the antenna. The control channels can be transferred over a separate cable, or transferred using one or more intermediate frequency signals transferred over existing cables. The control channels can be used to configure and control and receive status from the managed components of the DAS including active antennas, control the amplifiers used to process TDD signals, and control the switching of diversity antenna systems.

Method and system for real time control of an active antenna over a distributed antenna system

A beam-forming system comprises a cooperative array of wireless terminals coupled to at least one wireless wide area network (WWAN) and communicatively coupled to a wireless local area network (WLAN) configured to provide information exchanges between the wireless terminals. A cooperative beam-forming system employing the WLAN provides antenna-array processing benefits (such as frequency reuse, interference rejection, array-processing gain, antenna-switching diversity) to the individual wireless terminals. A network access operator facilitates network control functionality between the WWAN and the cooperative array of wireless terminals.

Cooperative beam-forming in wireless networks

The present invention is a method and system for supporting a beamfonming antenna system in a mobile broadband communication network with an improved beam pattern, beam sweep pattern, pilot channel design with feedback and reporting rules, and control signaling design. Specifically, the improved beam pattern includes a method of supporting wireless communications in a wireless network forming at least two spatial beams within a cell segment where the at least two spatial beams are associated with different power levels, and separately, where at least two spatial beams can be moved across the cell segment according to a unique sweep pattern. The pilot channel design improves network bandwidth performance and improve user mobility tracking. Feedback and reporting rules can be established using a particular field designator, CQI, in the preferred embodiment.

System and method for supporting antenna beamforming in a cellular network

A system and method for implementing soft handoffs in a cellular communications system on a mobile platform. The system employs an antenna controller in communication with a beam forming network that generates two independently aimable lobes from a single beam. The single beam is radiated by a phased array antenna on the mobile platform. In an Air-to-Ground implementation involving an aircraft, a base transceiver station (BTS) look-up position table is utilized to provide the locations of a plurality of BTS sites within a given region that the aircraft is traversing. The antenna controller controls the beam forming network to generate dual lobes from the single beam that facilitate making a soft handoff from one BTS site to another. In a ground-based application, one lobe of the beam is used to maintain a communications link with one BTS site while a second lobe of the beam is continuously scanned about a predetermined arc to receive RF signals from other BTS sites and to determine when a new BTS site has become available that will provide a higher quality link than the link presently made with the one BTS site. A soft handoff is then implemented from the one BTS site to the new BTS site.

Soft handoff method and apparatus for mobile vehicles using directional antennas

In an implementation of directed wireless communication, a multi-beam directed signal system coordinates directed wireless communication with client devices. A transmit beam-forming network routes data communication transmissions to the client devices via directed communication beams that are emanated from an antenna assembly, and a receive beam-forming network receives data communication receptions from the client devices via the directed communication beams.

Directed wireless communication

An exemplary access station for wireless communications includes: a wireless input/output unit that is configured to establish multiple access points; and signal transmission/reception coordination logic that is capable of ascertaining that an access point of the multiple access points is receiving a signal and that is adapted to restrain at least one other access point of the multiple access points from transmitting another signal responsive to the ascertaining that the access point is receiving the signal. An exemplary method includes: monitoring multiple respective indicators acquired from multiple respective baseband units; detecting whether at least one respective indicator of the multiple respective indicators is affirmatively indicating that a signal is being received; and if so, providing at least one instruction to at least two medium access controllers of multiple respective medium access controllers, the at least one instruction restraining the at least two medium access controllers from causing a transmission.

Praveen Mehrotra

Papers

Directed wireless communication

Signal communication coordination