Patent ID: 9577738
Date: 2017-02-21
CPC Classifications: H01Q,H04B,H04W

Claim:
1. A relay device arranged to be provided in a vehicle to act as a relay to provide relayed access for at least one wireless device within the vehicle to a cellular radio communication network, and configured to reduce a risk of handover failure when the vehicle moves from a first cell to a second cell, the relay device comprising: a relay node device comprising a vehicle antenna for communicating with the at least one wireless device within the vehicle; a first directional antenna directed in an essentially rearward direction to increase directional gain toward a first base station serving the first cell, the first directional antenna being connected to the relay node device; a second directional antenna directed in an essentially forward direction to increase directional gain toward a second base station serving the second cell, the second directional antenna being connected to the relay node device; and circuitry configured to combine signals of the first directional antenna and the second directional antenna, wherein the increased directional gain toward the first and second base stations effectively increases an overlap of the first and second cells, thereby increasing handover time and reducing the risk of handover failure.