Patent ID: 6021329
Filing Date: 2000-02-01
Classification: H04W

Abstract:
A method for determining cell relationships in a radio communication system formed of a plurality of radio base stations spaced-apart throughout a geographical area, each base station defining a cell, each base station capable of generating a downlink signal broadcast pursuant to an antenna beam pattern, at least one base station further capable of forming a selected number of directional antenna beam patterns throughout which the downlink signal is selectively broadcast, the geographical area further having a plurality of measuring locations defined throughout, said method comprising the steps of:determining beam pattern formation probability values indicating probabilities of formation of each of the antenna beam patterns formed at each of the base stations;associating each of the measuring locations with a base station, the downlink signal generated by the base station with which each of the measuring locations, respectively, is associated forming a desired carrier signal associated with each respective measuring location, downlink signals generated by others of the base stations forming interfering signals at the respective measuring locations;calculating a carrier signal quality indication relative to each interfering signal detected at each measuring location, a separate value calculated for each of the antenna beam patterns throughout which each of the interfering signals is broadcast;determining service probability values at each measuring location indicating service probabilities at each measuring location that the desired carrier signal associated therewith is broadcast to the measuring location; andestablishing cell relationships between the cells of the radio communication system responsive to values of the carrier signal quality indication calculated during said step of calculating, and the service probability values determined during said step of determining the service probability values.