Patent ID: 6188913
Filing Date: 2001-02-13
Classification: G01S,H01Q,H04W

Abstract:
In a mobile communication system having at least one base station and a plurality of mobile stations, a directivity control antenna apparatus for said base station, comprising:an array antenna having an array of antenna elements, for transmitting and receiving radio waves to and from a mobile station which is located within a predetermined service area of the base station,frequency conversion means for converting respective received signals from said antenna elements to corresponding intermediate frequency signals or baseband signals during a receiving mode of operation of said base station, and for converting a transmission signal at the intermediate frequency or baseband frequency to transmission signals respectively corresponding to said antenna elements, at a transmission frequency, and supplying said transmission signals to said antenna elements during a transmission mode of operation of said base station,incoming direction estimation means for operating on said intermediate frequency signals or baseband signals from said frequency converter means during said receiving mode to estimate an incoming direction of radio waves from said mobile station, to thereby derive an estimated direction of said mobile station with respect to said base station, and for generating direction data indicative of said estimated direction,antenna directivity control means for controlling the phase and amplitude of said received signals corresponding to said antenna elements during said receiving mode and of said transmission signals respectively corresponding to said antenna elements during said transmission mode such as to determine a directivity of said array antenna, andpeak generating means responsive to said direction data for generating control signals during said transmitting mode and said receiving mode to control said antenna directivity control means such as to form a peak of said directivity, oriented in said estimated direction of said mobile station,wherein said incoming direction estimation means estimates said incoming direction of radio waves from said mobile station by utilizing a method that is based upon phase relationships and values of amplitude of said intermediate frequency signals or baseband signals respectively corresponding to individual ones of said antenna elements, andwherein said antenna directivity control means comprises means responsive to said control signals from said peak generating means for controlling the phase and amplitude of respective received signals of said antenna elements and transmission signals of said antenna elements, which are at said intermediate frequency or said baseband frequency.