Patent ID: 7042860

Claim:
A wireless communication system which allows simultaneous communications with a plurality of terminals by space-division multiplex access, comprising: a plurality of antenna elements that receive a signal transmitted from the terminals; a plurality of beam forming units configured to output reception signals corresponding to beams having predetermined directionality patterns by weighting and combining reception signals received by said plurality of antenna elements; and a controller configured to set weight vectors used to control weighting and combining in said plurality of beam forming units, wherein said controller comprises: a reception unit configured to receive a registration request from an unregistered terminal; a calculation unit configured to calculate and store at least one of said weight vectors used to form a beam having: null directionality toward the unregistered terminal; and maximum directionality toward a specific area other than an area where the unregistered terminal is located of areas obtained by dividing a cover area covered by the wireless communication system; a communication unit configured to simultaneously communicate by space-division multiplex access with a first terminal located within a first area of the areas obtained by dividing the cover area covered by the self system in accordance with the direction, and a second terminal located within a second area different from the first area; a first control unit configured to control, for the first terminal, the beam forming unit corresponding to the first terminal using a first weight vector used to form a beam having null directionality toward the second terminal and maximum directionality toward the first area to which the first terminal belongs; and a second control unit configured to control, for the second terminal, the beam forming unit corresponding to the second terminal using a second weight vector used to form a beam having null directionality toward the first terminal and maximum directionality toward the second area to which the second terminal belong.