Patent ID: 8626088

Claim:
A data communication scheduling system adapted for arrangement in a radio base station serving at least M≧2 cells, said data communication scheduling system comprising: at least M antenna interfaces each connectable to an antenna arrangement of at least M antenna arrangements; M TX transmitters, wherein M TX ≧M; M RX receivers, wherein M RX ≧M, wherein at least one transmitter of said M TX transmitters and at least one receiver of said M RX receivers are assigned to each cell of said M cells, and wherein each transmitter of said M TX transmitters and each receiver of said M RX receivers is connectable to at least one antenna interface of said at least M antenna interfaces; a transmitter controller arranged for scheduling data transmission by said radio base station for said M cells during a radio frame comprising multiple sub frames using N TX transmitters of said M TX transmitters, wherein 1≦N TX <M TX , wherein M TX −N TX remaining transmitters of said M TX transmitters are turned off or inoperable during said radio frame, wherein said transmitter controller is arranged for scheduling at least one transmitter of said N TX transmitters for transmission of data destined for user equipment in a first cell of said M cells during at least one sub frame of said radio frame and transmission of data destined for user equipment in a second cell of said M cells during at least another sub frame of said radio frame, and wherein said transmitter controller is arranged for assigning each cell of said M cells at least one sub frame of said radio frame for transmission of data destined for user equipment in said each cell; a receiver antenna system multiplexer connected to at least N RX receivers among said M RX receivers, wherein 1≦N RX <M RX , wherein M RX −N RX remaining receivers of said M RX receivers are turned off or inoperable during said radio frame, and wherein the M antenna interfaces assigned for said M cells are arranged for selectively connecting a receiver of said N RX receivers to an antenna interface of said M antenna interfaces; and a receiver controller arranged for controlling said receiver antenna system multiplexer to selectively interconnect said N RX receivers and said M antenna interfaces to connect at least one receiver of said N RX receivers to a first antenna interface of said at least M antenna interfaces during at least one sub frame of said radio frame and to a second antenna interface of said at least M antenna interfaces during at least another sub frame of said radio frame, and to connect, for each cell of said M cells, said antenna interface assigned to said each cell to a receiver of said N RX receivers during at least one sub frame that is assigned for reception of data from user equipment in said each cell and that is present at a predefined sub frame distance from said at least one sub frame assigned to said each cell by said transmitter controller.