Method and apparatus for collecting information for use in a smart antenna system
View Patent ↗A method of obtaining information for use in a smart antenna system is provided. The method includes monitoring an interface between a base station controller and a base station transceiver to receive signaling information being communicated via the interface. The method further includes extracting from the signaling information a subset of the signaling information operable to be used as input for selecting one or more of a plurality of beams for wireless communications.
1. A method, comprising:
extracting signaling information from an interface between a base station controller and a base station transceiver; and
selecting one or more of a plurality of antenna beams based at least in part on said signaling information.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein said interface comprises an A-bis interface.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein said interface comprises an E1/T1 interface.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein said interface comprises an LUB interface.
5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: monitoring said interface for said signaling information without affecting communication of the signaling information through said interface.
6. The method of claim 5 , wherein monitoring said interface comprises passive monitoring.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the signaling information is not encrypted.
8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising selecting said one or more of a plurality of antenna beams based at least in part on relevant signaling information.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein selecting said one or more of a plurality of antenna beams further comprises selecting from a plurality of antenna uplink antenna beams formed by an antenna unit one or more uplink antenna beams to communicate to the base station transceiver.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein selecting said one or more of a plurality of antenna beams further comprises selecting from a plurality of antenna beams formed by an antenna unit one or more antenna beams for communicating signals to a mobile station.
11. The method of claim 1 , wherein selecting said one or more of a plurality of antenna beams comprises selecting said one or more of a plurality of antenna beams based, at least in part, on:
a portion of time relevant signaling information; and
at least one parameter of at least one or more of the plurality of antenna beams.
12. The method of claim 9 , wherein said selecting said one or more uplink antenna beams comprises selecting said one or more antenna beams in real time.
13. The method of claim 8 , wherein said selecting said one or more antenna beams further comprises selecting one or more antenna beams in a frequency hopping environment.
14. The method of claim 1 , wherein said signaling information comprises frequency hopping information identifying one or more frequencies at which one or more mobile stations are configured to receive traffic signals.
15. The method of claim 1 , wherein said signaling information comprises frequency hopping information identifying one or more frequencies at which one or more mobile stations are configured to receive traffic signals in a particular time slot in a frame of time slots.
16. A method, comprising:
monitoring an interface between a base station controller and a base station transceiver to receive signaling information being transmitted via the interface without affecting transmission of the signaling information between the base station controller and the base station transceiver via the interface;
extracting from the signaling information a subset of said signaling information; and
selecting from a plurality of antenna beams formed by an antenna unit one or more antenna beams to communicate to the base station transceiver based at least in part on said signaling information.
17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the one or more antenna beams are selected based at least in part on the subset of signaling information.
18. The method of claim 16 , wherein said subset of the signaling information comprises information regarding one or more mobile stations.
19. An antenna apparatus, comprising:
a monitoring system configured to receive signaling information;
an interface between an base station controller and a base station transceiver configured to communicate signaling information; and
an extraction system configured to extract signaling information.
20. The apparatus according to claim 19 , wherein the antenna apparatus is co-located with the base station transceiver.
21. The apparatus according to claim 19 , wherein said extracted signaling information comprises a subset of said received signaling information.
22. The apparatus of claim 19 , wherein the monitoring system is configured to receive signaling information being communicated via an A-bis interface between a base station controller and a base station transceiver.
23. The apparatus of claim 19 , wherein the monitoring system is configured to receive signaling information being communicated via an LUB interface between a base station controller and a base station transceiver.
24. The apparatus of claim 19 , wherein the monitoring system is configured to receive signaling information being communicated from an interface without affecting the communication of the signaling information between a base station controller and a base station transceiver.
25. The apparatus of claim 19 , wherein the monitoring system is configured to receive the signaling information passively.
26. The apparatus of claim 19 , wherein the signaling information is not encrypted.
27. The apparatus of claim 19 , wherein the monitoring system is configured to be coupled to an interface between a base station transceiver and a base station controller without modifying the base station transceiver or the base station controller.
28. The apparatus of claim 21 , further comprising a processing system configured to select one or more antenna beams based at least in part on said subset of signaling information.
29. The apparatus of claim 22 , wherein the processor is configured to select from a plurality of antenna beams one or more uplink antenna beams to communicate with the base station transceiver.
30. The apparatus of claim 22 , wherein the processor is configured to select from a plurality of antenna beams one or more antenna beams to transmit signals to a mobile station.
31. The apparatus of claim 22 , wherein the processor is configured to select one or more antenna beams based at least in part on a portion of said subset of signaling information and information received from one or more mobile stations.
32. The apparatus of claim 22 , wherein the processor is configured to select one or more antenna beams in real time.
33. The apparatus of claim 19 , wherein said signaling information comprises at least relevant signaling information configured to be used in selecting one or more antenna beams.
34. The apparatus of claim 33 , wherein the relevant signaling information comprises information identifying one or more frequencies at which one or more mobile stations are configured to receive traffic signals.
35. The apparatus of claim 33 , wherein the relevant signaling information comprises frequency hopping information identifying a frequency at which one or more mobile stations are configured to receive traffic signals in a particular time slot in a frame of time slots.
36. The apparatus of claim 21 , wherein the subset of signaling information comprises frequency hopping information, the apparatus further comprising a processing system configured to select one or more antenna beams for wireless communication, based, at least in part, on said frequency hopping information.
37. An apparatus, comprising:
a monitoring system configured to receive signaling information being communicated via an interface between a base station controller and a base station transceiver without affecting said communication of the signaling information on the monitoring system being configured to be coupled to the interface without modifying either the base station transceiver or the base station controller;
an extraction system configured to extract a subset of the signaling information comprising information regarding one or more mobile stations; and
a processing system configured to select from a plurality of antenna beams formed by an antenna unit one or more uplink antenna beams to communicate to the base station transceiver, wherein the one or more uplink antenna beams are selected based at least in part on relevant signaling information.
38. An apparatus, comprising:
means for extracting signaling information from an interface between a base station controller and a base station transceiver; and
means for selecting one or more of a plurality of antenna beams based at least in part on said signaling information.
39. The apparatus of claim 38 , wherein said interface comprises an A-bis interface.
40. The apparatus of claim 38 , wherein said interface comprises an E1/T1 interface.
41. The apparatus of claim 38 , wherein said interface comprises an LUB interface.
42. The apparatus of claim 38 , further comprising:
means for monitoring said interface for said signaling information without affecting communication of the signaling information through said interface.
43. The apparatus of claim 42 , wherein said means for monitoring said interface further comprises means for passively monitoring.
44. The apparatus of claim 38 , wherein the signaling information is not encrypted.
45. The apparatus of claim 38 , further comprising means for selecting said one or more of a plurality of antenna beams based at least in part on relevant signaling information.
46. The apparatus of claim 38 , wherein said means for selecting said one or more of a plurality of antenna beams further comprises means for selecting from a plurality of antenna uplink antenna beams formed by an antenna unit one or more uplink antenna beams to communicate to the base station transceiver.
47. The apparatus of claim 38 , wherein said means for selecting said one or more of a plurality of antenna beams further comprises means for selecting from a plurality of antenna beams formed by an antenna unit one or more antenna beams for communicating signals to a mobile station.
48. The apparatus of claim 38 , wherein said means for selecting said one or more of a plurality of antenna beams comprises means for selecting said one or more of a plurality of antenna beams based, at least in part, on:
using a portion of time relevant signaling information; and
using at least one parameter of at least one or more of the plurality of antenna beams.
49. The apparatus of claim 46 , wherein said means for selecting said one or more uplink antenna beams comprises means for selecting said one or more antenna beams in real time.
50. The apparatus of claim 45 , wherein said means for selecting said one or more antenna beams further comprises means for selecting said one or more antenna beams in a frequency hopping environment.
51. The apparatus of claim 38 , wherein said signaling information comprises frequency hopping information identifying one or more frequencies at which one or more mobile stations are configured to receive traffic signals.
52. The apparatus of claim 38 , wherein said signaling information comprises frequency hopping information identifying one or more frequencies at which one or more mobile stations are configured to receive traffic signals in a particular time slot in a frame of time slots.
53. An apparatus, comprising:
means for monitoring an interface between a base station controller and a base station transceiver to receive signaling information being transmitted via the interface without affecting transmission of the signaling information between the base station controller and the base station transceiver via the interface;
means for extracting from the signaling information a subset of said signaling information; and
means for selecting from a plurality of antenna beams formed by an antenna unit one or more antenna beams to communicate to the base station transceiver based at least in part on said signaling information.
54. The apparatus of claim 53 , wherein the one or more antenna beams are selected based at least in part on the subset of signaling information.
55. The apparatus of claim 53 , wherein said subset of the signaling information comprises information regarding one or more mobile stations.
56. An antenna system, comprising:
a monitoring system configured to receive signaling information;
an interface between an base station controller and a base station transceiver configured to communicate signaling information; and
an extraction system configured to extract signaling information.
57. The system according to claim 56 , wherein the antenna system is co-located with the base station transceiver.
58. The system according to claim 56 , wherein said extracted signaling information comprises a subset of signaling information.
59. The system according to claim 56 , wherein the monitoring system is configured to receive signaling information being communicated via an A-bis interface between a base station controller and a base station transceiver.
60. The system according to claim 56 , wherein the monitoring system is configured to receive signaling information being communicated via an LUB interface between a base station controller and a base station transceiver.
61. The system according to claim 56 , wherein the monitoring system is configured to receive signaling information being communicated from an interface without affecting the communication of the signaling information between a base station controller and a base station transceiver.
62. The system according to claim 56 , wherein the monitoring system is configured to receive signaling information passively.
63. The system according to claim 56 , wherein the signaling information is not encrypted.
64. The system according to claim 56 , wherein the monitoring system is configured to be coupled to an interface between a base station transceiver and a base station controller without modifying either the base station transceiver or the base station controller.
65. The system according to claim 58 , further comprising a processing system configured to select one or more antenna beams based at least in part on said subset of signaling information.
66. The system according to claim 65 , wherein said processing system is configured to select from a plurality of antenna beams one or more uplink antenna beams to communicate with a base station transceiver.
67. The system according to claim 65 , wherein said processing system is configured to select from a plurality of antenna beams one or more antenna beams for transmitting signals to a mobile station.
68. The system according to claim 65 , wherein said processing system is configured to use at least a portion of said subset of signaling information and information received from one or more mobile stations.
69. The system according to claim 65 , wherein said processing system is configured to select one or more antenna beams in real time.
70. The system according to claim 56 , wherein said signaling information comprises at least relevant signaling information configured to be used in selecting one or more antenna beams.
71. The system according to claim 70 , wherein the relevant signaling information comprises information identifying one or more frequencies at which one or more mobile stations are configured to receive traffic signals.
72. The system according to claim 70 , wherein said relevant signaling information comprises information identifying one or more frequencies at which one or more mobile stations are configured to receive traffic signals in a particular time slot in a frame of time slots.
73. The system according to claim 58 , wherein a subset of signaling information comprises frequency hopping information.
74. The system according to claim 73 , further comprising a processing system configured to select one or more antenna beams for wireless communication based at least in part, on said frequency hopping information.
75. A system comprising:
a monitoring device configured to receive signaling information being communicated via an interface between a base station controller and a base station transceiver without affecting said communication of the signaling information on the monitoring device being configured to be coupled to the interface without modifying either the base station transceiver or the base station controller;
an extraction device configured to extract a subset of the signaling information comprising information regarding one or more mobile stations; and
a processing device configured to select from a plurality of antenna beams formed by an antenna unit one or more uplink antenna beams to communicate to the base station transceiver, wherein the one or more uplink antenna beams are selected based at least in part on relevant signaling information.