IP Library › Granted Patent US 11,330,445
Granted Patent B1
US 11,330,445 · App. 17/066,510 · Granted May 10, 2022

Adaptive sectoring of a wireless base station

Inventors: Abhishek Tiwari (Oak Park, CA); Pratheep Bondalapati (Woodland Hills, CA)
Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc.
H04W16/28H04W24/08H04W88/08
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,330,445
App. No.
17/066,510
Granted
May 10, 2022
Kind
B1
Abstract

Apparatuses, methods, and systems for adaptive sectoring of a wireless base station are disclosed. An apparatus includes a base station, wherein the base station includes a communication processing system operative to perform baseband processing of receive or transmit baseband signals. The base station further includes a plurality of antennas, wherein the plurality of antennas are connected to the communication processing system, wherein a plurality of subsets of the plurality of antennas operate to form a plurality of sectors, wherein each sector of each subset of the plurality of antennas is operative to cover a coverage area as determined by a beamforming pattern formed by a subset of the plurality of antennas of the sector, wherein the coverage area of one or more of the sectors is adaptively selected based on an existing cell site located within the coverage area of the one or more sectors.

Claims (34)

1. A base station, comprising:

a communication processing system operating to perform baseband processing of receive or transmit baseband signals;

a plurality of antennas, wherein the plurality of antennas are connected to the communication processing system, wherein a plurality of subsets of the plurality of antennas operating to form a plurality of sectors, wherein each subset comprises a sub-plurality of antennas;

wherein each sector of each subset of the plurality of antennas is operating to cover a selectable coverage area as determined by a beamforming pattern formed by the subset of the plurality of antennas of the sector;

wherein an existing cell site operates over at least an overlapping set of frequencies as the plurality of antennas, and wireless communication of the base station interferes with the wireless communication occurring within the existing cell site;

wherein the selectable coverage area of one or more of the sectors is adaptively selected based on the existing cell site located within the selectable coverage area of the one or more sectors comprising adaptively null steering the beamforming pattern of the one or more sectors towards the location of the existing cell site that is deployed in the selectable coverage area of the one or more of the sectors to reduce interference with the existing cell site.

2. The base station of claim 1 , wherein adaptively null steering the beamforming pattern of the one or more sectors towards the existing cell site that is deployed in the selectable coverage area of the one or more of the sectors comprises nulling the beamforming pattern where the existing cell site is located to minimize or reduce interference with the existing cell site.

3. The base station of claim 1 , wherein the selectable coverage area of each of the sectors is adaptively selected further based on a number of users located within the sector.

4. The base station of claim 3 , wherein the selectable coverage area of each of the sectors is adaptively selected further based on monitored performance that indicates a refined estimate of the number of users located within the sector.

5. The base station of claim 1 , wherein the selectable coverage area of each of the sectors is adaptively selected further based on motion of the base station.

6. The base station of claim 5 , further comprising motion sensors for detecting motion of the base station, and further comprising adjusting the beamforming pattern formed by the subset of the plurality of antennas of the sector based on the detected motion.

7. The base station of claim 1 , wherein the selectable coverage area of each of the sectors is adaptively selected further based on a data demand at different locations within the coverage area, wherein a greater the data demand, a narrower a width of the beamforming pattern of the selectable coverage area of the sector, allowing the sector to satisfy the data demand.

8. The base station of claim 1 , wherein the selectable coverage area of each of the sectors is adaptively selected further based on coordinated coverage between the base station and one or more neighboring base stations.

9. The base station of claim 1 , wherein the base station does not require channel state information for supporting communication between the base station and the users.

10. The base station of claim 9 , wherein the communication between the base station and the users is waveform agnostic.

11. A method, comprising:

baseband processing, by a base station of a communication processing system, receive or transmit baseband signals;

forming, by a plurality of subsets of antennas connected to the communication processing system, a plurality of sectors, wherein each sector of each subset of the plurality of antennas comprises a sub-plurality of antennas;

covering a selectable coverage area as determined by a beamforming pattern formed by the subset of the plurality of antennas of the sector;

wherein an existing cell site operates over at least an overlapping set of frequencies as the plurality of antennas, and wireless communication of the base station interferes with the wireless communication occurring within the existing cell site;

wherein the selectable coverage area of one or more of the sectors is adaptively selected based on the existing cell site located within the selectable coverage area of the one or more sectors comprising adaptively null steering the beamforming pattern of the one or more sectors towards the location of the existing cell site that is deployed in the selectable coverage area of the one or more of the sectors to reduce interference with the existing cell site.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein adaptively null steering the beamforming pattern of the one or more sectors towards the existing cell site that is deployed in the selectable coverage area of the one or more of the sectors comprises nulling the beamforming pattern where the existing cell site is located to minimize or reduce interference with the existing cell site.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the selectable coverage area of each of the sectors is adaptively selected further based on monitoring of the data demand with respect to location over time.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the selectable coverage area of each of the sectors is adaptively selected further based on a data demand at different locations within the coverage area, wherein a greater the data demand, a narrower the width of the beamforming pattern of the selectable coverage area of the sector, allowing the sector to satisfy the data demand.

15. The method of claim 11 , wherein the selectable coverage area of each of the sectors is adaptively selected further based on a number of users located within the sector.

16. The method of claim 11 , wherein the selectable coverage area of each of the sectors is adaptively selected further based on motion of the base station.

17. The method of claim 16 , further comprising detecting motion, by motion sensors, of the base station, and further comprising adjusting the beamforming pattern formed by the subset of the plurality of antennas of the sector based on the detected motion.

18. The method of claim 11 , wherein the selectable coverage area of each of the sectors is adaptively selected further based on a data demand at different locations within the coverage area, wherein a greater the data demand, a narrower a width of the beamforming pattern of the selectable coverage area of the sector, allowing the sector to satisfy the data demand.

19. The method of claim 11 , wherein the selectable coverage area of each of the sectors is adaptively selected further based on coordinated coverage between the base station and one or more neighboring base stations.

20. A base station, comprising:

a communication processing system operating to perform baseband processing of receive or transmit baseband signals;

a plurality of antennas, wherein the plurality of antennas are connected to the communication processing system, wherein a plurality of subsets of the plurality of antennas operating to form a plurality of sectors, wherein each sector of each subset of the plurality of antennas is operating to cover a selectable coverage area as determined by a beamforming pattern formed by the subset of the plurality of antennas of the sector;

wherein an existing cell site operates over at least an overlapping set of frequencies as the plurality of antennas, and wireless communication of the base station interferes with the wireless communication occurring within the existing cell site;

wherein the selectable coverage area of one or more of the sectors is adaptively selected based on the existing cell site located within the selectable coverage area of the one or more sectors comprising adaptively null steering the beamforming pattern of the one or more sectors towards the location of the existing cell site that is deployed in the selectable coverage area of the one or more of the sectors to reduce interference with the existing cell site.

Assignments (2)
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Dec 13, 2021
From: FACEBOOK, INC.
To: META PLATFORMS, INC.
Reel/Frame 058495/0763 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 9, 2020
From: TIWARI, ABHISHEK; BONDALAPATI, PRATHEEP
To: FACEBOOK, INC.
Reel/Frame 054016/0627 →
Continuity (1)
Continuation 16364035 · Mar 25, 2019