CDMA mobile communication scheme with effective use of sector configuration

Claim 2

The method of claim 1, wherein at the transmitting step, the perch channel is transmitted from every one of said plurality of sectors.

Claim 3

The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of: selecting at least one reception sector for receiving the upward signals from each mobile station and at least one transmission sector for transmitting the downward signals to each mobile station, at the base station.

Claim 4

The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving step always carries out the simultaneous reception at all of said plurality of sectors.

Claim 5

The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of: measuring receiving levels by using a level scanning receiver device provided in correspondence to each sector, by sequentially scanning uplink spread codes assigned to those mobile stations which are currently communicating with the base station; and selecting at least one reception sector for receiving the upward signals from each mobile station, according to the receiving levels measured by the measuring step, at the base station.

Claim 6

The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of: measuring receiving levels by using a level scanning receiver device provided in correspondence to each mobile station, by sequentially switching a sector for carrying out a reception using an uplink spread code assigned to each mobile station; and selecting at least one reception sector for receiving the upward signals from each mobile station, according to the receiving levels measured by the measuring step, at the base station.

Claim 7

The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of: measuring receiving levels by using a receiver device for receiving the upward signals from each mobile station which is provided in correspondence to one sector among said more than one reception sectors, by sequentially switching a sector for carrying out a reception using an uplink spread code assigned to each mobile station, when a difference between a receiving level at said one sector and a largest receiving level among said more than one reception sectors becomes greater than a prescribed value while the simultaneous reception at said more than one reception sectors is carried out; and selecting said more than one reception sectors for receiving the upward signals from each mobile station, according to the receiving levels measured by the measuring step, at the base station.

Claim 8

The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of: selecting those sectors among said plurality of sectors which are currently receiving the upward signals from each mobile station, as transmission sectors for transmitting the downward signals to each mobile station, at the base station; and wherein the spreading step carries out the simultaneous transmission from the transmission sectors selected by the selecting step, by using an identical transmission power for each transmission sector.

Claim 9

The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of: selecting one sector for which a receiving level is largest among those sectors which are currently receiving the upward signals from each mobile station, as a transmission sector for transmitting the downward signals to each mobile station, at the base station.

Claim 10

The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of: selecting those sectors among said plurality of sectors which are currently receiving the upward signals from each mobile station, as transmission sectors for transmitting the downward signals to each mobile station, at the base station; and wherein the spreading step carries out the simultaneous transmission from the transmission sectors selected by the selecting step, by using a transmission power ratio equal to a receiving level ratio for the transmission sectors.

Claim 11

The method of claim 1, wherein at the transmitting step, the perch channel transmitted from each sector contains a sector information for identifying each sector, and the further comprises the steps of: selecting one transmission sector for transmitting the downward signals to each mobile station, according to the sector information contained in the perch channel transmitted from each sector, at each mobile station; and notifying said one transmission sector selected by the selecting step from each mobile station to the base station by using the sector information contained in the perch channel transmitted from each sector, so that the spreading step carries out a transmission from said one transmission sector.

Claim 12

The method of claim 1, wherein the spreading step transmits the downward signals from different sectors through communication channels at different timings with respect to a transmission timing of the perch channel, and the method further comprises the steps of: identifying each sector from which the downward signals are currently received at each mobile station according to a difference between a receiving timing of the perch channel and a receiving timing of each communication channel, measuring a receiving level of a communication channel for each identified sector, and notifying each identified sector and a measured receiving level for each identified sector from each mobile station to the base station; and selecting at least one transmission sector for transmitting the downward signals to each mobile station, according to the measured receiving level for each identified sector notified from each mobile station, at the base station.

Claim 13

The method of claim 12, wherein the selecting step selects more than one transmission sectors, and the spreading step carries out the simultaneous transmission from said more than one transmission sectors selected by the selecting step, by using an identical transmission power for said more than one transmission sectors.

Claim 14

The method of claim 1, wherein the spreading step transmits the downward signals from different sectors through communication channels at different timings within a search range of a RAKE receiver of each mobile station, said different timings being set so that the communication channels of different sectors are separable by the RAKE receiver of each mobile station.

Claim 15

A base station apparatus for use in a CDMA mobile communication system including a base station connected to a communication network and mobile stations for carrying out communications in a CDMA scheme with the base station, the base station having a plurality of sectors dividing a cell of the base station, the base station apparatus comprising: a perch channel transmission device for transmitting a perch channel spread by an identical perch channel spread code assigned to the base station from each one of at least two sectors of the base station; a communication channel reception device for receiving upward signals from each mobile station at more than one reception sectors, despreading the upward signals received at said more than one reception sectors by using an identical uplink spread code, and carrying out a maximal ratio combining of despread upward signals, in a case of carrying out a simultaneous reception at said more than one reception sectors; and a communication channel transmission device for spreading downward signals by using an identical downlink spread code, and transmitting spread downward signals from more than one transmission sectors to each mobile station, in a case of carrying out a simultaneous transmission from said more than one transmission sectors.

Claim 16

The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the perch channel transmission device transmits the perch channel from every one of said plurality of sectors.

Claim 17

The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising: a reception sector selection unit for selecting at least one reception sector for receiving the upward signals from each mobile station; and a transmission sector selection unit for selecting at least one transmission sector for transmitting the downward signals to each mobile station.

Claim 18

The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the communication channel reception device always carries out the simultaneous reception at all of said plurality of sectors.

Claim 19

The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising: a level scanning receiver device provided in correspondence to each sector, for measuring receiving levels by sequentially scanning uplink spread codes assigned to those mobile stations which are currently communicating with the base station; and a reception sector selection unit for selecting at least one reception sector for receiving the upward signals from each mobile station according to the receiving levels measured by the level scanning receiver device.

Claim 20

The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising: a level scanning receiver device provided in correspondence to each mobile station, for measuring receiving levels by sequentially switching a sector for carrying out a reception using an uplink spread code assigned to each mobile station; and a reception sector selection unit for selecting at least one reception sector for receiving the upward signals from each mobile station according to the receiving levels measured by the level scanning receiver device.

Claim 21

The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the communication channel reception device includes: a receiver device for receiving the upward signals from each mobile station which is provided in correspondence to each sector, the receiver device for one sector among said more than one reception sectors being used for measuring receiving levels by sequentially switching a sector for carrying out a reception using an uplink spread code assigned to each mobile station, when a difference between a receiving level at said one sector and a largest receiving level among said more than one reception sectors becomes greater than a prescribed value while the simultaneous reception at said more than one reception sectors is carried out; and a reception sector selection unit for selecting said more than one reception sectors for receiving the upward signals from each mobile station according to the receiving levels measured by the receiver device for said one sector.

Claim 22

The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising: a sector selection unit for selecting those sectors among said plurality of sectors which are currently receiving the upward signals from each mobile station, as transmission sectors for transmitting the downward signals to each mobile station; and wherein the communication channel transmission device carries out the simultaneous transmission from the transmission sectors selected by the sector selection unit, by using an identical transmission power for each transmission sector.

Claim 23

The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising: a sector selection unit for selecting one sector for which a receiving level is largest among those sectors which are currently receiving the upward signals from each mobile station, as a transmission sector for transmitting the downward signals to each mobile station.

Claim 24

The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising: a sector selection unit for selecting those sectors among said plurality of sectors which are currently receiving the upward signals from each mobile station, as transmission sectors for transmitting the downward signals to each mobile station; and wherein the communication channel transmission device carries out the simultaneous transmission from the transmission sectors selected by the sector selection unit, by using a transmission power ratio equal to a receiving level ratio for the transmission sectors.

Claim 25

The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the perch channel transmitted from each sector by the perch channel transmission device contains a sector information for identifying each sector, so that each mobile station selects one transmission sector for transmitting the downward signals to each mobile station according to the sector information contained in the perch channel transmitted from each sector, and notifies said one transmission sector to the base station by using the sector information contained in the perch channel transmitted from each sector; and the communication channel transmission device carries out a transmission from said one transmission sector notified from each mobile station.

Claim 26

The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the communication channel transmission device transmits the downward signals from different sectors through communication channels at different timings with respect to a transmission timing of the perch channel by the perch channel transmission device, so that each mobile station identifies each sector from which the downward signals are currently received according to a difference between a receiving timing of the perch channel and a receiving timing of each communication channel, measures a receiving level of a communication channel for each identified sector, and notifies each identified sector and a measured receiving level for each identified sector to the base station; and the apparatus further comprises: a transmission sector selection unit for selecting at least one transmission sector for transmitting the downward signals to each mobile station according to the measured receiving level for each identified sector notified from each mobile station.

Claim 27

The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the transmission sector selection unit selects more than one transmission sectors, and the communication channel transmission device carries out the simultaneous transmission from said more than one transmission sectors selected by the transmission sector selection unit, by using an identical transmission power for said more than one transmission sectors.

Claim 28

The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the communication channel transmission device transmits the downward signals from different sectors through communication channels at different timings within a search range of a RAKE receiver of each mobile station, said different timings being set so that the communication channels of different sectors are separable by the RAKE receiver of each mobile station.

Claim 29

A mobile station apparatus for use in a CDMA mobile communication system including a base station connected to a communication network and mobile stations for carrying out communications in a CDMA scheme with the base station, wherein the base station has a plurality of sectors dividing a cell of the base station, the base station transmits a perch channel spread by an identical perch channel spread code assigned to the base station from each one of at least two sectors of the base station, and the perch channel transmitted from each sector contains a sector information for identifying each sector, the mobile station apparatus of each mobile station comprising: a perch channel reception device for receiving the perch channel transmitted from each sector and selecting one transmission sector for transmitting the downward signals to said mobile station apparatus according to the perch channel transmitted from each sector; a communication channel reception device for receiving downward signals transmitted from the base station; and a communication channel transmission device for transmitting upward signals to the base station, the upward signals containing a portion for notifying said one transmission sector to the base station by using the sector information contained in the perch channel transmitted from each sector, so that the base station carries out a transmission from said one transmission sector notified from said mobile station apparatus.

Claim 30

A mobile station apparatus for use in a CDMA mobile communication system including a base station connected to a communication network and mobile stations for carrying out communications in a CDMA scheme with the base station, wherein the base station has a plurality of sectors dividing a cell of the base station, the base station transmits a perch channel spread by an identical perch channel spread code assigned to the base station from each one of at least two sectors of the base station, and the base station transmits downward signals from different sectors through communication channels at different timings with respect to a transmission timing of the perch channel, the mobile station apparatus of each mobile station comprising: a perch channel reception device for receiving the perch channel transmitted from each sector; a communication channel reception device for receiving the downward signals transmitted from the base station, identifying each sector from which the downward signals are currently received according to a difference between a receiving timing of the perch channel and a receiving timing of each communication channel, and measuring a receiving level of a communication channel for each identified sector; and a communication channel transmission device for transmitting upward signals to the base station, the upward signals containing a portion for notifying each identified sector and a measured receiving level for each identified sector to the base station, so that the base station selects at least one transmission sector for transmitting the downward signals to said mobile station apparatus according to the measured receiving level for each identified sector notified from said mobile station apparatus.