Antenna structures and methods thereof for determining locations to improve wireless communications

Abstract

A system that incorporates the subject disclosure may include, for example, an antenna structure of a base station including an antenna element for communicating with a communication device via radio frequency signals and a circuit coupled to the antenna element. The circuit detects a location of the communication device. The circuit determines from the location of the communication device a first set of coordinates corresponding to an alternate location where an improved quality of communications can be provided to the communication device, and transmits the first set of coordinates to the communication device. Other embodiments are disclosed.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method, comprising:
 detecting, by a base station comprising a processor, a location of a communication device;   determining, by the base station, from the location of the communication device a first set of coordinates corresponding to an alternate location, wherein an improved quality of communications is provided to the communication device at the alternate location; and   transmitting, by the base station, the first set of coordinates to the communication device.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the communication device presents navigation information comprising instructions for navigating from the location of the communication device to the alternate location. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the navigation information comprises a geographical feature at the alternate location. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the determining is performed based on communications quality data associated with a plurality of locations in a service area of the base station, the communications quality data being stored in a storage device coupled to the base station, and wherein improved communications between the communication device and the base station are provided at the alternate location. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the detecting further comprises detecting a communications quality indication relating to the location of the communication device, and further comprising adding the location of the communication device and the communications quality indication to the communications quality data. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the communications quality data further includes communications quality data associated with a second plurality of locations in a second service area of a second base station. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the first set of coordinates corresponds to a location in the second service area. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising transmitting to the communication device a second set of coordinates corresponding to a location of the base station,
 wherein the communication device, responsive to receiving the second set of coordinates, adjusts an antenna mode of the communication device from omnidirectional mode to beamforming mode.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the communication device presents direction information comprising an instruction for directing the communication device relative to the base station. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the communication device presents orientation information comprising an instruction for orienting the communication device. 
     
     
         11 . A machine-readable storage medium comprising instructions, wherein responsive to executing the instructions, a processor performs operations comprising:
 detecting a location of a communication device communicating with a base station;   obtaining an indication of communications quality associated with the location of the communication device;   determining from the location of the communication device and from the indication of communications quality associated with the location of the communication device a first set of coordinates corresponding to an alternate location to improve a communications service quality provided to the communication device; and   transmitting the first set of coordinates to the communication device.   
     
     
         12 . The machine-readable storage medium of  claim 11 , wherein the determining is performed based on communications quality data associated with a plurality of locations in a service area of the base station, and wherein the alternate location is in the service area of the base station. 
     
     
         13 . The machine-readable storage medium of  claim 11 , wherein the base station is a first base station having a first service area, wherein the determining is performed based on communications quality data associated with a plurality of locations in the first service area and in a second service area of a second base station remote from the first base station, and wherein the alternate location is in the second service area. 
     
     
         14 . The machine-readable storage medium of  claim 11 , wherein the communication device presents navigation information comprising instructions for navigating from the location of the communication device to the alternate location. 
     
     
         15 . The machine-readable storage medium of  claim 14 , wherein the navigation information comprises a landmark corresponding to the alternate location. 
     
     
         16 . The machine-readable storage medium of  claim 11 , wherein the operations further comprise transmitting to the communication device a second set of coordinates corresponding to a location of the base station,
 wherein the communication device, responsive to receiving the first set of coordinates, adjusts an antenna mode of the communication device from omnidirectional mode to beamforming mode.   
     
     
         17 . An antenna structure of a first base station, comprising:
 an antenna element for communicating with a communication device via radio frequency signals; and   a circuit coupled to the antenna element, wherein the circuit performs operations comprising:
 detecting a location of the communication device; 
 determining from the location of the communication device a set of coordinates corresponding to an alternate location, wherein an improved quality of communication services is provided to the communication device at the alternate location; and 
 transmitting the set of coordinates to the communication device. 
   
     
     
         18 . The antenna structure of  claim 17 , wherein the determining is performed based on communication services quality data associated with a plurality of locations in a first service area of the first base station, and wherein the communication services quality data includes a communication services quality indication obtained from the communication device. 
     
     
         19 . The antenna structure of  claim 18 , wherein the communication services quality data further includes communication services quality data associated with a second plurality of locations in a second service area of a second base station remote from the first base station. 
     
     
         20 . The antenna structure of  claim 17 , wherein the communication device presents navigation information comprising instructions for navigating from the location of the communication device to the alternate location.