Abstract: A chemical reaction heat source for use in heaters for downhole applications is provided. The heat source has a solid fuel composition that comprises thermite and a binding agent. The binding agent serves to maintain the solid form of the solid fuel composition during burning and ensure a predetermined uniform heating pattern can be provided for longer. The solid fuel composition can be provided in the form of blocks. The solid fuel composition can also be provided in the form of a plurality of fragments that, during burning, behave more like powdered thermite and can flow.

Abstract: An adaptive antenna array (14) includes a muliplicity of antenna elements (12a–12k, 48a–48k) responsive to uplink communications (16a–16k) and arranged to support directional-orientated downlink communication to subscriber units (18). The adaptive antenna array (14) is operationally responsive to a signal processor (28) that co-operates with direction of arrival estimation logic (36) to assess an angle of arrival of uplink communications incident to the array. To avoid inter-cell interference, especially during early stages of a call, the signal processor operates to ensure that a wide area downlink beam (108) is provided for a downlink path to an addressed subscriber unit. With time and/or with reported (68,84) downlink quality of service (QoS) metrics, the signal processor (28) regulates (74, 92, 96) a width of the downlink beam by altering the number of antenna elements used to support the downlink beam, thereby altering the downlink beam aperture.

Abstract: A method of enhancing a communication capability of a communication unit (112), operating in a communication system (100) that facilitates communication to and/or from a plurality of communication units. The method includes the step of operably coupling a first communication unit (112) to one or more neighboring communication units (114, 116) such that said communication unit is able to utilize at least one operational capability of one or more of its neighboring communication units to enhance communication to and/or from said first communication unit.

Abstract: A method of enhancing a communication capability of a communication unit (112), operating in a communication system (100) that facilitates communication to and/or from a plurality of communication units. The method includes the step of operably coupling a first communication unit (112) to one or more neighboring communication units (114, 116) such that said communication unit is able to utilize at least one operational capability of one or more of its neighboring communication units to enhance communication to and/or from said first communication unit.

Abstract: An adaptive antenna array (14) includes a muliplicity of antenna elements (12a-12k, 48a-48k) responsive to uplink communications (16a-16k) and arranged to support directional-orientated downlink communication to subscriber units (18). The adaptive antenna array (14) is operationally responsive to a signal processor (28) that co-operates with direction of arrival estimation logic (36) to assess an angle of arrival of uplink communications incident to the array. To avoid inter-cell interference, especially during early stages of a call, the signal processor operates to ensure that a wide area downlink beam (108) is provided for a downlink path to an addressed subscriber unit. With time and/or with reported (68,84) downlink quality of service (QoS) metrics, the signal processor (28) regulates (74, 92, 96) a width of the downlink beam by altering the number of antenna elements used to support the downlink beam, thereby altering the downlink beam aperture.

Abstract: This invention relates to an antenna array system. A problem with antenna array systems is that they provide rather inefficient use of hardware and have inflexible resource allocation. The invention provides a flexible antenna array system architecture, which has very flexible allocation of transceiver elements to beams. The invention comprise switching means (407) which associate transceiver elements (405) to beam ports of a beam former (403) connected to a antenna array (401). The association of transceiver elements (405) to beam ports are rearranged regularly, typically for each time slot, and the association is optimized for overall performance for all subscriber units. The invention is applicable for example to cellular communication systems such as GSM.