Methods for Operating Wireless Electronic Devices in Coordinated Multipoint Transmission Networks

1. A method of operating a wireless electronic device, a base station, and a plurality of geographically separated antenna nodes that are coupled to the base station, the method comprising: when the wireless electronic device is at a first location, receiving radio-frequency signals from the plurality of geographically separated antenna nodes; with the wireless electronic device, performing signal quality measurements on the radio-frequency signals from the plurality of geographically separated antenna nodes to determine a first signal strength for each antenna node; with the wireless electronic device, reporting the signal quality measurements to the base station; with the base station, configuring a first antenna node of the plurality of geographically separated antenna nodes to serve as the anchor antenna node, wherein the first antenna node has the highest first signal strength of the plurality of geographically separated antenna nodes; with the wireless electronic device, transmitting uplink radio-frequency signals to the first antenna node; after configuring the first antenna node to serve as the anchor antenna node and when the wireless electronic device is at a second location that is different than the first location, performing signal quality measurements on the radio-frequency signals from the plurality of geographically separated antenna nodes to determine a second signal strength for each antenna node and reporting the signal quality measurements to the base station via the first antenna node; with the base station, determining whether the second signal strength of the first antenna node is greater than a predetermined threshold and if not, configuring a second antenna node of the plurality of geographically separated antenna nodes to serve as the anchor antenna node; and with the wireless electronic device, transmitting uplink radio-frequency signals to the second antenna node.

2. The method defined in claim 1 , wherein transmitting uplink radio-frequency signals to the first antenna node with the wireless electronic device comprises transmitting uplink radio-frequency signals to only the first antenna node.

3. The method defined in claim 2 , wherein transmitting uplink radio-frequency signals to the second antenna node with the wireless electronic device comprises transmitting uplink radio-frequency signals to only the second antenna node.

4. The method defined in claim 3 , wherein determining whether the second signal strength of the first antenna node is greater than the predetermined threshold and if not, configuring the second antenna node of the plurality of geographically separated antenna nodes to serve as the anchor antenna node comprises determining whether the second signal strength of the first antenna node is greater than the predetermined threshold and only if not, configuring the second antenna node of the plurality of geographically separated antenna nodes to serve as the anchor antenna node.

5. The method defined in claim 4 , wherein performing signal quality measurements on the radio-frequency signals from the plurality of geographically separated antenna nodes and reporting the signal quality measurements to the base station via the first antenna node comprises periodically performing signal quality measurements on the radio-frequency signals from the plurality of geographically separated antenna nodes and periodically reporting the signal quality measurements to the base station via the first antenna node.

6. The method defined in claim 5 , wherein the second antenna node has the highest second signal strength of the plurality of geographically separated antenna nodes.

7. A method of operating a wireless electronic device, a base station, and a plurality of geographically separated antenna nodes that are coupled to the base station, the method comprising: when the wireless electronic device is at a first location, receiving radio-frequency signals from the plurality of geographically separated antenna nodes; with the wireless electronic device, performing signal quality measurements on the radio-frequency signals from the plurality of geographically separated antenna nodes to determine a first signal strength for each antenna node; with the wireless electronic device, reporting the signal quality measurements to the base station; with the base station, determining a first subset of antenna nodes of the plurality of geographically separated antenna nodes that each have a first signal strength that is higher than a predetermined threshold; with the base station, configuring the first subset of antenna nodes to serve as active antenna nodes; with the wireless electronic device, transmitting uplink radio-frequency signals to the first subset of antenna nodes; after configuring the first subset of antenna nodes to serve as active antenna nodes and when the wireless electronic device is at a second location that is different than the first location, performing signal quality measurements on the radio-frequency signals from the plurality of geographically separated antenna nodes to determine a second signal strength for each antenna node and reporting the signal quality measurements to the base station via the active antenna nodes; with the base station, determining a second subset of antenna nodes of the plurality of geographically separated antenna nodes that is different than the first subset of antenna nodes that each have a second signal strength that is higher than the predetermined threshold; with the base station, configuring the second subset of antenna nodes to serve as active antenna nodes; and with the wireless electronic device, transmitting uplink radio-frequency signals to the second subset of antenna nodes.

8. The method defined in claim 7 , wherein transmitting uplink radio-frequency signals to the first subset of antenna nodes comprises transmitting uplink radio-frequency signals to only the first subset of antenna nodes.

9. The method defined in claim 8 , wherein transmitting uplink radio-frequency signals to the second subset of antenna nodes comprises transmitting uplink radio-frequency signals to only the second subset of antenna nodes.

10. A method of operating a wireless electronic device, a first base station, a first plurality of geographically separated antenna nodes that are coupled to the first base station, a second base station, and a second plurality of geographically separated antenna nodes that are coupled to the second base station, the method comprising: with the wireless electronic device, establishing a first uplink communications path with the first base station when the wireless electronic device is at a first location, wherein the first base station serves as an anchor base station; with the wireless electronic device, receiving radio-frequency signals from the first plurality of geographically separated antenna nodes and the second plurality of geographically separated antenna nodes; with the wireless electronic device, performing signal quality measurements on the radio-frequency signals from the first plurality of geographically separated antenna nodes and the second plurality of geographically separated antenna nodes to determine a first signal strength for each antenna node; with the wireless electronic device, reporting the signal quality measurements to the first base station; with the first base station, determining a first subset of antenna nodes of the first plurality of geographically separated antenna nodes and the second plurality of geographically separated antenna nodes that each have a first signal strength that is higher than a predetermined threshold; with at least the first base station, configuring the first subset of antenna nodes to serve as active antenna nodes; with the wireless electronic device, transmitting uplink radio-frequency signals to the first subset of antenna nodes; after configuring the first subset of antenna nodes to serve as active antenna nodes and when the wireless electronic device is at a second location that is different than the first location, performing signal quality measurements on the radio-frequency signals from the first plurality of geographically separated antenna nodes and the second plurality of geographically separated antenna nodes to determine a second signal strength for each antenna node and reporting the signal quality measurements to the first base station via the active antenna nodes; with the first base station, determining a second subset of antenna nodes of the first plurality of geographically separated antenna nodes and the second plurality of geographically separated antenna nodes that is different than the first subset of antenna nodes that each have a second signal strength that is higher than the predetermined threshold; with at least the first base station, configuring the second subset of antenna nodes to serve as active antenna nodes; and with the wireless electronic device, transmitting uplink radio-frequency signals to the second subset of antenna nodes.

11. The method defined in claim 10 , wherein configuring the first subset of antenna nodes to serve as active antenna nodes with at least the first base station comprises configuring the first subset of antenna nodes to serve as active antenna nodes with only the first base station.

12. The method defined in claim 10 , wherein configuring the first subset of antenna nodes to serve as active antenna nodes with at least the first base station comprises configuring the first subset of antenna nodes to serve as active antenna nodes with the first base station and the second base station.

13. The method defined in claim 10 , wherein configuring the second subset of antenna nodes to serve as active antenna nodes with at least the first base station comprises configuring the second subset of antenna nodes to serve as active antenna nodes with only the first base station.

14. The method defined in claim 10 , wherein configuring the second subset of antenna nodes to serve as active antenna nodes with at least the first base station comprises configuring the second subset of antenna nodes to serve as active antenna nodes with the first base station and the second base station.

15. The method defined in claim 10 , wherein each antenna node of the second subset of antenna nodes is part of the second plurality of geographically separated antenna nodes, the method further comprising: configuring the second base station to serve as the anchor base station instead of the first base station.

16. The method defined in claim 10 , wherein transmitting uplink radio-frequency signals to the first subset of antenna nodes comprises transmitting uplink radio-frequency signals to only the first subset of antenna nodes.

17. The method defined in claim 16 , wherein transmitting uplink radio-frequency signals to the second subset of antenna nodes comprises transmitting uplink radio-frequency signals to only the second subset of antenna nodes.