Radio modules in a modular wireless network access device

• US 10,009,937 B2
• Filed: 08/03/2012
• Issued: 06/26/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cambium Networks Limited (Cambium Networks Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Xirrus Incorporated
• Inventors: de la Garrigue, Michael J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Qin, Zhiren
• Application Number:
  US13/566,752
• Publication Number:
  US 20130039355A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,153 Days
• Field of Search: 370328, 370351, 370354
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0413 MIMO systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/15 Setup of multiple wireless link connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/16 Involving different core network technologies, e.g. a packet-switched [PS] bearer in combination with a circuit-switched [CS] bearer
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/10 adapted for operation in multiple networks, e.g. multi-mode access points

Abstract

A plurality of different radio modules is provided for a wireless network access device to provide a modular, configurable and performance scalable wireless network. The radio modules include a radio board having a size and shape with a common form factor for the wireless network access device. A radio board connector mates with any one of multiple connectors on the wireless network access device. The radio board connector includes an electrical interface that conforms to a predefined interface on the wireless network access device. The radio board includes a radio board processor that communicates with a wireless network access device controller as a single radio instance for the radio module. The radio board includes a radio chain to communicate radio signals with corresponding antennas. The radio chain, antennas, and radio board processor operate in accordance with one of a plurality of different radio module types.

Claims

1. A wireless network access device having scalable wireless performance, the wireless network access device comprising:

a wireless network access device controller comprising a central processor and a plurality of individually addressable radio interface paths;

a plurality of connectors corresponding to the plurality of radio interface paths, each radio interface path terminating at a corresponding connector, each connector providing a predefined radio interface;

a plurality of radio modules, each radio module comprising;

a radio board comprising a physical size and shape defined by a form factor common for radio boards of radio modules configured to operate in the wireless network access device;

a radio board connector configured to removably connect with any one of the plurality of connectors of the wireless network access device, the radio board connector compatible with the predefined radio interface; and

exactly one radio comprising;

a radio board processor configured to communicate with the controller of the wireless network access device via the radio board connector and the corresponding radio interface path, and to perform digital media access control and radio baseband functions for the radio module; and

one or more antennas and a corresponding number of radio chains, each radio chain configured to communicate radio signals between the radio board processor and the corresponding antenna, wherein;

each of the plurality of radio modules is selected from a group of at least two different radio module types operable in the wireless network access device,

each of the at least two different radio module types is configured to engage with any of the plurality of connectors and to operate independently of other radio modules, and

each radio module type of the at least two different radio module types differs from the other radio module types in at least one of a plurality of wireless radio communication characteristics.

2. The wireless communications system of claim 1 where the wireless network access device controller is configured to operate in different modes involving a specific number of radio modules.

3. The wireless communications system of claim 2 wherein each of the plurality of radio module interface paths operates according to the same electrical interface.

4. The wireless communications system of claim 3 where the electrical interface includes a standard bus interface.

5. The wireless communications system of claim 4 where the standard bus interface includes an implementation of the PCIe®

peripheral interface.

6. The wireless communications system of claim 2 wherein the plurality of wireless communications characteristics includes any combination of the following types of characteristics:

different antenna configurations,

different antenna types,

different component suppliers,

different transmit power capabilities,

different radio technologies,

different radio frequency bands, and

either licensed or unlicensed radio spectrums.

7. The wireless communications system of claim 6 where the different antenna configurations include any of the following:

Single In, Single Out (“

SISO”

);

Multiple In, Multiple Out (“

MIMO”

); and

n×

m MIMO, where n and m indicate a number of receiving and transmitting spatial streams, respectively.

8. The wireless communications system of claim 6 where the different antenna types include either directionalized antennas, omni-directional antennas, or both.

9. The wireless communications system of claim 6 where the different radio technologies include:

WiFi operating under any suitable standard including IEEE 802.11a, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g, IEEE 802.11n, IEEE 802.11ac, and IEEE 802.11ad;

mobile telecommunications operating under any suitable standard including cellular mobile telephony standards; and

wireless personal area network communications operating under any suitable standard including Bluetooth®

.

10. A set of interchangeable radio modules configured to operate in a wireless network access device including a controller for hosting a plurality of radio modules, the set of radio modules comprising:

a first radio module and a second radio module, each conforming to a physical size and shape defined by a form factor common for radio modules configured to operate in the wireless network access device, each of the first and second radio modules comprising;

a radio connector configured to removably connect with any one of a plurality of connectors on the wireless network access device, the radio connector configuration including an electrical interface that conforms to a predefined radio interface of the controller of the wireless network access device; and

exactly one radio comprising;

a radio processor configured to communicate with the controller of the wireless network access device via the predefined radio interface and to perform digital media access control and radio baseband functions for the radio module; and

one or more antennas and a corresponding number of radio chains, each radio chain configured to communicate radio signals between the radio processor and the corresponding antenna,

wherein the first radio module conforms to a first radio module type and the second radio module conforms to a second radio module type, different from the first radio module type,

the first and second radio module types are selected from a group of at least two different radio module types operable in the wireless network access device,

each radio module type of the at least two different radio module types is configured to engage with any of the plurality of connectors and to operate independently of other radio modules, and

each radio module type of the at least two different radio module types differs from the other radio module types in at least one of a plurality of wireless radio communication characteristics.

11. The set of interchangeable radio modules of claim 10 wherein the plurality of wireless communications characteristics includes any combination of the following types of characteristics:

different antenna configurations,

different antenna types,

different component suppliers,

different transmit power capabilities,

different radio technologies,

different radio frequency bands, and

either licensed or unlicensed radio spectrums.

12. The set of interchangeable radio modules of claim 11 wherein the different antenna configurations include any of the following:

Single In, Single Out (“

SISO”

);

Multiple In, Multiple Out (“

MIMO”

); and

n×

m MIMO, where n and m indicate a number of receiving and transmitting spatial streams, respectively.

13. The set of interchangeable radio modules of claim 11 wherein the different antenna types include either directionalized antennas, omni-directional antennas, or both.

14. The set of interchangeable radio modules of claim 11 wherein the different radio technologies include any of the following:

WiFi operating under any suitable standard including IEEE 802.11a, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g, IEEE 802.11n, IEEE 802.11ac, and IEEE 802.11ad;

mobile telecommunications operating under any suitable standard including cellular mobile telephony standards; and

wireless personal area network communications operating under any suitable standard including Bluetooth®

.