Systems and methods providing assisted aiming for wireless links through a plurality of external antennas

• US 10,199,726 B2
• Filed: 04/18/2017
• Issued: 02/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pismo Labs Technology Limited
• Original Assignee: Pismo Labs Technology Limited
• Inventors: Durick, Travis, Yeung, Yu, Chong, Ming Pui, Chan, Alex Wing Hong
• Primary Examiner(s): Ayotunde, Ayodeji O
• Application Number:
  US15/489,761
• Publication Number:
  US 20170222317A1
• Time in Patent Office: 658 Days
• Field of Search: 455 6711, 455 677
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/08 for varying two co-ordinates of the orientation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition

Abstract

Systems and methods which provide local sensor and/or external information derived proactive aiming assistance with respect to wireless nodes for facilitating desired wireless links are shown. Embodiments provide an aiming assistance user interface providing guidance with respect to properly altering the orientation of the plurality of external antennas to provide a desired wireless link. To facilitate providing aiming assistance, embodiments of a plurality of sensors, placed at the plurality of external antennas respectively, operable to provide information useful in environmental analysis for determining proactive orientation guidance information.

Claims

1. A method for providing proactive aiming assistance guidance information at a wireless node, comprising:

(a) positioning the wireless node according to a selected location and, positioning a plurality of external antennas in respective initial orientations and according to an operational configuration;

(b) determining proactive aiming assistance guidance information to provide proactive guidance for reorienting each of the plurality of external antennas from the initial orientation to a desired wireless link deployment configuration;

(c) reorienting the plurality of external antennas in accordance with the proactive aiming assistance guidance information as provided by a user interface of the wireless node to achieve the desired wireless link deployment configuration calculated to provide a wireless link having one or more desired attributes;

the user interface further comprising azimuth guidance outputs, elevation guidance outputs, hold guidance output, guidance control inputs and guidance response inputs;

wherein the wireless node is connected to the plurality of external antennas via at least one wireless communication module;

wherein the proactive aiming assistance guidance information includes rotation directions and tilt directions;

wherein the rotation directions correspond to directions to rotate the plurality of external antennas into the desired wireless link deployment configuration respectively;

wherein the tilt directions correspond to directions to tilt the plurality of external antennas into the desired wireless link deployment configuration respectively;

wherein the proactive aiming assistance guidance information is to orient the rotation directions and tilt directions of a plurality of external antennas; and

wherein the directions to rotate and directions to tilt the plurality of antennas are adjusted through motor modules.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

(d) obtaining sensor information;

(e) determining the initial orientation using at least a portion of the sensor information, wherein at least a portion of the proactive aiming assistance guidance information is determined using the sensor information;

wherein the sensor information comprises information obtained from a plurality of sensors, wherein the plurality of sensors are placed at corresponding external antennas.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the plurality of sensors comprise at least two sensors selected from the group consisting of a barometric pressure sensor, a temperature sensor, an accelerometer, and a gyroscopic sensor.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

(f) obtaining additional sensor information after one or more of the plurality of external antennas are reoriented in the corresponding desired wireless link deployment configuration;

wherein obtained additional sensor information is regarding the quality of the resulting wireless link; and

(g) providing at least a portion of the additional sensor information to an external source in real-time for use in determining proactive aiming assistance guidance information while step (f) is being performed.

5. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

(h) obtaining updated sensor information during the reorienting of one or more of the plurality of external antennas;

wherein obtaining updated sensor information is used to activate one or more guidance outputs; and

(i) updating the proactive aiming assistance guidance information based upon at least a portion of the updated sensor information obtained during the reorienting of the one or more of the plurality of external antennas.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the proactive aiming assistance guidance information comprises azimuth guidance information and tilt guidance information.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

(j) providing the proactive guidance consistent with the proactive aiming assistance guidance information, wherein the proactive guidance comprises activating one or more azimuth guidance outputs and one or more elevation guidance outputs, wherein the proactive guidance comprises activating a hold guidance output.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the tilt directions and the rotation directions of the plurality of external antenna are adjustable remotely.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the motor modules receives electricity via Power over Ethernet capable cables.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the motor modules are controlled by a processing unit of wireless node.

11. A system comprising:

a wireless node;

wherein the wireless node comprises a processing unit and comprises or connects to a plurality of wireless communication modules;

a plurality of external antennas;

wherein the plurality of external antennas are connected to corresponding wireless communication modules;

a plurality of sensors;

wherein the plurality of sensors are placed at corresponding external antennas;

an aiming assistance user interface to provide proactive aiming assistance guidance information for reorienting each of the plurality of external antennas from the initial orientation to a desired wireless link deployment configuration;

wherein the aiming assistance user interface further comprising controlling azimuth guidance outputs, elevation guidance outputs, hold guidance output, guidance control inputs and guidance response inputs;

wherein the wireless node is connected to the plurality of external antennas via at least one wireless communication module;

wherein the proactive aiming assistance guidance information includes rotation directions and tilt directions;

wherein the rotation directions correspond to directions to rotate the plurality of external antennas into the desired wireless link deployment configuration respectively;

wherein the tilt directions correspond to directions to tilt the plurality of external antennas into the desired wireless link deployment configuration respectively;

wherein the proactive aiming assistance guidance information is to orient the rotation directions and tilt directions of a plurality of external antennas; and

wherein the directions to rotate and directions to tilt the plurality of antennas are adjusted through motor modules.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the indicated rotation direction and the indicated tilt direction guide orientation of the plurality of external antennas from corresponding initial orientations into the desired wireless link deployment configurations.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the proactive aiming assistance guidance information provides proactive guidance for reorienting each of the plurality of external antennas from the initial orientation to the desired wireless link deployment configuration;

wherein the proactive guidance comprises activating a hold guidance output.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the plurality of external antennas are reoriented in accordance with the proactive aiming assistance guidance information to achieve the desired wireless link deployment configuration calculated to provide a wireless link having one or more desired attributes.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the plurality of sensors comprise at least two sensors selected from the group consisting of a barometric pressure sensor, a temperature sensor, an accelerometer, and a gyroscopic sensor.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the plurality of sensors provide updated sensor information during the reorienting of one or more of the plurality of external antennas;

wherein obtaining updated sensor information is used to activate one or more guidance outputs; and

wherein the proactive aiming assistance guidance information is updated based upon at least a portion of the updated sensor information obtained during the reorienting of the one or more of the plurality of external antennas.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the tilt directions and the rotation directions of the plurality of external antennas are adjustable remotely.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the proactive aiming assistance guidance information comprises azimuth guidance information and tilt guidance information.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein the motor modules receive electricity via Power over Ethernet capable cables.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the motor modules are controlled by a processing unit of wireless node.