Method and system for centralized distributed transceiver management

• US 10,284,344 B2
• Filed: 02/23/2017
• Issued: 05/07/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Peltbeam Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Golba LLC
• Inventors: Moshfeghi, Mehran
• Primary Examiner(s): Levitan, Dmitry
• Application Number:
  US15/441,209
• Publication Number:
  US 20170230099A1
• Time in Patent Office: 803 Days
• Field of Search: 370310, 370315, 370328, 370329
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/40 Circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/401 for selecting or indicating operating mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/024 Co-operative use of antennas of several sites, e.g. in co-ordinated multipoint or co-operative multiple-input multiple-output [MIMO] systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0408 using two or more beams, i.e. beam diversity
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0413 MIMO systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/043 using best eigenmode, e.g. beam forming or beam steering
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0689 using different transmission schemes, at least one of them being a diversity transmission scheme
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0897 using beamforming per multi-path, e.g. to cope with different directions of arrival [DOA] at different multi-paths
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/12 Modulator circuits; Transmitter circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0032 Distributed allocation, i.e. involving a plurality of allocating devices, each making partial allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• 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 72/0453 Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/046 the resource being in the space domain, e.g. beams
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0473 the resource being transmission power
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/51 based on terminal or device properties
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/54 based on quality criteria
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/542 using measured or perceived quality
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 : adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 : in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A master application device comprises a plurality of distributed transceivers, a central baseband processor, and a network management engine that manages operation of the master application device and end-user application devices. The master application device communicates data streams to the end-user devices utilizing one or more distributed transceivers selected from the plurality of distributed transceivers. The selected distributed transceivers are dynamically configured to switch between spatial diversity mode, frequency diversity mode, multiplexing mode and MIMO mode based on corresponding link quality and propagation environment. Digital signal processing needed for the selected distributed transceivers is performed by the central baseband processor. The network management engine continuously monitors communication environment information to configure beamforming settings and/or antenna arrangement for the selected distributed transceivers. Connection types, communication protocols, and/or transceiver operation modes are determined for the selected distributed transceivers. Resources are allocated to the selected distributed transceivers to continue subsequent data communication.

Claims

1. A first device comprising:

a plurality of transceivers, each transceiver of the first device comprising an antenna array comprising a plurality of antennas;

a plurality of baseband processors; and

a network management engine configured to;

establish a feedback channel between the first device and a second device to provide and negotiate configuration information;

identify a plurality of pairs of transceivers, each pair of identified transceivers comprising a corresponding transceiver from the plurality of transceivers of the first device and a corresponding transceiver from a plurality of transceivers of the second device, each transceiver of the second device comprising an antenna array comprising a plurality of antennas;

configure, for each identified pair of transceivers, (i) a beam pattern for the antenna array of the corresponding transceiver of the first device in the pair and (ii) a beam pattern for the antenna array of the corresponding transceiver of the second device in the pair;

wherein each baseband processor is configured to generate a data stream; and

wherein the network management engine is further configured to communicate the data stream generated by each baseband processor in the plurality of baseband processors between a pair of transceivers in the plurality of pairs of transceivers utilizing the beam patterns configured for the pair of transceivers.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein each baseband processor is further configured to perform signal processing for a different set of transceivers in the plurality of transceivers of the first device, wherein there is no data transfer between the sets of transceivers of the first device corresponding to each baseband processor.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein each baseband processor and the corresponding set of transceivers are connected together in a star topology.

4. The device of claim 2, wherein each baseband processor and the corresponding set of transceivers are connected together in a ring topology.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of baseband processors and the plurality of transceivers of the first device are connected in a ring topology using a single cable.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein a set of baseband processors in the plurality of baseband processors is configured to have a different set of power consumption characteristics than the other baseband processors in the plurality of baseband processors, wherein the network management engine is further configured to activate, based on a set of power consumption and throughput requirements, said set of baseband processors and deactivating said other baseband processors.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein a set of baseband processors in the plurality of baseband processors is configured to have a different set of characteristics than the other baseband processors in the plurality of baseband processors, wherein the network management engine is further configured to activate, based on a mode of operation of the first device, said set of baseband processors and deactivating said other baseband processors, wherein the set of characteristics comprises one or more of power characteristics, processing characteristics, and communication characteristics.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein each transceiver of the first device further comprises a set of digital-to-analog-converters (DACs), wherein each particular transceiver of the first device is configured to:

receive digital bits from a baseband processor in the plurality of baseband processors;

generate an analog waveform using the particular transceiver'"'"'s DAC; and

perform frequency up-conversion and beamforming for transmitting the waveform.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein each transceiver of the first device further comprises a set of analog-to-digital-converters (ADCs), wherein each particular transceiver of the first device is configured to:

receive a radio frequency (RF) waveform;

down-convert the RF frequency waveform;

digitize the down-converted waveform to a set of digital bits using the particular transceiver'"'"'s ADC; and

send the digital bits to a baseband processor in the plurality of baseband processors.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein each transceiver of the first device comprises a set of digital processing components, wherein each baseband processor is further configured to utilize one or more digital processing components of one or more transceivers of the first device.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of transceivers of the first device are connected to the plurality of baseband processors by one of an optical connection, a printed-board connection, an Ethernet cable, or a wireless connection.

12. The device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of baseband processors are connected to each other by one of an optical connection, a printed-board connection, an Ethernet cable, or a wireless connection.

13. The device of claim 1, wherein the network management engine is further configured to configure beamforming weights of the transceivers of the first device to emulate an effective beam pattern by super positioning the beam pattern of each transceiver of the first device.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein the network management engine is further configured to adjust a direction and a shape of the effective beam pattern by adjusting a direction and a shape of the beam pattern of each transceiver of the first device.

15. A method of communication, the method comprising:

in a first device comprising (i) a plurality of transceivers, each transceiver of the first device comprising an antenna array comprising a plurality of antennas and (ii) a plurality of baseband processors;

establishing a feedback channel between the first device and a second device to provide and negotiate configuration information;

identifying a plurality of pairs of transceivers, each pair of identified transceivers comprising a corresponding transceiver from the plurality of transceivers of the first device and a corresponding transceiver from a plurality of transceivers of the second device, each transceiver of the second device comprising an antenna array comprising a plurality of antennas;

for each identified pair of transceivers, configuring (i) a beam pattern for the antenna array of the corresponding transceiver of the first device in the pair and (ii) a beam pattern for the antenna array of the corresponding transceiver of the second device in the pair;

generating a data stream by each baseband processor; and

communicating the data stream generated by each baseband processor in the plurality of baseband processors between a pair of transceivers in the plurality of pairs of transceivers utilizing the beam patterns configured for each pair of transceivers.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

by each baseband processor, performing signal processing for a different set of transceivers in the plurality of transceivers of the first device,

wherein there is no data transfer between the sets of transceivers corresponding to each baseband processor.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein each baseband processor and the corresponding set of transceivers are connected together in a star topology.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein each baseband processor and the corresponding set of transceivers are connected together in a ring topology.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the plurality of baseband processors and the plurality of transceivers of the first device are connected in a ring topology using a single cable.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein a set of baseband processors in the plurality of baseband processors has a different set of power consumption characteristics than the other baseband processors in the plurality of baseband processors, the method further comprising, based on a set of power consumption and throughput requirements, activating said set of baseband processors and deactivating said other baseband processors.

21. The method of claim 15, wherein a set of baseband processors in the plurality of baseband processors has a different set of characteristics than the other baseband processors in the plurality of baseband processors, the method further comprising, based on a mode of operation of the first device, activating said set of baseband processors and deactivating said other baseband processors, wherein the set of characteristics comprises one or more of power characteristics, processing characteristics, and communication characteristics.

22. The method of claim 15, wherein each transceiver of the first device further comprises a set of digital-to-analog-converters (DACs), the method further comprising:

at each particular transceiver of the first device, receiving digital bits from a baseband processor in the plurality of baseband processors;

by the particular transceiver, generating an analog waveform using the particular transceiver'"'"'s DAC; and

by the particular transceiver, performing frequency up-conversion and beamforming for transmitting the waveform.

23. The method of claim 15, wherein each transceiver of the first device comprises a set of analog-to-digital-converters (ADCs), the method further comprising:

at each particular transceiver of the first device, receiving a radio frequency (RF) waveform;

by the particular transceiver, down-converting the RF frequency waveform;

by the particular transceiver, digitizing the down-converted waveform to a set of digital bits using the particular transceiver'"'"'s ADC; and

sending the digital bits to a baseband processor in the plurality of baseband processors.

24. The method of claim 15, wherein each transceiver of the first device comprises a set of digital processing components, the method further comprising utilizing one or more digital processing components of one or more transceivers of the first device by each baseband processor.

25. The method of claim 15, wherein the plurality of transceivers of the first device are connected to the plurality of baseband processors by one of an optical connection, a printed-board connection, an Ethernet cable, or a wireless connection.

26. The method of claim 15, wherein the plurality of baseband processors are connected to each other by one of an optical connection, a printed-board connection, an Ethernet cable, or a wireless connection.

27. The method of claim 15 further comprising configuring beamforming weights of the transceivers of the first device to emulate an effective beam pattern by super positioning the beam pattern of each transceiver of the first device.

28. The method of claim 27 further comprising adjusting a direction and a shape of said effective beam pattern by adjusting a direction and a shape of the beam pattern of each transceiver of the first device.