Systems, devices and methods for providing communications between a beamforming access point and a non-beamforming device

• US 10,348,379 B2
• Filed: 07/21/2016
• Issued: 07/09/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Symbol Technologies, LLC (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Symbol Technologies, LLC (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Inventors: Shanmugavadivel, Senthilraj, Poola, Jeelan Basha, Tandon, Varun
• Primary Examiner(s): Lin, Kenny S
• Application Number:
  US15/215,955
• Publication Number:
  US 20180026692A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,083 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/318 Received signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0456 Selection of precoding matrices or codebooks, e.g. using matrices antenna weighting
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0617 for beam forming
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0634 Antenna weights or vector/matrix coefficients
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/29 using a combination of thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

Systems, devices and methods for providing communications between a beamforming access point and a non-beamforming device are provided. The access point determines a beamforming steering matrix from a feedback matrix received from a beamforming device located at a given position, and controls the communication interface to beam form using the beamforming steering matrix to communicate with a non-beamforming device located at the given position. A beamforming device may receive an identifier and characteristics of a non-beamforming device in wireless communication therewith, determine, from the characteristics, a feedback matrix of the non-beamforming device, and transmit the feedback matrix to an access point.

Claims

1. An access point comprising:

a processor and a communication interface configured for beamforming, the processor configured to;

determine a beamforming steering matrix from a feedback matrix received from a beamforming device located at a given position;

transmit, to the beamforming device, characteristics of the non-beamforming device, the feedback matrix received from the beamforming device based on the characteristics of the non-beamforming device; and

control the communication interface to beam form using the beamforming steering matrix to communicate with a non-beamforming device located at the given position.

2. The access point of claim 1, further comprising a memory storing the characteristics of the non-beamforming device in association with an identifier of the non-beamforming device, wherein the processor is further configured to:

receive, from the beamforming device, the identifier of the non-beamforming device, the non-beamforming device being proximal to, and in communication with, the beamforming device at the given position; and

,

transmit, to the beamforming device, the characteristics of the non-beamforming device, the feedback matrix received from the beamforming device based on the characteristics of the non-beamforming device.

3. The access point of claim 1, further comprising a memory, wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine an identifier and the characteristics of the non-beamforming device by initially communicating with the non-beamforming device using the communication interface in a non-beamforming mode;

store the identifier and the characteristics of the non-beamforming device in the memory;

receive, from the beamforming device, the identifier of the non-beamforming device; and

,

transmit, to the beamforming device, the characteristics of the non-beamforming device retrieved from the memory using the identifier received from the beamforming device, the feedback matrix received from the beamforming device based on the characteristics of the non-beamforming device.

4. The access point of claim 1, further comprising a memory storing the characteristics of the non-beamforming device in association with an identifier of the non-beamforming device, wherein the processor is further configured to:

receive, from the beamforming device, the identifier of the non-beamforming device in association with a respective signal strength of the non-beamforming device at the beamforming device, the non-beamforming device being in communication with the beamforming device at the given position;

when the signal strength is above a threshold signal strength, transmit, to the beamforming device, the characteristics of the non-beamforming device, the feedback matrix received from the beamforming device based on the characteristics of the non-beamforming device; and

when the signal strength is below the threshold signal strength, communicate with the non-beamforming device using the communication interface in a non-beamforming mode.

5. The access point of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

receive, from one or more location sensors, using the communication interface, data indicative of positions of each of the beamforming device and the non-beamforming device; and

,

control the communication interface to beam form using the beamforming steering matrix to communicate with the non-beamforming device only when the beamforming device and the non-beamforming device are with a given threshold distance.

6. The access point of claim 1, further comprising a memory, wherein the processor is further configured to:

store the beamforming steering matrix in the memory in association with the given position;

receive, from one or more location sensors, using the communication interface, an indication that the non-beamforming device is located at the given position; and

, in response,

control the communication interface to beam form using the beamforming steering matrix to communicate with the non-beamforming device located at the given position only when the non-beamforming device is at the given position.

7. A method comprising:

at an access point including a processor, and a communication interface configured for beamforming, determining, at the processor, a beamforming steering matrix from a feedback matrix received from a beamforming device located at a given position;

transmitting, to the beamforming device, characteristics of the non-beamforming device, the feedback matrix received from the beamforming device based on the characteristics of the non-beamforming device; and

controlling, at the processor, the communication interface to beam form using the beamforming steering matrix to communicate with a non-beamforming device located at the given position.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the access point further comprises a memory storing the characteristics of the non-beamforming device in association with an identifier of the non-beamforming device, and the method further comprises:

receiving, from the beamforming device, the identifier of the non-beamforming device, the non-beamforming device being proximal to, and in communication with, the beamforming device at the given position; and

,

transmitting, to the beamforming device, the characteristics of the non-beamforming device, the feedback matrix received from the beamforming device based on the characteristics of the non-beamforming device.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the access point further comprises a memory, and the method further comprises:

determining an identifier and the characteristics of the non-beamforming device by initially communicating with the non-beamforming device using the communication interface in a non-beamforming mode;

storing the identifier and the characteristics of the non-beamforming device in the memory;

receiving, from the beamforming device, the identifier of the non-beamforming device; and

,

transmitting, to the beamforming device, the characteristics of the non-beamforming device retrieved from the memory using the identifier received from the beamforming device, the feedback matrix received from the beamforming device based on the characteristics of the non-beamforming device.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the access point further comprises a memory storing the characteristics of the non-beamforming device in association with an identifier of the non-beamforming device, and the method further comprises:

receiving, from the beamforming device, the identifier of the non-beamforming device in association with a respective signal strength of the non-beamforming device at the beamforming device, the non-beamforming device being in communication with the beamforming device at the given position;

when the signal strength is above a threshold signal strength, transmitting, to the beamforming device, the characteristics of the non-beamforming device, the feedback matrix received from the beamforming device based on the characteristics of the non-beamforming device; and

when the signal strength is below the threshold signal strength, communicating with the non-beamforming device using the communication interface in a non-beamforming mode.

11. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving, from one or more location sensors, using the communication interface, data indicative of positions of each of the beamforming device and the non-beamforming device; and

,

controlling the communication interface to beam form using the beamforming steering matrix to communicate with the non-beamforming device only when the beamforming device and the non-beamforming device are with a given threshold distance.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein the access point further comprises a memory, and the method further comprises:

storing the beamforming steering matrix in the memory in association with the given position;

receiving, from one or more location sensors, using the communication interface, an indication that the non-beamforming device is located at the given position; and

, in response,

controlling the communication interface to beam form using the beamforming steering matrix to communicate with the non-beamforming device located at the given position only when the non-beamforming device is at the given position.

13. A beamforming device comprising:

a processor, and a communication interface configured for beamforming, the processor configured to;

receive, using the communication interface, an identifier of a non-beamforming device in wireless communication therewith, and characteristics of the non-beamforming device;

determine, from the characteristics of the non-beamforming device, a feedback matrix of the non-beamforming device; and

,

transmit the feedback matrix to an access point.

14. The beamforming device of claim 13, wherein the processor is further configured to receive the characteristics of the non-beamforming device by:

receiving, from the non-beamforming device, the identifier of the non-beamforming device;

transmitting, using the communication interface, the identifier to the access point; and

,

receiving, from the access point, the characteristics of the non-beamforming device.

15. The beamforming device of claim 13, wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine a signal strength of the non-beamforming device at the beamforming device; and

transmit the identifier to the access point only when the signal strength is above a threshold signal strength.

16. The beamforming device of claim 13, wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine a signal strength of the non-beamforming device at the beamforming device; and

transmit, to the access point, the identifier and the signal strength in association with each other.