CONCENTRATOR FOR COUPLING LOCAL WIRELESS NETWORKS TO A WIRED NETWORK

• US 20020065058A1
• Filed: 11/30/2000
• Published: 05/30/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/29/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Inventors: Dabak, Anand G., Gatherer, Alan, Panasik, Carl M., Nafie, Mohammed, McMahan, Michael L.
• Granted Patent: US 6,396,457 B1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/272
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/06 Arrays of individually energised antenna units similarly polarised and spaced apart
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 25/00 Antennas or antenna systems providing at least two radiating patterns arrangements for changing or varying the orientation or the shape of the directional pattern H01Q3/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/26 varying the relative phase or relative amplitude of energisation between two or more active radiating elements; varying the distribution of energy across a radiating aperture H01Q3/12, H01Q3/22, H01Q3/24 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/28 using beam steering
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/20 Master-slave selection or change arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/10 adapted for operation in multiple networks, e.g. multi-mode access points

Abstract

A concentrator (11) coupled to a wired network (13) also acts as a master device relative to each of a plurality of ad hoc wireless communication networks (15), thereby permitting wireless communication devices in the ad hoc networks to access the wired network. The concentrator utilizes antenna array processing and beamforming techniques when communicating with the devices of the various networks, in order to advantageously reduce communication interference between the networks.

Claims

1. An apparatus for coupling a plurality of local wireless communication networks for communication with a wired communication network, comprising:

a plurality of RF sections respectively coupled to a plurality of antennas for wireless communication with wireless communication devices operating in the local networks;

an antenna array processor coupled to said RF sections for performing antenna array processing relative to said antennas, a first group of said antennas responsive to said antenna array processor for performing wireless communications with a first wireless communication device operating in a first of the local networks, and a second group of said antennas responsive to said antenna array processor for performing wireless communications with a second wireless communication device operating in a second of the local networks, wherein the second device is different from the first device and the second network is different from the first network; and

said antenna array processor having a communication port for coupling to the wired network to permit communication between the wired network and the devices operating in the local networks.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first and second groups of antennas include the same antennas.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said RF sections are Bluetooth RF sections, the wireless communication devices are Bluetooth devices, and the local networks are Bluetooth piconets.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, including a controller coupled to said antenna array processor and cooperable therewith for causing said apparatus to appear as a Bluetooth master device simultaneously in each of the Bluetooth piconets.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, including a receive enhancer coupled to said antenna array processor for permitting communications received from the devices in the local networks to be of lower quality than would otherwise be required without said receive enhancer.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein said receive enhancer includes a decision feedback equalizer.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein said receive enhancer includes a multi-user detector.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, including a traffic monitor coupled to said antenna array processor for monitoring communication traffic, said traffic monitor including an output for negotiating with another apparatus to hand-off to said another apparatus at least one of the wireless communication devices currently operating in the local networks such that the at least one wireless communication device can be coupled via said another apparatus for communication with the wired communication network.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said first and second groups of antennas are responsive to said antenna array processor for beamforming during said wireless communications with the first and second wireless communication devices.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least some of said RF sections support RF communications on at least two frequencies simultaneously.

11. A method for coupling a plurality of local wireless communication networks for communication with a wired communication network, comprising:

using antenna array processing to control a plurality of antennas such that a first group of the antennas performs wireless communications with a first wireless communication device operating in a first of the local networks and a second group of the antennas performs wireless communications with a second wireless communication device operating in a second of the local networks, wherein the second device is different from the first device and the second network is different from the first network; and

coupling the wired network to the plurality of antennas to permit communication between the wired network and the devices operating in the local networks.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the first and second groups of antennas include the same antennas.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the wireless communication devices are Bluetooth devices and the local networks are Bluetooth piconets.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein said using step includes receiving wireless communications from the first and second devices, and deriving channel quality information from the received communications.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein said using step includes, responsive to the channel quality information, controlling the first and second groups of antennas for beamforming during said wireless communications with the first and second wireless communication devices.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein said using step includes controlling the first and second groups of antennas for beamforming during said wireless communications with the first and second wireless communication devices.

17. The method of claim 11, including using at least some of the antennas on at least two frequencies simultaneously for wireless communications with devices operating in the local networks.

18. The method of claim 11, including using one of decision feedback equalizer techniques and multi-user detection techniques for permitting communications received from the devices in the local networks to be of lower quality than would otherwise be required without using said techniques.

19. The method of claim 18, including increasing a transmission power level of the first and second groups of antennas in conjunction with said step of using one of decision feedback equalizer techniques and multi-user detection techniques.

20. The method of claim 11, including requiring all of the wireless communication devices operating in the local wireless communication networks to operate as slave devices in their associated networks, and further including detecting that a wireless communication device is visiting one of the local wireless communication networks and is operating therein as a master device, and logging in as a slave device with the visiting device that is operating as a master device and instructing the visiting device to operate as a slave device while visiting in the local wireless communication network.