Wireless antennas, networks, methods, software, and services

• US 20040162115A1
• Filed: 10/10/2003
• Published: 08/19/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc., Nortel Networks Limited (Nortel Networks Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Teo, Koon Hoo, Bevan, David, Smith, Adrian, Ward, Chris, Smith, Martin
• Application Number:
  US10/683,408
• Publication Number:
  US 20040162115A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/562.1
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/246 specially adapted for base stations
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/0087 Apparatus or processes specially adapted for manufacturing antenna arrays manufacturing waveguides H01P11/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/065 Patch antenna array
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/205 providing an omnidirectional coverage turnstile aerials H01Q21/26
• 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 9/0435 using two feed points
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/10 Dynamic resource partitioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/28 using beam steering

Abstract

The invention is directed to a wireless network arrangement in which nodes comprise multi-faceted multi-beam antennas and in which wireless backhaul is provided using those multi-faceted multi-beam antennas. In particular, the invention is directed to a wireless communication node comprising: an antenna defining a first wireless coverage area and a second wireless coverage area. The first wireless coverage area extends in a first beam pattern and the second wireless coverage area extends in a second beam pattern and the second beam pattern comprises at least one directional beam having a direction which is variable. Associated apparatus, methods, programs, and subscriber services are also provided.

Claims

1. A wireless communication node comprising:

an antenna defining a first wireless coverage area and a second wireless coverage area,

wherein the first wireless coverage area extends in a first beam pattern and the second wireless coverage area extends in a second beam pattern, and wherein said second beam pattern comprises at least one directional beam having a direction which is variable.

2. A node according to claim 1, wherein the direction is variable by means of one of beam switching and beam steering.

3. A node according to claim 1, wherein said first coverage area provides at least one wireless link and said second coverage area provides at least one wireless link.

4. A node according to claim 1, wherein said first coverage area provides at least one access link and said second coverage area provides at least one backhaul link.

5. A node according to claim 1 further comprising:

a first radio for communication over said first coverage area; and

a second radio for communication over said second coverage area.

6. A node according to claim 1 further comprising:

a radio for communication over both said first and said second coverage areas.

7. A node according to claim 1 further comprising:

an apparatus routing traffic between the first and the second coverage areas.

8. A node according to claim 4 comprising an apparatus routing traffic between a first and a second of the at least one backhaul link.

9. A node according to claim 1, further comprising a radio for communication over any one of said at least one directional beam in a specified time period.

10. A node according to claim 1, wherein the first beam pattern comprises an omni-directional pattern.

11. A node according to claim 10, wherein the antenna comprises an omni-directional antenna arrangement.

12. A node according to claim 1, wherein the antenna comprises an omni-directional antenna arrangement and a multi-beam antenna arrangement.

13. A node according to claim 4 wherein a backhaul link is be coupled to any of a plurality of the at least one directional beam.

14. A node according to claim 1 in which the first and second coverage areas share a common communication band.

15. A node according to claim 1 employing multiple communications bands.

16. A node according to claim 15 in which none of the multiple communications bands overlap.

17. A node according to claim 15 in which multiple communication bands are associated with at least one of the first coverage area and the second coverage area.

18. A node according to claim 15 in which at least one communication band is shared between the first and second coverage areas.

19. A node according to claim 1 employing at least two communications bands.

20. A node according to claim 19 employing two communications bands.

21. A node according to claim 1 in which first and second coverage areas are polarisation diverse.

22. A node according to claim 1 in which the antenna is multi-facetted.

23. A node according to claim 22 in which each facet comprises at least one antenna.

24. A node according to claim 1 wherein said second beam pattern comprises a plurality of directional beams, and wherein neighbouring beams overlap in the angular domain.

25. A node according to claim 1 wherein the antenna comprises at least one Multiple Input Multiple Output antenna.

26. A node according to claim 1 wherein the antenna comprises a dual band antenna which is shared between first and second coverage areas.

27. A node according to claim 1, wherein said second beam pattern comprises a plurality of directional beams, and wherein the polarisation of each beam is independently selected.

28. A communications network comprising at least one node according to claim 1.

31. A method of providing a subscriber service the method comprising the steps of:

providing a node according to claim 1;

and

routing communications traffic associated with the subscriber service over the node.

29. A method of providing wireless communications access comprising the steps of:

routing communications traffic associated with a subscriber over a wireless access link and over a wireless backhaul link, and an access node to which both the access link and backhaul link are coupled;

and in which at least one of the wireless access link and the wireless backhaul link are transmitted over at least one beam of a multi-beam transmission system.

30. A program for computer on a machine readable medium, arranged to control a node for a wireless access network, the node comprising:

an antenna defining a first wireless coverage area and a second wireless coverage area,

wherein the first wireless coverage area extends in a first beam pattern and the second wireless coverage area extends in a second beam pattern, and wherein said second beam pattern comprises at least one directional beam having a direction which is variable.

32. A communications node for use in wireless networks, the node comprising:

first apparatus arranged to support at least one wireless link on a first wireless network;

second apparatus arranged to support at least one wireless link on a second wireless network;

and in which at least one of the first and second apparatuses comprises an antenna arrangement arranged to transmit using directional beams.