Using directional antennas to enhance wireless mesh networks

• US 20040242275A1
• Filed: 05/30/2003
• Published: 12/02/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Corbett, Christopher, Hassan, Amer, Barkley, Warren
• Granted Patent: US 7,295,806 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/562.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/28 using beam steering
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

The principles of the present invention provide for using directional antennas to adaptively communicate in a wireless mesh network. A number of infrastructure components are included in a wireless mesh network environment. Each infrastructure component includes an omni-directional antenna and one or more directional antennas (e.g., electronically steered phased array antennas) that can be used to communicate with other infrastructure component and wireless devices. Directional antennas can utilize one or more directional beams that can be directed towards an infrastructure component or wireless device to communicate with the infrastructure component or wireless device. Infrastructure components can adapt to communicate with the same destination through different intermediary infrastructure components. Since the signal strength of a directional beam can be greater than that of an omni-directional antenna of the same gain, infrastructure components can be separated by greater distances.

Claims

1. In a wireless mesh network environment that includes a plurality of infrastructure components, a method for the plurality of infrastructure components adaptively communicating with each other, the method comprising:

an act of a first infrastructure component of the plurality of infrastructure components using a first directional antenna beam to communicate through a second infrastructure component of the plurality of infrastructure components with a destination;

an act of determining that the first infrastructure component can alternatively communicate with the destination through a third infrastructure component of the plurality of infrastructure components; and

an act of the first infrastructure component using a second directional antenna beam to communicate through the third infrastructure component with the destination.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of the first infrastructure component communicating through a second infrastructure component with a destination comprises an act of the first infrastructure component sending data to the destination.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of the first infrastructure component communicating through a second infrastructure component with a destination comprises an act of the first infrastructure component receiving data from the destination.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of the first infrastructure component communicating through a second infrastructure component with a destination comprises an act of the first infrastructure component communicating through a second infrastructure component with a destination infrastructure component.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of the first infrastructure component communicating through a second infrastructure component with a destination comprises an act of the first infrastructure component communicating through a second infrastructure component with a wireless device.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of the first infrastructure component communicating through a second infrastructure component with a destination comprises an act of the first infrastructure component communicating through a second infrastructure component with a wired computer system.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of the first infrastructure component communicating through a second infrastructure component with a destination comprises an act of the first infrastructure component directing the first directional antenna beam towards the second infrastructure component.

8. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein the act of directing the first directional antenna beam at the second infrastructure component comprises an act of re-directing the first directional beam from a previous direction towards the second infrastructure component

9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of determining that the first infrastructure component can alternatively communicate with the destination through a third infrastructure component comprises an act of detecting that data is not being passed through the second infrastructure component to the destination.

10. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of determining that the first infrastructure component can alternatively communicate with the destination through a third infrastructure component comprises an act of determining that an antenna at the first infrastructure component is within a range of an antenna at the third infrastructure component.

11. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein the act of determining that an antenna at the first infrastructure component is within a range of an antenna at the third infrastructure component comprises an act of determining that a directional antenna at the first infrastructure component is within a range of an omni-directional antenna at the third infrastructure component.

12. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein the act of determining that an antenna at the first infrastructure component is within a range of an antenna at the third infrastructure component comprises an act of determining that a directional antenna at the first infrastructure component is within a range of a directional antenna at the third infrastructure component.

13. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of the first infrastructure component using a second directional antenna beam to communicate through the third infrastructure component with the destination comprises an act of first infrastructure component sending data to the third infrastructure component that would have otherwise been sent to the second infrastructure component.

14. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of the first infrastructure component using a second directional antenna beam to communicate through the third infrastructure component with the destination comprises an act of first infrastructure component receiving data from the third infrastructure component that would have otherwise been received from the second infrastructure component.

15. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of the first infrastructure component communicating through a third infrastructure component with a destination comprises an act of the first infrastructure component sending data to the destination.

16. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of the first infrastructure component communicating through the third infrastructure component with a destination comprises an act of the first infrastructure component receiving data from the destination.

17. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of the first infrastructure component communicating through the third infrastructure component with a destination comprises an act of the first infrastructure component communicating through the third infrastructure component with a destination infrastructure component.

18. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of the first infrastructure component communicating through the third infrastructure component with a destination comprises an act of the first infrastructure component communicating through the third infrastructure component with a wireless device.

19. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of the first infrastructure component communicating through third infrastructure component with a destination comprises an act of the first infrastructure component communicating through third infrastructure component with a wired computer system.

20. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of the first infrastructure component using a second directional antenna beam to communicate through the third infrastructure component with the destination comprises an act of directing the second directional antenna beam towards the third infrastructure component.

21. The method as recited in claim 20, wherein the act of directing the second directional antenna beam at the third infrastructure component comprises an act of re-directing the second directional antenna beam from a previous direction towards the third infrastructure component.

22. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first directional antenna beam and the second directional antenna beam are the same directional antenna beam.

23. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first directional antenna beam and the second directional antenna beam are both directional antenna beams from a directional antenna that has a plurality of feeds for directing directional antenna beams.

24. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first directional antenna beam is a directional antenna beam from a first directional antenna and the second directional antenna beam is a directional antenna beam from a second directional antenna.

25. A computer program product for use in a wireless mesh network environment that includes a plurality of infrastructure components, the computer program product for implementing a method for the plurality of infrastructure components adaptively communicating with each other, the computer program product comprising one or more computer-readable media having stored thereon computer executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause a first infrastructure component of the plurality of infrastructure components to perform the following:

use a first directional antenna beam to communicate through a second infrastructure component of the plurality of infrastructure components with a destination;

determine that the first infrastructure component can alternatively communicate with the destination through a third infrastructure component of the plurality of infrastructure components; and

use a second directional antenna beam to communicate through the third infrastructure component with the destination.

26. The computer program product as recited in claim 25, wherein the one or more computer-readable media are physical media.

27. The computer program product as recited in claim 25, wherein the one or more computer-readable media include system memory.

28. An infrastructure component configured to adaptively communicate with one or more other infrastructure components in a wireless mesh network, the infrastructure component comprising the following:

an omni-directional antenna;

one or more directional antennas, each directional antenna having one or more feeds for directing antenna beams at other infrastructure components;

one or more processing units; and

one or more computer-readable media having stored thereon an antenna interface, the antenna interface being configured to;

use a first directional antenna beam to cause the infrastructure component to communicate through a second infrastructure component from among the one or more other infrastructure components with a destination;

determine that the first infrastructure component can alternatively communicate with the destination through a third infrastructure component from among the one or more other infrastructure components; and

use a second directional antenna beam to communicate through the third infrastructure component with the destination.