Directional transmissions to multiple wireless devices

• US 20060262747A1
• Filed: 05/19/2005
• Published: 11/23/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Posamentier, Joshua
• Granted Patent: US 7,397,782 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/329
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 3/043 Receivers
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0027 of actual mobile position, i.e. position determined on mobile
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/28 using beam steering

Abstract

A wireless communications device may receive information about the locations of other wireless communications devices from those other wireless communications devices, use the location information to determine what directions those other wireless communications devices are from it, and create a directional transmission to focus the transmission in the direction of one or more of those other wireless communications devices.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising

a first wireless device configured to:

communicate with a mobile wireless device;

obtain location information from the mobile wireless device about a location of the mobile wireless device;

determine, based on the location information, a direction of the mobile wireless device from the first wireless device; and

transmit a directional signal towards the mobile wireless device;

wherein said obtaining the location information is not based on measuring a direction from which a signal from the mobile wireless device is received.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first wireless device is further configured to:

communicate with multiple mobile wireless devices;

obtain location information from the multiple mobile wireless devices about locations of each of the multiple mobile wireless devices;

determine, based on the location information, a direction from the first wireless device to each of the mobile wireless devices; and

transmit a directional signal to a group of the mobile wireless devices that are located within a range of the directions from the first wireless device.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the first wireless device is configured to use a phased array antenna technique.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the first wireless device is configured to use a power steering antenna technique.

5. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the first wireless device is further configured to convert the location information into a location relative to its own location.

6. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the first wireless device is further configured to use the information about the directions to determine which mobile wireless devices are to be in the group.

7. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the location information is based on a grid coordinate system.

8. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the location information is based on a global positioning system.

9. A system, comprising

at least one antenna;

and

a first wireless device coupled to the antenna, the first wireless device to;

communicate with multiple mobile wireless devices;

obtain location information from the multiple mobile wireless devices about locations of the multiple mobile wireless devices;

determine, based on the location information, a direction of each of the mobile wireless devices from the first wireless device;

determine a range of directions that encompasses the directions of a group of the mobile wireless devices; and

transmit a directional signal that encompasses the range of directions;

wherein said obtaining the location information is not based on measuring directions from which the signals from the mobile wireless devices are received.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the first wireless device is configured to use a phased array antenna technique.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the first wireless device is configured to use a power steering antenna technique.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the first wireless device is further configured to convert the location information into locations relative to its own location.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the first wireless device is further configured to use the information about the directions to determine which mobile wireless devices are to be in the group.

14. A method, comprising:

receiving location information from multiple mobile wireless devices about locations of the multiple mobile wireless devices;

determining, from the location information, a relative direction to each of the mobile wireless devices; and

transmitting a directional signal to at least one of the multiple mobile wireless devices based on the relative directions.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

grouping the relative directions into a group of relative directions that are within a range of relative directions;

wherein said transmitting a directional signal comprises transmitting a directional signal that encompasses the group of relative directions at one time.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein said transmitting a directional signal comprises transmitting using a phased array technique.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein said receiving comprises receiving the location information based on a grid coordinate system.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein said receiving comprises receiving the location information based on a global positioning system.

19. An article comprising

a machine-readable medium that provides instructions, which when executed by a computing platform, result in at least one machine performing operations comprising:

receiving location information from multiple mobile wireless devices about locations of the multiple mobile wireless device;

determining, from the location information, a relative direction to each of the mobile wireless devices; and

transmitting a directional signal to at least one of the multiple mobile wireless devices.

20. The article of claim 19, further comprising:

grouping the relative directions into a group of relative directions;

wherein said transmitting a directional signal comprises transmitting a directional signal to encompass the group of relative directions at one time.

21. The article of claim 19, wherein said receiving comprises receiving the location information based on a grid coordinate system.