OPTIMIZED DIRECTIONAL MIMO ANTENNA SYSTEM

• US 20080152030A1
• Filed: 12/19/2007
• Published: 06/26/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Airgain Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Airgain Incorporated
• Inventors: Visuri, Pertti, Salo, Randy, Abramov, Oleg Jurievich, Yang, Xiao Ping
• Granted Patent: US 8,248,970 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 375/260
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0452 Multi-user MIMO systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0617 for beam forming
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0689 using different transmission schemes, at least one of them being a diversity transmission scheme
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0697 using spatial multiplexing
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0814 based on current reception conditions, e.g. switching to different antenna when signal level is below threshold
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0842 Weighted combining
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0871 using different reception schemes, at least one of them being a diversity reception scheme

Abstract

A wireless communication device with a plurality of radios and a plurality of configurable antenna systems. Determining a plurality of transmit and receive signal quality metrics for connections between the wireless communication device and a plurality of stations for a plurality of radios and configurable antenna systems in a plurality of configurations. Determining a connection matrix that includes the transmit and receive signal quality. Selecting antenna configurations for the configurable antennas using the connection matrix.

Claims

1. A method of operating a wireless communication device with a plurality of radios and a plurality of configurable antenna systems, comprising:

determining a plurality of transmit and receive signal quality metrics for connections between the wireless communication device and a plurality of stations for a first of the plurality of radios with a first configurable antenna system in a plurality of configurations;

determining a plurality of transmit and receive signal quality metrics for connections between the wireless communication device and the plurality of stations for a second of the plurality of radios with a second configurable antenna system in a plurality of configurations;

determining a connection matrix including the transmit and receive signal quality metrics for the first and second radios and the plurality of configurations of the first and second configurable antennas; and

selecting an antenna configuration for the first and second antenna configurations using the connection matrix.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second radios transmit and receive independent data streams to a station.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second radios transmit the same data stream to a station.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first radio transmits a first data stream to a first station and the second radio transmits a second data stream to a second station simultaneously.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first radio transmits data to a first station and the second radio receives data for the first station.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising configuring the first and second configurable antenna systems when the wireless communication device is not transmitting.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising configuring the first and second configurable antenna system when the wireless communication device is transmitting.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein determining the signal quality metric comprises sending a polling request.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

repeating determining the plurality of transmit and receive signal quality metrics for connections between the wireless communication device and the plurality of stations for the first of the plurality of radios with the first configurable antenna system in the plurality of configurations;

repeating determining the plurality of transmit and receive signal quality metrics for connections between the wireless communication device and the plurality of stations for the second of the plurality of radios with the second configurable antenna system in the plurality of configurations; and

updating the connection matrix.

10. A method of operating a wireless device with a plurality of radios and a plurality of antennas, comprising:

determining a signal quality metric for a first radio with a first antenna;

determining a signal quality metric for a second radio with a second antenna; and

selecting an overall antenna gain for the wireless communication device by allocating different weights to signals transmitted and received by the first and second radio.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the first and second antenna are configurable.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the first and second antennas have a predetermined configuration.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the predetermined configuration comprises a predetermined directional gain pattern.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the predetermined direction gain pattern for the first and second antennas cover different directions.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein allocating different weights comprises applying maximum ratio combining to signals received by the radios.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein allocating different weights comprises applying weights based on signal quality to signals transmitted by the radios.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein the wireless device is an access point.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein the wireless device is a station.

19. A method of operating a station with a plurality of radios and a plurality of configurable antenna systems, comprising:

determining a plurality of transmit and receive signal quality metrics for a connection between the station and an access point for a first radio in the station with a first configurable antenna system in a plurality of configurations;

determining a plurality of transmit and receive signal quality metrics for the connection between the station and the access point for a second radio in the station with a second configurable antenna system in a plurality of configurations;

determining a connection matrix including the transmission and receive signal quality metrics for the first and second radios and the plurality of configurations of the first and second configurable antennas; and

selecting an antenna configuration for the first and second antenna configurations using the connection matrix.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the first and second radios transmit and receive independent data streams to the access point.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the first and second radios transmit the same data stream to the access point.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein determining a transmission signal quality metric comprises receiving a polling request.

23. An access point comprising:

a plurality of radios and a plurality of configurable antenna systems;

a processor that determines a plurality of transmit and receive signal quality metrics for connections between the wireless communication device and a plurality of stations for a first of the plurality of radios with a first configurable antenna system in a plurality of configurations;

the processor determines a plurality of transmit and receive signal quality metrics for connections between the wireless communication device and the plurality of stations for a second of the plurality of radios with a second configurable antenna system in a plurality of configurations;

the processor determines a connection matrix that includes the transmit and receive signal quality metrics for the first and second radios and the plurality of configurations of the first and second configurable antennas;

a memory that stores the connection matrix; and

an antenna control module that selects an antenna configuration for the first and second antenna configurations based on the connection matrix.

24. A station in a wireless network, the station comprising:

a plurality of radios and a plurality of configurable antenna systems;

a processor that determines a plurality of transmit and receive signal quality metrics for a connection between the station and an access point for a first radio in the station with a first configurable antenna system in a plurality of configurations;

the processor determines a plurality of transmit and receive signal quality metrics for the connection between the station and the access point for a second radio in the station with a second configurable antenna system in a plurality of configurations;

the processor determines a connection matrix including the transmission and receive signal quality metrics for the first and second radios and the plurality of configurations of the first and second configurable antennas; and

an antenna control module that selects an antenna configuration for the first and second antenna configurations using the connection matrix.