TRANSMITTING DEVICE, RECEIVING DEVICE AND METHOD FOR ESTABLISHING A WIRELESS COMMUNICATION LINK

• US 20090231194A1
• Filed: 06/01/2009
• Published: 09/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Deutschland GmbH (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Deutschland GmbH (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: UNO, Masahiro, WANG, Zhaocheng
• Granted Patent: US 7,859,458 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/367
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/28 using beam steering
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/54 based on quality criteria
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

The present invention comprises a method for establishing a wireless communication link between a first communication device (1) having a narrow beam antenna (2) adapted to be steered to different positions and a second communication device (10), comprising the steps of transmitting a link request signal from said first communication device (1) to said second communication device (10) via said narrow beam antenna, wherein said link request signal comprises information relating to a current position of the narrow beam antenna, and obtaining, in case said link request signal is received in said second communication device (10), channel quality information representative of a current transmission path.

The invention further comprises a transmitting device and a receiving device for executing said method.

Claims

1. Method for establishing a wireless communication link between a first communication device and a second communication device, said first communication device having a narrow beam antenna beam at different positions, comprising

transmitting a link request signal from said first communication device to said second communication device via said narrow beam antenna beam, wherein said link request signal comprises information relating to a current position of the narrow beam antenna beam, and

obtaining, in case said link request signal is received in said second communication device, channel quality information representative of a current transmission path.

2. Method for establishing a wireless communication link according to claim 1, wherein said narrow beam antenna beam is steered to different positions and a link request signal is transmitted for each position, each of the link request signals comprising information relating to the respective position of said narrow bean antenna beam via which it is transmitted.

3. Method for establishing a wireless communication link according to claim 2, wherein a sequence of the different positions of said narrow beam antenna beam is based on a predefined pattern.

4. Method for establishing a wireless communication link according to claim 3, wherein said first communication device transmits information about said predefined pattern to said second communication device.

5. Method for establishing a wireless communication link according to claim 2, wherein a sequence of the different positions of said narrow beam antenna beam is based on a random pattern.

6. Method for establishing a wireless communication link according to claim 2, wherein the first communication device, after transmission of each link request signal, keeps the narrow beam antenna beam in the just used position in order to be able to receive an answer signal from a second communication device.

7. Method for establishing a wireless communication link according to claim 2, wherein said second communication device, for each of said link request signals received in said second communication device, obtains channel quality information representative of the respective transmission path.

8. Method for establishing a wireless communication link according to claim 7, wherein said second communication device, on the basis of the obtained channel quality information, determines a suitable transmission path for a communication link with said first communication device and sends a link confirmation signal comprising information relating to the corresponding position of the narrow beam antenna beam of the first communication device to said first communication device.

9. Method for establishing a wireless communication link according to claim 1, wherein said link request signal comprises a preamble, said preamble comprising the information relating to the current position of the narrow beam antenna beam.

10. Transmitting device for transmitting signals in a wireless communication system, comprising

a narrow beam antenna beam at different positions

a signal generating means adapted to generate a link request signal comprising information relating to a current position of the narrow beam antenna beam, and

a transmitting means adapted to transmit said link request signal to a receiving device via said narrow beam antenna beam.

11. Transmitting device according to claim 10,

wherein signal generating means is adapted to generate link request signals comprising information relating to each position of said narrow beam antenna beam, wherein when an antenna steering means steers said narrow beam antenna beam to different positions, a link request signal is transmitted for each position, each of the link request signals comprising information relating to the respective position of said narrow beam antenna beam via which it is transmitted.

12. Transmitting device according to claim 11,

wherein said antenna steering means steers said narrow beam antenna beam to the different positions based on a predefined pattern.

13. Transmitting device according to claim 12,

wherein said transmitting means is adapted to transmit information about said predefined pattern to a receiving device.

14. Transmitting device according to claim 11,

wherein said antenna steering means steers said narrow beam antenna beam to the different positions based on a random pattern.

15. Transmitting device according to claim 11,

wherein, after transmission of each link request signal, the narrow beam antenna beam is kept in the just used position in order to be able to receive an answer signal from a receiving device.

16. Transmitting device according to claim 10,

comprising a receiving means adapted to receive from a receiving device a link confirmation signal comprising information relating to a position of the narrow beam antenna beam which is to be used for a communication with said receiving device.

17. Transmitting device according to claim 10,

wherein said link request signal comprises a preamble, said preamble comprising the information relating to the current position of the narrow beam antenna beam.