ANTENNA-AWARE METHOD FOR TRANSMITTING PACKETS IN A WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORK

• US 20100046439A1
• Filed: 08/21/2008
• Published: 02/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ruckus IP Holdings LLC
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Chen, Ye, Emeott, Stephen P., Makhlouf, Isam R.
• Granted Patent: US 8,179,845 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/329
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/08 Access restriction or access information delivery, e.g. discovery data delivery signalling during connection H04W76/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/20 Control channels or signalling for resource management

Abstract

A method for transmitting packets in a wireless communication network includes taking into consideration an antenna mode prior to transmission. The method includes determining a transmit antenna mode for a transmission between the node and at least one other node; when the transmit antenna mode is omni-directional, broadcasting a transmission schedule for the transmission omni-directionally; and when the transmit antenna is beamforming directional, broadcasting a transmission schedule for the transmission directionally on one or more transmitter beams. The method optionally can also take into consideration an antenna mode of a receive antenna between the node.

Claims

1. A method for operating a node to transmit packets in a wireless communication network comprising:

determining a transmit antenna mode for a transmission between the node and at least one other node;

when the transmit antenna mode is omni-directional, broadcasting a transmission schedule for the transmission omni-directionally; and

when the transmit antenna is beamforming directional, broadcasting a transmission schedule for the transmission directionally on one or more transmitter beams.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more transmitter beams comprise transmitter beams identified for transmission of one or more communications between the node and the at least one other node.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more transmitter beams comprise available transmitter beams within the wireless communication network.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising when the transmit antenna mode is omni-directional:

determining a receive antenna mode for the transmission between the node and the at least one other node; and

when the receive antenna mode is beamforming directional, re-broadcasting the transmission schedule on one or more transmitter beams, wherein the one or more transmitter beams are reciprocal to transmitter beams for directional reception of one or more communications between the node and the at least one other node.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising when the transmit antenna mode is beamforming directional:

determining a receive antenna mode for the node; and

when the receive antenna mode is omni-directional, re-broadcasting the transmission schedule omni-directionally.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

periodically performing the determining and broadcasting steps.

7. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

periodically performing the determining and broadcasting steps for the transmit antenna mode and the receive antenna mode.

8. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

periodically performing the determining and broadcasting steps for the transmit antenna mode and the receive antenna mode.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the wireless communication network is a wireless local area Mesh Network.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the broadcasting of the transmission schedule comprises advertising the transmission schedule.