Locating Wireless-Enabled Components and Applications Thereof

• US 20110183618A1
• Filed: 09/08/2010
• Published: 07/28/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Castaneda, Jesus Alfonso, Rofougaran, Ahmadreza (Reza), Zhao, Sam Ziqun, BEHZAD, Arya Reza, Boers, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 10,013,285 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/41.2
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/50 Allocation of resources, e.g. of the central processing unit [CPU]
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 for data transfer in combination with power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/10 Polarisation diversity; Directional diversity
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/26 at least one of which is mobile
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

Disclosed herein are systems, apparatuses, and methods for locating wireless-enabled components, and applications thereof. Such an apparatus includes a wireless-enabled component (WEC), which may be a functional block of an integrated circuit (IC), an IC, or a device that includes an IC. The WEC includes a functional module (e.g., a processing resource or a memory resource) and an antenna element coupled to the functional module. The antenna element is configured to (i) transmit a search signal to locate a proximally situated WEC and (ii) transmit a communication signal to communicate with the proximally situated WEC. The antenna element may be a phased array, an electrically steered phased array, a mechanically steered phased array, a directional antenna, a mechanically steered directional antenna, an RF antenna, an optical antenna, and/or any combination thereof.

Claims

1. A method for locating a wireless-enabled component (WEC), comprising:

transmitting, via an antenna element of a WEC, a search signal to locate a proximally situated WEC; and

transmitting, via the antenna element of the WEC, a communication signal to communicate with the proximally situated WEC.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the antenna element comprises a phased array.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the phased array comprises an electrically steered phased array.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the phased array comprises a mechanically steered phased array.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the antenna element comprises a directional antenna.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the directional antenna comprises a mechanically steered directional antenna.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the antenna element comprises at least one of a radio frequency antenna and an optical antenna.

8. A wireless-enabled component (WEC), comprising:

a functional module; and

an antenna element coupled to the functional module,

wherein the antenna element is configured to,

transmit a search signal to locate a proximally situated WEC, and

transmit a communication signal to communicate with the proximally situated WEC.

9. The WEC of claim 8, wherein the antenna element comprises a phased array.

10. The WEC of claim 9, wherein the phased array comprises an electrically steered phased array.

11. The WEC of claim 9, wherein the phased array comprises a mechanically steered phased array.

12. The WEC of claim 8, wherein the antenna element comprises a directional antenna.

13. The WEC of claim 12, wherein the directional antenna comprises a mechanically steered directional antenna.

14. The WEC of claim 8, wherein the antenna element comprises at least one of a radio frequency antenna and an optical antenna.

15. A system, comprising:

a first wireless-enable component (WEC) comprising a first functional module and a first antenna element coupled to the first functional module; and

a second WEC comprising a second functional module and a second antenna element coupled to the second functional module;

wherein the first antenna element of the first WEC is configured to,

transmit a search signal to locate the second WEC, and

transmit a communication signal to communicate with the second WEC.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the first antenna element comprises a phased array.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the phased array comprises an electrically steered phased array.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the phased array comprises a mechanically steered phased array.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the first antenna element comprises a directional antenna.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the directional antenna comprises a mechanically steered directional antenna.

21. The system of claim 15, wherein the antenna element comprises at least one of a radio frequency antenna and an optical antenna.