APPARATUS, SYSTEM AND METHOD OF WIRELESS BACKHAUL AND ACCESS COMMUNICATION VIA A COMMON ANTENNA ARRAY

• US 20140204846A1
• Filed: 04/24/2013
• Published: 07/24/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Maltsev, Alexander, Sadri, Ali S., Arefi, Reza, Sergeyev, Vadim, Davydov, Alexei
• Granted Patent: US 9,231,681 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/329
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0452 Multi-user MIMO systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0617 for beam forming
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/1555 Selecting relay station antenna mode, e.g. selecting omnidirectional -, directional beams, selecting polarizations
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/045 between access point and backbone network device
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/10 between terminal device and access point, i.e. wireless air interface

Abstract

Some demonstrative embodiments include apparatuses, systems and/or methods of wireless backhaul and access communication via a common antenna array. For example, an apparatus may include a wireless communication unit to control an antenna array to form one or more first beams for communicating over one or more access links and to form one or more second beams for communicating over one or more backhaul links, the access links including wireless communication links between a wireless communication node and one or more mobile devices, and the backhaul links including wireless communication links between the wireless node and one or more other wireless communication nodes.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a wireless communication unit to control an antenna array to form one or more first beams for communicating over one or more access links and to form one or more second beams for communicating over one or more backhaul links, said access links including wireless communication links between a wireless communication node and one or more mobile devices, and said backhaul links including wireless communication links between said wireless node and one or more other wireless communication nodes.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said wireless communication unit is to control said antenna array to communicate over said backhaul and access links during separate time periods.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said wireless communication unit is to control said antenna array to communicate over said backhaul and access links during a common time period.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein said wireless communication unit is to control said antenna array to communicate over said backhaul and access links according to a Multi-User (MU) Multi-Input-Multi-Output (MIMO) scheme.

5. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein said wireless communication unit is to control said antenna array to transmit communications over said backhaul and access links during a first common time period, and to receive communications over said backhaul and access links during a second common time period.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said backhaul links comprise links for communicating traffic between said mobile devices and a core network.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said controller is to control one or more first sub-arrays of said antenna array to form said one or more first beams, and to control one or more second sub-arrays of said antenna array to form said one or more second beams.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said access links and backhaul links comprise beamformed links.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said access links and backhaul links comprise links over a millimeter-wave (mmWave) band or a directional multi-gigabit (DMG) band.

10. A wireless communication system comprising:

at least one wireless communication node to communicate with one or more mobile devices of a wireless communication cell, said wireless communication node comprising;

an antenna array; and

a wireless communication unit to control said antenna array to form one or more first beams for communicating over one or more access links and to form one or more second beams for communicating over one or more backhaul links, said access links including wireless communication links between said wireless communication node and said mobile devices of said wireless communication cell, and said backhaul links including wireless communication links between said wireless communication node and one or more other wireless communication nodes of one or more other wireless communication cells.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein said wireless communication unit is to control said antenna array to communicate over said backhaul and access links during separate time periods.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein said wireless communication unit is to control said antenna array to communicate over said backhaul and access links during a common time period.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein said wireless communication unit is to control said antenna array to communicate over said backhaul and access links according to a Multi-User (MU) Multi-Input-Multi-Output (MIMO) scheme.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein said wireless communication unit is to control said antenna array to transmit communications over said backhaul and access links during a first common time period, and to receive communications over said backhaul and access links during a second common time period.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein said backhaul links comprise links for communicating traffic between said mobile devices and a core network.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein said controller is to control one or more first sub-arrays of said antenna array to form said one or more first beams, and to control one or more second sub-arrays of said antenna array to form said one or more second beams.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein said access links and backhaul links comprise beamformed links.

18. The system of claim 10, wherein said access links and backhaul links comprise links over a millimeter-wave (mmWave) band or a directional multi-gigabit (DMG) band.

19. The system of claim 10 comprising a plurality of wireless communication nodes forming a plurality of wireless communication cell, said plurality of wireless communication nodes to communicate over a backhaul network formed by a plurality of wireless backhaul links between said plurality of wireless communication nodes.

20. The system of claim 10, wherein said wireless communication node comprises a Base Station (BS).

21. A product including a non-transitory storage medium having stored thereon instructions that, when executed by a machine, result in:

controlling an antenna array of a wireless communication node to form one or more first beams for communicating over one or more wireless access links between said wireless communication node and one or more mobile devices; and

controlling said antenna array to form one or more second beams for communicating over one or more wireless backhaul links between said wireless communication node and one or more other wireless communication nodes.

22. The product of claim 21, wherein said instructions result in communicating over said backhaul and access links during separate time periods.

23. The product of claim 21, wherein said instructions result in communicating over said backhaul and access links during a common time period.

24. The product of claim 23, wherein said instructions result in communicating over said backhaul and access links according to a Multi-User (MU) Multi-Input-Multi-Output (MIMO) scheme.

25. The product of claim 23, wherein said instructions result in transmitting communications over said backhaul and access links during a first common time period, and receiving communications over said backhaul and access links during a second common time period.

26. The product of claim 21, wherein said instructions result in controlling one or more first sub-arrays of said antenna array to form said one or more first beams, and controlling one or more second sub-arrays of said antenna array to form said one or more second beams.

27. A method of wireless communication, the method comprising:

controlling an antenna array of a wireless communication node to form one or more first beams for communicating over one or more wireless access links between said wireless communication node and one or more mobile devices; and

controlling said antenna array to form one or more second beams for communicating over one or more wireless backhaul links between said wireless communication node and one or more other wireless communication nodes.

28. The method of claim 27 comprising communicating over said backhaul and access links during separate time periods.

29. The method of claim 27 comprising communicating over said backhaul and access links during a common time period.

30. The method of claim 27 comprising communicating over said backhaul and access links according to a Multi-User (MU) Multi-Input-Multi-Output (MIMO) scheme.