ARRAY ANTENNAS HAVING A PLURALITY OF DIRECTIONAL BEAMS

• US 20150263424A1
• Filed: 03/16/2015
• Published: 09/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ubiquiti Inc.
• Original Assignee: John R. Sanford, Robert J. Pera, Sriram Dayanandan
• Inventors: SANFORD, John R., DAYANANDAN, Sriram, PERA, Robert J., PONNAMPALAM, Vish, JABBAZ, Gonzalo P.
• Granted Patent: US 9,912,053 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/12 Supports; Mounting means
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/1228 on a boom
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 13/206 Microstrip transmission line antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 15/08 formed of solid dielectric material
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/0031 Parallel-plate fed arrays; Lens-fed arrays multibeam arrays H01Q25/008
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 25/008 lens fed multibeam arrays
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/24 varying the orientation by switching energy from one active radiating element to another, e.g. for beam switching
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/36 with variable phase-shifters
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/46 Active lenses or reflecting arrays
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0617 for beam forming
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0639 Using selective indices, e.g. of a codebook, e.g. pre-distortion matrix index [PMI] or for beam selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0695 using beam selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/28 using beam steering
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

Multi-directional antenna apparatuses, which may include phased array antennas and/or arrays of multiple antennas, and methods for operating these directional antennas. In particular, described herein are apparatuses configured to operate as an access point (AP) for communicating with one or more station devices by assigning a particular directional beam to each access point, and communicating with each station device using the assigned directional beam at least part of the time. Methods and apparatuses configured to optimize the assignment of one or more directional beam and for communicating between different station devices using assigned directional beams are described. Also described are methods of connecting a radio device to an antenna by connecting a USB connector on the radio device to a USB connector on an antenna and identifying the antenna based on a voltage of the ground pin on the antenna'"'"'s USB connector.

Claims

1. A phased array antenna apparatus, the apparatus comprising:

a controller;

a radio frequency (RF) input connected to the controller;

a steering element having a plurality of antenna ports, wherein the steering element is connected to the RF input and to the controller and is configured to divide the RF input signal into a plurality of RF signals that are shifted relatively to each other for beamforming the RF input;

an array of antenna elements, wherein each antenna element is coupled to one of the antenna ports;

wherein the controller is configured to assign a station device a directional beam and to transmit data to the station device using the assigned directional beam, based on a response packet received from the station device in response to a training packet emitted by the array of antenna elements.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the steering element comprises a plurality of phase shifters, wherein each phase shifter is connected to the RF input and wherein the controller is configured to set a phase angle for each of the phase shifters.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the steering element comprises a lacunated lens.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to periodically transmit a training packet at each of a plurality of directional beams, wherein the training packet encodes an identifier of the directional beam.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to assign the directional beam to a station device based on the response packet received from the station device, wherein the response packet includes an identifier of a directional beam and a priority value associated with one of the training packets.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, further wherein the controller is configured to periodically transmit training packets at each of a plurality of directional beams.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, further wherein the controller is configured to periodically transmit training packets at each of a plurality of directional beams, wherein the period is less than once every minute.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, further wherein the controller is configured to periodically transmit training packets at each of a plurality of directional beams, wherein the period is less than once every five minutes.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, further wherein the controller is configured to receive data from the station device at a first rate using the assigned directional beam at a first window of time, and to receive data from the station device at a second, slower, rate when not using the assigned directional beam during a second window of time.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to allocate upstream timeslots to the station device and to allocate general upstream timeslots that are not allocated to the station device, and to receive data at a first rate from the station device devices during an upstream timeslot allocated to the station device using the assigned directional beam, and to receive data at a second data rate from the station device during a second upstream timeslot that is not allocated to the station device.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein the array of antenna elements is a flat array.

12. The device of claim 1, wherein each antenna element of the array of antenna elements comprises a line of emitting elements.

13. The device of claim 1, wherein each antenna element of the array of antenna elements comprises a line of disc-shaped emitting elements.

14. The device of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to assign each of a plurality of station devices a directional beam based on a response packet received from each of the station devices in response to a training packet emitted by the array of antenna elements, and to transmit data to the station device using the assigned directional beam.

15. A phased array antenna apparatus, the apparatus comprising:

an antenna housing including;

a two-dimensional array of antenna emitters forming two or more vertical columns of disc-shaped emitting surfaces arrange in a flat plane on a front side of the antenna housing;

a pair of flared wings extending vertically along two sides of the two-dimensional array;

a radio frequency (RF) transceiver and steering subsystem connected to the 2D array of antenna emitters, and configured to generate a plurality of RF signals that are phase shifted relatively to each other for beamforming of the plurality of RF signals emitted by the two dimensional array of antenna emitters, wherein the RF transceiver and steering subsystem comprises a radio device; and

two or more RF connectors on a back of the antenna housing, configured to connect the radio device to the two-dimensional array of antenna emitters.

16. The device of claim 15, wherein each antenna element of the array of antenna elements comprises a line of emitting elements.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the radio frequency (RF) transceiver and steering subsystem comprises a plurality of phase shifters, wherein each phase shifter is connected to the RF transceiver and wherein steering subsystem is configured to set a phase angle for each of the phase shifters.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the radio frequency (RF) transceiver and steering subsystem comprises a lacunated lens.

19. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the radio frequency (RF) transceiver and steering subsystem is configured to periodically transmit a training packet at each of a plurality of directional beams, wherein the training packet encodes an identifier of the directional beam.

20. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the radio frequency (RF) transceiver and steering subsystem is separable into an RF transceiver having one or more RF outputs and a steering controller coupled to the one or more RF outputs.

21. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the radio frequency (RF) transceiver and steering subsystem is configured to assign the directional beam to a station device based on the response packet received from the station device, wherein the response packet includes an identifier of a directional beam and a priority value associated with one of the training packets.

22. The apparatus of claim 15, further wherein the radio frequency (RF) transceiver and steering subsystem is configured to periodically transmit training packets at each of a plurality of directional beams.

23. The apparatus of claim 15, further wherein the radio frequency (RF) transceiver and steering subsystem is configured to periodically transmit training packets at each of a plurality of directional beams, wherein the period is less than once every minute.

24. The apparatus of claim 15, further wherein the radio frequency (RF) transceiver and steering subsystem is configured to periodically transmit training packets at each of a plurality of directional beams, wherein the period is less than once every five minutes.

25. The device of claim 15, wherein the radio frequency (RF) transceiver and steering subsystem is configured to assign each of a plurality of station devices a directional beam based on a response packet received from each of the station devices in response to a training packet emitted by the array of antenna elements, and to transmit data to the station devices using an assigned directional beam.

26-59. -59. (canceled)