WIRELESS COMMUNICATION APPARATUS AND DISPLAY METHOD FOR USE IN WIRELESS COMMUNICATION APPARATUS

• US 20180302138A1
• Filed: 06/21/2018
• Published: 10/18/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: SHIRAKATA, NAGANORI, SHIMIZU, MASAYUKI, TAKINAMI, KOJI
• Granted Patent: US 10,868,598 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 3/02 using radio waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 3/74 Multi-channel systems specially adapted for direction-finding, i.e. having a single antenna system capable of giving simultaneous indications of the directions of different signals systems in which the directions of different signals are determined sequentially and displayed simultaneously G01S3/04, G01S3/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/20 of receivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/23 Indication means, e.g. displays, alarms, audible means
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/318 Received signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0408 using two or more beams, i.e. beam diversity
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0417 Feedback systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0617 for beam forming
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0695 using beam selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/10 Polarisation diversity; Directional diversity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/28 using beam steering
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0446 Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/046 the resource being in the space domain, e.g. beams
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

A wireless communication apparatus includes a first antenna circuit that forms a beam selected from among a plurality of first beams through a beamforming process performed for communication using a millimeter wave band and a monitor that displays a first pattern indicating a radiation direction of the selected beam.

Claims

1. A wireless communication apparatus comprising:

a first antenna circuit that forms a beam selected from among a plurality of first beams through a beamforming process performed for communication using a millimeter wave band; and

a monitor that displays a first pattern indicating a radiation direction of the selected beam.

2. The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the monitor displays a second pattern indicating a radiation direction of a beam not selected by the first antenna circuit among the plurality of first beams with a pattern that differs from the first pattern.

3. The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the monitor displays the first pattern and the second pattern with a plurality of circular sectors, and

wherein the monitor displays the first pattern as one area of the circular sectors with different color or different pattern from the other areas.

4. The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the first pattern represents a reception quality of the selected beam.

5. The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 4, wherein each of the plurality of circular sectors includes divided areas obtained by dividing the circular sector into a plurality of areas in a radial direction,

wherein in a case where the reception quality of the selected beam has the lowest level, the monitor displays one of the divided areas corresponding to a center angle portion colored or patterned , and

wherein in a case where the reception quality of the selected beam has the highest level, the monitor displays all of the divided areas colored or patterned .

6. The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 1, comprising:

a second antenna circuit that forms a beam selected from among a plurality of second beams having radiation directions that differ from the radiation directions of the first antenna circuit through the beamforming process,

wherein the monitor displays a third pattern indicating a radiation direction of a beam selected by the second antenna circuit and a fourth pattern indicating a radiation direction of a beam not selected by the second antenna circuit among the second beams.

7. The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 1, comprising:

a third antenna circuit that performs communication using a microwave band,

wherein during communication using the first antenna circuit, the monitor displays the first pattern, and

wherein during communication using the third antenna circuit, the monitor displays a fifth pattern indicating a reception quality in the microwave band.

8. A display method for use in a wireless communication apparatus comprising:

forming a beam selected from among a plurality of first beams through a beamforming process performed for communication using a millimeter wave band; and

displaying a first pattern indicating a radiation direction of the selected beam.