Using directional antennas to enhance throughput in wireless networks

• US 7,239,894 B2
• Filed: 05/30/2003
• Issued: 07/03/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Barkley, Warren V., Corbett, Christopher J., Hassan, Amer Aref
• Primary Examiner(s): Vuong; Quochien B.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chu; Michael
• Application Number:
  US10/448,551
• Publication Number:
  US 20040242273A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,495 Days
• Field of Search: 455/562.1, 455/561, 455/11.1, 455/522, 455/13.4, 455/445, 455/425
• US Class Current: 455/562.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0837 using pre-detection combining H04B7/0868 takes precedence

Abstract

The principles of the present invention provides for using directional antennas to increase signal strength and enhance throughput in a wireless network. An antenna device includes an omni-directional antenna and at least one directional antenna. Each directional antenna (e.g., an electronically steered phased array antenna) can have one or more feeds for directing beams to wireless devices. The antenna device utilizes the omni-directional antenna to send and receive control data that facilitates locating wireless devices and determining when a wireless device is to send program data to or receive program data from the antenna device. The antenna device utilizes the directional antenna to send program data to and receive program data from wireless devices. Since the directional antennas use directional beams, the range and barrier penetration of directional antennas is greater than that of the omni-directional antenna.

Claims

1. In an antenna device that includes an omni-directional antenna and at least one directional antenna, a method for reducing effects associated with propagation loss including reduced data rate exchange, data unreliability, or loss of data, in order to receive data from a wireless device in a power efficient manner, the method comprising:

an act of receiving at an omni-directional antenna a data notification signal from a wireless device, which is control data indicating that a wireless device has program data to transmit to an antenna device that includes both the omni-directional antenna and at least one directional antenna, both of which are configured to receive program data, control data, or both, from a wireless device;

based on the received data notification signal, an act of determining that the wireless device has program data to send to the antenna device, wherein the program data requires higher signal strength for reliable transfer than control type data;

an act of determining that the wireless device is likely unable to reliably send program data to the antenna device through the omni-directional antenna due to limited signal strength with the omni-directional antenna caused by limited range of the omni-directional antenna, physical barriers between the omni-directional antenna and the wireless device, or both; and

based on the determination that the wireless device is likely unable to reliably send the program data to the antenna device through the omni-directional antenna, an act of using the at least one directional antenna to receive program data from the wireless device for transfer to the antenna device in response to having received the data notification signal.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of the omni-directional antenna receiving a data notification signal from the wireless device comprises an act of the omni-directional antenna receiving a ready to send signal.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of the antenna device determining that the wireless device has program data to transmit to the antenna device comprises act of processing a ready to send signal.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of determining that the wireless device is likely unable to reliably send program data to the antenna device through the omni-directional antenna comprises an act of analyzing the characteristics of the data notification signal.

5. The method as recited in claim 4, wherein the act of analyzing the characteristics of the data notification signal comprises an act of detecting the signal strength associated with the data notification signal.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of determining that the wireless device is likely unable to reliably send program data to the antenna device through the omni-directional antenna comprises an act of determining that a directional beam from one of the at least one directional antennas has sufficient signal strength to receive program data from the wireless device.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of determining that the wireless device is likely unable to reliably send program data to the antenna device through the omni-directional antenna comprises an act of determining the location of the wireless device.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

an act of the antenna device directing a directional beam from the one of the at least one directional antennas towards the wireless device in response to having received the data notification signal.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of the antenna device using the one of the at least one directional antennas to receive program data from the wireless device comprises an act of receiving program data that was transported in accordance with the Internet Protocol.

10. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of the antenna device using the one of the at least one directional antennas to receive program data from the wireless device comprises an act of using an electronically steered phased array antenna to receive program data from the wireless device.

11. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of the antenna device using the one of the at least one directional antennas to receive program data from the wireless device comprises an act of simultaneously using a first directional beam to receive program data from the wireless device and using a second directional beam to communicate with a second wireless device.

12. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

an act of the antenna device simultaneously using another of the at least one directional antennas to communicate with a second wireless device during reception of the program data from the wireless device.

13. In an antenna device that includes an omni-directional antenna and at least one directional antenna, a method for reducing effects associated with propagation loss including reduced data rate exchange, data unreliability, or loss of data, in order to receive data from a wireless device in a power efficient manner, the method comprising:

an act of receiving at an omni-directional antenna a data notification signal from a wireless device, which is control data indicating that a wireless device has program data to transmit to an antenna device that includes the omni-directional antenna and at least one directional antenna for receiving both program data and control data from a wireless device;

a step for configuring one of the at least one directional antennas to receive program data from the wireless device, wherein the program data requires higher signal strength for reliable transfer than control type data; and

based on a determination that the wireless device is likely unable to reliably send the program data to the antenna device through the omni-directional antenna, an act of the antenna device using the one of the at least one directional antennas to receive program data from the wireless device in response to having received the data notification signal.

14. In an antenna device that includes an omni-directional antenna and at least one directional antenna, a method for reducing effects associated with propagation loss including reduced data rate exchange, data unreliability, or loss of data, in order to send data to a wireless device in a power efficient manner, the method comprising:

an act of transmitting from an omni-directional antenna a location request, the location request requesting the location of a wireless device;

an act of receiving at the omni-directional antenna a location signal from the wireless device, the location signal indicating the location of the wireless device, wherein the location signal is control data;

an act of identifying by an antenna device—

that includes the omni-directional antenna and a directional antenna—

that the wireless device is likely unable to reliably receive program data from the antenna device through the omni-directional antenna due to limited signal strength with the omni-directional antenna caused by limited range of the omni-directional antenna, physical barriers between the omni-directional antenna and the wireless device, or both; and

based on the determination that the wireless device is likely unable to reliably receive program data through the omni-directional antenna, an act of using the at least one directional antennas to send the program data from the antenna device to the wireless device in response to having received the location signal.

15. The method as recited in claim 14, further comprising:

an act of receiving an indication that an application has program data to send to the wireless device.

16. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein the act of the omni-directional antenna receiving a location signal from the wireless device comprises an act of the omni-directional antenna receiving a clear to send signal.

17. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein the act of the omni-directional antenna receiving a location signal from the wireless device comprises an act of the omni-directional antenna receiving location data indicating the location of the wireless device.

18. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein the act of identifying by the antenna device that the wireless device is likely unable to reliably receive program data from the antenna device through the omni-directional antenna due to limited signal strength comprises an of act calculating the location of the wireless device based on received location data.

19. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein the act of identifying by the antenna device that the wireless device is likely unable to reliably receive program data from the antenna device through the omni-directional antenna due to limited signal strength comprises an act of at least estimating the location of the wireless device based on the direction from which the location signal was received.

20. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein the act of identifying by the antenna device that the wireless device is likely unable to reliably receive program data from the antenna device through the omni-directional antenna due to limited signal strength comprises an act of detecting the signal strength associated with the location signal.

21. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein the an act of identifying by the antenna device that the wireless device is likely unable to reliably receive program data from the antenna device through the omni-directional antenna due to limited signal strength comprises an act of determining that a directional beam from one of the at least one directional antennas has sufficient signal strength to send program data to the wireless device.

22. The method as recited in claim 14, further comprising:

an act of the antenna device directing a beam of from one of the at least one directional antennas towards the wireless device in response to having received the location signal.

23. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein the act of using the at least one directional antennas to send the program data from the antenna device to the wireless device comprises an act of sending program data that is to be transported in accordance with the Internet Protocol.

24. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein the act of using the at least one directional antennas to send the program data from the antenna device to the wireless device comprises an act of using an electronically steered phased array antenna to send program data to the wireless device.

25. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein the act of using the at least one directional antennas to send the program data from the antenna device to the wireless device comprises an act of simultaneously using a first directional beam to send program data to the wireless device and using a second directional beam to communicate with a second wireless device.

26. The method as recited in claim 14, further comprising:

an act of the antenna device simultaneously using another of the at least one directional antennas to communicate with a second wireless device during the sending of the program data to the wireless device.

27. In an antenna device that includes an omni-directional antenna and at least one directional antenna, a method for reducing effects associated with propagation loss including reduced data rate exchange, data unreliability, or loss of data, in order to send data to a wireless device in a power efficient manner, the method comprising:

an act of transmitting from an omni-directional antenna a location request, which is control data that requests the location of the wireless device;

an act of determining that an antenna device—

that includes the omni-directional antenna and at least one directional antenna—

has program data to send to the wireless device, wherein the program data requires higher signal strength for reliable transfer than control type data;

based on a determination that the wireless device is likely unable to reliably receive the program data through the omni-directional antenna, a step for configuring the at least one directional antenna to send program data to the wireless device; and

an act of the antenna device using the at least one directional antenna to send the program data to the wireless device in response to having received the location signal.

28. A computer program product for use in an antenna device that includes an omni-directional antenna and at least one directional antenna, the computer program product for implementing a method for reducing effects associated with propagation loss including reduced data rate exchange, data unreliability, or loss of data, in order to receive data from a wireless device in a power efficient manner, the computer program product comprising one or more computer-readable media having stored thereon computer executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the antenna device to perform the following:

receive a data notification signal at an omni-directional antenna, the data notification signal being control data that indicates that a wireless device has program data to transmit to antenna device that includes both the omni-directional antenna and at least one directional antenna, both of which are configured to receive program data, control data, or both, from a wireless device;

based on the received data notification signal, determine that the wireless device has program data to transmit to the antenna device, wherein the program data requires higher signal strength for reliable transfer than control type data;

determine that the wireless device is likely unable to reliably send program data to the antenna device through the omni-directional antenna due to limited signal strength with the omni-directional antenna caused by limited range of the omni-directional antenna, physical barriers between the omni-directional antenna and the wireless device, or both; and

based on the determination that the wireless device is likely unable to reliably send the program data to the antenna device through the omni-directional antenna, use the at least one directional antenna to receive program data from the wireless device for transfer to the antenna device in response to having received the data notification signal.

29. The computer program product as recited in claim 28, wherein the one or more computer-readable media are physical media.

30. The computer program product as recited in claim 28, wherein the one or more computer-readable media include system memory.

31. A computer program product for use in an antenna device that includes an omni-directional antenna and at least one directional antenna, the computer program product for implementing a method for reducing effects associated with propagation loss including reduced data rate exchange, data unreliability, or loss of data, in order to send data to a wireless device in a power efficient manner, the computer program product comprising one or more computer-readable media having stored thereon computer executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the antenna device to perform the following:

transmit a location request from an omni-directional antenna, the location request being control data that requests the location of a wireless device;

receive a corresponding location signal at the omni-directional antenna, the location signal is control data indicating the location of the wireless device;

identify that the wireless device is likely unable to reliably receive program data from the antenna device through the omni-directional antenna due to limited signal strength with the omni-directional antenna caused by limited range of the omni-directional antenna, physical barriers between the omni-directional antenna and the wireless device, or both; and

based on the determination that the wireless device is likely unable to reliably receive program data through the omni-directional antenna, use the at least one directional antenna to send the program data to the wireless device in response to having received the location signal.

32. The computer program product as recited in claim 31, wherein the one or more computer-readable media are physical media.

33. The computer program product as recited in claim 31, wherein the one or more computer-readable media include system memory.

34. An antenna device configured to wirelessly communicate with wireless devices in a way that reduces effects associated with propagation loss including reduced data rate exchange, data unreliability, or loss of data, the antenna device comprising the following:

an omni-directional antenna;

one or more directional antennas, each directional antenna having one or more feeds for directing beams at wireless devices;

one or more processing units; and

one or more computer-readable media having stored thereon a control module, the control module being configured to;

exchange control data with the omni-directional antenna, the control data indicating that a wireless device is to exchange program data with the antenna device;

identify that a wireless device is likely unable to reliably receive program data through the omni-directional antenna due to limited signal strength caused by limited range of the omni-directional antenna, physical barriers between the omni-directional antenna and the wireless device, or both; and

exchange program data—

that typically requires higher signal strength for reliable transfer than control data—

with the wireless device through the one of the one or more directional antennas in response to the exchanged control data.