Method and apparatus of connectivity recovery in a wireless network

• US 7,978,659 B2
• Filed: 09/11/2008
• Issued: 07/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Li, Guoqing, Cordeiro, Carlos, Gopalakrishnan, Praveen
• Primary Examiner(s): Yao; Kwang B
• Assistant Examiner(s): DUDA, ADAM K
• Application Number:
  US12/208,625
• Publication Number:
  US 20090232010A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,034 Days
• Field of Search: 370/334, 370/400, 370/290, 370/431, 370/901, 370/908, 370/329, 455/562.1, 455/101, 455/458, 455/91
• US Class Current: 370/334
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/26 varying the relative phase or relative amplitude of energisation between two or more active radiating elements; varying the distribution of energy across a radiating aperture H01Q3/12, H01Q3/22, H01Q3/24 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0682 using phase diversity (e.g. phase sweeping)

Abstract

A wireless communication device and a method of operating an antenna training process to discover first and second communication paths between at least two stations, to rank according to a quality criterion transmitting and receiving modes of an antenna, to report best transmitting mode and best receiving mode for transmitting and receiving signals over said first and second communication paths and to establish a communication link on a selected communication path based on the quality of the transmitting mode and said receiving mode.

Claims

1. A method of communication in a wireless personal area network (WPAN) comprising:

operating an antenna training process to discover first and second communication paths between at least two stations wherein the first communication path is a direct communication path between the at least two stations and the second communication path is an indirect path between the at least two stations;

ranking, according to a quality criterion, transmitting and receiving modes;

reporting to the at least two stations a best transmitting mode and a best receiving mode for transmitting and receiving signals over said first and second communication paths;

establishing a mmWave communication link between the at least two stations on a selected communication path which is selected from the first and second communication paths based on the quality of said transmitting mode and said receiving mode; and

switching the established mmWave communication link from the selected communication path to an unselected communication path when the mmWave communication link of the selected communication path is broken or disrupted.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising:

periodically monitoring the first and second communication paths; and

updating status of the best transmitting mode and the best receiving mode of both said first and second communication paths of the at least two stations.

3. The method of claim 1, comprising:

when the communication link is disrupted,

re-establishing the communication link on the unselected communication path.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein operating comprises:

sending two or more training sequences from two or more transmitting and receiving modes; and

assigning to the two or more transmitting and receiving modes an antenna sector number.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein reporting comprises:

receiving by a first station of the at least two or more stations two or more training sequences;

determining the best transmitting mode and the best receiving mode of the first and second paths based on said two or more training sequences according to said quality criterion; and

recording first path information and second path information at the first station, wherein the first path information includes the best transmitting mode and the best receiving mode of the first communication path and the second path information includes the best transmitting mode and the best receiving mode of the second communication path.

6. The method of claim 5, comprising:

reporting to the second station the first path information and the second path information.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein monitoring comprises:

negotiating a test time;

inserting the test time in a channel time interval reserved for the two or more stations; and

sending a periodic test signal using a message.

8. The method of claim 3, wherein switching comprises:

measuring a communication link quality parameter; and

switching to the unselected communication path if the communication link quality parameter is below a threshold.

9. A wireless communication device comprising:

a controller to operate an antenna training process to discover first and second communication paths to a station of a personal area network wherein the first communication path is a direct communication path to the station and the second communication path is an indirect path to the station, to rank according to a quality criterion transmitting and receiving modes of an antenna, to report a best transmitting mode and a best receiving mode for transmitting and receiving signals over said first and second communication paths, to establish a mmWave communication link on a selected communication path which is selected from the first and second communication paths based on the quality criterion of said transmitting mode and said receiving mode and to switch the established mmWave communication link from the selected communication path to an unselected communication path when the mmWave communication link of the selected communication path is broken or disrupted.

10. The wireless communication device of claim 9, wherein the controller is to periodically monitor the first and second communication paths and to update a status of the best transmitting mode and the best receiving mode of both said first and second communication paths.

11. The wireless communication device of claim 9, wherein the controller is able to, when the communication link is disrupted, reestablish the communication link on the unselected communication path.

12. The wireless communication device of claim 9, comprising:

a memory to store a transmitting and receiving mode related to the primary and secondary paths; and

a transmitter to transmit two or more training sequences to a predetermined direction according to the transmitting and receiving modes of an active path of the primary and secondary paths.

13. The wireless communication device of claim 12 wherein the controller is to assign an antenna sector number to the two or more transmitting and receiving modes.

14. The wireless communication device of claim 9 comprising:

a receiver to receive two or more training sequences; and

wherein said controller is to determine the best transmitting mode and the best receiving mode of the first and second paths based on said two or more training sequences according to said quality criterion and to record in a memory a first path information and a second path information, wherein the first path information includes the best transmitting mode and the best receiving mode of the first communication path and the second path information includes the best transmitting mode and the best receiving mode of the second communication path.

15. The wireless communication device of claim 14, wherein the controller is to report to said station the first path information and the second path information.

16. The wireless communication device of claim 10, wherein the controller to negotiate a test time, to insert the test time in a channel time interval reserved for communication with said station and to send a periodic test signal using a message.

17. The wireless communication device of claim 11, comprising:

a measurement module to measure a communication link quality parameter; and

a switching module to switch to the unselected communication path if the communication link quality parameter meets a threshold.

18. The wireless communication device of claim 9 wherein the controller comprises a medium access controller (MAC).

19. The wireless communication device of claim 9, wherein the device comprises a station of a wireless personal area network (WPAN)

20. The wireless communication device of claim 19 wherein the wireless personal area network includes a piconet and the wireless communication device comprises a piconet coordinator (PNC).

30. The wireless communication system of claim 19 includes a piconet and the wireless communication device comprises a piconet coordinator (PNC).

21. A wireless communication device comprising:

a controller to operate an antenna training process to discover first and second communication paths to a station of a personal area network wherein the first communication path is a direct communication path to the station and the second communication path is an indirect path to the station, to rank according to a quality criterion transmitting and receiving modes of an antenna, to report a best transmitting mode and a best receiving mode for transmitting and receiving signals over said first and second communication paths, to establish a mmWave communication link on a selected communication path which is selected from the first and second communication paths based on the quality criterion of said transmitting mode and said receiving mode and to switch the established mmWave communication link from the selected communication path to an unselected communication path when the mmWave communication link of the selected communication path is broken or disrupted; and

an adaptive beamforming antenna to transmit over a mmWave communication link.

22. The wireless communication device of claim 21, wherein the controller is to periodically monitor the first and second communication paths and to update a status of the best transmitting mode and the best receiving mode of both said first and second communication paths.

23. The wireless communication device of claim 21, wherein the controller is to, when the communication link is disrupted, re-establish the communication link on the unselected communication path.

24. The wireless communication device of claim 21, comprising:

a memory to store a transmitting and receiving mode related to the primary and secondary paths; and

a transmitter to transmit two or more training sequences to a predetermined direction according to the transmitting and receiving modes of an active path of the primary and secondary paths.

25. The wireless communication device of claim 24 wherein the controller is to assign an antenna sector number to the two or more transmitting and receiving modes.

26. A wireless communication system comprising:

a wireless communication device including at least a controller to operate an antenna training process to discover first and second communication paths to a station of a personal area network wherein the first communication path is a direct communication path to the station and the second communication path is an indirect path to the station, to rank according to a quality criterion transmitting and receiving modes of an antenna, to report a best transmitting mode and a best receiving mode for transmitting and receiving signals over said first and second communication paths to establish a mmWave communication link on a selected communication path which is selected from the first and second communication paths based on the quality criterion of said transmitting mode and said receiving mode and to switch the established mmWave communication link from the selected communication path to an unselected communication path when the mmWave communication link of the selected communication path is broken or disrupted.

27. The wireless communication system of claim 26, wherein the controller is to periodically monitor the first and second communication paths and to update a status of the best transmitting mode and the best receiving mode of both said first and second communication paths.

28. The wireless communication system of claim 26, wherein the controller is to, when the communication link is disrupted, re-establish the communication link on the unselected communication path.

29. The wireless communication system of claim 26 comprises a wireless personal area network (WPAN).