Bootstrap recursive directional determination for dynamic high-rate directional networking links

• US 8,160,569 B1
• Filed: 12/07/2005
• Issued: 04/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc. (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc. (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Inventors: VanLaningham, Steven, Stevens, James A., Barton, Jeffrey A.
• Primary Examiner(s): MILLER, BRANDON J
• Application Number:
  US11/295,896
• Time in Patent Office: 2,323 Days
• Field of Search: 455/422.1, 455/434, 455/445, 455/452.2, 455/456.1, 455/500, 455/63.1, 455/63.4, 455/424, 370335-338, 370/331, 370328-330, 370341-348
• US Class Current: 455/422.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/006 with additional information processing, e.g. for direction or speed determination

Abstract

The present invention is a wireless communication system and method. In an exemplary embodiment, the system includes a plurality of transceiver nodes arranged in a network and configured to communicate between transceiver nodes using an Orthogonal Domain Multiple Access (ODMA) frame structure, each of the plurality of transceiver nodes having neighboring nodes. Each ODMA structure may include a plurality of bootstrap slots for each of the plurality of transceiver nodes. Further, a plurality of correlation sequences may be defined within each of the plurality of bootstrap slots in which each correlation sequence included within the plurality of correlation sequences is located in a separate antenna sector and sub-sector. Addition of the plurality of correlation sequences to each of the plurality of bootstrap slots allows for recursive directional determination of which antenna sector and sub-sector is to be used to communicate with one of the plurality of transceiver nodes.

Claims

1. A method for recursive determination of link direction and antenna usage in a wireless network, comprising:

receiving a first correlation sequence transmitted by a transmitting node at a receiving node;

identifying an antenna sector of the receiving node to be used to communicate with the transmitting node according to a signal-to-noise ratio of the first correlation sequence;

receiving a second correlation sequence transmitted by the transmitting node at the receiving node; and

refining the directionality of an identified antenna sector of the receiving node to an antenna sub-sector or phased array beam angle of the identified antenna sector according to a signal-noise-ratio of the second correlation sequence.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising receiving additional correlation sequences from additional nodes to re-determine the antenna sector to be used with the transmitting node.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the antenna sector includes a multi-element antenna cluster.

4. The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the multi-element antenna cluster includes a plurality of slanted sectors and a single sector parallel with a surface to which the multi-element antenna cluster is mounted, an omni-directional antenna is mounted through the center of the single parallel sector.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the method is implemented in Layer 1 and Layer 2 of an Open System Interconnection (OSI) layered architecture.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising employing a tracking filter to provide smoothing and prediction capability between receiving the first correlation sequence and receiving the second bootstrap correlation sequence.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the method is implemented in at least one of a joint tactical radio system (JTRS), a future combat system (FCS), a vehicle mounted radio, a soldier-borne radio, an airborne platform radio, a common data link, or a mobile ad-hoc directional network.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a smoothing capability and a prediction capability with a tracking filter.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the correlation sequence is a timing recovery correlation sequence.

10. A system comprising:

a multi-sector antenna; and

a computing device configured to;

receive a first correlation sequence transmitted by a transmitting node via the multi-sector antenna;

identify an antenna sector of the multi-sector antenna to be used to communicate with the transmitting node according to a signal-to-noise ratio of the first correlation sequence;

receive a second correlation sequence transmitted by the transmitting node via an identified antenna sector; and

refine the directionality of the identified antenna sector of the multi-sector antenna to an antenna sub-sector or phased array beam angle of the identified antenna sector according to a signal-noise-ratio of the second correlation sequence.