Techniques for wireless network communications with high-directional steerable antennas combining quasi omni-directional transmissions with beamforming training
First Claim
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1. A method, comprising:
- communicating in a wireless personal area network (WPAN) system using a low-rate quasi omni-directional communications mode implemented as TX-RX space scanning using directional antennas, and a high-rate directional communications mode with beamformed directional antennas; and
wherein the quasi low-rate omni-directional communications mode using TX-RX space scanning uses a same frame to simultaneously carry control information and perform beamforming training of the directional antennas;
wherein said WPAN is a piconet that includes a central station, a Piconet controller (PNC) and other station devices (DEVs) and a low-rate omni-directional mode is used only for the following set of MAC/PHY functions that are required before switching to a high-rate directional mode;
omni-beacon frame with control information in low-rate mode;
Low-rate association request command sent by DEV not associated to the piconet to request an association;
Beamforming training frame to perform training between two DEVs; and
Beamforming retraining request sent by DEVs that are associated to the piconet but lost the beamforming to the PNC and cannot use directional mode.
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Abstract
An embodiment of the present invention provides a method, comprising communicating in a wireless network using a low-rate quasi omni-directional communications mode implemented as TX-RX space scanning using directional antennas, and a high-rate directional communications mode with beamformed directional antennas, and wherein the quasi low-rate omni-directional communications mode using TX-RX space scanning uses a same frame to simultaneously carry control information and perform beamforming training of the directional antennas.
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Citations
16 Claims
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1. A method, comprising:
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communicating in a wireless personal area network (WPAN) system using a low-rate quasi omni-directional communications mode implemented as TX-RX space scanning using directional antennas, and a high-rate directional communications mode with beamformed directional antennas; and
wherein the quasi low-rate omni-directional communications mode using TX-RX space scanning uses a same frame to simultaneously carry control information and perform beamforming training of the directional antennas;wherein said WPAN is a piconet that includes a central station, a Piconet controller (PNC) and other station devices (DEVs) and a low-rate omni-directional mode is used only for the following set of MAC/PHY functions that are required before switching to a high-rate directional mode;
omni-beacon frame with control information in low-rate mode;
Low-rate association request command sent by DEV not associated to the piconet to request an association;
Beamforming training frame to perform training between two DEVs; and
Beamforming retraining request sent by DEVs that are associated to the piconet but lost the beamforming to the PNC and cannot use directional mode. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3)
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4. A method, comprising:
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enabling a wireless station to operate in a wireless personal area network (WPAN) system using low-rate quasi omni-directional transmissions to support steerable directional antennas by enabling low-rate transmissions in all transmit directions and receiving from all receive directions used in a high-rate mode; and
wherein transmission formats are the same for beamforming training and for low-rate quasi omni-directional transmission based on TX-RX space scanning so that a same frame may be used for carrying control information and performing beamforming training;wherein said WPAN is a piconet that includes a central station, a Piconet controller (PNC) and other station devices (DEVs) and a low-rate omni-directional mode is used only for the following set of MAC/PHY functions that are required before switching to a high-rate directional mode;
omni-beacon frame with control information in low-rate mode;
Low-rate association request command sent by DEV not associated to the piconet to request an association;
Beamforming training frame to perform training between two DEVs; and
Beamforming retraining request sent by DEVs that are associated to the piconet but lost the beamforming to the PNC and cannot use directional mode. - View Dependent Claims (5, 6, 7)
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8. A method, comprising:
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defining a superframe format that is operable in wireless devices to communicate in a wireless personal area networks (WPAN) system with high-directional steerable antennas combined with emulated omni-directional transmissions implemented as TX-RX space scanning using directional antennas; and
wherein the superframe format contains a frame to simultaneously carry control information and perform beamforming training of the directional antennas;wherein said WPAN is a piconet that includes a central station, a Piconet controller (PNC) and other station devices (DEVs) and a low-rate omni-directional mode is used only for the following set of MAC/PHY functions that are required before switching to a high-rate directional mode;
omni-beacon frame with control information in low-rate mode;
Low-rate association request command sent by DEV not associated to the piconet to request an association;
Beamforming training frame to perform training between two DEVs; and
Beamforming retraining request sent by DEVs that are associated to the piconet but lost the beamforming to the PNC and cannot use directional mode. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10)
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11. An apparatus, comprising:
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a transceiver operable to communicate in a wireless personal area network (WPAN) system using directional antennas and frequencies above 45 GHz, the transceiver adapted to use a low-rate emulated omni-directional communications mode implemented as TX-RX space scanning using the directional antennas, and a high-rate directional communications mode; and
wherein the low-rate omni-directional communications mode using TX-RX space scanning uses a same frame to simultaneously carry control information and perform beamforming training of the directional antennas;wherein said WPAN is a piconet that includes a central station, a Piconet controller (PNC) and other station devices (DEVs) and a quasi low-rate omni-directional communication mode is used only for the following set of MAC/PHY functions that are required before switching to a high-rate directional mode;
omni-beacon frame with control information in low-rate mode;
Low-rate association request command sent by DEV not associated to the piconet to request an association;Beamforming training frame to perform training between two DEVs; and
Beamforming retraining request sent by DEVs that are associated to the piconet but lost the beamforming to the PNC and cannot use directional mode. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13)
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14. A non-transitory machine-accessible medium that provides instructions, which when accessed, cause a machine to perform operations comprising:
- communicating in a wireless personal area network (WPAN) system using a low-rate quasi omni-directional communications mode implemented as TX-RX space scanning using directional antennas, and a high-rate directional communications mode with beamformed directional antennas;
and wherein the quasi low-rate omni-directional communications mode using TX-RX space scanning uses a same frame to simultaneously carry control information and perform beamforming training of the directional antennas; wherein said WPAN is a piconet that includes a central station, a Piconet controller (PNC) and other station devices (DEVs) and a quasi low-rate omni-directional communication mode is used only for the following set of MAC/PHY functions that are required before switching to a high-rate directional mode;
omni-beacon frame with control information in low-rate mode;
Low-rate association request command sent by DEV not associated to the piconet to request an association;
Beamforming training frame to perform training between two DEVs; and
Beamforming retraining request sent by DEVs that are associated to the piconet but lost the beamforming to the PNC and cannot use directional mode. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16)
- communicating in a wireless personal area network (WPAN) system using a low-rate quasi omni-directional communications mode implemented as TX-RX space scanning using directional antennas, and a high-rate directional communications mode with beamformed directional antennas;
Specification