Techniques enabling neighbor location discovery for mmwave WPAN with an out of band control channel

• US 8,379,560 B2
• Filed: 03/07/2008
• Issued: 02/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Li, Guoqing, Kessleman, Alex
• Primary Examiner(s): ZHU, BO HUI ALVIN
• Application Number:
  US12/044,132
• Publication Number:
  US 20090225730A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,810 Days
• Field of Search: 370/312, 370/314, 370/329, 370/337, 370/347, 370/350, 370/442, 370/447, 370/458, 370/461, 370/462, 370/500, 370/524
• US Class Current: 370/314
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/12 using downlink control channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals

Abstract

An embodiment of the present invention provides a method of neighbor discovery in a wireless personal area network, comprising coordinating communications in the WPAN by a WPAN coordinator, and transmitting beacons by the WPAN coordinator on a control channel of the WPAN that specifies the time slots and the order in which devices operating in the WPAN transmit their omni-directional training sequences on a data channel at the beginning of the next super-frame.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

using a lower band out-of-band (OOB) control channel to specify time slots and an order in which to transmit omni-directional training sequences on a data channel at a beginning of a next super-frame used in a wireless personal area network (WPAN) to operate in a 60 GHz band, wherein the lower band out-of-band (OOB) control channel uses a frequency band below the 60 GHz band;

wherein by listening to the omni-directional training sequence transmissions and using an order specified in a beacon frame, a locate update request is performed;

sending location information for a device in communication with the WPAN, wherein the location information is communicated using the lower band OOB control channel to communicate the location information; and

performing beam re-steering for data transmitted from the WPAN to the device in the 60 GHz band based on the location information.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting the beacon frame on the data channel before the training sequence transmissions.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the lower band OOB control channel uses at least one of a 2.4 GHz and a 5 GHz frequency band.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the lower band OOB control channel uses an Institute for Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 frequency band.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the lower band OOB control channel uses a frequency band wherein the signal is substantially less attenuated by oxygen absorption than is the 60 GHz band.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the lower band OOB control channel uses a frequency band wherein the signal is substantially less attenuated by obstructions than is the 60 GHz band.

7. A method, comprising:

agreeing on a specific order of omni-directional training sequence transmissions in a distributed way by negotiating the specific order on a lower band out-of-band (OOB) control channel in a wireless personal area network (WPAN) operable in a 60 GHz band, wherein the lower band out-of-band (OOB) control channel uses a frequency band below the 60 GHz band; and

performing a locate update request by listening to the omni-directional training sequence transmissions and using an order specified in a beacon frame, which further comprises;

sending location information for a device in communication with the WPAN, wherein the location information is communicated using the lower band OOB control channel to communicate the location information; and

performing beam re-steering for data transmitted from the WPAN to the device in the 60 GHz band on the location information.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the lower band OOB control channel uses at least one of a 2.4 GHz and a 5 GHz frequency band.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the lower band OOB control channel uses an Institute for Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 frequency band.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein agreeing on a specific order of omni-directional training sequence transmissions is between at least two wireless devices.