Device, system and method of wireless communication via multiple antenna assemblies

• US 8,548,385 B2
• Filed: 12/16/2009
• Issued: 10/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Sofer, Menashe, Kasher, Assaf
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Tuan A
• Application Number:
  US12/639,044
• Publication Number:
  US 20110143692A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,385 Days
• Field of Search: 455/25, 455 631- 634, 455/67.11, 455/67.13, 455/67.14, 455/68, 455/69, 455/561, 455/562.1, 455/575.1, 455/575.7, 455/101, 342/350, 342/354, 342/359, 342/360, 342/367, 342/368
• US Class Current: 455/63.4
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/04 using two or more spaced independent antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0608 Antenna selection according to transmission parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0617 for beam forming
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0695 using beam selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0805 with single receiver and antenna switching H04B7/0822 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/088 using beam selection

Abstract

Some demonstrative embodiments include devices, systems and/or methods of wireless communication via multiple antenna assemblies. For example, a device may include a wireless communication unit to transmit and receive signals via one or more quasi-omnidirectional antenna assemblies, wherein the wireless communication unit is to transmit, via each quasi-omnidirectional antenna assembly, a plurality of first transmissions, to receive, in response to the first transmissions, a plurality of second transmissions from another device via one or more of the quasi-omnidirectional antenna assemblies, and, based on the second transmissions, to select at least one selected transmit antenna assembly for transmitting to the other device and a selected receive antenna assembly for receiving transmissions from the other device. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Claims

1. A device including:

a wireless communication unit to transmit and receive signals via one or more quasi-omnidirectional antenna assemblies,

wherein the wireless communication unit is to transmit, via each quasi-omnidirectional antenna assembly, a plurality of first transmissions, to receive, in response to the first transmissions, a plurality of second transmissions from another device via one or more of the quasi-omnidirectional antenna assemblies, and, based on the second transmissions, to select at least one selected transmit antenna assembly for transmitting to the other device and a selected receive antenna assembly for receiving transmissions from the other device.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein each quasi-omnidirectional antenna assembly includes at least one transmit antenna sector, and wherein the wireless communication unit is to transmit a plurality of first training packets via each transmit antenna sector of each quasi-omnidirectional antenna assembly and, based on the second transmissions, to select at least one selected transmit antenna sector for transmitting to the other device.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein at least one transmission of the second transmissions includes an indication of an antenna assembly of the antenna assemblies and an indication of at least one transmit antenna sector of the indicated antenna assembly, and wherein the selected transmit antenna sector includes the indicated transmit antenna sector.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein the other device includes a plurality of quasi-omnidirectional antenna assemblies, and wherein the plurality of second transmissions includes a plurality of transmissions from one or more of the plurality of quasi-omnidirectional antenna assemblies of the other device.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein the plurality of first training packets includes a number of packets equal to a number of the plurality of quasi-omnidirectional antenna assemblies of the other device.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein the wireless communication unit is to transmit a sequence of transmissions to be received by the plurality of quasi-omnidirectional antenna assemblies of the other device, respectively, wherein each sequence of transmissions includes the plurality of first training packets transmitted via each of the quasi-omnidirectional antenna assemblies.

7. The device of claim 4, wherein the plurality of second transmissions includes a plurality of transmissions from a single one of the plurality of quasi-omnidirectional antenna assemblies of the other device.

8. The device of claim 2, wherein a transmission of the plurality of first training packets includes an identification of a transmit antenna sector transmitting the training packet.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the wireless communication unit is to repeat the transmission of the plurality of first transmissions during a plurality of constant scan intervals, and wherein the first transmissions include an indication of a length and a timing of the scan intervals.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the one or more antenna assemblies include a first number of first antenna assemblies, wherein the other device includes a second number of antenna assemblies, and wherein the plurality of first transmissions includes at least the second number of first transmissions.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein the wireless communication unit is to receive the plurality of second transmissions from a plurality of antenna assemblies of the other device, and wherein, based on the second transmissions, the wireless communication unit is to transmit to the other device an indication of at least one antenna assembly of the plurality of antenna assemblies of the other device to be used by the other device for transmitting to the wireless communication unit.

12. The device of claim 1, wherein the one or more antenna assemblies include at least first and second antenna assemblies including first and second, respective, quasi-omnidirectional antennas having at least two different directions of coverage, respectively.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the at least first and second antenna assemblies are positioned on at least first and second, respective, sides of the device.

14. The device of claim 1, wherein the one or more quasi-omnidirectional antenna assemblies include one or more phased array antennas.

15. A method including:

transmitting, via each quasi-omnidirectional antenna assembly of one or more quasi-omnidirectional antenna assemblies of a first device, a plurality of first transmissions;

receiving, in response to the first transmissions, a plurality of second transmissions from a second device via one or more of the quasi-omnidirectional antenna assemblies; and

based on the second transmissions, selecting at the first device at least one selected transmit antenna assembly for transmitting to the second device and a selected receive antenna assembly for receiving transmissions from the second device.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein each quasi-omnidirectional antenna assembly includes at least one transmit antenna sector, wherein transmitting the plurality of first transmissions includes transmitting a plurality of first training packets via each transmit antenna sector of each quasi-omnidirectional antenna assembly, and wherein the selecting includes selecting, based on the second transmissions, at least one selected transmit antenna sector for transmitting to the second device.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein at least one transmission of the second transmissions includes an indication of an antenna assembly of the antenna assemblies and an indication of at least one transmit antenna sector of the indicated antenna assembly, and wherein the selected transmit antenna sector includes the indicated transmit antenna sector.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the second device includes a plurality of quasi-omnidirectional antenna assemblies, wherein the plurality of second transmissions includes a plurality of transmissions from one or more of the plurality of quasi-omnidirectional antenna assemblies of the second device, and wherein the plurality of first training packets includes a number of packets equal to a number of the plurality of quasi-omnidirectional antenna assemblies of the second device.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein transmitting the first training packets includes transmitting a sequence of transmissions to be received by the plurality of quasi-omnidirectional antenna assemblies of the second device, respectively, wherein each sequence of transmissions includes the plurality of first training packets transmitted via each of the quasi-omnidirectional antenna assemblies.

20. The method of claim 15 including repeating the transmission of the plurality of first transmissions during a plurality of constant scan intervals, wherein the first transmissions include an indication of a length and a timing of the scan intervals.

21. The method of claim 15 including, based on the second transmissions, transmit to the second device an indication of at least one antenna assembly of the plurality of antenna assemblies of the second device to be used by the second device for transmitting to the first device.

22. A wireless communication system including:

a first wireless communication device including one or more quasi-omnidirectional antenna assemblies, wherein the first wireless communication device is to transmit, via each quasi-omnidirectional antenna assembly, a plurality of first transmissions, to receive, in response to the first transmissions, a plurality of second transmissions from a second wireless communication device via one or more of the quasi-omnidirectional antenna assemblies, and, based on the second transmissions, to select at least one selected transmit antenna assembly for transmitting to the second device and a selected receive antenna assembly for receiving transmissions from the second device.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein each quasi-omnidirectional antenna assembly includes at least one transmit antenna sector, wherein the first device is to transmit a plurality of first training packets via each transmit antenna sector of each quasi-omnidirectional antenna assembly and, based on the second transmissions, to select at least one selected transmit antenna sector for transmitting to the other device.

24. The system of claim 22, wherein the second device includes a plurality of quasi-omnidirectional antenna assemblies, and wherein the plurality of second transmissions includes a plurality of transmissions from one or more of the plurality of quasi-omnidirectional antenna assemblies of the second device.

25. The system of claim 22, wherein the first device is to repeat the transmission of the plurality of first transmissions during a plurality of constant scan intervals, and wherein the first transmissions include an indication of a length and a timing of the scan intervals.

26. The system of claim 22, wherein the first device is to receive the plurality of second transmissions from a plurality of antenna assemblies of the second device, and wherein, based on the second transmissions, the first device is to transmit to the second device an indication of at least one antenna assembly of the plurality of antenna assemblies of the second device to be used by the second device for transmitting to the first device.

27. A product including a non-transitory storage medium having stored thereon instructions, wherein the instructions, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to:

transmit, via each quasi-omnidirectional antenna assembly of one or more quasi-omnidirectional antenna assemblies of a first device, a plurality of first transmissions;

receive, in response to the first transmissions, a plurality of second transmissions from a second device via one or more of the quasi-omnidirectional antenna assemblies; and

based on the second transmissions, select at the first device at least one selected transmit antenna assembly for transmitting to the second device and a selected receive antenna assembly for receiving transmissions from the second device.

28. The product of claim 27, wherein each quasi-omnidirectional antenna assembly includes at least one transmit antenna sector, wherein the instructions cause the machine to transmit a plurality of first training packets via each transmit antenna sector of each quasi-omnidirectional antenna assembly, and to select, based on the second transmissions, at least one selected transmit antenna sector for transmitting to the second device.

29. The product of claim 28, wherein the second device includes a plurality of quasi-omnidirectional antenna assemblies, wherein the plurality of second transmissions includes a plurality of transmissions from one or more of the plurality of quasi-omnidirectional antenna assemblies of the second device, and wherein the plurality of first training packets includes a number of packets equal to a number of the plurality of quasi-omnidirectional antenna assemblies of the second device.

30. The product of claim 27, wherein the instructions cause the machine to repeat the transmission of the plurality of first transmissions during a plurality of constant scan intervals, and wherein the first transmissions include an indication of a length and a timing of the scan intervals.