Apparatus and method for wireless communication via at least one of directional and omni-direction antennas
First Claim
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1. A method of operating a wireless communications apparatus, comprising:
- sending a Request to Send (RTS) frame to a station via an omni-directional antenna;
receiving a Clear to Send (CTS) frame from the station via the omni-directional antenna, said omni-directional antenna being a separate antenna from a plurality of directional antennas which receive said CTS frame or a synthesized antenna which is formed from said plurality of directional antennas which receive said CTS frame;
determining at least one of received signal strength or received signal quality of the received CTS frame for each of said plurality of directional antennas; and
selecting a directional antenna from said plurality of directional antennas based on the received signal strength for each of the plurality of directional antennas or the determined received signal quality for each of the plurality of directional antennas, the selected directional antenna having at least one of a highest received signal strength of the received CTS frame when said selection is based on the determined received signal strength and having the highest received signal quality when said selection is based on the determined quality of the received CTS frame.
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Abstract
Techniques for using at least one of omni-directional and directional antennas for communication are described. A station may be equipped antenna elements selectable for use as an omni-directional antenna or one or more directional antennas. The station may select the omni-directional antenna or a directional antenna for use for communication based on various factors such as, e.g., whether the location or direction of a target station for communication is known, whether control frames or data frames are being exchanged, etc.
45 Citations
22 Claims
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1. A method of operating a wireless communications apparatus, comprising:
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sending a Request to Send (RTS) frame to a station via an omni-directional antenna; receiving a Clear to Send (CTS) frame from the station via the omni-directional antenna, said omni-directional antenna being a separate antenna from a plurality of directional antennas which receive said CTS frame or a synthesized antenna which is formed from said plurality of directional antennas which receive said CTS frame; determining at least one of received signal strength or received signal quality of the received CTS frame for each of said plurality of directional antennas; and selecting a directional antenna from said plurality of directional antennas based on the received signal strength for each of the plurality of directional antennas or the determined received signal quality for each of the plurality of directional antennas, the selected directional antenna having at least one of a highest received signal strength of the received CTS frame when said selection is based on the determined received signal strength and having the highest received signal quality when said selection is based on the determined quality of the received CTS frame. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising:
at least one integrated circuit configured to; send a Request to Send (RTS) frame to a station via an omni-directional antenna; receive a Clear to Send (CTS) frame from the station via the omni-directional antenna, said omni-directional antenna being a separate antenna from a plurality of directional antennas which receive said CTS frame or a synthesized antenna which is formed from said plurality of directional antennas which receive said CTS frame; determine at least one of received signal strength or received signal quality of the received CTS frame for each of a plurality of directional antennas; and select a directional antenna from said plurality of directional antennas based on the received signal strength for each of the plurality of directional antennas or the determined received signal quality for each of the plurality of directional antennas, the selected directional antenna having at least one of a highest received signal strength of the received CTS frame when said selection is based on the determined received signal strength and having the highest received signal quality when said selection is based on the determined quality of the received CTS frame. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11)
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12. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising:
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means for sending a Request to Send (RTS) frame to a station via an omni-directional antenna; means for receiving a Clear to Send (CTS) frame from the station via the omni-directional antenna, said omni-directional antenna being a separate antenna from a plurality of directional antennas which receive said CTS frame or a synthesized antenna which is formed from said plurality of directional antennas which receive said CTS frame; means for determining at least one of received signal strength or received signal quality of the received CTS frame for each of a plurality of directional antennas; and means for selecting a directional antenna from said plurality of directional antennas based on the received signal strength for each of the plurality of directional antennas or the determined received signal quality for each of the plurality of directional antennas, the selected directional antenna having at least one of a highest received signal strength of the received CTS frame when said selection is based on the determined received signal strength and having the highest received signal quality when said selection is based on the determined quality of the received CTS frame. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer readable instructions stored thereon, the computer readable instructions executable by at least one computer to:
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send a Request to Send (RTS) frame to a station via an omni-directional antenna; receive a Clear to Send (CTS) frame from the station via the omni-directional antenna, said omni-directional antenna being a separate antenna from a plurality of directional antennas which receive said CTS frame or a synthesized antenna which is formed from said plurality of directional antennas which receive said CTS frame; determine at least one of received signal strength or received signal quality of the received CTS frame for each of a plurality of directional antennas; and select a directional antenna from said plurality of directional antennas based on the received signal strength for each of the plurality of directional antennas or the determined received signal quality for each of the plurality of directional antennas, the selected directional antenna having at least one of a highest received signal strength of the received CTS frame when said selection is based on the determined received signal strength and having the highest received signal quality when said selection is based on the determined quality of the received CTS frame. - View Dependent Claims (18)
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19. A station for wireless communication, comprising:
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an omni-directional antenna; a plurality of directional antennas; and at least one integrated circuit configured to; send a Request to Send (RTS) frame to another station via the omni-directional antenna; receive a Clear to Send (CTS) frame from the other station via the omni-directional antenna, said omni-directional antenna being a separate antenna from a plurality of directional antennas which receive said CTS frame or a synthesized antenna which is formed from said plurality of directional antennas which receive said CTS frame; determine at least one of received signal strength or received signal quality of the received CTS frame for each of a plurality of directional antennas; select a directional antenna from among the plurality of directional antennas based on the received signal strength for each of the plurality of directional antennas or the determined received signal quality for each of the plurality of directional antennas, the selected directional antenna having at least one of a highest received signal strength of the received CTS frame when said selection is based on the determined received signal strength and having the highest received signal quality when said selection is based on the determined quality of the received CTS frame. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22)
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Specification