Method and system for selective attenuation of preamble reception in co-located WI FI access points

• US 8,989,103 B2
• Filed: 03/05/2014
• Issued: 03/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Magnolia Broadband Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Magnolia Broadband Incorporated
• Inventors: Jeffery, Stuart S., Kludt, Kenneth, Harel, Haim
• Primary Examiner(s): Ton, Dang
• Assistant Examiner(s): KAVLESKI, RYAN C
• Application Number:
  US14/198,280
• Publication Number:
  US 20140247820A1
• Time in Patent Office: 384 Days
• Field of Search: 370/338, 455/63.1, 455/562.1
• US Class Current: 370/328
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0408 using two or more beams, i.e. beam diversity
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0413 MIMO systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0617 for beam forming
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks

Abstract

A method and system for attenuating a received preamble in an IEEE 802.11 standard may include: a plurality of co-located access points (APs) operative in accordance with an IEEE 802.11 standard; a preamble detection unit configured to detect a transmission of a preamble in accordance of the IEEE 802.11 standard, by at least one of the co-located APs; and at least one attenuator configured to attenuate a signal received by at least one of the plurality of co-located APs upon detection of the preamble by the preamble detection unit.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a plurality of co-located access points (APs) operative in accordance with an IEEE 802.11 standard;

a plurality of preamble detection units associated with the respective plurality of co-located APs, each preamble detection unit configured to detect a transmission of a preamble in accordance of the IEEE 802.11 standard, by at least one of the other co-located APs;

a plurality of attenuators associated with the respective plurality of co-located APs, each attenuator configured to attenuate a signal received by its associated AP upon detection by the preamble detection unit of a preamble transmitted by another of the co-located APs; and

at least one blanking pulse generator configured to generate a blanking pulse having an amplitude selected such that it desensitizes at least one receiver in at least one of the co-located APs throughout a duration of the preamble as detected by the preamble detection unit.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the attenuation of the received signal is carried out only when the AP transmitting the preamble and the AP receiving the preamble are co-channel.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the attenuation of the received signal is carried out after being received by an antenna of the receiving AP and prior to entering a receiver of said receiving AP.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one attenuator comprises said blanking pulse generator.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the system is a Multi-Beam Access Point (MBAP) system having Clear Channel Assessment (CCA) functionality, and wherein said attenuation is configured to suppress an activation of the CCA functionality caused by a leakage introduced by co-located AP transmitters.

6. The system according to claim 4, wherein the attenuator is configured to apply a variable amount of attenuation which is proportional to a measured residual transmitter to receiver signal leakage.

7. A method comprising:

transmitting at least one transmit signal via at least one of a plurality of co-located access points (APs) operative in accordance with an IEEE 802.11 standard;

detecting transmission of a preamble in accordance of the IEEE 802.11 standard, by at least one of the APs co-located with the transmitting AP; and

attenuating a signal received by at least one of the non-transmitting plurality of co-located APs upon said detection of transmission of the preamble by the transmitting AP, wherein the attenuation is achieved by generating a blanking pulse having an amplitude selected such that it desensitizes at least one receiver in at least one of the co-located APs throughout a duration of the preamble as detected by the preamble detection unit.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the attenuation of the received signal is carried out only whenever the AP transmitting the preamble and the AP receiving the preamble are co-channel.

9. The method according to claim 7, wherein the attenuation of the received signal is carried out after being received by an antenna of the receiving AP and prior to entering a receiver of said receiving AP.

10. The method according to claim 7, wherein the method is operable at a Multi-Beam Access Point (MBAP) system having Clear Channel Assessment (CCA) functionality, and wherein said attenuation is configured to suppress an activation of the CCA functionality caused by a leakage introduced by co-located AP transmitters.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the attenuation comprises a variable amount of attenuation which is proportional to a measured residual transmitter to receiver signal leakage.

12. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium product having stored thereon instructions which when executed cause a processor to:

control transmission of at least one transmit signal via at least one of a plurality of co-located access points (APs) operative in accordance with an IEEE 802.11 standard;

detect transmission of a preamble in accordance of the IEEE 802.11 standard, by at least one of the APs co-located with the transmitting AP; and

cause attenuation of a signal received by at least one of the non-transmitting plurality of co-located APs upon said detection of transmission of the preamble by the transmitting AP, wherein the attenuation is achieved by generating a blanking pulse having an amplitude selected such that it desensitizes at least one receiver in at least one of the co-located APs throughout a duration of the preamble as detected by the preamble detection unit.

13. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 12, wherein the attenuation of the received signal is carried out after being received by an antenna of the receiving AP and prior to entering a receiver of said receiving AP.

14. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 12, wherein the computer program product is operable at a Multi-Beam Access Point (MBAP) system having Clear Channel Assessment (CCA) functionality, and wherein said attenuation is configured to suppress an activation of the CCA functionality caused by a leakage introduced by co-located AP transmitters.

15. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 14, wherein the attenuation comprises a variable amount of attenuation which is proportional to a measured residual transmitter to receiver signal leakage.

16. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 12, wherein the attenuation of the received signal is carried out only whenever the AP transmitting the preamble and the AP receiving the preamble are co-channel.