Systems for communicating using multiple frequency bands in a wireless network

• US 9,084,260 B2
• Filed: 03/30/2012
• Issued: 07/14/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tahoe Research Limited (f/k/a Learndale Limited) (Vector Capital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Maltsev, Alexander, Sergeyev, Vadim, Davydov, Alexei
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong, Warner
• Application Number:
  US13/435,842
• Publication Number:
  US 20120243638A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,201 Days
• Field of Search: 370310-350
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/2126 using a reference station
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2656 Frame synchronisation, e.g. packet synchronisation, time division duplex [TDD] switching point detection or subframe synchronisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/28 using beam steering
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/08 Access restriction or access information delivery, e.g. discovery data delivery signalling during connection H04W76/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0235 where the received signal is a power saving command
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/0015 one node acting as a reference for the others
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0453 Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/20 Master-slave selection or change arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Communication signals using a first and a second frequency band in a wireless network is described herein. The first frequency band may be associated with a first beamwidth while the second frequency band may be associated with a second beamwidth. An apparatus may include receiver circuitry arranged to receive first signals in a first frequency band associated with a first beamwidth and second signals in a second frequency band associated with a second beamwidth, the first signals comprising a frame synchronization parameter and the second signals comprising frame alignment signals. The apparatus may further include processor circuitry coupled to the receiver circuitry, the processor circuitry arranged to activate or deactivate the receiver circuitry to receive the frame alignment signals based on the frame synchronization parameter. Other embodiments may be described and/or claimed.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

receiver circuitry arranged to receive first signals in a first frequency band and second signals in a second frequency band, the first frequency band comprising a frequency band of a first communication system, the second frequency band comprising a frequency band of a second communication system, the first signals comprising a frame synchronization parameter and the second signals comprising frame alignment signals of the second communication system, the frame synchronization parameter comprising a reference time interval for the second communication system, the reference time interval comprising an integer multiple of a defined interval for the first communication system; and

processor circuitry coupled to the receiver circuitry, the processor circuitry arranged to activate or deactivate the receiver circuitry to receive the frame alignment signals based on the frame synchronization parameter.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, the processor circuitry arranged to synchronize a frame in the first frequency band with a frame in the second frequency band based on the frame synchronization parameter.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, the second communication system associated with a second beamwidth, the first communication system associated with a first beamwidth that differs from the second beamwidth.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, the first communication system comprising a cellular communication system, the second communication system comprising a millimeter wave (mmWave) communication system, the reference time interval comprising a beacon interval for the mmWave communication system, the beacon interval equally divisible by one or more frames of the cellular communication system.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, the processor circuitry arranged to deactivate the receiver circuitry during a time interval defined by the frame synchronization parameter to conserve power.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, the first signals in the first frequency band associated with a first beamwidth and the second signals in the second frequency band associated with a second beamwidth, wherein the first beamwidth is broader than the second beamwidth.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, the first signals in the first frequency band associated with a first beamwidth and the second signals in the second frequency band associated with a second beamwidth, wherein the first beamwidth is associated with a cellular communication system, and the second beamwidth is associated with a millimeter wave (mmWave) communication system.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, the processor circuitry arranged to activate the receiver circuitry to receive third signals in the second frequency band, the third signals comprising data.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, the processor circuitry arranged to activate transmitter circuitry to transmit signals in the second frequency band after the second signals are received.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, the first frequency band having a center frequency of less than 10 GHz, and the second frequency band having a center frequency of more than 10 GHz.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, the first frequency band comprising one or more frequencies within a 700 MHz to 2.5 GHz range, and the second frequency band comprising one or more frequencies within a 59 GHz to 62 GHz range.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, the first frequency band comprising one or more frequencies within a 700 MHz to 2.5 GHz range, and the second frequency band comprising one or more frequencies within a 28 GHz to 31 GHz range.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, comprising one or more radio-frequency (RF) antennas coupled to the receiver circuitry to receive electromagnetic representations of the first and second signals.

14. A method, comprising:

receiving first signals in a first frequency band associated with a first beamwidth and a first communication system;

retrieving timing information from the first signals, the timing information to indicate when to detect second signals in a second frequency band associated with a second beamwidth narrower than the first beamwidth, the second frequency band associated with a second communication system, the timing information comprising a frame synchronization parameter that identifies a reference time interval for the second communication system, the reference time interval comprising an integer multiple of a defined interval for the first communication system;

receiving second signals in the second frequency band based on the timing information.

15. The method of claim 14, the reference time interval comprising a beacon interval of the second communication system.

16. The method of claim 14, the defined interval comprising a radio frame of the first communication system.

17. The method of claim 14, comprising synchronizing communication frames in the first frequency band and the second frequency band using the frame synchronization parameter.

18. The method of claim 14, comprising synchronizing with first time boundaries of first communication frames in the first frequency band using the frame synchronization parameter.

19. The method of claim 18, comprising determining second time boundaries of second communication frames in the second frequency band using the first time boundaries of the first communication frames.

20. The method of claim 19, comprising activating a receiver to receive second communication frames in the second frequency band at one or more of the second time boundaries.

21. The method of claim 19, comprising deactivating a receiver to conserve power at one or more of the second time boundaries.

22. At least one computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed, cause a system to:

retrieve timing information from signals received in a first frequency band associated with a first communication system, the timing information to indicate when to receive signals in a second frequency band associated with a second communication system, the timing information comprising a frame synchronization parameter that identifies a reference time interval for the second communication system, the reference time interval comprising an integer multiple of a defined interval for the first communication system; and

generate control information to activate or deactivate a receiver arranged to receive information in the second frequency band based on the timing information.