Wireless communication antennae for concurrent communication in an access point

• US 9,142,873 B1
• Filed: 07/01/2009
• Issued: 09/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fortinet Inc.
• Original Assignee: Meru Networks, Inc. (Fortinet Inc.)
• Inventors: Bharghavan, Vaduvur, Venugopalachary, Rajendran, Sivaprakasam, Srinivas
• Primary Examiner(s): VU, HOANG-CHUONG Q
• Application Number:
  US12/496,426
• Time in Patent Office: 2,274 Days
• Field of Search: 370/334, 370/338, 455/11.1, 455/25, 455/63.4, 455/561, 455/562.1, 455/575.7, 343/757, 343/761, 343/882, 343/893
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/084 Pivotable antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/1264 Adjusting different parts or elements of an aerial unit
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/521 reducing the coupling between adjacent antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/28 Combinations of substantially independent non-interacting antenna units or systems multiple beam H01Q25/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 25/001 Crossed polarisation dual antennas orthomode horns H01Q13/0258; cross-polarised rear feeds H01Q19/136; orthomode transducers H01P1/161
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/18 Multiprotocol handlers, e.g. single devices capable of handling multiple protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/00 Affiliation to network, e.g. registration; Terminating affiliation with the network, e.g. de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/10 adapted for operation in multiple networks, e.g. multi-mode access points

Abstract

One or more access points in a wireless communication system, wherein at least one of those access points includes a set of more than one antennae capable of concurrent communication, and at least one of those more than one antennae is isolated from a remainder of that set of antennae during concurrent communication. Isolation includes one or more of disposed a first antenna in a null region of a second antenna, disposing a first antenna to communicate polarized and substantially orthogonal to a second antenna, disposing a set of antennae to communicate at two or more carrier frequencies, wherein each first antenna adjacent to a second antenna operate at distinct such carrier frequencies, or disposing a set of antennae to communicate using two or more substantially distinct protocols, wherein substantially each first antenna adjacent to a second antenna operate at substantially distinct such protocols.

Claims

1. An access point with multiple antennae for concurrent communication in a wireless network, comprising:

a first set of antennae;

a second set of antennae located in a null region of the first set of antennae and relative to the first set of antennae and concurrently communicates while the sets of antennae remain isolated during concurrent communication using distinct protocols at distinct frequencies, the first and second sets of antennae located in a first enclosure; and

at least two scanning antennae to locate stations operating concurrently with the first and second sets of antennae at the distinct frequencies and located in a second enclosure, wherein the second enclosure is independently rotatable from the first enclosure on at least two axes to reduce interference between the at least two scanning antennae and the first and second set of antennae.

2. The access point of claim 1, wherein one or more antennae within the first or second sets of antennae are disposed to communication at two or more carrier frequencies, wherein each of the first set of antenna are adjacent to each of the second set of antenna on a common circuit board and operate at distinct carrier frequencies.

3. The access point of claim 2, wherein the first set of antennae operate at a lower frequency than the second set of antennae.

4. The access point of claim 1, comprising:

one or more antennae from the first or second sets of antennae disposed to communicate using two or more distinct protocols, wherein each of the first set of antenna adjacent to the second set antenna operate at distinct protocols.

5. The access point of claim 1, wherein a first frequency of the distinct frequencies is used by a first communication protocol but not a second communication protocol of the distinct protocols.

6. The access point of claim 1, comprising two or more of:

the first set of antenna disposed in a null region of the second set of antenna;

the first set of antenna disposed to communicate polarized and orthogonal to a second antenna;

at least one of the first and second sets of antennae disposed to each of the first set of antenna adjacent to the second set of antenna operate at distinct carrier frequencies;

at least one of the first and second sets of antennae disposed to communicate using two or more distinct protocols, wherein each of the first set of antenna adjacent to the second set of antenna operate at distinct protocols.

7. The access point of claim 1, comprising:

a first antenna disposed to communicate polarized and orthogonal to a second antenna.

8. The access point of claim 1, wherein two or more of the first or second sets of antennae are each disposed in a plurality of collinear parts.

9. The access point of claim 8, comprising:

an isolation barrier between the two or more of the first or second sets of antennae, that barrier being collinear with at least one of those two or more of those antennae.

10. The access point of claim 1, further comprising:

a moveable hinge between the first and second enclosures allowing independent rotation around the at least two axes for positioning in the null regions.

11. The access point of claim 1, wherein the first and second sets of antennae are located in a null region of a co-located access point.

12. The access point of claim 1, wherein the distinct protocols comprise distinct IEEE 802.11-type protocols.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein two or more of the first, second and third sets of antennae are each disposed in a plurality of substantially collinear parts.

13. A method in an access point with multiple antennae for concurrent communication in a wireless network, the method comprising:

operating a first set of antennae and a second set of antennae with the second set of antennae located in a null region of the first set of antennae;

isolating the first set of antennae from the second set of antennae while during concurrent communications using different protocols at distinct frequencies, the first and second sets of antennae and a third set of antennae located in a first enclosure; and

operating at least two scanning antennae to locate stations concurrently with the first, second and third sets of antennae at the distinct frequencies and located in a second enclosure, wherein the second enclosure is independently rotatable from the first enclosure on at least two axes to reduce interference between the at least two scanning antennae and the first, second and third sets of antennae.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein isolating further comprises two or more of:

disposing the first set of antenna in a null region of the second set of antenna;

disposing the first set of antenna to communicate polarized and orthogonal to the second set of antenna;

disposing a set of antennae to communicate at two or more carrier frequencies, wherein each the first set of antenna adjacent to the second set of antenna operate at distinct carrier frequencies;

disposing a set of antennae to communicate using two or more distinct protocols, wherein each the first set of antenna adjacent to the second set of antenna operate at distinct protocols.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

disposing a barrier to isolate the first and second set of antennae, the barrier being collinear with at least one of the sets of antennae.

17. An access point with multiple antennae for concurrent communication in a wireless network, comprising:

a first set of antennae;

a second set of antennae located adjacent to the first set of antennae and in a null region of the first set of antennae and concurrently communicates relative to the first set of antennae, while the sets antennae remain isolated during concurrent communication using distinct protocols at distinct frequencies; and

a third set of antennae located adjacent to the second set of antennae, apart from the first set of antennae, and in a null region of the second set of antennae, communicating using the same protocol and frequency as the first set of antennae, the first, second and third sets of antennae located in a first enclosure; and

at least two scanning antennae to locate stations operating concurrently with the first, second and third sets of antennae at the distinct frequencies and located in a second enclosure, wherein the second enclosure is independently rotatable from the first enclosure on at least two axes to reduce interference between the at least two scanning antennae and the first, second and third sets of antennae.