Apparatus, system and method of establishing a wireless beamformed link

• US 9,173,221 B2
• Filed: 04/25/2013
• Issued: 10/27/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Cordeiro, Carlos, Sadeghi, Bahareh, Maltsev, Alexander, Sergeyev, Vadim
• Primary Examiner(s): Rego, Dominic E
• Application Number:
  US13/870,085
• Publication Number:
  US 20140206406A1
• Time in Patent Office: 915 Days
• Field of Search: 455/63.4, 455/25, 375/267, 342/367, 342/403, 342/423, 342/434, 342/437, 342/445, 370/334, 343/853
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0617 for beam forming
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0619 using feedback from receiving side feedback signaling for adaptive modulation/coding H04L1/0001
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0453 Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/046 the resource being in the space domain, e.g. beams
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/21 in the uplink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

Some demonstrative embodiments include devices, systems and/or methods of establishing a wireless beamformed link. For example, an apparatus may include a wireless communication controller to control a first wireless communication device to communicate millimeter-wave (mmWave) signals with a second wireless communication device over a mmWave frequency band, the mmWave signals including signals transmitted according to a plurality of different transmit (Tx) beamforming settings, the wireless communication controller is to control the first wireless communication device to communicate feedback information, which is based on the mmWave signals, over a non-mmWave frequency band, and to control the first wireless communication device to establish with the second wireless communication device a beamformed link over the mmWave frequency band, the beamformed link using a Tx beamforming setting, which is determined based on the feedback information.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a wireless communication controller to control a first wireless communication device to communicate millimeter-wave (mmWave) signals with a second wireless communication device over a mmWave frequency band, the mmWave signals including signals transmitted according to a plurality of different transmit (Tx) beamforming settings, said wireless communication controller is to control said first wireless communication device to communicate feedback information, which is based on said mmWave signals, over a non-mmWave frequency band, and to control said first wireless communication device to establish with said second wireless communication device a beamformed link over said mmWave frequency band, said beamformed link using a Tx beamforming setting, which is determined based on the feedback information.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said wireless communication controller is to control said first wireless communication device to transmit said mmWave signals according to said plurality of Tx beamforming settings, to receive said feedback information over said non-mmWave frequency band, and to use said Tx beamforming setting for transmitting to said second wireless communication device over said beamformed link.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said wireless communication controller is to control said first wireless communication device to receive said mmWave signals, said mmWave signals transmitted by said second wireless communication device according to said plurality of Tx beamforming settings, to transmit said feedback information over said non-mmWave frequency band, and to receive over said beamformed link signals transmitted by said second wireless communication device using said Tx beamforming setting.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said feedback information comprises signal quality feedback including one or more signal quality metrics corresponding to said plurality of Tx beamforming settings.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said feedback information comprises an indication of said Tx beamforming setting to be used for said beamformed link.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said first wireless communication device comprises a base-station (BS), and wherein said second wireless communication device comprises a mobile device.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein said wireless communication controller is to control said BS to:

transmit said mmWave signals according to said plurality of Tx beamforming settings,

receive said feedback information from said mobile device over said non-mmWave frequency band,

and use said Tx beamforming setting for transmitting to said mobile device over said beamformed link.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein said wireless communication controller is to control said BS to:

receive said mmWave signals, said mmWave signals including signals transmitted by said mobile device according to said plurality of Tx beamforming settings,

and transmit said feedback information to said mobile device over said non-mmWave frequency band, said feedback information including an indication of said Tx beamforming setting.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said first wireless communication device comprises a mobile device, and wherein said second wireless communication device comprises a base-station (BS).

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein said wireless communication controller is to control said mobile device to:

transmit said mmWave signals according to said plurality of Tx beamforming settings,

receive said feedback information from said BS over said non-mmWave frequency band,

and use said Tx beamforming setting for transmitting to said BS over said beamformed link.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein said wireless communication controller is to control said mobile device to:

receive said mmWave signals, said mmWave signals including signals transmitted by said BS according to said plurality of Tx beamforming settings,

and transmit said feedback information to said BS over said non-mmWave frequency band.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said wireless communication controller is to control a base-station (BS), and wherein said first and second wireless communication devices comprise first and second mobile devices.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said wireless communication controller is to control said BS to:

transmit to said first mobile device over said non-mmWave frequency band an instruction to transmit said mmWave signals according to said plurality of Tx beamforming settings,

transmit to said second mobile device over said non-mmWave frequency band an instruction to receive said mmWave signals,

receive said feedback information from said second mobile device over said non-mmWave frequency band,

and transmit to said first mobile device over said non-mmWave frequency band an instruction to use said Tx beamforming setting for transmitting to said second wireless communication device over said beamformed link.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said first and second wireless communication devices comprise first and second mobile devices capable of having direct connectivity over said non-mmWave frequency band.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said wireless communication controller is to control said first wireless communication device to communicate said feedback information with said second wireless communication device over said non-mmWave frequency band.

16. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said mmWave signals comprise beamforming training signals.

17. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said non-mmWave frequency band comprises a broadband cellular frequency band.

18. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said non-mmWave frequency band comprises a Long-Term-Evolution (LTE) frequency band.

19. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said beamformed link over said mmWave frequency band comprises a Wireless-Gigabit (WiGig) link.

20. A product including a non-transitory storage medium having stored thereon instructions that, when executed by a machine, result in:

causing a first wireless communication device to communicate millimeter-wave (mmWave) signals with a second wireless communication device over a mmWave frequency band, the mmWave signals including signals transmitted according to a plurality of different transmit (Tx) beamforming settings;

causing said first wireless communication device to communicate feedback information, which is based on said mmWave signals, over a non-mmWave frequency band; and

causing said first wireless communication device to establish with said second wireless communication device a beamformed link over said mmWave frequency band, said beamformed link using a Tx beamforming setting, which is determined based on the feedback information.

21. The product of claim 20, wherein said instructions result in causing said first wireless communication device to transmit said mmWave signals according to said plurality of Tx beamforming settings, to receive said feedback information over said non-mmWave frequency band, and to use said Tx beamforming setting for transmitting to said second wireless communication device over said beamformed link.

22. The product of claim 20, wherein said instructions result in causing said first wireless communication device to receive said mmWave signals, said mmWave signals transmitted by said second wireless communication device according to said plurality of Tx beamforming settings, to transmit said feedback information over said non-mmWave frequency band, and to receive over said beamformed link signals transmitted by said second wireless communication device using said Tx beamforming setting.