Device, system and method of wireless communication via one or more antenna assemblies

• US 9,219,531 B2
• Filed: 10/23/2014
• Issued: 12/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Sofer, Menashe, Kasher, Assaf
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Tuan A
• Application Number:
  US14/521,674
• Publication Number:
  US 20150111502A1
• Time in Patent Office: 425 Days
• Field of Search: 455/25, 455 631- 634, 455/67.11, 455/67.13, 455/67.14, 455/68, 455/69, 455/561, 455/562.1, 455/575.1, 455/575.7, 455/101, 342/350, 342/354, 342/359, 342/360, 342/367, 342/368
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/04 using two or more spaced independent antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0608 Antenna selection according to transmission parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0617 for beam forming
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0695 using beam selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0805 with single receiver and antenna switching H04B7/0822 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/088 using beam selection

Abstract

Some demonstrative embodiments include devices, systems and/or methods of wireless communication via multiple antenna assemblies. For example, a device may include a wireless communication unit to transmit and receive signals via one or more quasi-omnidirectional antenna assemblies, wherein the wireless communication unit is to transmit, via each quasi-omnidirectional antenna assembly, a plurality of first transmissions, to receive, in response to the first transmissions, a plurality of second transmissions from another device via one or more of the quasi-omnidirectional antenna assemblies, and, based on the second transmissions, to select at least one selected transmit antenna assembly for transmitting to the other device and a selected receive antenna assembly for receiving transmissions from the other device. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Claims

1. A wireless communication unit including circuitry to cause an initiator station to:

transmit a plurality of initiator training packets during a beamforming training session;

receive, during the beamforming training session, one or more responder training packets from a responder station in response to one or more of said plurality of initiator training packets;

select, during the beamforming training session, at least one antenna assembly to communicate with said responder station; and

transmit to the responder station an indication of the at least one antenna assembly.

2. The wireless communication unit of claim 1, wherein said plurality of initiator training packets includes a first plurality of initiator training packets and a second plurality of initiator training packets, the wireless communication unit to cause said initiator station to transmit the first plurality of initiator training packets via respective transmit sectors of a first antenna assembly, and to transmit the second plurality of initiator training packets via respective transmit sectors of a second antenna assembly.

3. The wireless communication unit of claim 1, wherein the at least one antenna assembly includes at least one transmit antenna assembly to transmit to said responder station, and at least one receive antenna assembly to receive from said responder station.

4. The wireless communication unit of claim 1 to cause said initiator station to select said at least one antenna assembly based on the one or more responder training packets.

5. The wireless communication unit of claim 1, wherein a responder training packet of said one or more responder training packets includes an indication of at least one transmit sector of said initiator station, said wireless communication unit to cause said initiator station to select said at least one antenna assembly based on said indication.

6. A wireless communication unit including circuitry to cause an initiator station to:

transmit a plurality of initiator training packets during a beamforming training session, wherein an initiator training packet of the plurality of initiator training packets includes an indication of an initiator antenna assembly and an initiator transmit sector;

receive, during the beamforming training session, one or more responder training packets from a responder station in response to one or more of said plurality of initiator training packets; and

select, during the beamforming training session, at least one antenna assembly to communicate with said responder station.

7. The wireless communication unit of claim 6, wherein two or more initiator training packets of said plurality of initiator training packets include an indication of a same initiator transmit sector of said initiator station.

8. The wireless communication unit of claim 6 to cause said initiator station to transmit two or more initiator training packets via two or more respective transmit sectors.

9. The wireless communication unit of claim 8, wherein the two or more transmit sectors belong to a same antenna assembly.

10. The wireless communication unit of claim 8, wherein the two or more transmit sectors belong to two or more different antenna assemblies.

11. The wireless communication unit of claim 6 to cause said initiator station to transmit two or more initiator training packets of the plurality of initiator training packets via two or more respective transmit sectors, and to repeat transmission of said two or more initiator training packets via said two or more transmit sectors.

12. A wireless communication unit including circuitry to cause an initiator station to:

transmit a plurality of initiator training packets during a beamforming training session;

receive, during the beamforming training session, one or more responder training packets from a responder station in response to one or more of said plurality of initiator training packets, wherein a responder training packet of said one or more responder training packets includes an indication of a transmit sector of the responder station, and an indication of an antenna assembly of the responder station; and

select, during the beamforming training session, at least one antenna assembly to communicate with said responder station.

13. The wireless communication unit of claim 12, wherein the at least one antenna assembly includes at least one transmit antenna assembly to transmit to said responder station, and at least one receive antenna assembly to receive from said responder station.

14. A wireless communication unit including circuitry to cause said initiator station to:

transmit a plurality of initiator training packets during a beamforming training session;

sequentially switch a plurality of antenna assemblies to receive, during the beamforming training session, one or more responder training packets from a responder station in response to one or more of said plurality of initiator training packets; and

select, during the beamforming training session, at least one antenna assembly to communicate with said responder station.

15. The wireless communication unit of claim 14 comprising a transmitter to transmit said plurality of initiator training packets, and a receiver to receive said one or more responder training packets.

16. A wireless communication initiator station including:

one or more antenna assemblies;

a processor;

a memory; and

a wireless communication unit including a transmitter and a receiver, the wireless communication unit to transmit a plurality of initiator training packets during a beamforming training session, to receive, during the beamforming training session, one or more responder training packets from a responder station in response to one or more of said plurality of initiator training packets, to select, during the beamforming training session, at least one antenna assembly to communicate with said responder station, and to transmit to the responder station an indication of the at least one antenna assembly.

17. The wireless communication initiator station of claim 16, wherein two or more initiator training packets of said plurality of initiator training packets include an indication of a same initiator transmit sector of said initiator station.

18. The wireless communication initiator station of claim 16, wherein said plurality of initiator training packets includes a first plurality of initiator training packets and a second plurality of initiator training packets, the wireless communication unit to transmit the first plurality of initiator training packets via respective transmit sectors of a first antenna assembly, and to transmit the second plurality of initiator training packets via respective transmit sectors of a second antenna assembly.

19. A product including one or more tangible computer-readable non-transitory storage media comprising computer-executable instructions operable to, when executed by at least one computer processor, enable the at least one computer processor to implement a method at an initiator station, the method comprising:

transmitting a plurality of initiator training packets during a beamforming training session, wherein an initiator training packet of the plurality of initiator training packets includes an indication of an initiator antenna assembly and an initiator transmit sector;

receiving, during the beamforming training session, one or more responder training packets from a responder station in response to one or more of said plurality of initiator training packets; and

selecting, during the beamforming training session, at least one antenna assembly to transmit to and/or receive from said responder station.

20. The product of claim 19, wherein said plurality of initiator training packets includes a first plurality of initiator training packets and a second plurality of initiator training packets, the method comprising transmitting the first plurality of initiator training packets via respective transmit sectors of a first antenna assembly, and transmitting the second plurality of initiator training packets via respective transmit sectors of a second antenna assembly.

21. The product of claim 19, wherein the method comprises selecting said at least one antenna assembly based on the one or more responder training packets.

22. A method to be performed at an initiator station, the method comprising:

transmitting a plurality of initiator training packets during a beamforming training session;

receiving, during the beamforming training session, one or more responder training packets from a responder station in response to one or more of said plurality of initiator training packets;

selecting, during the beamforming training session, at least one antenna assembly to transmit to and/or receive from said responder station; and

transmitting to the responder station an indication of the at least one antenna assembly.

23. The method of claim 22 comprising selecting said at least one antenna assembly based on the one or more responder training packets.