Communication device, communication control method and communication system

• US 9,312,940 B2
• Filed: 01/18/2010
• Issued: 04/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Takano, Hiroaki, Morioka, Yuichi, Kunihiro, Takushi
• Primary Examiner(s): Adams, Tashiana
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mull, Fred H
• Application Number:
  US13/144,419
• Publication Number:
  US 20110279319A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,276 Days
• Field of Search: 342/367, 342/369
• 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: H04B 7/0865 Independent weighting, i.e. weights based on own antenna reception parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/28 using beam steering

Abstract

To enable high-speed learning of an antenna directionality to be used for millimeter-wave communication, there is provided a communication device including a first radio communication unit capable of radio communication in accordance with a first communication method, and a second radio communication unit capable of radio communication in accordance with a second communication method using a higher frequency band than the first communication method, in which, upon receiving an instruction signal instructing to learn a beam directionality, the first radio communication unit determines a reception start time point of a beam reference signal based on the instruction signal, and the second radio communication unit starts reception of the beam reference signal from the reception start time point determined by the first radio communication unit and determines a parameter value for specifying an optimum beam pattern based on the received beam reference signal.

Claims

1. A communication device comprising:

a first radio communication unit capable of radio communication, utilizing at least one antenna, in accordance with a first communication method; and

a second radio communication unit capable of radio communication, utilizing at least one antenna, in accordance with a second communication method using millimeter waves and which is different than the first communication method,

wherein

the first radio communication unit is configured to, upon receiving in accordance with the first communication method an instruction signal instructing to learn a beam directionality, determine a reception start time point of a beam reference signal based on the instruction signal,

the second radio communication unit starts reception, in accordance with the second communication method, of the beam reference signal from the reception start time point determined by the first radio communication unit and determines a parameter value for specifying an optimum beam pattern based on the received beam reference signal,

the millimeter waves used for radio communication by the second communication method are of higher frequency than frequencies used by the first communication method for radio communication,

the instruction signal contains information that specifies the reception start time point which is a time at which the second radio communication unit is to begin receiving the beam reference signal, and

the first radio communication unit and the second radio communication unit are each controlled by at least one processor.

2. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein

the reception start time point is a time point before completion of reception of the instruction signal by the first radio communication unit.

3. The communication device according to claim 2, wherein

the second radio communication unit notifies the determined parameter value to the first radio communication unit, and

the first radio communication unit transmits a notification signal containing the notified parameter value to a device from which the instruction signal is received.

4. The communication device according to claim 2, wherein

the second radio communication unit transmits a notification signal containing the determined parameter value to a device from which the instruction signal is received.

5. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein

the beam reference signal is a signal containing plural signal sequences respectively associated with different directionality patterns.

6. The communication device according to claim 5, wherein

the beam reference signal is a signal containing plural time slots respectively corresponding to the plural signal sequences, and

the parameter is a parameter for specifying at least one time slot of the plural time slots.

7. The communication device according to claim 5, wherein

the beam reference signal is a signal combining the plural signal sequences in orthogonal or pseudo orthogonal relation with one another, and

the parameter is a parameter for specifying at least one signal sequence of the plural signal sequences.

8. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein

the second radio communication unit determines an optimum directionality of a receiving beam by varying a directionality of the receiving beam during reception of the beam reference signal.

9. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the first communication method uses microwaves.

10. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the first communication method is based on a wireless local area network (LAN) standard.

14. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the first communication method utilizes only one antenna, and the second communication method utilizes a plurality of antennas.

15. The communication device according to claim 14, wherein the plurality of antennas utilized in the second communication method are configured as MIMO antennas.

16. The communication device according to claim 15, wherein radio signals transmitted as a beam through the plurality of MIMO antennas are weighted in order to control a directionality of the transmitted beam.

11. A communication device comprising:

a first radio communication unit capable of radio communication, utilizing at least one antenna, in accordance with a first communication method; and

a second radio communication unit capable of radio communication, utilizing at least one antenna, in accordance with a second communication method using millimeter waves and which is different than the first communication method,

wherein

the first radio communication unit transmits, in accordance with the first communication method, an instruction signal instructing to learn a beam directionality to another communication device,

the second radio communication unit transmits, in accordance with the second communication method, a beam reference signal used for learning the beam directionality to said another communication device before completion of transmission of the instruction signal by the first radio communication unit,

the millimeter waves used for radio communication by the second communication method are of higher frequency than frequencies used by the first communication method for radio communication,

the instruction signal contains information that specifies a reception start time point which is a time at which the another communication unit is to begin receiving the beam reference signal in accordance with the second communication method, and

the first radio communication unit and the second radio communication unit are each controlled by at least one processor.

12. A communication control method between a transmitting device and a receiving device, the transmitting device and the receiving device performing radio communication therebetween in accordance with a first communication method and performing radio communication therebetween in accordance with a second communication method which is different than the first communication method, the communication control method comprising the steps of:

transmitting an instruction signal instructing to learn a beam directionality from the transmitting device to the receiving device in accordance with the first communication method;

transmitting a beam reference signal used for learning the beam directionality from the transmitting device to the receiving device in accordance with the second communication method;

starting reception, in accordance with the second communication method, of the beam reference signal from a certain reception start time point determined based on the received instruction signal that has been received by the receiving device in accordance with the first communication method; and

determining a parameter for specifying a beam having an optimum directionality based on the received beam reference signal in the receiving device,

wherein the second communication method uses millimeter waves for radio communication, and the millimeter waves used for radio communication by the second communication method are of higher in frequency than frequencies used by the first communication method for radio communication, and

wherein the instruction signal contains information that specifies the certain reception start time point which is a time at which the receiving device is to begin receiving the beam reference signal.

13. A communication system comprising a transmitting device and a receiving device respectively including:

a first radio communication unit capable of radio communication, utilizing at least one antenna, in accordance with a first communication method; and

a second radio communication unit capable of radio communication, utilizing at least one antenna, in accordance with a second communication method using millimeter waves and which is different than the first communication method,

wherein

the first radio communication unit of the transmitting device transmits, in accordance with the first communication method, an instruction signal instructing to learn a beam directionality to the receiving device,

the second radio communication unit of the transmitting device transmits, in accordance with the second communication method, a beam reference signal used for learning a beam directionality to the receiving device,

the first radio communication unit of the second device is configured to, upon receiving the instruction signal in accordance with the first communication method, determine a reception start time point of the beam reference signal based on the instruction signal,

the second radio communication unit of the receiving device starts reception, in accordance with the second communication method, of the beam reference signal from the determined reception start time point and determines a parameter value for specifying an optimum beam pattern based on the received beam reference signal,

the millimeter waves used for radio communication by the second communication method are of higher frequency than frequencies used by the first communication method for radio communication,

the instruction signal contains information that specifies the reception start time point which is a time at which the second radio communication unit of the receiving device is to begin receiving the beam reference signal, and

the first radio communication unit and the second radio communication unit are each controlled by at least one processor.