Systems/methods of spatial multiplexing

• US 9,374,746 B1
• Filed: 01/15/2014
• Issued: 06/21/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Odyssey Wireless, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Odyssey Wireless, Inc.
• Inventors: Karabinis, Peter D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lai, Andrew
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lee, Andrew C
• Application Number:
  US14/155,538
• Publication Number:
  US 20160157146A1
• Time in Patent Office: 888 Days
• Field of Search: 370/210, 370/329, 370/332, 370/334, 370/400
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/102 Power radiated at antenna
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0408 using two or more beams, i.e. beam diversity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2613 Structure of the reference signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0023 Time-frequency-space
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/03 Protecting confidentiality, e.g. by encryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/026 Multicasting of data during hand-off
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/08 Reselecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/30 by measured or perceived connection quality data

Abstract

Responsive to a first orientation of a first device relative to a second device, a first element of a signaling alphabet is used to convey information to/from the first device while a second element of the signaling alphabet is precluded from usage to convey information to/from the first device while said second element is being used to convey information to/from the second device. Moreover, responsive to a second orientation of the first device relative to the second device, the first element and the second element of the signaling alphabet are used to convey information to/from the first device while said first and second elements are also being used to convey information to/from the second device. Systems/methods relating to smart antennas are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A system having a processor that is configured to control the system to perform operations comprising:

providing first wireless communications to a first device and second wireless communications to a second device concurrently with the first wireless communications to the first device;

responsive to a first orientation between the first device and the second device, using alphabet element discrimination to provide the first wireless communications and the second wireless communications to the first device and the second device, respectively, by using a first alphabet element to communicate with the first device and refraining from using a second alphabet element to communicate with the first device while the second alphabet element is being used to communicate with the second device;

responsive to a second orientation between the first device and the second device, using antenna pattern discrimination to provide the first wireless communications and the second wireless communications to the first device and the second device, respectively, and using the first alphabet element and the second alphabet element to communicate with the first device via a first antenna pattern that is formed by an antenna of the system and using the first alphabet element and the second alphabet element to communicate with the second device co-frequency with the communications of the first device via a second antenna pattern that is formed by the antenna of the system;

responsive to the second orientation between the first device and the second device, providing a gain by the first antenna pattern in a direction associated with the first device that exceeds a gain provided by the first antenna pattern in a direction associated with the second device; and

providing a gain by the second antenna pattern in a direction associated with the second device that exceeds a gain provided by the second antenna pattern in a direction associated with the first device; and

changing at least one of the first antenna pattern and the second antenna pattern responsive to a change in said second orientation between the first device and the second device;

wherein the second orientation between the first device and the second device comprises a distance between the first device and the second device that is greater than a distance between the first device and the second device corresponding to said first orientation between the first device and the second device.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the system further comprises a plurality of components that are connected to one another and are configured to function in synchronism with one another so as to provide:

a level of interference at a receiver that is lower than a level of interference that would have been provided at the receiver absent the plurality of components being connected to one another and configured to function in synchronism with one another; and

/or

a communications capacity that is higher than a communications capacity that would have been provided absent the plurality of components being connected to one another and configured to function in synchronism with one another.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein said plurality of components comprises a plurality of antennas;

wherein each antenna of the plurality of antennas is configured to radiate a fraction of an aggregate power that is radiated by the plurality of antennas so as to provide at the receiver an increased signal-to-noise ratio and/or an increased signal-to-interference ratio compared to a respective signal-to-noise ratio and/or a signal-to-interference ratio that would have been provided at the receiver absent the plurality of components being connected to one another and configured to function in synchronism with one another.

4. The system according to claim 3, wherein N replicas of a signal are transmitted by N respective antennas such that the N replicas of the signal arrive at the receiver coherently to one another and add on a voltage basis with one another;

wherein N>

2.

5. The system according to claim 2, wherein the system comprises a base station and wherein the receiver is included in a first radioterminal that is configured to communicate with the base station;

wherein the system is configured to command the first radioterminal to use a first waveform of a signaling alphabet to communicate with the base station and to refrain from using a second waveform of the signaling alphabet that is being used by a second radioterminal, responsive to a first orientation of the first radioterminal relative to the second radioterminal; and

wherein the system is further configured to command the first radioterminal to use the first waveform of the signaling alphabet and the second waveform of said signaling alphabet to communicate with the base station while said first waveform of the signaling alphabet and said second waveform of said signaling alphabet are also being used by the second radioterminal, responsive to a second orientation of the first radioterminal relative to the second radioterminal.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the system is further configured to command a radioterminal to preferentially communicate with an access point when proximate thereto and to refrain from communicating with a base station when proximate to the access point even though the radioterminal is able to communicate with the base station when proximate to the access point.

7. A method comprising:

providing first wireless communications to a first device and providing second wireless communications to a second device concurrently with the first wireless communications that are provided to the first device;

using alphabet element discrimination responsive to a first orientation between the first device and the second device and providing the first wireless communications and the second wireless communications to the first device and the second device, respectively, by using a first alphabet element to communicate with the first device and refraining from using a second alphabet element to communicate with the first device while the second alphabet element is being used to communicate with the second device;

using antenna pattern discrimination responsive to a second orientation between the first device and the second device and providing the first wireless communications and the second wireless communications to the first and second devices, respectively, by using the first alphabet element and the second alphabet element to communicate with the first device via a first antenna pattern and using the first alphabet element and the second alphabet element to communicate with the second device co-frequency with the communications of the first device via a second antenna pattern;

changing at least one of the first antenna pattern and the second antenna pattern responsive to a change in said second orientation between the first device and the second device; and

providing a gain by the first antenna pattern in a direction associated with the first device responsive to the second orientation between the first device and the second device, that exceeds a gain provided by the first antenna pattern in a direction associated with the second device; and

providing a gain by the second antenna pattern in a direction associated with the second device that exceeds a gain provided by the second antenna pattern in a direction associated with the first device;

wherein the second orientation between the first device and the second device comprises a distance between the first device and the second device that is greater than a distance between the first device and the second device corresponding to said first orientation.

8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising:

providing a plurality of components; and

synchronizing the plurality of components so as to provide;

a level of interference at a receiver that is lower than a level of interference that would have been provided at the receiver absent said synchronizing; and

/or

a communications capacity that is greater than a communications capacity that would have been provided absent said synchronizing.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein said plurality of components comprises a plurality of antennas;

the method further comprising;

radiating by each antenna of the plurality of antennas a fraction of an aggregate power that is radiated by the plurality of antennas; and

providing at the receiver an increased signal-to-noise ratio and/or an increased signal-to-interference ratio compared to a signal-to-noise ratio and/or a signal-to-interference ratio that would have been provided at the receiver absent said synchronizing.

10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising:

transmitting N replicas of a signal by N respective antennas;

receiving at the receiver the N replicas of the signal coherently with one another; and

adding on a voltage basis the N replicas of the signal that are received coherently with one another at the receiver;

wherein N>

2.

11. The method according to claim 8, wherein the method is performed by a system that includes a base station and wherein the receiver is included in a first radioterminal that is configured to communicate with the base station;

the method further comprising;

commanding the first radioterminal to use a first waveform of a signaling alphabet to communicate with the base station and to refrain from using a second waveform of the signaling alphabet that is being used by a second radioterminal, responsive to a first orientation of the first radioterminal relative to the second radioterminal; and

commanding the first radioterminal to use the first waveform and the second waveform of said signaling alphabet to communicate with the base station while said first waveform and said second waveform are also being used by the second radioterminal, responsive to a second orientation of the first radioterminal relative to the second radioterminal.

12. The method according to claim 7, further comprising:

configuring a radioterminal to preferentially communicate with an access point when the radioterminal is proximate thereto; and

configuring the radioterminal to refrain from communicating with a base station when proximate to the access point even though the radioterminal is able to communicate with the base station when proximate to the access point.

13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising:

configuring the radioterminal to communicate with the access point and with the base station;

providing diversity, added communications link robustness and/or a make before break connection by said configuring the radioterminal to communicate with the access point and with the base station; and

handing-over communications from the access point to the base station or from the base station to the access point.