Method and apparatus for beamforming

• US 9,590,744 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2013
• Issued: 03/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Calin, Doru, Kaya, Aliye Ozge, Yang, Kai, Yiu, Simon
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Hai V
• Application Number:
  US14/042,317
• Publication Number:
  US 20140329485A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,254 Days
• Field of Search: 455/1, 380/252, 380/254
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 15/02 Reducing interference from electric apparatus by means located at or near the interfering apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/024 Co-operative use of antennas of several sites, e.g. in co-ordinated multipoint or co-operative multiple-input multiple-output [MIMO] systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0452 Multi-user MIMO systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0617 for beam forming
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 2203/22 for communication related to vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 2203/32 including a particular configuration of antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 2203/34 involving multiple cooperating jammers
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 3/00 Jamming of communication; Counter-measures
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 3/28 with jamming and anti-jamming mechanisms both included in a same device or system, e.g. wherein anti-jamming includes prevention of undesired self-jamming resulting from jamming
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 3/43 characterized by the control of the jamming power, signal-to-noise ratio or geographic coverage area
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 3/45 characterized by including monitoring of the target or target signal, e.g. in reactive jammers or follower jammers for example by means of an alternation of jamming phases and monitoring phases, called "look-through mode"
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 3/825 by jamming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1475 Passive attacks, e.g. eavesdropping or listening without modification of the traffic monitored
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/0431 Key distribution or pre-distribution; Key agreement
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/122 Counter-measures against attacks; Protection against rogue devices

Abstract

An example method of tactical communication is provided. The method includes receiving information indicating a tactical situation associated with a target area. The tactical situation is one of a missile in-flight, an eavesdropper, a signal jammer, and a transceiver located in a zone of interest. The method further includes performing a beamforming process including instructing transmission of a plurality of signaling beams from one or more transmitters toward the target area. The tactical situation may be associated with a foe and the plurality of signaling beams generate interference inhibiting communication with by the foe. The tactical situation may be associated with a friend and the plurality of signaling beams generate decodable signal for enhancing communication with the friend.

Claims

1. A method of tactical communication, the method comprising:

receiving information indicating a tactical situation associated with a target area, wherein the tactical situation is one of a missile in-flight, an eavesdropper, a signal jammer, and a transceiver located in the target area;

performing a beamforming process including instructing transmission of a first set of one or more signaling beams from a first set of one or more transmitters toward the target area;

performing a second beamforming process including instructing transmission of a second set of one or more signaling beams from a second set of one or more transmitters toward the target area; and

simultaneously transmitting (i) the first set of one or more signaling beams from the first set of one or more transmitters toward the target area and (ii) the second set of one or more signaling beams from the second set of one or more transmitters toward the target area, wherein the second set of one or more transmitters is not co-located with the first set of one or more transmitters.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein performing the second beamforming process comprises:

determining the second set of one or more signaling beams of the second set of one or more transmitters according to an algorithm known to the transceiver located in the target area;

explicitly communicating an identity of the second set of one or more signaling beams of the second set of one or more transmitters to the transceiver located in the target area via a well protected channel;

or

conveying the identity of the second set of one or more signaling beams of the second set of one or more transmitters to the transceiver located in the target area using hints or secret codes that are mutually known to the second set of one or more transmitters and the transceiver.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the tactical situation is associated with a first foe, and wherein the plurality first and second sets of signaling beams are for generating interference inhibiting communication by the first foe with a second foe.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the tactical situation is associated with a friend, and wherein the first and second sets of signaling beams are for generating decodable signal for enhancing communication with the friend.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining the target area associated with the tactical situation;

wherein the target area is a present location of the tactical situation or an anticipated future location of the tactical situation.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising at least one of:

determining the first set of one or more transmitters from a set of transmitters available for transmission to the target area;

determining the first set of beams from a set of beams available at the first set of one or more transmitters; and

determining resources from a set of communication resources available to operate on the first set of beams of the first set of one or more transmitters.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the set of communication resources available to operate include one or more physical layer parameters including at least one of a frequency, channel, time, space, power, and a code sequence.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein performing the beamforming process comprises:

performing joint beam scheduling with the first set of one or more transmitters, wherein the first set of one or more transmitters is part of a set of transmitters that are capable of serving the target area.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein performing joint beam scheduling with the first set of one or more transmitters that are capable of serving the target area comprises:

calculating a joint beamforming vector on a per-user basis using at least one of instantaneous channel feedback information or measured channel feedback information.

10. Network equipment for performing the method according to claim 1 in a communication system, the network equipment being configured to communicate with other equipment in the system, the network equipment including a processor and an associated memory unit, the processor configured to:

receive information indicating a tactical situation associated with a target area, wherein the tactical situation is one of a missile in-flight, an eavesdropper, a signal jammer, and a transceiver located in the target area; and

perform a beamforming process including instructing transmission of the first set of one or more signaling beams from the first set of one or more transmitters toward the target area, wherein;

the network equipment further includes the first set of one more transmitters and the second set of one or more transmitters;

the second set of one or more transmitters is not co-located with the first set of one or more transmitters; and

the network equipment is further configured to simultaneously transmit (i) the first set of one or more signaling beams from the one or more transmitters toward the target area and (ii) the second set of one or more signaling beams from the second set of one or more transmitters toward the target area.

11. The network equipment of claim 10 wherein the processor is configured to determine the tactical situation is associated with a first foe, and wherein the first and second sets of signaling beams are for generating interference for inhibiting communication by the first foe with a second foe.

12. The network equipment of claim 10 wherein processor is configured to determine the tactical situation is associated with a friend, and wherein the first and second sets of signaling beams are for generating decodable signal for enhancing communication with the friend.

13. The network equipment of claim 10 wherein processor is configured to determine the target area associated with the tactical situation, wherein the target area is a present location of the tactical situation or an anticipated future location of the tactical situation.

14. The network equipment of claim 10 wherein processor is configured to at least one of:

determine the first set of one or more transmitters from a set of transmitters available for transmission toward the target area;

determine the first set of beams from a set of beams available at the first set of one or more transmitters; and

determine resources from a set of communication resources available for operation of the first set of beams of the first set of one or more transmitters.

15. The network equipment of claim 10 wherein the one or more transmitters are capable of serving the target area, wherein the processor is configured to

perform joint beam scheduling with a set of transceivers that are capable of serving the target area to determine the first set of one or more transmitters;

and

signal a joint beam schedule to the first set of one or more transmitters.

16. The network equipment of claim 10 further comprising the first set of one or more transmitters.

17. The network equipment of claim 10, wherein:

the tactical situation is of a missile in-flight;

the missile in-flight comprises the other equipment in the system; and

the first and second sets of signaling beams from the first and second sets of one or more transmitters are adapted to overcome a jamming attempt of the missile in-flight.

18. The network equipment of claim 10, wherein:

the tactical situation is a missile in-flight; and

the first and second sets of signaling beams from the first and second sets of one or more transmitters are directed toward the missile in-flight and adapted to jam communication with the missile in-flight by a foe.