Mitigating co-channel interference in multi-radio devices

• US 9,843,110 B2
• Filed: 10/29/2015
• Issued: 12/12/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Spiel, Seth Brandon
• Primary Examiner(s): MANCUSO, HUEDUNG XUAN CAO
• Application Number:
  US14/927,012
• Publication Number:
  US 20170125920A1
• Time in Patent Office: 775 Days
• Field of Search: 343836, 343837
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/521 reducing the coupling between adjacent antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 15/14 Reflecting surfaces; Equivalent structures electromagnetic shields H01Q1/526
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 19/10 using reflecting surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/28 Combinations of substantially independent non-interacting antenna units or systems multiple beam H01Q25/00

Abstract

In one implementation, an apparatus includes: a first reflector portion having a first mount for a first antenna that is configured to operate in a first frequency range, where the first mount characterizes an emission point of a main lobe of the first antenna; and a second reflector portion having a second mount for a second antenna that is configured to operate in a second frequency range that overlaps the first frequency range, where the second mount characterizes an emission point of a main lobe of the second antenna. The second reflector portion is arranged relative to the first reflector portion in order to satisfy a near-field interference isolation criterion between the first and second antennae. In some implementations, the distance between the antenna mounts is less than a distance between the antenna mounts arranged in a plane due to increased spatial diversity between the first and second antennae.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a first reflector portion having a first mount for a first antenna that is configured to operate in a first frequency range, wherein the first mount characterizes an emission point of a main lobe of the first antenna; and

a second reflector portion having a second mount for a second antenna that is configured to operate in a second frequency range that overlaps the first frequency range, wherein the second mount characterizes an emission point of a main lobe of the second antenna;

wherein the first reflector portion is at least in part arranged in a first plane and the second reflector portion is at least in part arranged in a second plane that is different from the first plane in order to satisfy a near-field interference isolation criterion between the first and second antennae, and a first distance between the first and second mounts is less than a second distance between the first and second antenna mounts arranged in the first plane due to increased spatial diversity between the first and second antennae.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first plane characterizing the first reflector portion is offset from and parallel to the second plane characterizing the second reflector portion, wherein the offset is set in order to satisfy the near-field interference isolation criterion between the first and second antennae.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second plane characterizing the second reflector portion intersects the first plane characterizing the first reflector portion at an angle, wherein the angle is set in order to satisfy the near-field interference isolation criterion between the first and second antennae.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the first plane is characterized by at least one of a tangential plane relative to a point on the first reflector portion and the first reflector portion resides in the first plane; and

the second plane is characterized by at least one of a tangential plane relative to a point on the second reflector portion and the second reflector portion resides in the second plane.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

a direction of the main lobe of the first antenna is perpendicular to and away from the first plane; and

a direction of the main lobe of the second antenna is perpendicular to and away from the second plane.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first and second reflector portions are coupled to form a common ground plane.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a third reflector portion having a third mount for a third antenna that is configured to operate in a third frequency range that overlaps the first frequency range, wherein the third mount characterizes an emission point of a main lobe of the third antenna;

wherein the third reflector portion is arranged relative to at least the first reflector portion in order to satisfy a near-field interference isolation criterion between the first and third antennae, wherein the distance between the third and first mounts is less than a distance between the third and first mounts arranged in the plane due to increased spatial diversity between the first and third antennae.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein:

the first, second, and third reflector portions reside in respective offset, parallel planes;

a first offset between the first and second reflectors portions is set in order to satisfy the near-field interference isolation criterion between the first and second antennae; and

a second offset between the first and third reflectors portions are set in order to satisfy the near-field interference isolation criterion between the first and third antennae.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein:

the first reflector portion resides the first plane; and

the second and third reflector portions reside in the second plane, wherein the second plane is parallel to and offset from the first plane, wherein the offset is set in order to satisfy the near-field interference isolation criterion between the first and second antennae.

10. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein:

the second plane characterizing the second reflector portion intersects the first plane characterizing the first reflector portion at a first angle, wherein the first angle is set in order to satisfy the near-field interference isolation criterion between the first and second antennae; and

a third plane characterizing the third reflector portion intersects the first plane characterizing the first reflector portion at a second angle, wherein the second angle is set in order to satisfy the near-field interference isolation criterion between the first and third antennae.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first antenna operates in at least one additional frequency range distinct from the first frequency range.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first antenna comprises one of:

two receive chains and two transmit chains in order to support two spatial streams;

three receive chains and three transmit chains in order to support three spatial streams; and

four receive chains and four transmit chains in order to support four spatial streams.

13. A device comprising:

a substrate having one or more electrical components;

a first reflector portion having a first mount for a first antenna configured to operate in a first frequency range, wherein the first mount characterizes an emission point of a main lobe of the first antenna; and

a second reflector portion having a second mount for a second antenna configured to operate in a second frequency range that overlaps the first frequency range, wherein the second mount characterizes an emission point of a main lobe of the second antenna;

wherein the second reflector portion is arranged relative to the first reflector portion in order to satisfy a near-field interference isolation criterion between the first and second antennae, and wherein the distance between the first and second mounts is less than a distance between the first and second mounts arranged in a plane due to increased spatial diversity between the first and second antennae.

14. The device of claim 13, further comprising:

the first and second antennae.

15. The device of claim 13, wherein the first and second reflector portions form at least a portion of an enclosure configured to house at least a portion of the substrate.

16. The device of claim 13, wherein:

the first reflector portion is defined by a first plane; and

the second reflector portion is defined by a second plane.

17. The device claim 16, wherein the first plane characterizing the first reflector portion is offset from and parallel to the second plane characterizing the second reflector portion, wherein the offset is set in order to satisfy the near-field interference isolation criterion between the first and second antennae.

18. The device of claim 16, wherein the second plane characterizing the second reflector portion intersects the first plane characterizing the first reflector portion at an angle, wherein the angle is set in order to satisfy the near-field interference isolation criterion between the first and second antennae.

19. A system comprising:

a first reflector portion having a first mount for a first antenna configured to operate in a first frequency range, wherein the first mount characterizes an emission point of a main lobe of the first antenna;

a second reflector portion having a second mount for a second antenna configured to operate in a second frequency range that overlaps the first frequency range, wherein the second mount characterizes an emission point of a main lobe of the second antenna; and

the first and second antennae;

wherein the first reflector portion is at least in part arranged in a first plane and the second reflector portion is at least in part arranged in a second plane that is different from the first plane in order to satisfy a near-field interference isolation criterion between the first and second antennae, and wherein a first distance between the first and second mounts is less than a second distance between the first and second mounts arranged in the first plane due to increased spatial diversity between the first and second antennae.