WLAN device with auxiliary receiver chain

• US 9,877,330 B2
• Filed: 05/15/2014
• Issued: 01/23/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Celeno Communications (Israel) Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Celeno Communications (Israel) Ltd.
• Inventors: Shapira, Nir
• Primary Examiner(s): Nawaz, Asad
• Assistant Examiner(s): Belete, Berhanu
• Application Number:
  US14/278,117
• Publication Number:
  US 20140355532A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,349 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3805 with built-in auxiliary receivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/54 based on quality criteria
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/542 using measured or perceived quality
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

A method includes, in a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) device, communicating on a given communication channel using one or more primary transmission/reception (TX/RX) chains. Concurrently with communicating on the given communication channel using the primary TX/RX chains, signal activity is evaluated on one or more alternative communication channels using an auxiliary reception (RX) chain whose hardware is partially shared with one of the primary TX/RX chains.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

in a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) device, tuning one or more primary transmission/reception (TX/RX) chains to a given communication channel;

tuning an auxiliary reception (RX) chain, which shares a common antenna and a common Low-Noise Amplifier (LNA) with a primary TX/RX chain designated from among the primary TX/RX chains, to one or more alternative communication channels using the common antenna and the common LNA;

setting a gain of the common LNA, by;

checking whether signals are received in both the auxiliary RX chain and the primary TX/RX chain, or whether a signal is received in only one of the auxiliary RX chain and the primary TX/RX chain;

when the signals are received in both the auxiliary RX chain and the primary TX/RX chain, setting the gain of the common LNA either based on a first signal received via the common LNA by the primary TX/RX chain on the given communication channel, or based on a second signal received via the common LNA by the auxiliary RX chain on the one or more alternative communication channels;

otherwise, when the signal is received only in the auxiliary RX chain and not in the primary TX/RX chain, setting the gain of the common LNA based on the signal received in the auxiliary RX chain; and

otherwise, when the signal is received only in the primary TX/RX chain and not in the auxiliary RX chain, setting the gain of the common LNA based on the signal received in the primary TX/RX chain; and

after setting the gain of the common LNA, communicating via the common LNA on the given communication channel using the one or more primary TX/RX chains, and concurrently performing signal reception via the common LNA on the one or more alternative communication channels using the auxiliary RX chain.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein performing the signal reception comprises verifying whether radar signals are present on the alternative communication channels.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein performing the signal reception comprises carrying out an off-channel Channel Availability Check (CAC) process.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein performing the signal reception comprises collecting statistical signal activity data on the alternative communication channels.

5. The method according to claim 1, and comprising, in response to an event that warrants switching from the given communication channel, switching the primary TX/RX chains to communicate on an alternative communication channel identified using the auxiliary RX chain as suitable.

6. The method according to claim 1, and comprising generating Local Oscillator (LO) signals for the primary TX/RX chains and for the auxiliary RX chain using respective different first and second frequency sources.

7. The method according to claim 1, and comprising, when the gain of the common LNA is set based on the first signal received in the primary TX/RX chain, compensating for the gain by adjusting a variable-gain element in the auxiliary RX chain.

8. The method according to claim 1, and comprising assigning baseband processing circuitry alternately between the auxiliary RX chain and the primary TX/RX chain, designated from among the primary TX/RX chains.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein assigning the baseband processing circuitry comprises assigning the baseband processing circuitry to the auxiliary RX chain only when no signal is to be processed by the primary TX/RX chain.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein assigning the baseband processing circuitry comprises, in response to detecting a signal in one of the auxiliary RX chain and the primary TX/RX chain, assigning the baseband processing circuitry to process the detected signal.

11. The method according to claim 8, wherein assigning the baseband processing circuitry comprises initially assigning the baseband processing circuitry to the auxiliary RX chain, and, upon detecting a signal in the primary TX/RX chain, re-assigning the baseband processing circuitry to the primary TX/RX chain regardless of whether the auxiliary RX chain is processing signals.

12. The method according to claim 1, and comprising deactivating the auxiliary RX chain while one or more of the primary TX/RX chains are in a transmission mode.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein comprises, for a given alternative communication channel having a first bandwidth, assessing signal activity for multiple sub-channels of the given alternative communication channel, which have a second bandwidth that is smaller than the first bandwidth.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein assessing the signal activity comprises measuring a respective duty cycle of the signal activity in each of the sub-channels.

15. The method according to claim 1, wherein performing the signal reception comprises assessing signal activity on multiple alternative communication channels in parallel using both the auxiliary RX chain and the primary TX/RX chains.

16. A Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) device, comprising:

one or more primary transmission/reception (TX/RX) chains, which are configured to communicate on a given communication channel;

an auxiliary reception (RX) chain, which shares a common antenna and a common Low-Noise Amplifier (LNA) with a primary TX/RX chain designated from among the primary TX/RX chains, and which is configured to receive on one or more alternative communication channels using the common antenna and the common LNA; and

a control unit, which;

tunes the auxiliary RX chain to the one or more alternative communication channels,

tunes the primary TX/RX chains to the given communication channel;

sets a gain of the common LNA, by;

checking whether signals are received in both the auxiliary RX chain and the primary TX/RX chain, or whether a signal is received in only one of the auxiliary RX chain and the primary TX/RX chain;

when the signals are received in both the auxiliary RX chain and the primary TX/RX chain, setting the gain of the common LNA either based on a first signal received via the common LNA by the primary TX/RX chain on the given communication channel, or based on a second signal received via the common LNA by the auxiliary RX chain on the one or more alternative communication channels;

otherwise, when the signal is received only in the auxiliary RX chain and not in the primary TX/RX chain, setting the gain of the common LNA based on the signal received in the auxiliary RX chain; and

otherwise, when the signal is received only in the primary TX/RX chain and not in the auxiliary RX chain, setting the gain of the common LNA based on the signal received in the primary TX/RX chain; and

after setting the gain of the common LNA, communicates via the common LNA on the given communication channel using the one or more primary TX/RX chains, and concurrently performs signal reception via the common LNA on the one or more alternative communication channels using the auxiliary RX chain.

17. The WLAN device according to claim 16, wherein the auxiliary RX chain is configured to verify whether radar signals are present on the alternative communication channels.

18. The WLAN device according to claim 16, wherein the auxiliary RX chain is configured to carry out an off-channel Channel Availability Check (CAC) process.

19. The WLAN device according to claim 16, wherein the auxiliary RX chain is configured to collect statistical signal activity data on the alternative communication channels.

20. The WLAN device according to claim 16, wherein, in response to an event that warrants switching from the given communication channel, the control unit switches the primary TX/RX chains to communicate on an alternative communication channel identified using the auxiliary RX chain as suitable.

21. The WLAN device according to claim 16, and comprising first and second different frequency sources, which are configured to generate Local Oscillator (LO) signals for the primary TX/RX chains and for the auxiliary RX chain, respectively.

22. The WLAN device according to claim 16, wherein, when the gain of the common LNA is set based on the first signal received in the primary TX/RX chain, the control unit compensates for the gain by adjusting a variable-gain element in the auxiliary RX chain.

23. The WLAN device according to claim 16, wherein the control unit assigns baseband processing circuitry alternately between the auxiliary RX chain and the primary TX/RX chain, designated from among the primary TX/RX chains.

24. The WLAN device according to claim 23, wherein the control unit assigns the baseband processing circuitry to the auxiliary RX chain only when no signal is to be processed by the primary TX/RX chain.

25. The WLAN device according to claim 23, wherein the control unit assigns the baseband processing circuitry, in response to detecting a signal in one of the auxiliary RX chain and the primary TX/RX chain, so as to process the detected signal.

26. The WLAN device according to claim 23, wherein the control unit initially assigns the baseband processing circuitry to the auxiliary RX chain, and, upon detecting a signal in the primary TX/RX chain, re-assigns the baseband processing circuitry to the primary TX/RX chain regardless of whether the auxiliary RX chain is processing signals.

27. The WLAN device according to claim 16, wherein the control unit deactivates the auxiliary RX chain while one or more of the primary TX/RX chains are in a transmission mode.

28. The WLAN device according to claim 16, wherein, for a given alternative communication channel having a first bandwidth, the auxiliary RX chain is configured to evaluate signal activity for multiple sub-channels of the given alternative communication channel, which have a second bandwidth that is smaller than the first bandwidth.

29. The WLAN device according to claim 28, wherein the auxiliary RX chain is configured to evaluate the signal activity by measuring a respective duty cycle of the signal activity in each of the sub-channels.

30. The WLAN device according to claim 16, wherein the auxiliary RX chain is configured to assess signal activity on multiple alternative communication channels in parallel using both the auxiliary RX chain and the primary TX/RX chains.