AUTOMATIC POSITIONING OF DIVERSITY ANTENNA ARRAY

• US 20110143673A1
• Filed: 12/15/2010
• Published: 06/16/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Direct-Beam Inc.
• Original Assignee: Direct-Beam Inc.
• Inventors: Landesman, Lior, Marom, Erez
• Application Number:
  US12/968,710
• Publication Number:
  US 20110143673A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/63.1
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/1257 using the received signal strength

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention provide an antenna system for connecting to a wireless device through a communication link. The antenna system comprising an antenna array configured to pre-scan frequency bands of radio signals in a plurality of antenna array directions, a transceiver connected to the antenna array. The transceiver is configured to analyze the signals received from the antenna array to obtain one or more parameters from one or more MIMO channels of the antenna array, and transmit the one or more parameters to the antenna controller. Further, the antenna system comprises a platform connected to the antenna array, wherein the platform is configured to position the antenna array, and a motor controller connected to the platform. The motor controller is configured to receive one or more position signals from the device, wherein the position signals correspond to a pre-scanned performance level of the communication link based on the parameters, and control the position of the antenna array by rotating the platform based on the position signals.

Claims

1. An antenna system for connecting to one or more wireless devices through one or more wireless communication links, the antenna system comprising:

an antenna array configured to pre-scan one or more frequency bands of radio signals in a plurality of antenna positions;

a transceiver connected to the antenna array, wherein the transceiver is configured to;

analyze the radio signals received from the antenna array to obtain one or more parameters from one or more MIMO channels of said antenna array; and

transmit the one or more parameters to the client devices through data interface;

a platform connected to the antenna array, wherein the platform is configured to position the antenna array; and

a motor controller connected to the platform, wherein the motor controller is configured to;

receive one or more position signals from the client device, wherein the position signals correspond to a pre-scanned performance level of the wireless communication links between the antenna system and the one or more wireless devices, said performance level is based on the one or more parameters; and

control a position of the antenna array by rotating the platform based on the position signals.

2. The antenna system of claim 1, wherein the antenna array comprises a plurality of directional antennas.

3. The antenna system of claim 2, wherein the plurality of directional antennas cover different frequency bands.

4. The antenna system of claim 2, wherein the directional antennas are aligned at an angle of between 0 and 360 degrees to each other.

5. The antenna system of claim 1, wherein the antenna array comprises at least one omni-directional antenna.

6. The antenna system of claim 1, wherein the antenna array operates according to at least one of a Wi-Fi, a 3G, a Long Term Evolution (LTE), or a WiMax standard.

7. The antenna system of claim 1, wherein the antenna system is configured to interface with at least one topology of a Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO), a Single-Input Multiple-Output (SIMO), a Single-Input Single-Output (SISO), a CO-Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (CO-MIMO), a Net-MIMO, an ad-hoc MIMO, a multi-user MIMO, or a combination thereof.

8. The antenna system of claim 1, wherein the motor controller is further configured to move the antenna array according to one of a linear path or a spiral path towards the position corresponding to the pre-scanned performance level.

9. The antenna system of claim 1, wherein the one or more parameters from one or more MIMO channels include at least one of a Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI), a Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR), a Carrier to Interference Noise Ratio (CINR), a speed, a throughput, a Service Set Identifier (SSID), or a combination thereof.

10. The antenna system of claim 1,

wherein the client device comprises an antenna controller configured to calculate a position of the antenna array based on the one or more parameters from one or more MIMO channels,

wherein the position of the antenna array has a corresponding a pre-scanned performance level of the wireless communication link.

11. The antenna system of claim 1, wherein the antenna system is connected through data interface to the client device through at least one of a Universal Serial Bus (USB) interface, an Ethernet interface, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or Wireless USB.

12. The antenna system of claim 1, wherein the pre-scanned performance level is selected based on at least one of signal strength, a bandwidth, a speed, or a priority of service of one or more wireless devices to be connected to the antenna system.

13. A wireless device, comprising:

an antenna controller configured to analyze one or more parameters of radio signals, wherein the antenna controller selects a pre-scanned performance level based on one or more parameters from one or more MIMO channels of a communication link;

an antenna array configured to scan one or more frequency bands of radio signals in a plurality of antenna positions;

a transceiver connected to the antenna array, wherein the transceiver is configured to;

analyze the signals received from the antenna array for the one or more parameters; and

transmit the one or more parameters to the antenna controller;

a platform connected to the antenna array, wherein the platform is configured to position the antenna array; and

a motor controller connected to the platform, wherein the motor controller is configured to;

receive one or more position signals from the antenna controller, wherein the position signals correspond to a pre-scanned performance level of the communication link based on the one or more parameters; and

control a position of the antenna array by rotating the platform based on the position signals.

14. The wireless device of claim 13, wherein the antenna array comprises a plurality of directional antennas.

15. The wireless device of claim 14, wherein directional antennas cover different frequency bands.

16. The wireless device of claim 14, wherein the directional antennas are aligned at an angle of between 0 and 360 degrees to each other.

17. The wireless device of claim 13, wherein the antenna array comprises at least one omni-directional antenna.

18. The wireless device of claim 13, wherein the motor controller moves the antenna array according to one of a linear path or a spiral path towards the position corresponding to a pre-scanned performance level.

19. The wireless device of claim 13, wherein the antenna controller is further configured to position the antenna array based on a change in at least one of a direction, position, or orientation of the wireless communication device.

20. A method for positioning an antenna array to be connected to a wireless device through a wireless link, comprising:

pre-scanning for one or more radio signals by an antenna array in a plurality of antenna positions;

analyzing, by a transceiver, the signals received from the antenna array to obtain one or more parameters from one or more MIMO channels of said antenna array;

transmitting, by the transceiver, the one or more parameters to the antenna controller, wherein a pre-scanned performance level may be selected based on the one or more parameters;

receiving, by the motor controller, one or more position signals from the antenna controller for controlling a position of the antenna array, wherein the position of the antenna array corresponds to the pre-scanned performance level of the wireless communication link; and

positioning the antenna array by the motor controller based on the one or more position signals.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising analyzing the one or more parameters from one or more MIMO channels by an antenna controller to generate information encoding the position of the antenna array.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the scanning is performed according to one of a linear path or a spiral path towards the position corresponding to a pre-scanned performance level.