Directional antenna configuration for TDD repeater

• US 7,463,200 B2
• Filed: 11/21/2006
• Issued: 12/09/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Proctor, James A. Jr., Otto, James C., Gainey, Kenneth M., Snyder, Christopher A.
• Primary Examiner(s): PHAN, THO GIA
• Application Number:
  US11/602,455
• Publication Number:
  US 20070117514A1
• Time in Patent Office: 749 Days
• Field of Search: 343/700.MS, 343/725, 343/727, 343/853, 455/25, 455/63.4, 455/269
• US Class Current: 343/700.0MS
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/38 formed by a conductive layer on an insulating support patch antennas H01Q9/0407; microstrip dipole antennas H01Q9/065; microstrip slot antennas H01Q13/106; transmission line microstrip antennas H01Q13/206; manufacturing reflecting surfaces using insulating material for supporting the reflecting surface H01Q15/142
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 19/10 using reflecting surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 7/00 Loop antennas with a substantially uniform current distribution around the loop and having a directional radiation pattern in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the loop
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/1555 Selecting relay station antenna mode, e.g. selecting omnidirectional -, directional beams, selecting polarizations
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/085 Access point devices with remote components

Abstract

A wireless communication node, such as a repeater, including a frequency translating repeater, a physical layer (PHY) repeater, time divisional duplex repeater (TDD) and the like, is configured with a pair of directional patch antennae and an omni-directional antenna. The patch antennae can be selected depending on the orientation of the repeater package to communicate with a station such as an access point or a base station. The omni-directional antenna can be directed toward another station such as a client. The patch antennae and the omni-directional antenna can be orthogonally polarized to increase isolation and reduce electromagnetic coupling. Multiple antennae can be used in multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) configurations.

Claims

1. A wireless communication node in a wireless communication system, the wireless communication node having a receiver portion and a transmitter portion for simultaneously receiving and transmitting, the receiver portion and the transmitter portion tuning over a range of overlapping frequencies, the wireless communication node comprising:

a substantially omni-directional antenna coupled to the receiver portion and the transmitter portion, the substantially omni-directional antenna configured to transmit using the transmitter portion during a first interval; and

a pair of directional antennae coupled to the receiver portion and the transmitter portion, the pair of directional antennae configured to simultaneously receive using the receiver portion while transmitting with the substantially omni-directional antenna using the transmitter portion during the first interval,

wherein the substantially omni-directional antenna is further configured to receive using the receiver portion during a second interval and the pair of directional antennae is further configured to simultaneously transmit using the transmitter portion while receiving with the substantially omni-directional antenna using the receiver portion during the second interval.

2. A wireless communication node according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the pair of directional antennae is configured to be used with a different one of the overlapping frequencies than a one of the overlapping frequencies associated with the substantially omni-directional antenna.

3. A wireless communication node according to claim 1, wherein the pair of directional antennae is associated with a wireless base station and the substantially omni-directional antenna is associated with a wireless client.

4. A wireless communication node according to claim 1, wherein the wireless communication system includes a Wi-Fi system, and the wireless communication node includes a Wi-Fi repeater configured to repeat a signal from a Wi-Fi base station to a Wi-Fi client and from the Wi-Fi client to the base station.

5. A wireless communication node according to claim 1, wherein the wireless communication node includes a physical layer (PHY) repeater.

6. A wireless communication node according to claim 1, wherein the wireless communication node includes a repeater configured to:

repeat a signal from a base station to a client using one of the transmitter portion and the receiver portion during one of the first interval and the second interval, and from the client to the base station using an other of the transmitter portion and the receiver portion during an other of the first interval and the second interval;

generate packets associated with the repeated signal; and

perform a media access control (MAC) layer address operation on one or more of the generated packets.

7. A frequency translating repeater having a receiver and a transmitter for simultaneously receiving and transmitting, the repeater comprising:

a substantially omni-directional antenna coupled to the receiver and the transmitter, the transmitter configured to transmit using the substantially omni-directional antenna during a first repeating interval; and

a pair of directional patch antennae coupled to the receiver and the transmitter, the receiver configured to simultaneously receive using the pair of directional patch antennae while transmitting during the first repeating interval,

wherein the receiver is further configured to receive using the substantially omni-directional antenna during a second repeating interval, and the transmitter is further configured to simultaneously transmit using the pair of directional patch antennae while receiving during the second repeating interval.

8. A frequency translating repeater according to claim 7, wherein the substantially omni-directional antenna is configured to operate on a different frequency from a frequency associated with the pair of directional patch antennae.

9. A frequency translating repeater according to claim 7, further comprising an antenna switch configured to select one of the pair of directional patch antennae for use during the first repeating interval.

10. A frequency translating repeater according to claim 7, further comprising an antenna switch configured to select one of the pair of directional patch antennae for use during the first repeating interval, the selection of the one of the pair of directional patch antennae based on a quality metric associated with a transmission received during an initial configuration interval.

11. A frequency translating repeater according to claim 7, further comprising an antenna switch configured to select one of the pair of directional patch antennae for use during the first repeating interval, the selection of the one of the pair of directional patch antennae based on a quality metric associated with a transmission received during a periodic evaluation interval.

12. A frequency translating repeater according to claim 7, further comprising an antenna switch and a processor, the antenna switch configured to select one of the pair of directional patch antennae for use during the first repeating interval, the selection based on a criteria evaluated using the processor.

13. A frequency translating repeater according to claim 7, including a physical layer (PHY) repeater.

14. A frequency translating repeater according to claim 7, configured to:

repeat a signal from a base station to a client during one of the first repeating interval and the second repeating interval, and from the client to the base station during an other of the first repeating interval and the second repeating interval;

generate packets associated with the repeated signal; and

perform a media access control (MAC) layer addressing operation on one or more of the generated packets.

15. A frequency translating repeater according to claim 7, wherein the repeater, the substantially omni-directional antenna and the pair of directional patch antennae are integrated into an array unit and are enclosed together in a compact housing.

16. A frequency translating repeater according to claim 7, further comprising an electrical plug plugging into an electrical socket, wherein the repeater, the substantially omni-directional antenna, the pair of directional patch antennae and the electrical plug are integrated into an array unit and are enclosed together in a compact housing.

17. A frequency translating repeater according to claim 7, wherein the repeater, the substantially omni-directional antenna and the pair of directional patch antennae are integrated into an array unit and are enclosed together in a compact housing, the compact housing configured for placement on a working surface and for orientation for minimal interaction with a nearby surface other than the work surface.

18. An integrated antenna array in a wireless communication node, the integrated antenna array comprising:

a substrate having a first end portion and a second end portion and side portions opposite each other, the substrate including a ground plane and circuitry associated with the wireless communication node;

a first patch antenna element located over a first one of the side portions of the substrate on the first end thereof;

a second patch antenna element located over a second one of the side portions of the substrate on the first end thereof, the first and second patch antenna elements having the same polarization;

a substantially omni-directional antenna element located on the second end of the substrate apart from the first end, the substantially omni-directional antenna element having a polarization orthogonal to the polarization of the first and the second patch antenna elements.

19. An integrated antenna array according to claim 18, further comprising a conductive barrier coupled to the substrate between the first end and the second end, the conductive barrier modifying a pattern of at least one of the first and the second patch antenna elements and the substantially omni-directional antenna element so as to increase isolation between the first and the second patch antenna elements and the substantially omni-directional antenna element.

20. An integrated antenna array according to claim 18, wherein the first and the second patch antenna elements are constructed from printed circuit board (PCB) material.

21. An integrated antenna array according to claim 18, wherein the first and the second patch antenna elements are constructed from one of stamped metal and cut metal.

22. An integrated antenna array according to claim 18, wherein the wireless communication node is configured to operate in one of a Wi-Max system, a Wi-Bro system, an 802.16 system, an 802.20 system, a TDD wireless system.

23. An integrated antenna array according to claim 18, further comprising a receiver portion and a transmitter portion, wherein the first and the second patch antenna elements and the substantially omni-directional antenna element are coupled to the receiver portion and the transmitter portion and wherein the transmitter portion and the receiver portion are configured to independently transmit and receive respectively on any of the first and the second patch antenna elements and the substantially omni-directional antenna element.

24. An integrated antenna array according to claim 18, wherein the wireless communication node is located in a multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO)-based access point (AP).

25. An integrated antenna array according to claim 18, wherein the wireless communication node is located in a multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO)-based client.

26. An integrated antenna array according to claim 18, further comprising multiple ones of the first and the second patch antenna elements and the substantially omni-directional antenna element for operation in a multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO)-based system.