Methods for performing antenna beam scanning

A method of operating an electronic device to communicate with an external device, wherein the electronic device includes control circuitry and at least one phased antenna array that is configured to transmit and receive a steerable beam of millimeter wave signals, the method comprising:

• with the control circuitry, gathering first wireless performance data associated with the millimeter wave signals while the millimeter wave signals are steered in a first direction and determining whether the first wireless performance data satisfies a predetermined wireless performance criterion;
• in response to determining that the first wireless performance data fails to satisfy the predetermined wireless performance criterion, with the control circuitry, steering the millimeter wave signals in a second direction that is adjacent to the first direction, gathering second wireless performance data associated with the millimeter wave signals while the millimeter wave signals are steered in the second direction, and determining whether the second wireless performance data satisfies the predetermined wireless performance criterion, wherein the first direction is the last direction for which successful communications with the external device were performed;
• in response to determining that the second wireless performance data fails to satisfy the predetermined wireless performance criterion, with the control circuitry, steering the millimeter wave signals in a third direction that is different from the first and second directions;
• and
• in response to determining that the second wireless performance data satisfies the predetermined wireless performance criterion, with the control circuitry, controlling the millimeter wave signals to remain steered in the second direction.

An electronic device configured to communicate with an external device, the electronic device comprising:

• a phased antenna array configured to transmit and receive a beam of millimeter wave signals;
• beam steering circuitry coupled to the phased antenna array;
• and
• control circuitry coupled to the beam steering circuitry, wherein the control circuitry is configured to:
• control the beam steering circuitry to place the beam of millimeter wave signals in a first orientation indicative of a first beam sector and to communicate with the external device using the beam of millimeter waves in the first orientation,
• determine whether the beam of millimeter wave signals in the first orientation satisfies a wireless performance criterion,
• perform sector scanning operations by using a set of beam sectors that are progressively distant from the first beam sector and that includes a second beam sector associated with a second orientation in response to determining that the beam of millimeter wave signals in the first orientation fails to satisfy the wireless performance criterion, and
• determine whether the beam of millimeter wave signals in the second orientation satisfies the wireless performance criterion prior to gathering wireless performance data using a remaining portion of the set of beam sectors.