Method and apparatus for reducing transient impacts of beam switching in a switched beam antenna system
AssigneeInterDigital Technology Corporation
InventorsSudheer A. Grandhi, Janet Stern-Berkowitz
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for reducing transient impacts of beam switching in a switched beam antenna system are disclosed. A switch beam antenna system generates a plurality of beams in a predefined beam pattern and switches the current beam position to one of the plurality of predefined beams in accordance with measurement results for each of the beams. Quality of signals is periodically measured for each of the plurality of predefined beams, and the best beam is determined. The current beam is switched to either the best beam or an intermediate beam in accordance with the separation between the best beam and the current beam.
Claims16
A method for reducing impact of transition due to switching a beam from one beam to another while using an antenna capable of generating a plurality of beams, the method comprising:
- measuring a quality of signals for each of a plurality of beams while switching a beam from one beam to another;
- selecting a beam with a best signal quality;
- determining a degree of separation between a current beam and the selected beam;
- switching the current beam to the selected beam directly if the degree of separation is less than a predetermined threshold, otherwise switching the current beam to the selected beam via at least one intermediate beam between the current beam and the selected beam.
An apparatus for reducing the impact of transition due to switching a beam from one beam to another while using an antenna capable of generating a plurality of beams, the apparatus comprising:
- an antenna configured to generate a plurality of beams;
- a beam steering unit configured to control the antenna to steer a beam to one of the plurality of beams;
- a measurement unit configured to measure a quality of signals for each of the plurality of beams;
- and
- a controller configured to select a beam with a best signal quality among the plurality of beams, and control the beam steering unit to switch a current beam to the selected beam directly if a degree of separation between the current beam and the selected beam is less than a predetermined threshold, otherwise, switch the current beam to the selected beam via at least one intermediate beam between the current beam and the selected beam.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.