US 2010/0075607 A1Published application

Method of controlling wireless communication system and wireless communication system

AssigneeNEC Corporation

InventorsKENICHI HOSOYA, Kenichi Maruhashi, Naoyuki Orihashi

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Abstract

A method of controlling a wireless communication system including a plurality of communication devices is disclosed. In the method, firstly, one of the communication devices establishes a fixed beam pattern and transmits a training signal, and another communication device receives the training signal while scanning a beam direction by changing the AWVs of an antenna array. Next, it obtains a data string describing a relation between an incoming direction and a received-signal characteristic at the other communication device based on a reception result of the training signal. Then, it obtains first AWVs with which a beam is formed in a plurality of incoming directions of the received signal based on the data string. The roles of these two communication devices are interchanged and similar processes are performed in order to obtain second AWVs, and then one of AWV combinations combining first and second AWVs are used for wireless communication between these communication devices.

Claims42

Dependent claims

A method of controlling a wireless communication system in which a plurality of communication devices perform communication, each communication device having an antenna array and an array weight vector (hereinafter referred to as AWV) control circuit that changes at least one of an amplitude and a phase of a signal, the signal being transmitted from a plurality of antenna elements constituting the antenna array or received at the plurality of antenna elements,

the method, when independently controls AWVs of at least two antenna elements among the plurality of antenna elements, comprising:
(a) setting a fixed beam pattern in the antenna array possessed by a first communication device included in the plurality of communication devices, and transmitting a training signal from the first communication device;
(b) receiving the training signal in a second communication device included in the plurality of communication devices while scanning a beam direction by changing an AWV of the antenna array possessed by the second communication device;
(c) obtaining a data string describing a relation between an incoming direction and a received-signal characteristic in the second communication device based on a reception result of the training signal;
(d) obtaining first AWVs having a main beam direction or a sub-beam direction in an incoming direction of plural or single signal in the second communication device, the incoming direction of plural or single signal being determined by using the data string;
(e) obtaining second AWVs having a main beam direction or a sub-beam direction in an incoming direction of plural or single signal in the first communication device by carrying out the steps (a) to (d) after the transmitting operation and the receiving operation of the training signal are interchanged between the first and second communication devices;
and
(f) using an AWV combination of one of the first AWVs and one of the second AWVs for communication between the first and second communication devices.

5 more elements

A method of controlling a wireless communication system in which a plurality of communication devices perform communication, each communication device having an antenna array and an array weight vector (AWV) control circuit that changes at least one of an amplitude and a phase of a signal, the signal being transmitted from a plurality of antenna elements constituting the antenna array or received at the plurality of antenna elements,

the method, when independently controls AWVs of at least two antenna elements among the plurality of antenna elements, comprising:
(a) carrying out a receiving operation by a first communication device included in the plurality of communication devices, and setting a fixed beam pattern in an antenna array of the first communication device;
(b) emitting a training signal by a second communication device included in the plurality of communication devices while scanning a beam direction by changing an AWV of an antenna array of the second communication device;
(c) feeding received signal data indicating a reception result of the training signal measured in the first communication device back to the second communication device;
(d) creating a data string describing a relation between an emitting direction of a signal in the second communication device and a received-signal characteristic in the first communication device based on the received signal data;
(e) obtaining first AWVs having a main beam direction or a sub-beam direction in an emitting direction of plural or single signal, the emitting direction of plural or single signal being determined by using the data string;
(f) obtaining second AWVs having a main beam direction or a sub-beam direction in an emitting direction of plural or single signal in the first communication device by carrying out the steps (a) to (e) after the transmitting operation and the receiving operation of the training signal are interchanged between the first and second communication devices;
and
(g) using an AWV combination of one of the first AWVs and one of the second AWVs for communication between the first and second communication devices.

6 more elements

A method of controlling a wireless communication system comprising first and second communication devices,

the first communication device comprising an antenna array and an array weight vector (AWV) control circuit that changes at least one of an amplitude and a phase of a signal, the signal being transmitted from a plurality of antenna elements constituting the antenna array or received at the plurality of antenna elements, the second communication device being configured to use a fixed beam pattern,
the method, when independently controls AWVs of at least two antenna elements among the plurality of antenna elements, comprising:
(a) operating the first communication device for reception and scanning a beam direction by changing an AWV of the antenna array in a state where a training signal is being transmitted from the second communication device;
(b) obtaining a data string describing a relation between an incoming direction and a received-signal characteristic in the first communication device based on a reception result of the training signal;
(c) obtaining first AWVs having a main beam direction or a sub-beam direction in an incoming direction of plural or single signal in the first communication device, the incoming direction of plural or single signal being determined by using the data string;
and
(d) using one of the first AWVs for communication between the first and second communication devices.

4 more elements

A wireless communication system comprising first and second communication devices, each of the first and second communication device comprising an antenna array, an array weight vector (hereinafter referred to as AWV) control circuit that changes at least one of an amplitude and a phase of a signal, the signal being transmitted from a plurality of antenna elements constituting the antenna array or received at the plurality of antenna elements, and a processing unit,

the processing units possessed by the first and second communication device being configured to cooperate with each other to carry out an AWV decision process,
the AWV decision process comprising:
(a) setting a fixed beam pattern in the antenna array possessed by the first communication device, and transmitting a training signal from the first communication device;
(b) receiving the training signal in the second communication device while scanning a beam direction by changing an AWV of the antenna array possessed by the second communication device;
(c) obtaining a data string describing a relation between an incoming direction and a received-signal characteristic in the second communication device based on a reception result of the training signal;
(d) obtaining first AWVs having a main beam direction or a sub-beam direction in an incoming direction of plural or single signal in the second communication device, the incoming direction of plural or single signal being determined by using the data string;
(e) obtaining second AWVs having a main beam direction or a sub-beam direction in an incoming direction of plural or single signal in the first communication device by carrying out the steps (a) to (d) after the transmitting operation and the receiving operation of the training signal are interchanged between the first and second communication devices;
and
(f) using an AWV combination of one of the first AWVs and one of the second AWVs for communication between the first and second communication devices.

6 more elements

the processing units possessed by the first and second communication device being configured to cooperate with each other to carry out an AWV decision process,
the AWV decision process comprising:
(a) carrying out a receiving operation by the first communication device, and setting a fixed beam pattern in an antenna array of the first communication device;
(b) carrying out a transmitting operation by the second communication device and emitting a training signal while scanning a beam direction by changing an AWV of an antenna array of the second communication device;
(c) feeding received signal data indicating a reception result of the training signal measured in the first communication device back to the second communication device;
(d) creating a data string describing a relation between an emitting direction of a signal in the second communication device and a received-signal characteristic in the first communication device based on the received signal data;
(e) obtaining first AWVs having a main beam direction or a sub-beam direction in an emitting direction of plural or single signal, the emitting direction of plural or single signal being determined by using the data string;
(f) obtaining second AWVs having a main beam direction or a sub-beam direction in an emitting direction of plural or single signal in the first communication device by carrying out the steps (a) to (e) after the transmitting operation and the receiving operation of the training signal are interchanged between the first and second communication devices;
and
(g) using an AWV combination of one of the first AWVs and one of the second AWVs for communication between the first and second communication devices.

7 more elements

A wireless communication system comprising:

a first communication device comprising an antenna array, a first processing unit, and an array weight vector (AWV) control circuit that changes at least one of an amplitude and a phase of a signal, the signal being transmitted from a plurality of antenna elements constituting the antenna array or received at the plurality of antenna elements;
and a second communication device configured to use a fixed beam pattern, the second communication device comprising a second processing unit,
the first and second communication device being configured to cooperate with each other to carry out an AWV decision process,
the AWV decision process comprising:
(a) operating the first communication device for reception and scanning a beam direction by changing an AWV of the antenna array in a state where a training signal is being transmitted from the second communication device;
(b) obtaining a data string describing a relation between an incoming direction and a received-signal characteristic in the first communication device based on a reception result of the training signal;
(c) obtaining first AWVs having a main beam direction or a sub-beam direction in an incoming direction of plural or single signal in the first communication device, the incoming direction of plural or single signal being determined by using the data string;
and
(d) using one of the first AWVs for communication between the first and second communication devices.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.