Multiple input and multiple output communication apparatus and channel scanning method thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10044416-B2
Application number	US-32544606-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 5, 2006
Priority date	Jan 31, 2005
Publication date	Aug 7, 2018
Grant date	Aug 7, 2018

Abstract

A MIMO communication apparatus and a channel scanning method thereof that can reduce a channel scanning time are provided. The channel scanning method includes receiving an input request for channel scanning, and scanning for a plurality of channels simultaneously by independently using a plurality of antennas in accordance with the input request. The apparatus includes a control unit which designates channels for scanning; a frame generating unit which generates a search frame if the channel scanning is active scanning; and a transceiver unit which includes a plurality of antennas and which assigns the channels designated by the control unit to the plurality of antennas, transmits the search frame generated by the frame generating unit through the plurality of antennas, and receives a response frame to the transmitted search frame; wherein the transceiver unit assigns different channels to the plurality of antennas, respectively.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
assigning a first antenna to scan a first channel and a second antenna to scan a second channel, among a plurality of antennas,
wherein when a scanning is an active scanning, the method further comprises:
generating a first search frame in order to scan the first channel and a second search frame in order to scan the second channel;
scanning the first channel and the second channel by simultaneously transmitting the first search frame to the first channel and the second search frame to the second channel; and
receiving at least one among a first response frame in response to the first search frame using the first antenna and a second response frame in response to the second search frame using the second antenna,
wherein the first channel is individually scanned by transmitting the first search frame by the first antenna to the first channel, and the second channel is individually scanned by transmitting the second search frame by the second antenna to the second channel,
wherein if there exists a channel, among the first channel and the second channel assigned to the first antenna and the second antenna, over which a reception event occurs,
the scanning the first channel and the second channel further comprises:
assigning a third channel to an antenna among the first antenna and the second antenna that is assigned to the channel over which the reception event occurred, wherein the reception event is receiving the at least one among the first response frame and the second response frame, and
transmitting a new search frame through the antenna assigned to the third channel,

wherein when the scanning is a passive scanning, the method further comprises:
waiting to receive a beacon frame through the first antenna and the second antenna,
when there exists a channel among the first channel and the second channel assigned to the first antenna and the second antenna over which the reception event occurs, assigning the third channel to the antenna assigned to the channel over which the reception event occurred; and
waiting to receive the beacon frame through the antenna assigned to the third channel,
wherein the reception event is receiving the beacon frame or not receiving the beacon frame for a threshold time.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein if there exists an antenna, among the first antenna and the second antenna, which carries out single input single output (SISO) communication, the scanning the first channel and the second channel
is performed by using at least one another antenna not carrying out the SISO communication, among the plurality of antennas.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein available channels of a network are determined as a search result of the scanning.

4. An apparatus comprising:
at least one processor configured to scan a first channel using a first antenna and to scan a second channel using a second antenna, among a plurality of antennas,
wherein when a scanning is an active scanning:
the at least one processor is further configured to generate a first search frame in order to scan the first channel and a second search frame in order to scan the second channel, and to control a transceiver unit to transmit the first search frame and the second search frame simultaneously and receive at least one among a first response frame in response to the first search frame using the first antenna and a second response frame in response to the second search frame using the second antenna,
wherein the first channel is individually scanned by transmitting the first search frame by the first antenna to the first channel, and the second channel is individually scanned by transmitting the second search frame by the second antenna to the second channel,
wherein if there exists a channel among the first channel and the second channel assigned to the first antenna and the second antenna, over which a reception event occurs, the at least one processor is further configured to designate a third channel, to which the channel over which the reception event occurred is to be switched, and to control the transceiver unit to assign the third channel to the antenna which was assigned to the channel over which the reception event occurred and transmit a new search frame through the antenna assigned to the third channel,
wherein the reception event is receiving the at least one among the first response frame and the second response frame,

wherein when the scanning is a passive scanning:
the at least one processor is further configured to control the transceiver unit to wait to receive a beacon frame through the first antenna and the second antenna,
when there exists a channel among the first channel and the second channel assigned to the first antenna and the second antenna over which the reception event occurs, the transceiver unit is further configured to assign the third channel to the antenna assigned to the channel over which the reception event occurred and wait to receive the beacon frame through the antenna assigned to the third channel,
wherein the reception event is receiving the beacon frame or not receiving the beacon frame for a threshold time.

5. The apparatus as claimed in claim 4 , wherein if there exists an antenna, among the first antenna and the second antenna, which carries out single input single output (SISO) communication, the at least one processor is further configured to scan the first channel and the second channel by using at least another antenna not carrying out the SISO communication, among the plurality of antennas.

6. The apparatus as claimed in claim 4 , wherein available channels of a network are determined as a search result of the channel scanning.

Assignees

• Kwon Chang Yeul
• Kim Jae Hwa
• Yang Chil Yeul
• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kwon Chang-Yeul
• Kim Jae-Hwa
• Yang Chil-Yeul

Classifications

• A47J45/07

  of detachable type (separate handles, {devices for gripping hot cooking utensils} A47J45/10) · CPC title

• A47J43/075

  Safety devices · CPC title

• A47J27/002 Primary

  Construction of cooking-vessels; Methods or processes of manufacturing specially adapted for cooking-vessels · CPC title

• H04B7/0868

  Hybrid systems, i.e. switching and combining · CPC title

• H04B7/0686

  Hybrid systems, i.e. switching and simultaneous transmission · CPC title