Aimable beam antenna system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11069975-B1
Application number	US-202016846670-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Apr 13, 2020
Priority date	Apr 13, 2020
Publication date	Jul 20, 2021
Grant date	Jul 20, 2021

Abstract

A system that improves wireless communication between a wireless base station and a plurality of remote wireless computing user devices (UEs) based on aiming downlink wireless signals from a base station in a beam shaped waveform in a determined direction for each remote UE that is identified as allocated a time period for communication with the base station according to a schedule. The system includes different types of components may be employed to implement various functions, including an angle of arrival (AoA) detector component, a downlink protocol decoder component, and an antenna controller component. The AoA detector component may be employed to monitor one or more radio frequency (RF) wireless signals radiated by UEs that are communicating with the base station in accordance with an allocation schedule.

First claim

What is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A device for providing communication of wireless signals with a plurality of user devices (UE), comprising:
a downlink protocol detector component that monitors wireless signals communicated by a base station to identify and decode a protocol for wireless control signals included in the monitored wireless signals, wherein the decoded protocol for the wireless control signals is used to separately identify each UE and determine an allocation schedule that includes allocated transmit/receive time periods in the allocation schedule for each identified UE to communicate wireless signals between the base station and each identified UE;
an angle of arrival (AoA) detector component that uses the allocation schedule to determine an azimuth and an elevation for uplink wireless signals that are communicated by each identified UE to the base station during each identified UE's allocated transmit/receive time period;
an antenna controller component that employs the allocated transmit/receive time period in the allocation schedule and the determined azimuth and the determined elevation for each identified UE to arrange a beam antenna to multiplex generation of a beam in a determined direction of each identified UE based on downlink wireless signals communicated by the base station to each identified UE; and
a controller that performs actions, including managing operation of one or more of the downlink protocol detector component, the AoA detector component, and the antenna controller component to provide an increase in downlink wireless signals that are received by one or more identified UEs over time.

2. The device of claim 1 , further comprising one or more of:
an interface provided by the device that is directly coupled to the base station, wherein the interface provides communication of the wireless signals between the device and the base station; or
an RF input that is physically connected to a radio frequency (RF) downlink port of the base station, wherein the physical connection includes one or more of a waveguide, a coaxial cable, or another conductive component that is arranged to communicate wireless signals between the RF input and the RF downlink port.

3. The device of claim 1 , wherein the controller performs further actions, comprising:
determining a gain of the uplink wireless signals that correspond to each identified UE; and
employing the gain to determine another gain that is used by the antenna controller component to radiate each beam waveform in the determined direction of each identified UE.

4. The device of claim 1 , wherein the controller performs further actions, comprising:
determining a gain of the uplink wireless signals that correspond to each identified UE; and
employing the determined gain and the determined direction for each identified UE to determine a distance to each location of each identified UE.

5. The device of claim 1 , wherein the controller performs further actions, comprising:
determining a carrier associated with each identified UE based on a determination of one or more frequencies of the wireless signals communicated between the each identified UE and the base station.

6. The device of claim 1 , wherein the controller performs further actions, comprising:
providing, to one or more third parties, one or more of a determined location for each identified UE or a wireless service provider carrier associated with each identified UE or non-identified UEs.

7. The device of claim 1 , further comprises one or more of:
a first non-beam antenna arranged to at least receive downlink wireless signals from the base station;
a second non-beam antenna arranged to retransmit at least a portion of received downlink wireless signals from the base station to one or more of the identified UEs; or
another beam antenna arranged to receive a beam waveform that is based on downlink wireless signals communicated by the base station.

8. The device of claim 1 , further comprising:
an orientation detector component that is arranged to determine a physical position of one or more of the beam antenna or the device, wherein the orientation detector component includes one or more of an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a compass, an altimeter, or a global positioning system (GPS) component.

9. The device of claim 1 , wherein the antenna controller performs further actions, including:
employing the beam antenna to simultaneously radiate two or more beam waveforms in two or more different directions corresponding to two or more identified UEs based on two or more different downlink wireless signals from the base station that separately correspond to the two or more identified UEs.

10. The device of claim 1 , wherein beam antenna further comprises two or more beam antennas that are employed to simultaneously radiate two or more beam waveforms in two or more different directions corresponding to two or more identified UEs based on two or more different downlink wireless signals from the base station that separately correspond to the two or more identified UEs.

11. The device of claim 1 , wherein the beam antenna is one or more of a holographic beam forming (HBF) antenna, a parabolic antenna, a spherical antenna, a helical antenna, a yagi antenna, horn antenna, or phased array antenna.

12. A method for providing communication of wireless signals with a plurality of user devices (UE) by performing actions, comprising:
employing a downlink protocol detector component to monitor wireless signals communicated by a base station to identify and decode a protocol for wireless control signals included in the monitored wireless signals, wherein the decoded protocol for the wireless control signals is used to separately identify each UE and determine an allocation schedule that includes allocated transmit/receive time periods in the allocation schedule for each identified UE to communicate wireless signals between the base station and each identified UE;
employing an angle of arrival (AoA) detector component to use the allocation schedule to determine an azimuth and an elevation for uplink wireless signals that are communicated by each identified UE to the base station during each identified UE's allocated transmit/receive time period; and
employing an antenna controller component to use the allocated transmit/receive time period in the allocation schedule and the determined azimuth and the determined elevation for each identified UE to arrange a beam antenna to multiplex generation of a beam in a determined direction of each identified UE based on downlink wireless signals communicated by the base station to each identified UE; and
employing a controller to performs actions, including managing operation of one or more of the downlink protocol detector component, the AoA detector component, and the antenna controller component to provide an increase in downlink wireless signals that are received by one or more identified UEs over time.

13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:
an interface provided by the device that is directly coupled to the base station, wherein the interface provides communication of the wireless signals between the device and the base station; or
an RF input that is physically connected to a radio frequency (RF) downlink port of the base station, wherein the physical connection includes one or more of a waveguide, a coaxial cable, or another conductive component arranged to communicate wireless signals between the RF input and the RF downlink port.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein the controller performs

Assignees

• Pivotal Commware Inc

Inventors

• Mason Timothy Hudson
• Sivaprakasam Srinivas

Classifications

• H04W72/23

  in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal · CPC title

• H04W72/0446

  Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames · CPC title

• H04B7/0695

  using beam selection · CPC title

• H01Q3/2617

  Array of identical elements · CPC title

• H01Q3/443 Primary

  varying the phase velocity along a leaky transmission line (frequency scanning H01Q3/22; non-resonant leaky-waveguide or transmission-line aerials H01Q13/20) · CPC title