Apparatus and method for antenna alignment

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9414353-B2
Application number	US-201414528365-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 30, 2014
Priority date	Jun 30, 2009
Publication date	Aug 9, 2016
Grant date	Aug 9, 2016

Abstract

Apparatus comprising a first antenna configured to receive alignment signalling from a first transmitter over a first communication channel, the first communication channel having a first set of characteristics, and a second antenna configured to exchange data w.th a second transmitter over a second communication channel, the second communication channel having a second different set of characteristics. The apparatus also comprising a processor configured to process the alignment signalling received from the first antenna and determine the location of the second transmitter relative to the apparatus; and generate control signalling representative of the determined location of the second transmitter relative to the apparatus. The apparatus further comprising a user interface configured to provide a user with an indication of the relative location of the second transmitter relative to the apparatus in accordance with the control signalling to allow for the second antenna to be aligned for data exchange with the second transmitter.

First claim

That Which is claimed:

1. An apparatus comprising:
a first antenna configured to receive alignment signalling from a first transmitter over a first communication channel, the first communication channel having a first set of characteristics;
a second antenna configured to exchange data with a second transmitter over a second communication channel, the second communication channel having a second different set of characteristics, wherein the first antenna comprises multiple antennas, the multiple antennas configured to measure the phase of the alignment signaling;
a processor configured to:
process the alignment signalling received from the first antenna and determine the location of the second transmitter relative to the apparatus by calculating an angle of incidence of the alignment signaling using one or more phase measurement differences between the alignment signaling received at the multiple antennas of the first antenna; and
generate control signalling representative of the determined location of the second transmitter relative to the apparatus; and
a user interface configured to provide a user with an indication of the relative location of the second transmitter relative to the apparatus in accordance with the control signalling to allow for the second antenna to be aligned for data exchange with the second transmitter; and
wherein the processor is configured to process signaling received from the second transmitter over the second communication channel to enable a more accurate determination of the location of the second transmitter relative to the apparatus; and
the first antenna is configured to exchange data with the first transmitter over the first communication channel as a fall-back in the event that data exchange between the second antenna and second transmitter over the second communication channel is inhibited.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the user interface comprises a display configured to provide a user with a graphical indication of the relative direction to the second transmitter from the apparatus.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first set of characteristics of the first communication channel are defined by one or more from the group comprising:
a lower data rate than the data rate associated with the second communication channel;
a wider field of view than the field of view associated with the second communication channel;
a lower frequency RF signal than the frequency associated with the second communication channel;
a lower power consumption than the power consumption associated with exchanging data over the second communication channel;
functionality to provide digital signal processing at carrier frequency; and
higher tolerance for losing line of sight between the first antenna and the first transmitter than the tolerance for losing line of sight over the second communication channel.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the second set of characteristics of the second communication channel are defined by one or more from the group comprising:
a higher data rate than the data rate associated with the first communication channel;
a narrower field of view than the field of view associated with the first communication channel;
a higher frequency RF signal than the frequency associated with the first communication channel; and
a higher power consumption than the power consumption associated with exchanging data over the first communication channel.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first and second transmitters are co-located, and the processor is configured to control the direction of the second antenna such that it is aligned with the determined relative direction to the first transmitter.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the second antenna is a directional antenna, and the processor is configured to control the directionality of the second antenna in accordance with the determined relative direction to the second transmitter from the apparatus.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first communication channel is selected from the group comprising:
a 2.4GHz wireless local area network (WLAN) channel; and
a Bluetooth channel.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the second communication channel is selected from the group comprising:
a wireless local area network channel with a frequency in the range of about 30GHz to about 90GHz; and
a 60GHz wireless local area network channel.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the alignment signalling comprises one or more of:
transmitter identification data;
synchronisation data;
connection initialisation data;
an un-modulated waveform.

10. A method of allowing for exchanging of data between an apparatus and one or more of a first transmitter and a second transmitter, the method comprising:
receiving alignment signalling at the apparatus via a first antenna of the apparatus from the first transmitter over a first communication channel, the first communication channel having a first set of characteristics, wherein the first antenna comprises multiple antennas, the multiple antennas configured to measure the phase of the alignment signaling;
processing the alignment signalling and calculating the location of the second transmitter relative to the apparatus by calculating an angle of incidence of the alignment signaling using one or more phase measurement differences between the alignment signaling received at the multiple antennas of the first antenna;
generating control signalling representative of the determined location of the second transmitter relative to the apparatus; and
providing a user with an indication of the location of the second transmitter relative to the apparatus in accordance with the control signalling to allow for the second antenna of the apparatus to be aligned for data exchange with the second transmitter over a second communication channel, the second communication channel having a second different set of characteristics to the first communication channel; and
wherein the method further comprises processing signaling received from the second transmitter over the second communication channel to enable a more accurate determination of the location of the second transmitter relative to the apparatus; and
exchanging data between the first antenna and the first transmitter over the first communication channel as a fall-back in the event that data exchange between the second antenna and second transmitter over the second communication channel is inhibited.

11. A computer-readable non-transitory storage medium comprising a computer program, the computer program comprising computer code configured to, when executed on a processor, provide the method of claim 10 .

12. An apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first antenna and the second antenna are configured to exchange data with the first transmitter and the second transmitter simultaneously.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the apparatus is configured to allow the second antenna to be user-manipulated to be aligned for data exchange with the second transmitter.

14. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first communication channel has a first set of alignment characteristics suitable for coarse alignment.

15. A system comprising:
a first apparatus, the first apparatus comprising:
a first antenna configured to receive alignment signalling from a first transmitter over a first communication channel, the first communication channel having a first set of characteristics, wherein the first antenna comprises multiple antennas, the multiple antennas configured to measure the phase of the alignment signal

Assignees

• Nokia Technologies Oy

Inventors

• Karttaavi Timo Petteri
• Hakala Likka Hermanni
• Honkanen Mauri
• Parssinen Aarno Tapio

Classifications

• H04W4/02 Primary

  Services making use of location information · CPC title

• H04B17/27

  for locating or positioning the transmitter · CPC title

• H04B17/002

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04W64/006 Primary

  with additional information processing, e.g. for direction or speed determination · CPC title

• G01S3/14

  Systems for determining direction or deviation from predetermined direction {(aerial arrangements for changing or varying the orientation or the shape of the directional pattern H01Q3/00; combinations of different interacting aerial units for giving a desired directional characteristic H01Q21/29; aerials or aerial systems providing at least two radiation patterns H01Q25/00)} · CPC title