Access point and associated antenna selecting method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9717033-B2
Application number	US-201514880288-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 12, 2015
Priority date	Mar 20, 2015
Publication date	Jul 25, 2017
Grant date	Jul 25, 2017

Abstract

An access point includes an antenna module, a wireless network module and a processor, wherein the processor includes a plurality of Modulation and Coding Scheme code (MCS) codes supported by the electronic device. When the access point operates in a training stage for determining at least one optimal antenna adapted to the electronic device, the processor uses a specific MCS code from the plurality of MCS codes to transmit the plurality of training packets to the electronic device via the antenna module and the wireless network module without switching the other MCS codes for determining the at least one optimal antenna adapted to the electronic device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An access point for communicating with an electronic device, the access point comprising:
an antenna module, comprising a plurality of antennas;
a wireless network module, coupled to the antenna module; and
a processor, coupled to the wireless network module, wherein the processor includes a plurality of Modulation and Coding Scheme code (MCS) codes supported by the electronic device;
wherein when the access point operates in a training stage to determine at least one optimal antenna for communicating with the electronic device, the processor utilizes only one specific MCS code from the plurality of MCS codes to transmit a plurality of training packets to the electronic device via the wireless network module during the training stage without switching other MCS codes for determining the at least one optimal antenna for communicating with the electronic device.

2. The access point of claim 1 , wherein the processor only utilizes said only one specific MCS code to transmit the plurality of training packets to the electronic device via the wireless network module and the antenna module for determining the at least one optimal antenna for communicating with the electronic device.

3. The access point of claim 1 , wherein before the access point operates in the training stage for determining the optimal antenna for the electronic device, the wireless network module determines said only one specific MCS code for being used by the processor when operating in the training stage.

4. The access point of claim 1 , wherein, prior to determining the at least one optimal antenna, the processor transmits at least one non-training packet to the electronic and determines said only one specific MCS code according to a responding packet, wherein the responding packet is transmitted by the electronic device and is corresponding to the non-training packet.

5. The access point of claim 1 , wherein after the processor determines the at least one optimal antenna for communicating with the electronic device, and the access point uses the at least one optimal antenna to perform data transmission with the electronic device, the processor constantly detects a signal quality of a received signal, and determines whether the access point re-operates in the training stage and re-determine the at least one optimal antenna for communicating with the electronic device according to the signal quality.

6. The access point of claim 5 , wherein when the signal quality satisfies a first determining condition, the processor controls the access point to re-operate in the training stage; and when the signal quality satisfies a second determining condition, the processor executes an omni-directional antenna procedure to the antenna module for data transmission with the electronic device.

7. The access point of claim 1 , wherein each antenna in the antenna module comprises a plurality of directional antennas, and when the access point operates in the training stage, the access point selects one directional antenna from each antenna based on said only one specific MCS code for determining a set of optimal antennas for communicating with the electronic device.

8. An antenna selecting method of an access point, wherein the access point for communicating with an electronic device a plurality of Modulation and Coding Scheme code (MCS) codes supported by the electronic device, and the access point further comprises an antenna module, and the antenna module comprises a plurality of antennas, and the antenna selecting method comprises:
connecting with the electronic device, and operating in a training stage;
utilizing only one specific MCS code from the plurality of MCS codes to transmit a plurality of training packets to the electronic device during the training stage without switching other MCS codes; and
determining at least one optimal antenna for communicating with the electronic device according to a response of the electronic device, wherein the response is corresponding to the plurality of training packets.

9. The antenna selecting method of claim 8 , wherein the step of transmitting the plurality of training packets to the electronic device comprises:
utilizing said only one specific MCS code to transmit the plurality of training packets to the electronic device when operating in the training stage for determining the at least one optimal antenna for communicating with the electronic device.

10. The antenna selecting method of claim 8 , further comprising:
before the access point operates in the training stage for determining the at least one optimal antenna for the electronic device, determining said only one specific MCS code for being used by the processor when operating in the training stage.

11. The antenna selecting method of claim 8 , further comprising:
wherein, prior to determining the at least one optimal antenna, the access point transmits at least one non-training packet to the electronic device and determines said only one specific MCS code according to a responding packet, wherein the responding packet is transmitted by the electronic device and is corresponding to the non-training packet.

12. The antenna selecting method of claim 8 , further comprising:
after the access point determines the at least one optimal antenna for communicating with the electronic device, and the access point uses the at least one optimal antenna to perform data transmission with the electronic device, the access point constantly detects a signal quality of a received signal, and determines whether the access point re-operates in the training stage and re-determines the at least one optimal antenna for communicating with the electronic device according to the signal quality.

13. The antenna selecting method of claim 12 , further comprising:
the access point re-operates in the training stage when the signal quality satisfies a first determining condition; and
executing an omni-directional antenna procedure to the antenna module for data transmission with the electronic device when the signal quality satisfies a second determining condition.

14. The antenna selecting method of claim 8 , wherein each antenna in the antenna module comprises a plurality of directional antennas, and when the access point operates in the training stage, the access point selects one directional antenna from each antenna based on said only one specific MCS code for determining a set of optimal antennas for communicating with the electronic device.

Assignees

• Wistron Neweb Corp

Inventors

• Wei Ya-Ping
• Kang Fu-Ming

Classifications

• H04L1/00

  Arrangements for detecting or preventing errors in the information received {(correcting synchronisation H04L7/00)} · CPC title

• H04W40/06 Primary

  based on characteristics of available antennas · CPC title

• H04B7/0808 Primary

  comparing all antennas before reception · CPC title

• H04L1/20

  using signal quality detector · CPC title