Patent Grant
11862860
Wired and wireless networking and communications systems are widely deployed to provide various types of communication and functional features, including but not limited to those for high speed home internet, security and automation, and/or others. These systems may be capable of supporting communication with a user through a communication connection or a system management action.
Current wireless mesh networking systems exhibit many shortcomings. For instance, current wireless mesh networking systems may fail to account for extra protection for point-to-point narrow beam wireless paths. Such paths are highly directional and work only under perfect line-of-sight or near line-of-sight conditions. Once the wireless mesh network is built, certain events such as vegetation growth or loss of an intermediary node can impact the line-of-sight paths between the links. This can result in single or multiple link failures in the network.
Additionally, current wireless mesh networking systems may fail to account for extra protection for a high reliability wireless path for carrying backhaul data that carries control signaling data along with user data for users in the network segment. Current wireless mesh networking systems use the same or similar beam transmission techniques for an access path that carries data for a single user and backhaul path that may affect network performance as backhaul paths tend to be more sensitive to interference and other signal inhibitors and can degrade the performance of entire network segment
Thus, there exists multiple needs in the art for improved systems and methods relating to wireless communication mesh network design and operation.
The present disclosure, for example, relates to wireless networks and communications including, but not limited to, broadband internet services to end user, security and/or automation systems, and more particularly to mesh networking and related operations and techniques.
The wireless communication systems disclosed herein may comprise a set of wireless communication nodes that are each installed with respective wireless communication equipment for establishing point-to-point (ptp) and/or point-to-multipoint (ptmp) wireless links. Depending on the implementation, this wireless communication equipment may take various forms, and in at least some examples, that wireless communication equipment may include at least one radio module that is based on a phased antenna array.
In accordance with the present disclosure, such a radio module may comprise (i) a phased antenna array comprising antenna elements having multiple different polarizations (e.g., a first set of antenna elements having a horizontal polarization and a second set of antenna elements having a vertical polarization), (ii) an radio frequency (RF) module comprising a plurality of RF chains that feed the antenna elements, (iii) a control unit that is configured to dynamically control an activation state (e.g., the activation/deactivation) of the RF chains and their corresponding antenna elements in order to alter the polarization and/or emission pattern of the radiated signal, and perhaps also (iv) one or more beam narrowing modules. This control unit may comprise hardware, software, or some combination thereof, among other possibilities. Further, in practice, the control unit may be configured to dynamically control the activation state of the RF chains and their corresponding antenna elements in response to an instruction from a network processing unit (NPU) of the radio module, a digital module of the radio module, or the like, among various other possibilities.
Accordingly, in one aspect, disclosed herein is a radio module for a wireless communication node in a wireless mesh network, where the radio module includes (i) a phased antenna array comprising a first set of antenna elements having a first polarization and a second set of antenna elements having a second polarization, (ii) an RF module comprising a plurality of RF chains that are configured to feed the first and second sets of antenna elements in the phased antenna array, and (iii) a control unit that is configured to control an activation state of each antenna element in the phased antenna array.
The radio module may further include at least one beam narrowing module. The at least one beam narrowing module may take various forms, including a lens antenna or a parabolic antenna, among other examples.
In some implementations, the at least one beam narrowing module may comprise a single beam narrowing module that is configured to (i) receive signals emitted by any active antenna element in the phased antenna array and (ii) consolidate the received signals into a narrow beam composite signal. In such implementations, the control unit may be configured to activate only a given one of the first or second sets of antenna elements at any given time while deactivating the other of the first or second sets of antenna elements.
In other implementations, the at least one beam narrowing module may comprise (1) a first beam narrowing module that is configured to (i) receive signals emitted by the first set of antenna elements having the first polarization when active and (ii) consolidate the received signals into a first narrow beam composite signal having the first polarization, and (2) a second beam narrowing module that is configured to (i) receive signals emitted by the second set of antenna elements having the second polarization when active and (ii) consolidate the received signals into a second narrow beam composite signal having the second polarization. In such implementations, the control unit may be configured to (i) activate one of the first or second sets of antenna elements for signal reception over a bi-directional wireless link and (ii) activate the other of the first or second sets of antenna elements for signal transmission over the bi-directional wireless link.
In still other implementations, the first set of antenna elements having the first polarization may be grouped into at least two separate subsets of antenna elements having the first polarization, and the second set of antenna elements having the second polarization may be grouped into at least two separate subsets of antenna elements having the second polarization. In such implementations, the at least one beam narrowing module may comprise a plurality of beam narrowing modules that are each configured to (i) receive signals emitted by a respective subset of antenna elements when active and (ii) consolidate the received signals into a respective narrow beam composite signal, and the control unit may be configured to independently activate or deactivate each respective subset of antenna elements. In at least some implementations, the control unit may be configured to (i) activate a first subset of the first set of antenna elements for signal reception over a first bi-directional wireless link, (ii) activate a first subset of the second set of antenna elements for signal transmission over the first bi-directional wireless link, (iii) activate a second subset of the first set of antenna elements for signal reception over a second bi-directional wireless link, and (iv) activate a second subset of the second set of antenna elements for signal transmission over the second bi-directional wireless link.
The first and second polarizations of the antenna elements may take various forms. In some implementations, the first polarization may be a horizontal polarization and the second polarization may be a vertical polarization. In other implementations, the first polarization may be a +45 degree polarization and the second polarization may be a −45 degree polarization.
The plurality of RF chains of the RF module may take various forms. In some implementations, the plurality of RF chains may each be configured to feed a single antenna element of the phased antenna array. In other implementations, the plurality of RF chains may each be configured to feed two or more antenna elements of the phased antenna array.
In another aspect, disclosed herein is a communication system comprising a set of wireless communication nodes that are installed with respective equipment for operating as part of a wireless mesh network, wherein the respective equipment of each wireless communication node in the set includes a respective radio module that includes (i) a phased antenna array comprising a first set of antenna elements having a first polarization and a second set of antenna elements having a second polarization, (ii) an RF module comprising a plurality of RF chains that are configured to feed the first and second sets of antenna elements in the phased antenna array, and (iii) a control unit that is configured to control an activation state of each antenna element in the phased antenna array.
Each respective radio module of each wireless communication node in the set of wireless communication nodes may further include at least one beam narrowing module. The at least one beam narrowing module may take various forms, including a lens antenna or a parabolic antenna, among other examples.
In some implementations, the at least one beam narrowing module of each respective radio module may comprise a single beam narrowing module that is configured to (i) receive signals emitted by any active antenna element in the phased antenna array and (ii) consolidate the received signals into a narrow beam composite signal. In such implementations, the control unit may be configured to activate only a given one of the first or second sets of antenna elements at any given time while deactivating the other of the first or second sets of antenna elements.
In other implementations, the at least one beam narrowing module of each respective radio module may comprise (1) a first beam narrowing module that is configured to (i) receive signals emitted by the first set of antenna elements having the first polarization when active and (ii) consolidate the received signals into a first narrow beam composite signal having the first polarization, and (2) a second beam narrowing module that is configured to (i) receive signals emitted by the second set of antenna elements having the second polarization when active and (ii) consolidate the received signals into a second narrow beam composite signal having the second polarization. In such implementations, the control unit may be configured to (i) activate one of the first or second sets of antenna elements for signal reception over a bi-directional wireless link and (ii) activate the other of the first or second sets of antenna elements for signal transmission over the bi-directional wireless link.
In still other implementations, for each respective radio module, the first set of antenna elements having the first polarization may be grouped into at least two separate subsets of antenna elements having the first polarization, and the second set of antenna elements having the second polarization may be grouped into at least two separate subsets of antenna elements having the second polarization. In such implementations, the at least one beam narrowing module of each respective radio module may comprise a plurality of beam narrowing modules that are each configured to (i) receive signals emitted by a respective subset of antenna elements when active and (ii) consolidate the received signals into a respective narrow beam composite signal, and the control unit may be configured to independently activate or deactivate each respective subset of antenna elements. In at least some implementations, the control unit may be configured to (i) activate a first subset of the first set of antenna elements for signal reception over a first bi-directional wireless link, (ii) activate a first subset of the second set of antenna elements for signal transmission over the first bi-directional wireless link, (iii) activate a second subset of the first set of antenna elements for signal reception over a second bi-directional wireless link, and (iv) activate a second subset of the second set of antenna elements for signal transmission over the second bi-directional wireless link.
The first and second polarizations of the antenna elements included in each respective radio module may take various forms. In some implementations, the first polarization may be a horizontal polarization and the second polarization may be a vertical polarization. In other implementations, the first polarization may be a +45 degree polarization and the second polarization may be a −45 degree polarization.
The plurality of RF chains of the RF module included in each respective radio module may take various forms. In some implementations, the plurality of RF chains may each be configured to feed a single antenna element of the phased antenna array. In other implementations, the plurality of RF chains may each be configured to feed two or more antenna elements of the phased antenna array.
The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the features and technical advantages of examples according to this disclosure so that the following detailed description may be better understood. Additional features and advantages will be described below. It should be understood that the specific examples disclosed herein may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other structures for carrying out the same operations disclosed herein. Characteristics of the concepts disclosed herein including their organization and method of operation together with associated advantages will be better understood from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying figures. It should be understood that the figures are provided for the purpose of illustration and description only.
One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate these as well as numerous other aspects in reading the following disclosure.
A further understanding of the nature and advantages the present disclosure may be realized by reference to the following drawings.
Disclosed herein are technologies for wireless mesh networks that serve as the basis for communication systems configured to provide various types of services to end users, including but not limited to telecommunication services such as high-speed internet.
For instance, the wireless mesh network technologies disclosed herein may form the basis for a data communication system capable of providing multigigabit internet speeds through a mesh network of infrastructure nodes interconnected via wireless point-to-point (ptp) and/or point-to-multipoint (ptmp) links, such as the example communication system 100 illustrated in
In accordance with the present disclosure, Tower/Fiber access points 101 and 102 may host respective wireless communication equipment that enables Tower/Fiber access points 101 and 102 to operate as wireless communication nodes of a wireless mesh network. In this respect, the Tower/Fiber access points 101 and 102 that are installed with the wireless communication equipment for operating as wireless mesh nodes may each be referred to herein as a “fiber PoP node” of the wireless mesh network shown in
For instance, as shown, Tower/Fiber access points 101 and 102 may host respective sets of wireless communication equipment 122 and 123 for establishing ptp links with a next tier of wireless communication nodes in the wireless mesh network (which, as noted below, may be referred to as the “seed nodes” of the wireless communication network). The respective sets of wireless communication equipment 121 and 124 are capable of reception and transmission of high bandwidth (multiple gigahertz) signals operating at very high frequencies (e.g., 6 Ghz˜100 Ghz such as 28 Ghz, V band, E band, etc.). The respective sets of wireless communication equipment 121 and 124 may each comprise a baseband/digital unit equipped with components including but not limited to a processor, memory, etc. The respective sets of wireless communication equipment 121 and 124 also each comprise an RF unit and an antenna unit for establishing at least one ptp link with another wireless communication node of the wireless mesh network. In at least some embodiments, the antenna subsystem of each respective set of wireless communication equipment 121 and 124 is capable of reception and transmission of directional signals where a significant portion of the signal energy is concentrated within a few degrees around the antenna boresight (e.g., within a range of 0.5 degrees to 5 degrees), both in vertical and horizontal directions, in contrast to omni directional antennas where signal energy is close to evenly spread across 360° degrees.
As further shown in
For instance, as shown in
For example, wireless communication equipment 121 residing at Tower/fiber access point 101 and wireless communication equipment 122 residing at seed home 111 may work together to form a bi-directional high-bandwidth communication ptp data link 141 that provides connectivity between Tower/fiber access point 101 and seed home 111. Similarly, wireless communication equipment 124 residing at Tower/fiber access point 102 and wireless communication equipment 123 residing at seed home 115 may work together to form a bi-directional high-bandwidth communication ptp data link 142 that provides connectivity between Tower/fiber access point 102 and seed home 115.
As further shown in
Each module of the respective, second sets of wireless communication equipment 131 and 135 is capable of reception and transmission of high bandwidth (multiple gigahertz) signals operating at very high frequencies (e.g., 6 Ghz˜100 Ghz such as 28 Ghz, V band, E band, etc.), which as noted above are commonly referred to as millimeter-wave frequencies. Each module of the respective, second sets of wireless communication equipment 131 and 135 comprises an independent baseband/digital unit equipped with components including but not limited to a processor, memory, etc. Each module in the respective, second sets of wireless communication equipment 131 and 135 also comprises an independent RF unit and independent antenna unit for establishing at least one ptp link or ptmp link with another wireless communication node (or perhaps multiple other wireless communication nodes) in the wireless mesh network. In at least some embodiments, the antenna subsystem of one or more modules of the second set of wireless communication equipment 131 may be a ptp antenna unit that is capable of reception and transmission of directional signals where a significant portion of the signal energy is concentrated within a few degrees around the antenna boresight (e.g., within a range of 0.5 degrees to 5 degrees), both in vertical and horizontal directions, in contrast to omni directional antennas where signal energy is close to evenly spread across 360° degrees. However, in other embodiments, the antenna subsystem of one or more modules of the second set of wireless communication equipment 131 may be a ptmp antenna unit that is capable of beamforming and creating multiple beams simultaneously in different directions. As described in further detail below, the second set of wireless communication equipment 131 may take various other forms as well.
Communication system 100 also includes multiple anchor homes 112, 113 and 114. As with seed homes 111 and 115, anchor homes 112, 113 and 114 may include detached single-family homes, non-detached residential buildings such as MDUs, commercial buildings such as SMBs, or some other private property or infrastructure, where wireless communication equipment can be deployed on rooftops of such anchor homes among other possibilities. (In this respect, it will be appreciated that an “anchor home” need not necessarily be a residential home.) Further, as with seed homes 111 and 115, anchor homes 112, 113 and 114 may host respective wireless communication equipment that enables anchor homes 112, 113 and 114 to operate as wireless communication nodes of a wireless mesh network. However, unlike seed homes 111 and 115, anchor homes are generally not installed with wireless communication equipment that provides a direct wireless connectivity to any Tower/Fiber access point. Instead, anchor homes 112, 113 and 114 are typically only installed with wireless communication equipment for establishing ptp and/or ptmp links with seed nodes and/or with other wireless communication nodes in the same tier of the wireless mesh network, where such wireless communication equipment may be similar to the respective, second sets of wireless communication equipment 131 and 135 for establishing ptp and/or ptmp links that is installed at each of the seed homes 111 and 115. The anchor homes 112, 113 and 114 that are installed with the respective wireless communication equipment for operating as wireless mesh nodes may each be referred to herein as an “anchor node” of the wireless mesh network shown in
For example, anchor home 112 hosts wireless communication equipment 132. A first module of wireless communication equipment 132 residing at anchor home 112 and another module of wireless communication equipment 131 residing at seed home 111 may work together to form a bi-directional high bandwidth communication ptp data link 151 that provides wireless connectivity between seed home 111 and anchor home 112. Similarly, as another example, a second module of wireless communication equipment 132 residing at anchor home 112 and a module of wireless communication equipment 133 residing at anchor home 113 may work together to form a bi-directional high bandwidth communication ptp data link 153 that provides wireless connectivity between anchor home 112 and anchor home 113. As yet another example, a third module of wireless communication equipment 132 residing at anchor home 112 and a module of wireless communication equipment 135 residing at seed home 115 may work together to form a bi-directional high bandwidth communication ptp data link 154 that provides wireless connectivity between anchor home 112 and seed home 115. As a further example, another module of wireless communication equipment 131 residing at seed home 111 and a module of wireless communication equipment 134 residing at anchor home 114 work together to form a bi-directional high bandwidth communication ptp data link 152 that provides wireless connectivity between anchor home 114 and seed home 111. As still another example, another module of wireless communication equipment 134 residing at anchor home 114 and a module of wireless communication equipment 135 residing at seed home 115 may work together to form a bi-directional high bandwidth communication ptp data link 155 that provides wireless connectivity between anchor home 114 and seed home 115. Other examples are possible as well.
Bi-directional communication links 141, 142, 151, 152, 153, 154 & 155 shown in
In
In line with the discussion above, communication system 100 of
Referring to
Module A also includes RF unit 202 which, among other things, performs processing of intermediate frequency (IF) signals and defines the frequency range of the radio signals that can be transmitted or received via Module A. RF unit 202 is capable of operating over a wide range of frequencies (e.g., V band frequencies ranging from 57 Ghz to 71 Ghz).
Further, as shown, Module A also comprises antenna unit 203 which performs the transmission and reception of over the air radio signals. Antenna unit 203 is capable of transmitting and receiving extremely narrow beam of signals. Antenna unit 203 may be constructed with metamaterials that have excellent properties of controlling the directionality of radio signals that cannot be exhibited by ordinary antennas. Module A with the help of antenna unit 203 is capable of establishing ptp links with a different module residing at a different node of the communication system.
Referring to
It should be understood that the antenna pattern of antenna unit 203 shown in
Referring to
In some implementations, Module A can additionally provide beam steerability characteristics in addition to the capability of transmitting and receiving data over extremely narrow beams as explained above and illustrated in the context of
For example, referring to
In one embodiment, wireless communication node 503 can be different than wireless communication node 502. In another embodiment, wireless communication node 503 can be the same as wireless communication node 502 but in a different physical location.
In some embodiments, wireless communication nodes defined above and discussed in the context of
As one example to illustrate, referring to
In one embodiment, the 1st and 2nd Module A of wireless communication nodes 601 and 602 can be inside the same physical enclosure and in other embodiments, the 1st Module A of wireless communication nodes 601 and 603 can be inside one physical enclosure and the 2nd Module A of wireless communication nodes 601 and 603 can be inside a different physical enclosure. In embodiments where different Module As belonging to the same wireless communication node are contained in separate physical enclosures, these Module As can be connected via a wired link as they are co-located in the same seed home or anchor home.
In
Further, it should be understood that in one embodiment, all Module As belonging to the same wireless communication node may operate on the same carrier frequencies of a frequency band, and in other embodiments, different Module As belonging to same wireless communication node may operate on different carrier frequencies of a frequency band.
Referring to
Module B comprises base band unit or digital unit 701 which runs the physical layer level protocol including digital modulation/demodulation (modem) and other higher layer protocols such as a MAC layer, etc. Base band unit 701 interacts with other nodes of a communication system that are external to the node at which the wireless communication node 700 is installed via wired medium.
Module B also includes RF unit 702, which among other things processes IF signals and defines the frequency range of the radio signals that can be transmitted or received with Module B. RF unit 702 is capable of operating over a wide range of frequencies (e.g., V band frequencies ranging from 57 Ghz to 71 Ghz).
Further, Module B comprises antenna unit 703, which performs the transmission and reception of over the air radio signals. Antenna unit 703 may be an active antenna system (AAS) that comprises a phased array of transmitters and receivers that are capable of beamforming and creating multiple beams simultaneously in different directions. By virtue of the simultaneous creation of multiple beams in different directions, AAS of antenna unit 703 enables the wireless communication node 700 to establish ptmp wireless communication links with multiple wireless communication nodes. Hence Module B with the help of antenna unit 703 is capable of establishing ptmp links with a different module residing in a different wireless communication node.
As further shown in
Further, Module B of wireless communication node 700 also differs from Module A (discussed above in the context of
Referring to
Module C comprises a base band unit or digital unit which runs the physical layer level protocol including digital modulation/demodulation (modem) and other higher layer protocols such as MAC layer etc. Module C's baseband unit interacts with other nodes of a communication system that are external to the wireless communication node 800 via wired medium.
Module C also includes an ultra-wide band antenna embedded with the baseband unit. Module C is capable of generation, transmission, and reception of extremely short duration pulses (a few picoseconds long) and uses pulse modulation (and its variations such as pulse amplitude modulation, etc.) to transmit data at extremely high rates (e.g., greater than 100 Gbps) by transmitting signals over a very wide range of frequencies. In one embodiment, pulses used for communication by Module C can use frequencies ranging from few hundred megahertz to few hundred gigahertz. One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the range of frequencies used by pulses generated by Module C of wireless communication unit 800 can take a different range as well. Moreover, multiple module Cs can be placed together to create a 1-, 2-, or 3-dimensional array. Elements of this array (e.g., module C) are capable of performing a time synchronized transmission for beam forming. This allows the RF signal energy of the Pico second/UWB pulses to focus in a desired (receiver) direction and can also enable the creation of null or low RF signal energy of the Pico second/UWB pulse in other directions to avoid interference.
One fundamental difference between the characteristic of signals generated by Module C and signals generated by Module A and/or Module B is that these signals generated by Module C are ultra wide band (UWB) signals and their power spectral density over the entire range of frequencies is very low. In this respect, these UWB signals do not create interference with other signals operating on a narrow band of frequencies as these UWB signals are treated as noise by receivers of normal wireless communication nodes.
As further shown in
In another embodiment, and in line with the discussion above, a wireless communication node of
As one example to illustrate, referring to
In one embodiment, Module A and Module B of wireless communication node 910 can be inside the same physical enclosure. In other embodiments, Module A and Module B of wireless communication node 910 can be inside two separate physical enclosures. In such embodiments where Module A and Module B belong to the same wireless communication node contained in separate physical enclosures, Module A and Module B can be connected via a wired link as they are co-located in the same seed home or anchor home.
In
As noted above, a wireless communication node of
As another example to illustrate, referring to
In one embodiment, Module C and Module B of wireless communication node 1010 can be inside same physical enclosure. In other embodiments, Module C and Module B of wireless communication node 1010 can be inside two separate physical enclosures. In such an embodiment where Module C and Module B belong to the same wireless communication node contained in separate physical enclosures, Module C and Module B can be connected via a wired link as they are co-located in same seed home or anchor home.
In
In another embodiment, a wireless communication node of
As one example to illustrate, referring to
Referring to
As shown in
In some instances, one or more wireless communication nodes of
In some embodiments, wireless communication nodes 1120, 1130, 1140, 1150 and 1160 can host multiple modules of the same or different types. For example, one or more of wireless communication nodes 1120, 1130, 1140, 1150 and 1160 can host one Module A and one Module B. Hence, when wireless communication node 1110 makes a ptp link using its Module A or Module C with a first communication module (e.g., Module A or C) of wireless communication nodes 1120, 1130, 1140, 1150 and 1160, then a second communication module (e.g., Module B) of wireless communication nodes 1120, 1130, 1140, 1150 and 1160 can simultaneously create ptmp wireless communication links with other modules of wireless communication nodes in the communication system that are not shown here. Similarly, when wireless communication node 1110 makes a ptmp link using its Module B with the first communication module (e.g., Module A or C) of wireless communication nodes 1120, 1130, 1140, 1150 and 1160, then the second communication module (e.g., Module B) of wireless communication nodes 1120, 1130, 1140, 1150 and 1160 can simultaneously create ptmp wireless communication links with other modules of wireless communication nodes in the communication system that are not shown here.
As another example, one or more of wireless communication nodes 1120, 1130, 1140, 1150 and 1160 can host two Module As or Module Cs. Hence, when wireless communication node 1110 makes a ptp link using its Module A or Module C with the first Module A or C of wireless communication nodes 1120, 1130, 1140, 1150 and 1160, then the second Module A or Module C of wireless communication nodes 1120, 1130, 1140, 1150 and 1160 can simultaneously create ptp wireless communication links with other modules of wireless communication nodes in the communication system that are not shown here. Similarly, when wireless communication node 1110 makes a ptmp links using its Module B with the first communication modules (Module A or C) of wireless communication nodes 1120, 1130, 1140, 1150 and 1160, then the second Module A or C of wireless communication nodes 1120, 1130, 1140, 1150 and 1160 can simultaneously create ptp wireless communication links with other modules of wireless communication nodes in the communication system that are not shown here.
As yet another example, wireless communication nodes 1120, 1130, 1140, 1150 and 1160 can host multiple Module As or Module Cs and a Module B. For instance, one or more of wireless communication nodes 1120, 1130, 1140, 1150 and 1160 can host two Module As or Module Cs and one Module B. Hence, when wireless communication node 1110 makes a ptp link using its Module A or Module C with a first Module A or C of wireless communication nodes 1120, 1130, 1140, 1150 and 1160, then a second Module A or Module C of wireless communication nodes 1120, 1130, 1140, 1150 and 1160 can simultaneously create ptp wireless communication links with a third communication module (e.g., Module B) of wireless communication nodes 1120, 1130, 1140, 1150 and 1160 can simultaneously create ptmp wireless communication links with other modules of wireless communication nodes in the wireless mesh network that are not shown here. Similarly, when wireless communication node 1110 makes a ptmp link using its Module B with the first communication module (e.g., Module A or C) of wireless communication nodes 1120, 1130, 1140, 1150 and 1160, then the second communication module (e.g., Module A or C) of wireless communication nodes 1120, 1130, 1140, 1150 and 1160 can simultaneously create ptp wireless communication links with other modules of wireless communication nodes in the mesh network that are not shown here and a third communication module (e.g., Module B) of wireless communication nodes 1120, 1130, 1140, 1150 and 1160 can simultaneously create ptmp wireless communication links with other modules of wireless communication nodes in the mesh network that are not shown here.
It is to be noted that wireless communication links established by Module A or Module C have high reliability due to interference immunity either due to extremely narrow beams or due to transmission of data over ultra-high bandwidth. These features make these links more suitable to carry control information and data for multiple users of a communication system that is based on the wireless mesh network technologies disclosed herein. Hence links established by Module A or Module C can act as a wireless backhaul for a communication system while links established with Module B can provide access to individual users of the communication system.
In one embodiment, an entire wireless mesh network can be composed of ptp links where both links providing backhaul and access have interference immunity. Although such links are more expensive due to the requirement of separate modules to establish individual links, such links are suitable when certain high service quality or reliability is required to be ensured for all end users of the service(s) delivered via the wireless mesh network.
For example,
In another embodiment, a wireless mesh network can be composed of combination of ptp links and ptmp links, where the ptp links generally serve as backhaul links for carrying aggregated mesh access traffic for the wireless mesh access network and the ptmp links generally serve as access links for carrying individual mesh access traffic to individual users. In this respect, the ptp links and ptmp links may be considered to define different “layers” (or “segments”) of the wireless mesh access network. Although such a wireless mesh network does not necessarily provide interference immunity to all the end users of the service(s) delivered via the wireless mesh network due to presence of ptmp links, such a wireless mesh network is less expensive due to the non-requirement of separate modules to establish individual links and may also be better suited for adding client nodes that do not have predefined locations.
For example,
Referring to
Module D also includes RF unit 1402, which among other things processes IF signals and defines the frequency range of the radio signals that can be transmitted or received with the Module D. RF unit 1402 is capable of operating over a wide range of frequencies (e.g., 5 Ghz band frequencies ranging from 5 Ghz to 6 Ghz).
Further, as shown, Module D also comprises antenna unit 1403 which performs the transmission and reception of over the air radio signals. Antenna unit 1403 is capable of transmitting and receiving extremely narrow beam of signals. Antenna unit 1403 may be constructed with either 1-dimensional or 2-dimensional antenna element arrays that have excellent properties of controlling the directionality of radio signals using beam forming and can propagate even in a non-line of sight environment. Module D with the help of antenna unit 1403 is capable of establishing ptmp links with a tower capable of performing massive MIMO (multiple input multiple output) beams. In one embodiment, Module D can be designed and manufactured at least in part using ASIC (Application specific integrated circuit) and an integrated RF unit called RFIC.
Referring to
It should be understood that while
In accordance with the present disclosure, the route that a particular packet takes from a source to a destination may be dynamically selected based on factors including but not limited to link quality, loading, latency etc. For example, referring to
In
In areas within tower 1500's (and other towers of same type) coverage area, a given communication system can initially start in a ptmp manner, where tower 1500 (and other towers of same type) provides access to individual customers using sub 6 Ghz massive MIMO ptmp beams. Later, nodes in the given communication system can opportunistically connect with other nodes using regular modules (e.g., Module A/Module B/Module C) in the presence of line-of-sight. This way, the given communication system may evolve to form a wireless mesh network with ptp and ptmp connections between nodes in addition to each communication node having a path directly (non-line-of-sight) to tower 1500 (and other towers of same type) that fall within the coverage area.
One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that a route a given packet takes from a source to a destination in this communication system may be optimized by considering various factors including latency, congestion, reliability etc. One of ordinary skill in the art will also appreciate that a given communication system can later add seed nodes (e.g., the seed nodes hosted at seed homes 111 and 115 in
In another embodiment, instead of providing massive MIMO ptmp networking capability using a terrestrial tower, ptmp massive MIMO capability to wireless communication nodes can also be provided by a satellite, such as a low earth orbit (LEO) satellite. For example, referring to
In
In another embodiment, some of the wireless communication nodes that provide backhaul functionality can be equipped with multiple communication modules that enable these wireless communication nodes to transport backhaul data between an end user and a core network using multiple different types of communication links. For example, referring to
In contrast to communication system 100 in
Specifically, satellite 1810 in
In one embodiment, the seed node hosted at seed home 115 can pick a satellite link 1804 to transport backhaul data at a given time, and based on some trigger at a different time, can cause its wireless communication equipment 135/123 to switch links for backhaul data transmission from satellite link 1804 to wireless link 142 (which as noted above may be a ptp or ptmp millimeter-wave-based link such as an E-band link) coupled to the fiber PoP node hosted at tower/fiber access point 102. Such trigger may include latency, bandwidth, packet loss requirements, etc. of a particular application.
In one embodiment, wireless communication equipment 132 of the anchor node at anchor home 112 can also dynamically switch its connection link to route data to and from the anchor node at anchor home 113. For example, due to some trigger similar to the triggers described above, wireless communication equipment 132 can dynamically switch from directly communicating data between the anchor node at anchor home 113 and the core network via satellite link 1803 to indirectly communicating data between the anchor node at anchor home 113 via the seed node at seed home 115 and satellite link 1804, as one possible implementation.
It should be understood that links 1803 and 1804 can be part of same massive MIMO beam or links 1803 and 1804 can be part of different massive MIMO beams. It should also be understood that satellite links 1803 and 1804 can use the same frequency range of communications or can operate in different frequency ranges. Further, while
As further shown in
In
In another embodiment, one or more wireless communication nodes described above and discussed with respect to
In another embodiment, one or more wireless communication nodes described above and discussed with respect to
In another embodiment, one or more wireless communication nodes can additionally act as blockchain-based distributed data storage node by adding dedicated or shared storage capacity capability to these nodes. One key advantage of implementing blockchain-based distributed data storage on a given communication system and the wireless communication nodes described in this disclosure is that storage nodes are inherently distributed, and due to the low latency and high bandwidth of the wireless communication links between the wireless communication node described above and the proximity of the storage location nodes to an end-user, accessing the data content can be faster compared to other approaches.
In accordance with the present disclosure, the wireless communication equipment (ptp link modules, ptmp link modules, multiple ptp link modules, combination of multiple ptp and ptmp links, antennas for cellular small cells/CPEs and millimeter-wave equipment, cable, mounts, power supply boxes, etc.) that gets deployed and installed at a seed or anchor home can be consumer financed. For instance, in case of a customer meeting a certain credit score threshold (or any other credit checking criteria), the equipment required to add a millimeter-wave mesh node at the customer's premises (i.e., to add the customer to the wireless mesh network) and provide high speed internet service may be financed by a bank on the behalf of the customer, and the customer may agree with the financing bank to re-pay the amount financed by the bank over a certain time period by making periodic (e.g. monthly) payments based on the terms and conditions of the agreement. This way, the customer becomes owner of the equipment (a wireless mesh network node) once the full financed amount is made to the financing bank. This customer can in one embodiment lease back the wireless mesh network node equipment installed on its property to the wireless mesh network operator that installed the wireless mesh network equipment on its property and provide high speed internet data service. In another embodiment, this customer can lease back the wireless mesh network node equipment installed on its property to the wireless mesh network operator that installed the wireless mesh network equipment on its property and provide high speed internet data service for a certain term (e.g., 18 months, 24 months, 36 months, etc.).
In some instances, this customer may be required to lease back the equipment to only that operator which originally installed the equipment at the customer location and provided high speed internet data services. In other instances, this customer can lease back the equipment to any wireless internet network operator. In another instance, lease back of the equipment to an operator other than the operator which originally installed the network equipment at the customer location may only occur with the permission of the wireless internet network operator that originally installed that equipment at customer location. In yet another instance, such lease back to a different wireless internet network operator may only occur after expiration of the lease term with the original wireless internet network operator.
For a wireless internet network operator building and operating a wireless mesh network, the type of customer financing-based network deployment described above becomes a crowd sourcing or crowdfunding-based infrastructure roll out mechanism, where instead of one or few large entities, CAPEX is sourced from a pool of individuals who in some instances are the customers of the wireless mesh network operator. Such customers can get high speed internet data service from the wireless mesh network operator (operating using ptp/ptmp modules, other communication nodes and equipment and various variations discussed earlier in this disclosure) at a subsidized/discounted rate. In certain cases, such customers may get two separate bills periodically, one for the high-speed internet data service and other for the equipment financing from bank. In another case, customers can get a single consolidated bill from a wireless mesh operator.
In some instances, all customers of a wireless mesh operator can be based on consumer financing explained above in a neighborhood or market where wireless mesh operator offers its high-speed internet data service. In other instances, wireless mesh network's customers in a market or neighborhood can be financed through a variety of different ways including operator financing where wireless mesh operator pays for the equipment of the wireless mesh node, financed through bundling with a private utility or service that has a relatively smaller market size (e.g. home security/automation, solar energy, etc.) compared to market size of the high speed internet where a bundled service is offered and wireless mesh operator uses the marketing/sales commission received from the private utility or service provider to fund the wireless mesh node equipment, financed through the revenue generated from running blockchain platform based services on the wireless mesh network nodes along with the consumer/customer based financing that is explained earlier in the disclosure.
Further, in accordance with the present disclosure, the communications equipment including various types of ptp/ptmp modules, cellular small cell, etc. that were described above can be used to establish multiple ptp and/or point-to-multiple links where both network nodes of a wireless link, one from where a link originates and the second from where a link terminates (in general, nodes can switch roles dynamically between link originator and link terminator based on the direction of data flow), are located at the different customer locations and providing high speed internet service to the dwellers of the property where wireless mesh network node is deployed and installed. In some cases, one of the two nodes of the link can be at a location where the deployed equipment provides high speed internet service to the dwellers of the property at that location. In other instances, both nodes of the link may be at a location where the deployed equipment does not provide high speed internet service to the dwellers of the property at that location.
It should be understood that the length of the communication links of a wireless mesh network disclosed herein may vary. For instance, the length of the communication links of a wireless mesh network established with the help of the various communication modules and equipment described above may be less than 300 meters on average. Alternatively, the length of the communication links of a wireless mesh network can be greater than 300 meters on average as well. Many other lengths of the communication links are possible as well.
In accordance with the present disclosure, further disclosed herein are communication modules that employ direct RF (microwave/millimeter wave)-to-optical and direct Optical-to-RF (microwave/millimeter wave) conversion. In one example implementation, the high-speed photo detectors can be used that directly translate an optical signal into a microwave signal. One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that other approaches can be used for direct optical-to-RF conversion. Similarly, a dipole antenna directly coupled to a plasmonic modulator allows direct conversion from the RF to the optical world. One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that different approaches can be used for direct conversion of RF signals to optical signals. This direct optical-to-RF and direct RF-to-Optical conversion modules eliminate the need of the use of analog to digital and digital to analog (ADC/DAC) modules that are required by traditional modem implementations. These mixed signal components (i.e., ADC/DAC) consume high amount of power and also increase the cost as each antenna is required to be connected to a separate ADC/DAC module.
Based on the above explanation with respect to the example communication module of
These multiple distributed locations can be determined in advance based on the use of connection potentiality optimization algorithms, where the algorithm understands the relationship between end point placement and potentially connection partners. Also, the individual ptp beams can be dynamically steered among potential ptp connection partners to facilitate path optimization algorithms and/or to respond to network congestion and/or network element failures. In one embodiment, these Optical-to-RF or RF-to-Optical end points that establish ptp/ptmp beams can be placed below a roof's eaves and in other embodiments, these end points can be placed above a roof's eaves. In some other embodiments, some of the Optical-to-RF or RF-to-Optical end points can be placed below a roof's eaves and some can be placed above a roofs eaves and actual placement may depend upon the line-of-sight profile of the location/site.
It should be understood that the example communication module discussed in the context of
In accordance with the present disclosure, a modified version of the communication nodes discussed earlier for forming a wireless mesh network will now be discussed. In one embodiment, a communication node can host flexible millimeter-wave radio equipment capable of establishing multiple ptp and/or ptmp links operating over millimeter-wave frequencies and can comprise 3 different sub-modules: (1) digital/network module, (2) ptp radio module, and (3) ptmp radio module. A digital/network module is responsible for interfacing the above millimeter-wave radio box (and thus the communication node) with a core network (which may also at times be referred to as a backhaul or fiber network). Specifically, it provides switching capability to direct traffic between the ptp or ptmp radio modules of the millimeter-wave radio box (communication node) and the core network. The connectivity between a single or multiple ptp and/or ptmp radio modules of the millimeter-wave radio box and the core network can be based over a variety of interfaces including but not limited to PCI/PCI express bus interface and ethernet.
In one embodiment, PCI/PCIe can be used when a ptp or ptmp radio that needs to be connected is enclosed in the same box with a digital/network module and separation between the digital/network module and the ptp module is limited to few inches such as 3-6 inches or less.
In one embodiment, a digital/network module provides connectivity to a single ptp or ptmp module over a single PCI/PCIe bus interface. In a different embodiment, a digital/network module provides connectivity to 3 ptp or 3 ptmp or a combination of 3 ptp/ptmp modules over three separate PCI/PCIe bus interfaces. In another embodiment, a digital/network module provides connectivity to N ptp or N ptmp or a combination of N ptp/ptmp modules over N separate PCI/PCIe bus interfaces, where N is a positive integer number greater than zero.
An ethernet interface such as an RJ45 port with multi-gigabit support, including but not limited to 1 Gb, 2.5 Gb, 5 Gb, 10 Gb, etc., can be used to connect ptp or ptmp radio modules with a digital/network module. In one embodiment, an ethernet interface can be used when the ptp or ptmp radio that needs to be connected is not enclosed in the same box with a digital/network module and separation between digital/network module and the ptp module is greater than 3-6 inches. In some embodiments, the length can be 10 meters or more.
In one embodiment, a digital/network module provides capability of connecting up to 4 ptp/ptmp radios or up to 3 ptp/ptmp radio and a small cell over 4 ethernet interfaces. In a different embodiment, a digital/network module provides capability of connecting up to N ptp/ptmp radios or up to N−1 ptp/ptmp radio and a small cell over N ethernet interfaces, where N is a positive integer number greater than zero. Digital/network module also contains SFP/SFP+ interface or any other interface to connect digital/network module with the core network.
The ptmp radio module of the communication node discussed above is responsible for establishing ptmp millimeter-wave-based bi-directional links to connect to peer millimeter-wave radios in a wireless mesh network. The ptmp radio module comprises a baseband sub-module and RF module. Baseband module handles the baseband processing and among other aspects is responsible for baseband processing related to beamforming. RF module contains phased antenna array that works in conjunction with baseband module to generate ptmp millimeter-wave beams.
The ptp radio module of the communication node described above is responsible for establishing ptp millimeter-wave-based bi-directional links to connect to a peer millimeter-wave radio in a wireless mesh network. The ptp radio module comprises a baseband sub-module, RF module and beam narrowing module. The baseband module handles the baseband processing and, among other aspects, is responsible for baseband processing related to beamforming. RF module contains phased antenna array that works in conjunction with baseband module to generate ptp millimeter-wave beam. A beam narrowing module is responsible for narrowing the beam by focusing most of the radiated signal energy in the desired direction and lowering the antenna side lobes to minimize the interference in a wireless mesh network.
In one embodiment, the beam narrowing module can be a lens antenna integrated with an RF module. In another embodiment, the beam narrowing module can be a parabolic antenna integrated with an RF module. In yet another embodiment, the beam narrowing module could be a module other than a lens or parabolic antenna and rely on a different approach to narrow the beam originating from a phased array-based RF module.
Referring to
Referring to
At “Site A” of the wireless mesh network, a communication node 3700 may be solar powered and mounted on the pole. This node 3700 at Site A may have 3 ptp links generated by 3 ptp radio modules integrated with the digital/network module. At “Site B,” a communication node 3700 may be powered with an electric power outlet of the home and may have one ptp link via a single integrated ptp radio module and 2 ptmp links via two ptmp radio modules that are not integrated with a digital/network module but instead connected via ethernet interface to the communication node. Similarly, at “Site C,” a communication node 3700 may be powered with an electric power outlet of the home and may have two ptp links via two integrated ptp radio module and one ptmp radio module integrated with a digital/network module. At “Site E,” a communication node 3700 may be powered with an electric power outlet of the home and may have two ptp links via two integrated ptp radio module. Further, at “Site D,” a communication node 3700 may be powered with an electric power outlet of the home and may have two ptp links via two integrated ptp radio module and one ptmp radio module integrated with the digital/network module.
Referring to
Based on the preceding disclosure (e.g., the disclosure in connection with
Furthermore, based on the preceding disclosure (e.g., the disclosure in connection with
For instance, in the scenario shown in
It should be understood that
Another important aspect of communication node 3700 is that the integrated radio modules can be pluggable. In other words, based on a specific use case, the number and types of radio modules integrated with a digital/network module via PCI/PCIe interface can easily be changed by plugging in the desired number and type of radio modules with full flexibility instead of having one specific configuration.
So far, the modified version of communication nodes discussed above and also described in the context of
As one example,
In general, it should be understood that N number of ptp or ptmp modules in separate independent enclosures can be connected via a PCIe/Thunderbolt compatible outdoor cable, where N is an integer greater than zero. It should also be understood that the length of the outdoor cable compatible with high speed communication protocol, such as PCIe/thunderbolt, depends on the maximum limit defined by the technology. In one embodiment, PCIe/thunderbolt cable can be up to 3 meters. In other embodiments, the length of the outdoor PCI/PCIe/thunderbolt compatible cable can be less than or greater than 3 meters.
In yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, a wireless mesh network may include ultra-high-capacity nodes that are capable of establishing ultra-high-capacity links (e.g., ptp or ptmp bi-directional communication links) using a millimeter-wave spectrum, including but not limited to 28 Ghz, 39 Ghz, 37/42 Ghz, 60 Ghz (including V band), or E-band frequencies, as examples. These ultra-high-capacity links may have a larger range as compared to other ptp or ptmp links, including but not limited to ptp or ptmp links of the type discussed above with reference to
For instance, as one possibility, a ptp or ptmp link of the type discussed above with reference to
However, in other implementations, it is possible that the length of an ultra-high-capacity link may be similar to the length of a ptp or ptmp links of the type discussed above with reference to
The higher capacity and/or extended range of these ultra-high-capacity nodes/links may be achieved via various advanced signal processing techniques, including but not limited to multiple input multiple output (MIMO) such as 2×2 MIMO, 4×4 MIMO, 8×8 MIMO or an even higher order MIMO, use of vertical and horizontal polarization (V & H), higher switch capacity of the digital network module due to higher processing power such as support of 8×25 Gbps port (200 Gbps aggregate traffic flow), higher order modulation including 16 QAM, 64 QAM, 256 QAM, 512 QAM, 1024 QAM, orbital angular momentum (OAM) multiplexing, and/or higher antenna gains, among other possibilities. Further, in some implementations, the higher capacity and/or extended range of these ultra-high-capacity nodes/links can be achieved using a subset of the advanced signal processing techniques mentioned above.
These ultra-high-capacity nodes/links may be used in conjunction with other ptp and/or ptmp links, including but not limited to ptp or ptmp links of the type discussed above with reference to
To illustrate with an example,
As shown in
Further, it should be understood that a multi-layer wireless mesh network such as the one illustrated in
One variation of the multi-layer mesh architecture described above is that the ultra-high-capacity links can be designed to create specific paths based on a traffic requirement and/or some other criteria defined by the operator. To illustrate with an example,
Another variation of the multi-layer mesh architecture described above is that different layers of the wireless mesh network may be deployed at different heights, which may create physical-link separation by allowing re-use of the available frequency spectrum. For instance, in one implementation, a multi-layer wireless mesh network can have at least 2 layers of ultra-high-capacity links operating in the same frequency range, but at different heights. To illustrate with an example, a first layer of ultra-high-capacity links can be deployed at a lower height, such as by installing the required hardware at a lower height within a structure hosting the wireless mesh hardware (e.g., on a lower floor of a building), and a second layer of the ultra-high-capacity links can be deployed at a higher height, such as by installing the required hardware at a higher height of the structure hosting the wireless mesh hardware (e.g., at higher floor of the building). In this respect, the deployment of these different layers of ultra-high-capacity links at different heights may serve to increase the capacity of the multi-layer wireless mesh network.
While the foregoing example involves the deployment of multiple different layers of ultra-high-capacity links at multiple different heights, it should be understood that this example is merely provided for purposes of illustration, and that multiple layers of wireless mesh links of any type may be deployed at different heights in order to enhance the overall capacity of the multi-layer wireless mesh network, including but not limited to layers of ultra-high-capacity links, non-ultra-high-capacity ptp links, and/or non-ultra-high-capacity ptmp links.
Yet another variation of the multi-layer mesh architecture described above is that the ptmp links that are not ultra-high capacity (which are shown in
As noted above, the wireless communication equipment that is utilized to deploy the wireless communication nodes disclosed herein may take any of various forms, and in at least some examples, that wireless communication equipment may include a radio module that is based on a phased antenna array. For example, as discussed above with reference to
In accordance with yet another aspect of the present disclosure, a radio module of any of the wireless communication nodes disclosed herein can be made more flexible by using a phased antenna array comprising antenna elements having multiple different polarizations. For example, in one implementation, some phased antenna array elements of a radio module can have a vertical polarization and other phased antenna array elements of the radio module can have a horizontal polarization. In another implementation, the phased antenna array elements of a radio module can have slant/cross polarizations. For example, some phased antenna array elements of a radio module can have a +45 degree polarization and other phased antenna array elements of the radio module can have −45 degree polarization. Other implementations are possible as well, including but not limited to (i) implementations where the polarizations of the phased antenna array's antenna elements are something other than other than horizontal/vertical or slant/cross polarization, and/or (ii) implementations where the phased antenna array includes antenna elements belonging to more than two different polarizations (e.g., four respective sets of antenna elements having horizontal, vertical, +45 degree, and −45 degree polarizations).
Further, the phased antenna array comprising antenna elements having two or more different polarizations may be fed by an RF module comprising a plurality of RF chains, which may take any of various forms. In one implementation, each individual antenna element of the phased antenna array described above can be connected to a dedicated RF chain having a dedicated power amplifier. For example, in a 16-element antenna array, each antenna element may be connected to a dedicated RF chain, such that the radio module comprises 16 separate RF chains that feed the 16 antenna elements of the phased array. In another implementation, multiple antenna elements of the phased antenna array may be grouped together for purposes of the RF chains, where each group of multiple antenna elements may be connected to a respective RF chain such that the antenna elements in group share a power amplifier and other RF elements of the group's respective RF chain. For example, in a 16-element antenna array, the antenna elements may be arranged into groups of two antenna elements for purposes of the RF chains, such that the radio module comprises 8 separate RF chains that feed the grouped-by-two 16 antenna elements of the phased array.
In conjunction with the phased antenna array comprising antenna elements having two or more different polarizations and the RF module that feeds the antenna elements, a radio module designed in accordance with this aspect of the present disclosure may further comprise a control unit that is configured to dynamically control an activation state (e.g., the activation/deactivation) of the RF chains and their corresponding antenna elements in order to alter the polarization and/or emission pattern of the radiated signal. This control unit may comprise hardware, software, or some combination thereof, among other possibilities. Further, in practice, the control unit may be configured to dynamically control the activation state of the RF chains and their corresponding antenna elements in response to an instruction from an NPU of the radio module, a digital module of the radio module, or the like, among various other possibilities.
For instance, in one implementation where each antenna element of the phased antenna array has one of two possible polarizations (e.g. either horizontal or vertical), the control unit may be configured to (i) activate (or maintain activation of) all of the antenna elements having one polarization by activating (or maintaining activation of) whichever RF chain(s) feed the antenna elements to be activated and (ii) de-activate all of the antenna elements having the other polarization by deactivating whichever RF chains feed the antenna elements to be deactivated, such that antenna elements having only one of the two possible polarizations are activated in the phased antenna array and the antenna output belongs to that one polarization only.
For example, based on a given instruction received from an NPU or digital module of the radio module, the control unit may function to (i) activate (or maintain activation of) all antenna elements having a horizontal polarization by activating (or maintaining activation of) whichever RF chains feed such antenna elements and (ii) deactivate all antenna elements having a vertical polarization by deactivating whichever RF chains feed such antenna elements, which may result in an antenna output belonging to the horizontal polarization only.
As another example, based on a given instruction received from an NPU or digital module of the radio module, the control unit may function to (i) activate (or maintain activation of) all antenna elements having a vertical polarization by activating (or maintaining activation of) whichever RF chains feeds such antenna elements and (ii) deactivate all antenna elements having a horizontal polarization by deactivating whichever RF chain(s) feeds such antenna elements, which may result in an antenna output belonging to the vertical polarization only.
The control unit may also be configured to perform similar functionality with respect to antenna elements having other polarization values (e.g., slant/cross polarizations).
In another implementation, instead of activating all of the antenna elements of the phased antenna array having a particular polarization (e.g., all of the horizontal antenna elements or all of the vertical antenna elements), the control unit could be configured to activate less than all of the antenna elements having a particular polarization. For instance, consider an example of a phased antenna array that includes one set of antenna elements having a horizontal polarization (e.g., 8 horizontal antenna elements) and another set of antenna elements having a vertical polarization (e.g., 8 vertical antenna elements). In such an arrangement, the control unit may be configured to independently activate (or maintain activation of) two or more different subsets of the antenna elements having the horizontal polarization and/or two or more different subsets of the antenna elements having the vertical polarization.
For example, the control unit may function to activate (or maintain activation of) one particular subset of antenna elements having the horizontal polarization (e.g., 4 of the 8 available horizontal elements) while deactivating all of the other antenna elements having the horizontal polarization as well as all of the antenna elements having the vertical polarization. As another example, the control unit may function to activate (or maintain activation of) one particular subset of antenna elements having the vertical polarization (e.g., 4 of the 8 available vertical elements) while deactivating all of the other antenna elements having the vertical polarization as well as all of the antenna elements having the horizontal polarization. As yet another example, the control unit may function to activate (or maintain activation of) multiple subsets of antenna elements having the horizontal polarization or multiple subsets of antenna elements having the vertical polarization. Other examples are possible as well. The control unit may also be configured to perform similar functionality with respect to antenna elements having other polarization values (e.g., slant/cross polarizations).
This capability to activate different subsets of antenna elements having a particular polarization may provide various benefits, including but not limited to the capability to establish multiple separate wireless links using the different subsets of antenna elements having the particular polarization.
In yet another implementation, instead of keeping antenna elements having only one single polarization activated at any given time, the control unit could be configured to activate (and maintain activation of) antenna elements having multiple different polarizations at the same time. For instance, consider an example of a phased antenna array that includes one set of antenna elements having a horizontal polarization (e.g., 8 horizontal antenna elements) and another set of antenna elements having a vertical polarization (e.g., 8 vertical antenna elements). In such an arrangement, the control unit may be configured to activate (or maintain activation of) both (i) antenna elements having the horizontal polarization and (ii) antenna elements having the vertical polarization. The control unit may also be configured to perform similar functionality with respect to antenna elements having other polarization values (e.g., slant/cross polarizations).
This capability to activate (or maintain activation of) antenna elements having multiple different polarizations may provide various benefits, including but not limited to the capability for a radio module to perform (i) signal reception over an established bi-directional link using antenna elements having one of two possible polarizations and (ii) signal transmission over the established bi-directional link using antenna elements having the other of two possible polarizations. In such an implementation where a radio module uses antenna elements having one polarization for signal reception and antenna elements having another polarization for signal transmission, the radio module may utilize any of various different multiple access techniques to carry out such signal reception and/or transmission, including but not limited to time division duplexing (TDD), frequency division duplexing (FDD), Multiuser Superposition Transmission (MUST), CDMA, (FDMA), (TDMA), (SC-FDMA), (SC-TDMA), OFDMA, and/or (NOMA), among other possibilities.
It should also be understood that the foregoing implementations could be implemented together. For instance, the control unit could be configured to activate both a particular subset of antenna elements having a horizontal polarization and a particular subset of antenna elements having a vertical polarization, while other subsets of antenna elements having horizontal and vertical polarizations are deactivated. Other implementations are possible as well.
In some embodiments, the output of the phased antenna array's antenna elements can also be fed into one or more beam narrowing modules that are included as part of a radio module designed in accordance with this aspect of the present disclosure. For instance, in one implementation, a radio module may include a single beam narrowing module, and the output of all of the phased antenna array's antenna elements may be fed into that single beam narrowing module. In another implementation, a radio module may include multiple separate beam narrowing modules, and the output of different sets and/or subsets of the phased antenna array's antenna elements may be fed into the multiple separate beam narrowing modules.
For example, in an implementation where the phased antenna array includes antenna elements that each have one of two possible polarizations, a radio module may include at least one respective beam narrowing module corresponding to each of the two possible polarizations, where the output of a first set of antenna elements having a first polarization is fed into a first beam narrowing module and the output of a second set of antenna elements having a second polarization is fed into a second beam narrowing module. As another example, in an implementation where different subsets of antenna elements having a same given polarization can be activated/deactivated independently from one another, a radio module may include multiple beam narrowing modules corresponding to a single polarization, where the output of each different subset of antenna elements having the given polarization is fed into a different beam narrowing module. Other example arrangements of multiple beam narrowing modules are possible as well—including but not limited to the possibility that a radio module may include multiple beam narrowing modules corresponding to each possible polarization of the antenna elements (e.g., a first set of two or more beam narrowing modules corresponding to a horizontal polarization and a second set of two or more beam narrowing modules corresponding to a vertical polarization).
Each of the one or more beam narrowing modules that are included as part of a radio module designed in accordance with this aspect of the present disclosure can take any of various forms, examples of which may include a lens antenna, a parabolic antenna, or a different type of antenna, among other possibilities. Further, in operation, each beam narrowing module may function to consolidate the signals emitted from different active antenna elements of the phased antenna array into a single narrow beam composite signal.
For instance, in an implementation where the output of all of the phased antenna array's antenna elements are fed into a single beam narrowing module, then that single beam narrowing module may function to consolidate the signals emitted from whichever of the phased antenna array's antenna elements are active at any given time into a single narrow beam composite signal. For example, in a scenario where the control unit has activated all of the antenna elements having one of two possible polarizations and deactivated all of the antenna elements having the other of the two possible polarization, the single beam narrowing module may function to consolidate the signals emitted from the all of the antenna elements having that one polarization into a single narrow beam composite signal, such that the output of the beam narrowing module belongs to that one polarization only. Further, in an implementation where the module has two beam narrowing modules corresponding to the two possible polarizations of the antenna elements, then a first beam narrowing module may function to consolidate the signals emitted from a first set of antenna elements having a first polarization (e.g., horizontal) into a first narrow beam composite signal at times when such antenna elements are active, and a second beam narrowing module may function to consolidate the signals emitted from a second set of antenna elements having a second polarization (e.g., vertical) into a second narrow beam composite signal at times when such antenna elements are active.
Further yet, in an implementation where the module has multiple beam narrowing modules that correspond to a same given polarization and are each configured to receive the output from a different subset of antenna elements having that given polarization, each such beam narrowing module may function to consolidate the different individual signals emitted from a respective subset of antenna elements having the given polarization into a respective narrow beam composite signal at times when such antenna elements are active. To illustrate, consider an example where the phrase antenna array has a set of 8 antenna elements having a horizontal polarization, where these 8 antenna elements are grouped into two subsets of 4 antenna elements that can be activated/deactivated independently of one another via the control unit and RF module. In this example, the radio module may include two different beam narrowing modules corresponding to the horizontal polarization, where a first beam narrowing module functions to consolidate the signals emitted from the first subset of 4 antenna elements having the horizontal polarization into a first narrow beam composite signal at times when such antenna elements are active and a second beam narrowing module functions to consolidate the different individual signals emitted from the second subset of 4 antenna elements having the horizontal polarization into a second narrow beam composite signal at times when such antenna elements. Many other examples are possible as well.
Some possible examples of radio module designed in accordance with this aspect of the present disclosure are illustrated in
In line with the description above, the control unit 2910 may be configured to activate and de-activate specific antenna elements of the phased antenna array 2940 by correspondingly activating and de-activating the particular RF chains that feeds those specific antenna elements. For instance, in the example shown in
In some implementations, the radio module 2900 may include an equal number of RF chains and antenna elements, in which case each of the antenna elements of the phased antenna array 2940 may be fed by a dedicated RF chain, and the control unit 2910 may activate and deactivate a given antenna element by activating and deactivating the dedicated RF chain that feeds the given antenna element. In other implementations, the radio module 2900 may include less RF chains than antenna elements, in which case the antenna elements of the phased antenna array 2940 may be grouped together (e.g., into groups of two or more antenna elements having the same polarization) for purposes of the RF chains, such that each respective RF chain may be configured to feed multiple antenna elements. The control unit 2910 may then activate and deactivate a given group of antenna elements by activating and deactivating the respective RF chain that feeds the given group of antenna elements. The RF feeds of the radio module 2900 may be arranged in other manners as well.
Turning to
In line with the description above, the control unit 2910 may be configured to activate and de-activate specific antenna elements of the phased antenna array 2940 by correspondingly activating and de-activating the particular RF chains that feeds those specific antenna elements. For instance, in the example of
In some implementations, the radio module 2902 may include an equal number of RF chains and antenna elements, in which case each antenna element of the phased antenna array 2940 may be fed by a dedicated RF chain, and the control unit 2910 may activate and deactivate a given antenna element by activating and deactivating the dedicated RF chain that feeds the given antenna element. In other implementations, the radio module 2902 may include less RF chains than antenna elements, in which case the antenna elements of the phased antenna array 2940 may be grouped together (e.g., into groups of two or more antenna elements having the same polarization) for purposes of the RF chains, such that each respective RF chain may be configured to feed multiple antenna elements. The control unit 2910 may then activate and deactivate a given group of antenna elements by activating and deactivating the respective RF chain that feeds the given group of antenna elements. The RF feeds of the radio module 2902 may be arranged in other manners as well.
Turning to
In the example of
In line with the description above, the control unit 2910 may be configured to activate and de-activate specific antenna elements of the phased antenna array 2940 by correspondingly activating and de-activating the particular RF chains that feeds those specific antenna elements. For instance, in the example of
In some implementations, the radio module 2904 may include an equal number of RF chains and antenna elements, in which case each antenna element of the phased antenna array 2940 may be fed by a dedicated RF chain, and the control unit 2910 may activate and deactivate a given antenna element by activating and deactivating the dedicated RF chain that feeds the given antenna element. In other implementations, the radio module 2902 may include less RF chains than antenna elements, in which case the antenna elements of the phased antenna array 2940 may be grouped together (e.g., into groups of two or more antenna elements having the same polarization) for purposes of the RF chains, such that each respective RF chain may be configured to feed multiple antenna elements. The control unit 2910 may then activate and deactivate a given group of antenna elements by activating and deactivating the respective RF chain that feeds the given group of antenna elements. The RF feeds of the radio module 2904 may be arranged in other manners as well.
Example embodiments of the disclosed innovations have been described above. At noted above, it should be understood that the figures are provided for the purpose of illustration and description only and that various components (e.g., modules) illustrated in the figures above can be added, removed, and/or rearranged into different configurations, or utilized as a basis for modifying and/or designing other configurations for carrying out the example operations disclosed herein. In this respect, those skilled in the art will understand that changes and modifications may be made to the embodiments described above without departing from the true scope and spirit of the present invention, which will be defined by the claims.
Further, to the extent that examples described herein involve operations performed or initiated by actors, such as humans, operators, users or other entities, this is for purposes of example and explanation only. Claims should not be construed as requiring action by such actors unless explicitly recited in claim language.
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/160,638, filed Mar. 12, 2021 and entitled “SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR IMPROVING WIRELESS MESH NETWORKS,” which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
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