U.S. patent application number 16/016619 was filed with the patent office on 2018-12-27 for method and system for distributed transceivers and mobile device connectivity.
The applicant listed for this patent is Golba LLC. Invention is credited to Mehran Moshfeghi.
Application Number | 20180375564 16/016619 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 50066136 |
Filed Date | 2018-12-27 |
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United States Patent
Application |
20180375564 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Moshfeghi; Mehran |
December 27, 2018 |
METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR DISTRIBUTED TRANSCEIVERS AND MOBILE DEVICE
CONNECTIVITY
Abstract
A plurality of distributed transceivers in a mobile entity such
as a car, a truck, an omnibus (bus), a trailer, a mobile home,
train, bus, a forklift, construction equipment, a boat, a ship,
and/or an aircraft, and/or one or more corresponding antenna arrays
that are communicatively coupled to the distributed transceivers
are configured to handle communication of one or more data streams
among one or more of a plurality of wireless communication
networks, one or more other mobile entities and/or one or more
mobile communication devices. The data streams may be communicated
utilizing the configured one or more of the plurality of
distributed transceivers and/or the one or more corresponding
antenna arrays. The wireless communication networks includes a
satellite network, a wireless wide area network, a wireless medium
area network, a wireless local area network, a wireless personal
area network, a network cloud and/or the Internet.
Inventors: |
Moshfeghi; Mehran; (Rancho
Palos Verdes, CA) |
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Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Golba LLC |
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Family ID: |
50066136 |
Appl. No.: |
16/016619 |
Filed: |
June 24, 2018 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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13919932 |
Jun 17, 2013 |
10020861 |
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16016619 |
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61725005 |
Nov 11, 2012 |
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61680872 |
Aug 8, 2012 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04W 16/10 20130101;
H04B 17/26 20150115; H04B 7/0689 20130101; H04B 7/0456 20130101;
H04B 7/0617 20130101; H04L 7/033 20130101; H04W 76/15 20180201;
H04W 4/00 20130101; H04W 84/00 20130101; H04B 7/0871 20130101; H04B
7/0697 20130101; H04B 17/309 20150115; H04W 24/02 20130101; H04B
17/382 20150115; H04B 7/024 20130101; H04B 17/336 20150115; H04L
12/6418 20130101; H04B 7/0413 20130101; H04L 5/0048 20130101; H04B
7/12 20130101; H04B 7/10 20130101 |
International
Class: |
H04B 7/06 20060101
H04B007/06; H04W 4/00 20060101 H04W004/00; H04B 17/336 20060101
H04B017/336; H04B 17/382 20060101 H04B017/382; H04B 17/309 20060101
H04B017/309; H04B 17/26 20060101 H04B017/26; H04L 12/64 20060101
H04L012/64 |
Claims
1. A method, comprising: in a mobile entity comprising a plurality
of distributed transceivers: configuring one or more of said
plurality of distributed transceivers and/or one or more
corresponding antenna arrays that are communicatively coupled to
said one or more of said plurality of distributed transceivers to
handle communication of one or more data streams among one or more
of a plurality of wireless communication networks, one or more
other mobile entities and/or one or more mobile communication
devices; and communicating said one or more data streams utilizing
said configured one or more of said plurality of distributed
transceivers and/or said one or more corresponding antenna
arrays.
2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said mobile entity
comprises a car, a truck, an omnibus (bus), a trailer, a mobile
home, train, bus, a forklift, construction equipment, a boat, a
ship, and/or an aircraft.
3. The method according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of
wireless communication networks comprises a satellite network, a
wireless wide area network, a wireless medium area network, a
wireless local area network, a wireless personal area network and
the Internet.
4. The method according to claim 1, comprising controlling said
configuring of said one or more of said plurality of distributed
transceivers and/or said one or more corresponding antenna arrays
from a component within one or more of said mobile entity, said one
or more other mobile entities, said one or more mobile
communication devices and/or one or more of said wireless
communication networks.
5. The method according to claim 1, comprising configuring said one
or more of said plurality of distributed transceivers to operate as
a relay node and/or a repeater node.
6. The method according to claim 1, comprising: determining a
location, speed and/or trajectory of said mobile entity; and
configuring said one or more of said plurality of distributed
transceivers and/or one or more corresponding antenna arrays based
on said determined location, speed and/or trajectory.
7. The method according to claim 1, comprising dynamically and/or
adaptively controlling said plurality of distributed transceivers
to utilize one or more modes of operation to communicate said one
or more data streams and/or to split said communication of said one
or more data streams amongst a portion of said plurality of
distributed transceivers, wherein said one or more modes of
operation comprises a spatial diversity mode, a frequency diversity
mode, a spatial multiplexing mode, a frequency multiplexing mode
and a MIMO mode.
8. The method according to claim 1, comprising backhauling traffic
from said mobile entity and/or said one or more other mobile
entities via one or more wireless communication links to said one
or more of said plurality of wireless communication networks.
9. The method according to claim 1, comprising configuring one or
more of said plurality of distributed transceivers in said mobile
entity and/or said one or more other mobile entities to utilize
different types of communication links to handle different types of
data traffic.
10. The method according to claim 1, comprising configuring one or
more of said plurality of distributed transceivers in said mobile
entity and/or said one or more other mobile entities to utilize
different modulation schemes, constellations, protocols,
frequencies, wireless standards and/or bandwidths to handle said
communication of said one or more data streams.
11. A system, comprising: a plurality of distributed transceivers
in a mobile entity, wherein: one or more of said plurality of
distributed transceivers and/or one or more corresponding antenna
arrays that are communicatively coupled to said one or more of said
plurality of distributed transceivers are configured to handle
communication of one or more data streams among one or more of a
plurality of wireless communication networks, one or more other
mobile entities and/or one or more mobile communication devices;
and said one or more data streams are communicated utilizing said
configured one or more of said plurality of distributed
transceivers and/or said one or more corresponding antenna
arrays.
12. The system according to claim 11, wherein said mobile entity
comprises a car, a truck, an omnibus (bus), a trailer, a mobile
home, train, bus, a forklift, construction equipment, a boat, a
ship, and/or an aircraft.
13. The system according to claim 11, wherein said plurality of
wireless communication networks comprises a satellite network, a
wireless wide area network, a wireless medium area network, a
wireless local area network, a wireless personal area network and
the Internet.
14. The system according to claim 11, wherein said configuration of
said one or more of said plurality of distributed transceivers
and/or said one or more corresponding antenna arrays is controlled
from a component within one or more of said mobile entity, said one
or more other mobile entities, said one or more mobile
communication devices and/or one or more of said wireless
communication networks.
15. The system according to claim 11, wherein said one or more of
said plurality of distributed transceivers is configured to operate
as a relay node and/or a repeater node.
16. The system according to claim 11, wherein: a location, speed
and/or trajectory of said mobile entity is determined; and said one
or more of said plurality of distributed transceivers and/or one or
more corresponding antenna arrays is configured based on said
determined location, speed and/or trajectory.
17. The system according to claim 11, wherein said plurality of
distributed transceivers are dynamically and/or adaptively
controlled to utilize one or more modes of operation to communicate
said one or more data streams and/or to split said communication of
said one or more data streams amongst a portion of said plurality
of distributed transceivers, wherein said one or more modes of
operation comprises a spatial diversity mode, a frequency diversity
mode, a spatial multiplexing mode, a frequency multiplexing mode
and a MIMO mode.
18. The system according to claim 11, wherein traffic from said
mobile entity and/or said one or more other mobile entities are
backhauled via one or more wireless communication links to said one
or more of said plurality of wireless communication networks.
19. The system according to claim 11, wherein one or more of said
plurality of distributed transceivers in said mobile entity and/or
said one or more other mobile entities is configured to utilize
different types of communication links to handle different types of
data traffic.
20. The system according to claim 11, wherein one or more of said
plurality of distributed transceivers in said mobile entity and/or
said one or more other mobile entities is configured to utilize
different modulation schemes, constellations, protocols,
frequencies, wireless standards and/or bandwidths to handle said
communication of said one or more data streams.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS/INCORPORATION BY
REFERENCE
[0001] This application makes reference to, claims priority to and
claims the benefit of: [0002] U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No.
61/725,005, which was filed on Nov. 11, 2012; and [0003] U.S.
Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/680,872, which was filed on
Aug. 8, 2012.
[0004] This application also makes reference to: [0005] U.S.
application Ser. No. 13/473,096, which was filed on May 16, 2012;
[0006] U.S. application Ser. No. 13/473,144, which was filed on May
16, 2012; [0007] U.S. application Ser. No. 13/473,105, which was
filed on May 16, 2012; [0008] U.S. application Ser. No. 13/473,160,
which was filed on May 16, 2012; [0009] U.S. application Ser. No.
13/473,180, which was filed on May 16, 2012; [0010] U.S.
application Ser. No. 13/473,113, which was filed on May 16, 2012;
[0011] U.S. application Ser. No. 13/473,083, which was filed on May
16, 2012; [0012] U.S. application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket
No. 26392US02), which was filed on ______; [0013] U.S. application
Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 25636US02), which was filed on
______; [0014] U.S. application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket
No. 26667US02), which was filed on ______; and [0015] U.S.
application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 26668US02), which
was filed on ______.
[0016] Each of the above referenced application is hereby
incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0017] Certain embodiments of the invention relate to wireless
communication systems. More specifically, certain embodiments of
the invention relate to a method and system for distributed
transceivers and mobile device connectivity.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0018] Millimeter Wave (mmWave) devices are being utilized for high
throughput wireless communications at very high carrier
frequencies. There are several standards bodies such as, for
example, 60 GHz wireless standard, WirelessHD, WiGig, and WiFi IEEE
802.11ad that utilize high frequencies such as the 60 GHz frequency
spectrum for high throughput wireless communications. In the US,
the 60 GHz spectrum band may be used for unlicensed short range
data links such as data links within a range of 1.7 km, with data
throughputs up to 6 Gbits/s. These higher frequencies may provide
smaller wavelengths and enable the use of small high gain antennas.
However, these higher frequencies may experience high propagation
loss.
[0019] Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and
traditional approaches will become apparent to one of skill in the
art, through comparison of such systems with some aspects of the
present invention as set forth in the remainder of the present
application with reference to the drawings.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0020] A system and/or method is provided for distributed
transceivers and mobile connectivity, substantially as shown in
and/or described in connection with at least one of the figures, as
set forth more completely in the claims.
[0021] These and other advantages, aspects and novel features of
the present invention, as well as details of an illustrated
embodiment thereof, will be more fully understood from the
following description and drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
[0022] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary system for
providing connectivity via a plurality of distributed transceivers
in a mobile entity, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of
the invention.
[0023] FIG. 2 is a diagram of an exemplary mobile entity, which
comprises a plurality of internal and external distributed
transceiver devices, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of
the invention.
[0024] FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating exemplary
communication utilizing a plurality of distributed transceivers in
a mobile entity, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the
invention.
[0025] FIG. 4 is a flow chart illustrating exemplary steps for
communicating utilizing distributed transceivers in a mobile
entity, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the
invention.
[0026] FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating exemplary steps for
communicating utilizing distributed transceivers in a mobile
entity, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the
invention.
[0027] FIG. 6 is a flow chart illustrating exemplary steps for
communicating utilizing distributed transceivers in a mobile
entity, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the
invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0028] Certain embodiments of the invention may be found in a
method and system for distributed transceivers and mobile
connectivity. In various aspects of the invention, a plurality of
distributed transceivers and/or one or more corresponding antenna
arrays, which may be communicatively coupled to one or more of the
plurality of distributed transceivers, may be configured to handle
communication of one or more data streams among one or more of a
plurality of wireless communication networks, one or more other
mobile entities and/or one or more mobile communication devices.
The one or more data streams may be communicated utilizing the
configured one or more of the plurality of distributed transceivers
and/or the one or more corresponding antenna arrays. The mobile
entity may comprise a car, a truck, an omnibus (bus), a trailer, a
mobile home, train, bus, a forklift, construction equipment, a
boat, a ship, an aircraft or any other vehicle. Some embodiments
may be applicable to scenarios where the mobile entity is a
stationary entity/station or fixed entity/station. The plurality of
wireless communication networks may comprise a satellite network, a
wireless wide area network, a wireless medium area network, a
wireless local area network, a wireless personal area network, a
network cloud and/or the Internet. Configuring of the one or more
of the plurality of distributed transceivers and/or the one or more
corresponding antenna arrays may be controlled from a component
and/or within one or more of the mobile entities, the one or more
other mobile entities, the one or more mobile communication devices
and/or one or more of the wireless communication networks.
[0029] In some embodiments of the invention, one or more of the
plurality of distributed transceivers may be configured to operate
as a relay node and/or a repeater node. A location, speed and/or
trajectory of the mobile entity may be determined and one or more
of the plurality of distributed transceivers and/or one or more
corresponding antenna arrays may be configured based on the
determined location, speed and/or trajectory. One or more of the
plurality of distributed transceivers may be dynamically and/or
adaptively controlled to utilize one or more modes of operation to
communicate the one or more data streams and/or to split the
communication of the one or more data streams amongst a portion of
the plurality of distributed transceivers. The modes of operation
may comprise a spatial diversity mode, a frequency diversity mode,
a spatial multiplexing mode, a frequency multiplexing mode and/or a
MIMO mode.
[0030] In accordance with various embodiments of the invention,
traffic may be backhauled from the mobile entity and/or the one or
more other mobile entities via one or more wireless communication
links to one or more of the plurality of wireless communication
networks. One or more of the plurality of distributed transceivers
in the mobile entity and/or the one or more other mobile entities
may be configured to utilize different types of communication links
to handle different types of data traffic. One or more of the
plurality of distributed transceivers in the mobile entity and/or
one or more of a plurality of distributed transceivers in the one
or more other mobile entities may be configured to utilize
different modulation schemes, constellations, protocols,
frequencies, wireless standards and/or bandwidths to handle the
communication of the one or more data streams.
[0031] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary system for
providing connectivity via a plurality of distributed transceivers
in a mobile entity, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of
the invention. Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a network 100
comprising a satellite network 110, a wireless wide area network
(WWAN) 112, a wireless local area network (WLAN) 114, the Internet
116 and a cloud network 118. FIG. 1 also shows mobile entities 120,
150, a tablet 122a, a smartphone 122b, a ultrabook 122c and a
plurality of communication links 130a, 130b, . . . , 130n, 132a, .
. . , 132n, 134a, . . . , 134n, 133, 135, 136, 137, 138, 139, 140a,
140b, . . . , 140n. The tablet 122a, the smartphone 122b and the
ultrabook 122c may be collectively referenced as communication
devices.
[0032] The satellite network 110 may comprise a satellite ground
station 109 and a plurality of satellites 110a, . . . , 110n that
may be operable to convey content to a plurality of receiving
devices. In this regard, the satellite ground station 109 may
comprise suitable devices having various logic, interfaces and/or
code that may be operable to transmit content to the satellites
110a, . . . , 110n. The satellites 110a, . . . , 110n may be
operable to broadcast the corresponding received content, which may
be received by a plurality of receiving devices. For example, a
plurality of distributed transceivers 120a, 120b, . . . , 120n in
the mobile entity 120 may be operable to receive the signals that
are broadcast from one or more of the satellites 110a, . . . ,
110n. The content may be processed and/or communicated to one or
more of the tablet 122a, the smartphone 122b, and/or ultrabook 122c
via one or more of the plurality of distributed transceivers 120a,
120b, . . . , 120n. In some embodiments of the invention, the
content may be processed and/or communicated to one or more of the
base stations 112a, 112b, . . . , 112n in the WWAN 112, the access
points 114a, 114b, . . . , 114n in the WLAN 114 and/or to another
mobile entity such as the mobile entity 150. In some embodiments of
the invention, the content may be processed and/or communicated or
relayed from one or more of a plurality of the distributed
transceivers 120a, 120b, . . . , 120n, which are located in the
mobile entity 120 to one or more of a plurality of distributed
transceivers 150a, 150b, . . . , 150n, which are located in the
mobile entity 150. In some embodiments, the satellite 110a in FIG.
1 may deploy distributed transceivers to provide higher capacity
(multiple streams in the same frequency) to the mobile entity 120.
In this case, in accordance with various embodiments of the
invention, phase condition optimization (e.g.,
.theta..sub.1.sub.2-.theta..sub.1.sub.1+.theta..sub.2.sub.1-.theta-
..sub.2.sub.2=(2n+1).times.180.degree.) may be performed over a
plurality of distributed transceivers at the satellite 110a and the
mobile entity 120.
[0033] The wireless wide area network (WWAN) 112 may comprise
suitable logic, interfaces and/or devices that may be operable to
provide wide area wireless connectivity. In this regard, the
wireless wide area network 112 may enable communication via one or
more WWAN based standards and/or protocols such as 3G, 4G, LTE and
WiMax. The WWAN 112 may comprise a plurality of base stations,
namely, base stations 112a, 112b, . . . , 112n and a WWAN switch
(S) 113. Content from the one or more of the Internet 116, the
cloud network 118, the WWAN 112 and/or the WLAN 114 may be
communicated among one or more of the tablet 122a, the smartphone
122b, and/or ultrabook 122c via one or more of the plurality of
distributed transceivers 120a, 120b, . . . , 120n in the mobile
entity 120 via one or more of the plurality of base stations 112a,
112b, . . . , 112n. In some embodiments of the invention, the
plurality of base stations 112a, 112b, . . . , 112n may each deploy
distributed transceivers. In some embodiments of the invention, the
content may be processed and/or communicated among one or more of
the tablet 122a, the smartphone 122b, and/or ultrabook 122c via the
gateway 115 and one or more of the access points 114a, 114b, . . .
, 114n, which are in the WLAN 114. In some embodiments of the
invention, the content may be processed and/or communicated or
relayed from one or more of a plurality of the distributed
transceivers 120a, 120b, . . . , 120n, which are located in the
mobile entity 120 to one or more of a plurality of the distributed
transceivers 150a, 150b, . . . , 150n, which are located in the
mobile entity 150.
[0034] The WWAN switch 113 may comprise suitable logic, interfaces
and/or devices that may be operable to provide switching and/or
routing functionality for the WWAN 112. The WWAN switch 113 may be
communicatively coupled to the Internet via the communication link
135, which may comprise a wired, wireless and/or optical
communication link. The WWAN switch 113 may be operable to route
traffic from one or more of the base stations 112a, 112b, . . . ,
112n to the Internet 116 via the communication link 135. The base
station 112n may be operable to provide service to the gateway 115
via the communication link 139, which may comprise a wireless WWAN
communication link.
[0035] The wireless local area network (WLAN) 114 may comprise
suitable logic, interfaces and/or devices that may be operable to
provide local area wireless connectivity. In this regard, the
wireless local area network (WLAN) 114 may enable communication via
IEEE 802.11 based standards and/or protocols such as 802.11
a/b/g/n/ac/p/q and/or variants thereof. The WLAN 114 may comprise a
plurality of access points, namely, access points 114a, . . . ,
114n and a gateway (GW) 115.
[0036] Each of the access points 114a, . . . , 114n may comprise
suitable logic, interfaces and/or code that may be operable to
provide wireless access to the WLAN 114. The access points 114a, .
. . , 114n may be communicatively coupled to the gateway 115 via
one or more wired, wireless and/or optical links. The access points
114a, . . . , 114n may be operable to communicate via, for example,
IEEE 802.11 based standards such as 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/p/q and/or
variants thereof and/or via mmWave standards and/or technologies,
such as 60 GHz wireless standard, WirelessHD, WiGig, WiFi, and/or
IEEE 802.11ad. The access points 114a, . . . , 114n may enable
communication between the WLAN 114 and one or more of the
transceivers 120a, 120b, . . . , 120n, which are located in the
mobile entity 120, when the mobile entity 120 is within operating
range of one or more of the access points 114a, . . . , 114n. In
some embodiments of the invention, access points 114a, . . . , 114n
may each deploy distributed transceivers. In some embodiments,
access points 114a, . . . , 114n may use the methods disclosed in
U.S. application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 26392US02),
which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety,
to operate and/or control a set of distributed access points with
distributed transceivers.
[0037] The gateway 115 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry,
interfaces and/or code that may be operable to provide connectivity
between the access points 114a, . . . , 114n and one or more
networks such as the Internet 116. The gateway 115 may be operable
to wirelessly communicate with the access points 114a, . . . , 114n
via IEEE 802.11 based standards such as 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/p/q
and/or variants thereof. The gateway 115 may be operable to
communicate with the access points 114a, . . . , 114n utilizing
wired based standards such as 802.3 and variants thereof. The
gateway 115 may also be communicatively coupled to the WWAN 112. In
this regard, the gateway 115 may also be communicatively coupled to
the base station WWAN 112n via the communication link 139. The
communication link 139 may comprise, for example, a wireless
communication link.
[0038] The Internet 116 may comprise suitable devices and/or
interfaces that enable the interconnection of a plurality of
networks and/or devices. In this regard, the Internet 116 may
enable the interconnection of, for example, the satellite network
110, the WWAN 112, the WLAN 114, and the cloud network 118. The
Internet 116 may host a plurality of resources such as the server
116a and provide a plurality of Internet-based services.
[0039] The cloud network 118 may comprise suitable devices and/or
interfaces that are operable to provide one or more services to,
for example, the satellite network 110, the WWAN 112, the WLAN 114
and/or to the communication devices, for example, the tablet 122a,
the smartphone 122b and the ultrabook 122c. In this regard, the
cloud network 118 may, for example, provide storage of information,
hosting of information and/or other services for the satellite
network 110, the WWAN 112, the WLAN 114, the tablet 122a, the
smartphone 122b and/or the ultrabook 122c via the Internet 116. The
cloud network 118 may be communicatively coupled to the Internet
116 via the communication link 138. The cloud network 118 may host
a plurality of resources such as the server 118a and provide a
plurality of cloud-based services.
[0040] The mobile entity 120 may comprise, for example, an
automobile such as a car, a truck, an omnibus (bus), a trailer, a
mobile home and/or train. The mobile entity 120 may also comprise
an aircraft or other type of mobile entity. The mobile entity 120
may comprise a plurality of distributed transceivers 120a, 120b, .
. . , 120n. In some embodiments of the invention, the mobile entity
120 may be a semi-stationary or fixed entity (providing the same
functionalities and features as the mobile case). For example, it
may be installed on a lamp pole, a structure such as a building
and/or a roof top. It may be installed, operated, and maintained by
a cellular, cable or broadband service provider (e.g., AT&T) or
an end user or consumer.
[0041] Each of the plurality of distributed transceivers 120a,
120b, . . . , 120n, which are located in the mobile entity 120, may
comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces and/or code that may
be operable to provide wireless communication as the mobile entity
120 is moving or is stationary. One or more of the distributed
transceivers 120a, 120b, . . . , 120n may be operable to
communicate with the WWAN 112, the WLAN 114 and/or the satellite
network 110. In this regard, one or more of the distributed
transceivers 120a, 120b, . . . , 120n may be operable to
communicate with the WWAN 112 utilizing a WWAN protocol and/or
standard, for example, 3G, 4G, LTE and WiMax. One or more the
distributed transceivers 120a, 120b, . . . , 120n may be operable
to communicate with the WLAN 114 utilizing, for example, a WLAN
protocol and/or standard, which may comprise an IEEE 802.11 based
standard such as 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/p/q and/or variants thereof. One
or more the distributed transceivers 120a, 120b, . . . , 120n may
also be operable to communicate with the WLAN 114 utilizing, for
example, a mmWave protocol and/or standard, which may comprise 60
GHz wireless standard, IEEE 802.11ad, WirelessHD, WiGig, and/or
variants thereof. One or more the distributed transceivers 120a,
120b, . . . , 120n may also be operable to receive satellite
signals from the satellite network 110 utilizing, for example, a
mmWave protocol and/or standard, which may comprise 60 GHz wireless
standard, IEEE 802.11ad, WirelessHD, WiGig, and/or variants
thereof.
[0042] One or more of the plurality of distributed transceivers
120a, 120b, . . . , 120n may be operable to communicate information
between the communication devices 122a, 122b, . . . , 122c and one
or both of the Internet 116 and/or the cloud network 118. In this
regard, one or more of the plurality of distributed transceivers
120a, 120b, . . . , 120n may be operable to communicate data
between any of the communication devices 122a, 122b, . . . , 122c
and the Internet server 116a and/or the cloud network server 118a.
The data may be communicated from any of the communication devices
122a, 122b, . . . , 122c to the Internet server 116a and/or the
cloud network server 118a via one or more of the satellite network
110, the WWAN 112, the WLAN 114 and/or the Internet 116.
[0043] One or more of the plurality of distributed transceivers
120a, 120b, . . . , 120n may be located within the mobile entity
120 and/or one or more of the plurality of distributed transceivers
120a, 120b, . . . , 120n may be located at various positions,
locations and orientations outside of the mobile entity 120. In
this regard, one or more of the plurality of distributed
transceivers 120a, 120b, . . . , 120n may be operable to
communicate with one or more of the satellite network 110, the WWAN
112, the WLAN 114, the Internet 116 and/or the cloud network 118.
Similarly, one or more of the plurality of distributed transceivers
150a, 150b, . . . , 150n may be located within the mobile entity
150 and/or one or more of the plurality of distributed transceivers
150a, 150b, . . . , 150n may be located at various positions,
locations and orientations outside of the mobile entity 150. In
this regard, one or more of the plurality of distributed
transceivers 150a, 150b, . . . , 150n may be operable to
communicate with one or more of the satellite network 110, the WWAN
112, the WLAN 114, the Internet 116 and/or the cloud network 118.
In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, one or more of
the plurality of distributed transceivers 120a, 120b, . . . , 120n,
which may be located on the outside of the mobile entity 120 may be
operable to relay signals and/or otherwise communicate with one or
more of the plurality of distributed transceivers 150a, 150b, . . .
, 150n in the mobile entity 150. One or more of the plurality of
distributed transceivers 120a, 120b, . . . , 120n, which may be
located within the mobile entity 120 may be operable to communicate
with communication devices that are located within the mobile
entity 120. Similarly, one or more of the plurality of distributed
transceivers 150a, 150b, . . . , 150n, which may be located within
the mobile entity 150 may be operable to communicate with
communication devices that are located within the mobile entity
150.
[0044] The tablet 122a may comprise suitable logic, circuitry,
interfaces and/or code that may be operable to communicate with one
or more of the distributed transceivers 120a, 120b, . . . , 120n.
In this regard, the tablet 122a may be operable to communicate
utilizing, for example, WWAN, WMAN, WLAN, WPAN and/or mmWave
technologies, standards and/or protocols. Exemplary, WWAN
technologies, standards and/or protocols may comprise 3G, 4G, LTE,
and/or WiMax. Exemplary WLAN technologies, standards and/or
protocols may comprise an IEEE 802.11 based standard such as 802.11
a/b/g/n/ac/p/q and/or variants thereof. Exemplary mmWave
technologies, standards and/or protocols may comprise 60 GHz
wireless standard, IEEE 802.11ad, WirelessHD and/or WiGig. In some
embodiments of the invention, the tablet 122a may deploy
distributed transceivers for any of the protocols and/or carrier
frequencies.
[0045] The smartphone 122b may comprise suitable logic, circuitry,
interfaces and/or code that may be operable to communicate with one
or more of the distributed transceivers 120a, 120b, . . . , 120n.
In this regard, the smartphone 122b may be operable to communicate
utilizing, for example, WWAN, WMAN, WLAN, WPAN and/or mmWave
technologies, standards and/or protocols. Exemplary, WWAN
technologies, standards and/or protocols may comprise 3G, 4G, LTE,
and/or WiMax. Exemplary WLAN technologies, standards and/or
protocols may comprise an IEEE 802.11 based standards such as
802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/p/q and/or variants thereof. Exemplary mmWave
technologies, standards and/or protocols may comprise 60 GHz
wireless standard, IEEE 802.11ad, WirelessHD and/or WiGig. In some
embodiments of the invention, the smartphone 122b may deploy
distributed transceivers for any of the protocols and/or carrier
frequencies.
[0046] The ultrabook 122c may comprise suitable logic, circuitry,
interfaces and/or code that may be operable to communicate with one
or more of the distributed transceivers 120a, 120b, . . . , 120n.
In this regard, the ultrabook 122c may be operable to communicate
utilizing, for example, WWAN, WMAN, WLAN, WPAN and/or mmWave
technologies, standards and/or protocols. Exemplary, WWAN
technologies, standards and/or protocols may comprise 3G, 4G, LTE,
and/or WiMax. Exemplary WLAN technologies, standards and/or
protocols may comprise an IEEE 802.11 based standard such as 802.11
a/b/g/n/ac/p/q and/or variants thereof. Exemplary mmWave
technologies, standards and/or protocols may comprise 60 GHz
wireless standard, IEEE 802.11ad, WirelessHD and/or WiGig. Although
an ultrabook is illustrated, the invention in not necessarily
limited in this regard. Accordingly, other similar devices such as
a laptop or tablet may be utilized without departing from the
spirit and scope of the invention. In some embodiments of the
invention, the ultrabook 122c may deploy distributed transceivers
for any of the protocols and/or carrier frequencies.
[0047] The mobile entity 150 may comprise, for example, an
automobile such as a car, a truck, an omnibus (bus), a trailer, a
mobile home, train, bus, a forklift, construction equipment, a
boat, a ship, an aircraft or any other vehicle. The mobile entity
120 may also comprise an aircraft or other type of mobile entity.
The mobile entity 150 may comprise a plurality of distributed
transceivers 150a, 150b, . . . , 150n. The mobile entity 150 and
the plurality of distributed transceivers 150a, 150b, . . . , 150n
may be substantially similar to the mobile entity 120 and the
plurality of distributed transceivers 120a, 120b, . . . , 120n,
respectively. In accordance with an embodiment of the invention,
one or more of the plurality of distributed transceivers 120a,
120b, . . . , 120n in the mobile entity 120 may be operable to
communicate or relay content among one or more of the plurality of
distributed transceivers 150a, 150b, . . . , 150n in the mobile
entity 150.
[0048] In accordance with various embodiments of the invention, the
distributed transceivers such as the plurality of distributed
transceivers 120a, 120b, . . . , 120n, which are located within the
mobile entity 120 may be operable to communicate with other
networks such as the satellite network 110, the WWAN 112, the WLAN
114, the Internet 116 and/or the cloud network 118. The distributed
transceivers such as the plurality of distributed transceivers
120a, 120b, . . . , 120n may also be operable to communicate with
one or more of the communication devices 122a, 122b, . . . , 122c.
In this regard, for example, one or more of the plurality of
distributed transceivers 120a, 120b, . . . , 120n may be operable
to communicate content among one or more of the communication
devices 122a, 122b, . . . , 122c and/or the Internet 116 and/or the
cloud network 118.
[0049] In some embodiments of the invention, one or more of the
plurality of distributed transceivers 120a, 120b, . . . , 120n may
be operable to function as a repeater and/or a relay. In this
regard, one or more of the plurality of distributed transceivers
120a, 120b, . . . , 120n may be operable to act as a repeater
and/or a relay to communicate signals between one or more of the
satellite network 110, the WWAN 112, the WLAN 114, the Internet 116
and/or the cloud network 118 and one or more of the mobile entity
150, the tablet 122a, the smartphone 122b and/or the ultrabook
122c. The repeater and/or relay functionality of the one or more of
the plurality of distributed transceivers 120a, 120b, . . . , 120n
may be operable when the mobile entry 120 may be stationary or when
the mobile entity 120 may be moving.
[0050] The reference to 60 GHz wireless connectivity is intended to
include all mmWave frequency bands (any carrier frequency above 10
GHz, e.g., 38.6-40 GHz, 59-67 GHz, 71-76 GHz, 92-95 GHz bands).
Furthermore, all or a subset of embodiments are applicable to
sub-10 GHz carrier frequency operations as well (e.g., 5 GHz and
2.4 GHz ISM bands).
[0051] FIG. 2 is a diagram of an exemplary mobile entity, which
comprises a plurality of internal and external distributed
transceiver devices, in accordance with exemplary an embodiment of
the invention. Referring to FIG. 2, there is shown a mobile entity
200 comprising a plurality of distributed transceivers 204a, 204b,
204c, 204d, 204e, 204f, . . . , 204n. Each of the plurality of
distributed transceivers 204a, 204b, 204c, 204d, 204e, 204f, . . .
, 204n may comprise a corresponding antenna array 205a, 205b, 205c,
205d, 205e, 205f, . . . , 205n. The mobile entity 200 may comprise
a central processor 206 and/or an optional network management
engine 208. Reference number 201 represents an interior of the
mobile entity 200 and reference number 202 represents an exterior
of the mobile entity 200. The distributed transceivers 204a, 204b,
204c, 204d, and 204n may be located on and/or at the exterior of
the mobile entity 200. The distributed transceivers 204e, 204f may
be located at the interior of the mobile entity 200.
[0052] The mobile entity 200 may comprise, for example, an
automobile such as a car, a truck, boat, ship, an omnibus (bus), a
trailer, a mobile home, train, a forklift, construction equipment,
an aircraft or any other type of vehicle. The mobile entity 200 may
be substantially similar to the mobile entity 120, which is
illustrated and described with respect to FIG. 1, for example.
[0053] In some embodiments of the invention, the connection access
through the mobile entity 200 may be utilized as a means of
conserving battery power for mobile communication devices. Mobile
communication devices that are communicatively coupled to the
mobile entity 200 as opposed to being direct communicatively
coupled to a base station 112a, an access point 114a and/or
satellite 110a via the WWAN 112, the WLAN 114, the satellite
network 110, respectively, may require less transmit power and less
receive processing power, thereby saving their battery power. A
network operator may therefore prioritize how the mobile
communication devices with low battery charge are communicatively
coupled and allow them to connect to the mobile entities, for
example the mobile entity 120 of FIG. 1, which have distributed
transceivers as opposed to connecting directly to a base station
such as the base station 112a in the WWAN 112. In some embodiments
the network operator may periodically poll the remaining battery
levels of entities 122a, 122b, . . . , 122c to reconfigure the
network configuration per some embodiments of this invention.
[0054] Each of the plurality of distributed transceivers 204a,
204b, 204c, 204d, 204e, 204f, . . . , 204n may comprise suitable
logic, circuitry, interfaces and/or code that may be operable to
provide wireless communication when the mobile entity 200 may be
moving or may be stationary. One or more of the distributed
transceivers 204a, 204b, 204c, 204d, 204e, 204f, . . . , 204n may
be operable to communicate with one or more network such as the
WWAN 112, the WLAN 114 and/or the satellite network 110, which are
shown and described with respect to FIG. 1, for example. In this
regard, one or more the distributed transceivers 204a, 204b, 204c,
204d, 204e, 204f, . . . , 204n may be operable to communicate with
the WWAN 112 utilizing a WWAN protocol and/or standard, for
example, 3G, 4G, LTE and WiMax. One or more the distributed
transceivers 204a, 204b, 204c, 204d, 204e, 204f, . . . , 204n may
be operable to communicate with the WLAN 114 utilizing, for
example, a WLAN protocol and/or standard, which may comprise an
IEEE 802.11 based standard such as 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/p/q and/or
variants thereof. One or more the distributed transceivers 204a,
204b, 204c, 204d, 204e, 204f, . . . , 204n may also be operable to
communicate with the WLAN 114 utilizing, for example, a mmWave
protocol and/or standard, which may comprise 60 GHz wireless
standard, IEEE 802.11ad, WirelessHD, WiGig, and/or variants
thereof. One or more of the distributed transceivers 204a, 204b,
204c, 204d, 204e, 204f, . . . , 204n may also be operable to
receive satellite signals from the satellite network 110 utilizing,
for example, a mmWave protocol and/or standard, which may comprise
60 GHz wireless standard, IEEE 802.11ad, WirelessHD, WiGig, and/or
variants thereof. In some embodiments of the invention, the
transceivers 204a, 204b, 204c, 204d, 204e, 204f, . . . , 204n may
only perform radio-frequency up-conversion/down-conversion and/or
beamforming functions. In this case, the interface to the
transceivers 204a, 204b, 204c, 204d, 204e, 204f, . . . , 204n from
the central processor 206 will be an analog or radio-frequency or
intermediate-frequency signal. In this case, digital processing
(e.g. modulation/demodulation, equalization, encoding/decoding) for
the transceivers 204a, 204b, 204c, 204d, 204e, 204f, . . . , 204n
may be performed centrally at the central processor 206.
[0055] One or more of the plurality of distributed transceivers
204a, 204b, 204c, 204d, 204e, 204f, . . . , 204n may also be
operable to communicate information between the communication
devices 122 and one or both of the Internet 111 and/or the cloud
network 118, which are shown and described with respect to FIG. 1,
for example. In this regard, one or more of the plurality of
distributed transceivers 204a, 204b, 204c, 204d, 204e, 204f, . . .
, 204n may be operable to communicate data between any of the
communication devices 122a, 122b, . . . , 122c and the Internet
server 116a and/or the cloud network server 118a. The data may be
communicated from any of the communication devices 122a, 122b, . .
. , 122c to the Internet server 116a and/or the cloud network
server 118a via one or more of the satellite network 110, the WWAN
112, the WLAN 114 and/or the Internet 116. The plurality of
distributed transceivers 204a, 204b, 204c, 204d, 204e, 204f, . . .
, 204n may be substantially similar to the plurality of distributed
transceivers 120a, 120b, . . . , 120n, which are shown and
described with respect to FIG. 1, for example.
[0056] In general, the plurality of distributed transceivers 204a,
204b, 204c, 204d, 204e, 204f, . . . , 204n may be placed at
different points and/or orientations within and/or on the mobile
entity 200. In this regard, some of the plurality of distributed
transceivers 204a, 204b, 204c, 204d, 204e, 204f, . . . , 204n may
be placed and/or oriented so that they may be facing the outside of
the mobile entity 200, where they may provide good antenna patterns
for outside connections. Others of the plurality of distributed
transceivers 204a, 204b, 204c, 204d, 204e, 204f, . . . , 204n may
be placed and/or oriented so that they may be facing the inside the
mobile entity 200, where they may provide good radiation patterns
to relay data to/from devices inside the mobile entity 200. Some of
the plurality of distributed transceivers 204a, 204b, 204c, 204d,
204e, 204f, . . . , 204n that may be placed and/or oriented so that
they may be facing the outside of the mobile entity 200 may be
located at the left side, right side, top, bottom, front and/or
rear of the mobile entity 200. The positioning of the plurality of
distributed transceivers 204a, 204b, 204c, 204d, 204e, 204f, . . .
, 204n at different points and/or orientations within and/or on the
mobile entity 200 may ensure that at any direction/orientation of
the mobile entity 200, one or more of the plurality of distributed
transceivers 204a, 204b, 204c, 204d, 204e, 204f, . . . , 204n may
possess good propagation characteristics to one or more of the
satellite network 110, the WWAN 112, the WLAN 114, other mobile
entities such as the mobile entity 150, and/or one or more of the
communication devices 122.
[0057] In some instances, the distributed transceivers 204a, 204b,
204c, 204d, and 204n, which may be located on and/or at the
exterior of the mobile entity 200 may be more suitable to provide
communication with devices that are located within the satellite
network 110, the WWAN 112 and/or the WLAN 114 due to less
obstruction, configuration, orientation, position and so on.
Similarly, in some instances, the distributed transceivers 204e,
204f, which may be located at the interior of the mobile entity
200, may be more suitable to provide communication with
communication devices that are located within the mobile entity 200
due to less obstruction configuration, orientation, position and so
on. In this regard, the central processor 206 may be operable to
control which one or more of the plurality of distributed
transceivers 204a, 204b, 204c, 204d, 204e, 204f, . . . 204n may be
utilized to provide communication with the satellite network 110,
the WWAN 112 and/or the WLAN 114, communication devices 122 and/or
other mobile entities.
[0058] In various exemplary embodiments of the invention, the
distributed transceivers 204a, 204b, 204c may be located at the
uppermost portion of the mobile entity 200. Accordingly, the
distributed transceivers 204a, 204b, 204c may be more suitable for
communication with the satellite network 110, the WWAN 112 and/or
the WLAN 114. The distributed transceiver 204n may be located at a
forward position of the mobile entity 200 and the distributed
transceiver 204d may be located at the rearward position of the
mobile entity 200. Accordingly, the distributed transceivers 204d,
204n may be more suitable to provide communication with other
mobile entities that may be towards the front or rear of the mobile
entity, respectively. In this regard, the distributed transceiver
204d, 204n may be more suitable for handling repeating and/or
relaying functionalities for other mobile entities while the mobile
entity 200 may be in motion. The distributed transceivers 204e,
204f, which may be located inside mobile entity 200 may be best
suited for providing communication within the mobile entity 200. In
instances where one or more of the distributed transceivers 204e,
204f, which may be located within the mobile entity 200 may also be
capable of providing communication with devices that may be
external to the mobile entity 200, the central processor 206 may be
operable to configure one or both of the distributed transceivers
204e, 204f, accordingly. In some embodiments of the invention, the
NME 208 identifies whether a mobile device is located inside the
mobile entity 200 (using positioning techniques based on signal
strength, angle of arrival, etc or using any other sensors within
200). In such cases, the NME configures the network configuration
such that a transceiver unit (e.g., 204f) facing the 200's interior
is used and enabled to provide connection to that mobile
device.
[0059] Each of the plurality of antenna arrays 205a, 205b, 205c,
205d, 205e, 205f, . . . , 205n in the plurality of distributed
transceivers 204a, 204b, 204c, 204d, 204e, 204f, . . . , 204n,
respectively, may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces
and/or code that may be operable to handle communication of
wireless signals. For example, each of the plurality of antenna
arrays 205a, 205b, 205c, 205d, 205e, 205f, . . . , 205n in the
plurality of distributed transceivers 204a, 204b, 204c, 204d, 204e,
204f, . . . , 204n may be operable to transmit and/or receive
wireless signals corresponding to the WPAN, WLAN, WMAN, WWAN and/or
mmWave technologies, standards and/or protocols. One or more of the
plurality of antenna arrays 205a, 205b, 205c, 205d, 205e, 205f, . .
. , 205n may be operable to receive satellite signals from the
satellites 110a, . . . 110n in the satellite network 110.
[0060] One or more of the plurality of distributed transceivers
204a, 204b, 204c, 204d, 204e, 204f, . . . 204n may be
communicatively coupled to one or more central processors such as
the central processor 206 via one or more communication links. In
this regard, one or more of the plurality of distributed
transceivers 204a, 204b, 204c, 204d, 204e, 204f, . . . 204n may be
communicatively coupled to the central processor 206 via a wired
communication link, a wireless communication link, an optical
communication link and/or another type of communication link such
as a hybrid fiber coaxial communication link. Alternatively, a
digital link (e.g., Ethernet) may be used between the transceivers
and the central processor 206 if the transceivers 204a, 204b, 204c,
204d, 204e, 204f, . . . 204n include analog-to-digital and
digital-to-analog conversion functions. One or more of the
plurality of distributed transceivers 204a, 204b, 204c, 204d, 204e,
204f, . . . 204n may be operable to support a set of carrier
frequencies, for example, 2 GHz, 5 GHz, 60 GHz, and so on and/or
one or more of the plurality of distributed transceivers 204a,
204b, 204c, 204d, 204e, 204f, . . . 204n may be operable to support
specific carrier frequencies, which may be dedicated to certain
frequencies.
[0061] The central processor 206 in the mobile entity 200 may
comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces and/or code that may
be operable to control and/or manage operation of the plurality of
distributed transceivers 204a, 204b, 204c, 204d, 204e, 204f, . . .
, 204n and/or corresponding plurality of antenna arrays 205a, 205b,
205c, 205d, 205e, 205f, . . . , 205n in the mobile entity 200. In
this regard, the central processor 206 may be operable to configure
and/or manage the communication links that are handled by the
mobile entity 200. The central processor 206 may also be operable
to monitor and/or collect information from each of the plurality of
distributed transceivers 204a, 204b, 204c, 204d, 204e, 204f, . . .
, 204n and communicate data associated with the monitoring and/or
collecting to the network management engine 208. The network
management engine 208 may be operable to utilize the resulting
communicated data to configure the operation of one or more of the
plurality of distributed transceivers 204a, 204b, 204c, 204d, 204e,
204f, . . . , 204n and/or corresponding plurality of antenna arrays
205a, 205b, 205c, 205d, 205e, 205f, . . . , 205n.
[0062] The optional network management engine 208 may comprise
suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces and/or code that may be
operable to manage communication resources within the mobile entity
200 and/or other devices that may be communicatively coupled to one
or more of the distributed transceivers 204a, 204b, 204c, 204d,
204e, 204f, . . . , 204n. The network management engine 208 may be
operable to communicate with the central processor 206 in the
mobile entity 200 in order to manage and communication resources
within the mobile entity 200 and/or other devices, which may be
communicatively coupled to one or more of the distributed
transceivers 204a, 204b, 204c, 204d, 204e, 204f, . . . , 204n. In
some embodiments of the invention, the NME unit 208 may physically
reside in a remote device or server, and be implemented in
hardware, software, or a combination.
[0063] U.S. application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No.
26392US02, which was filed on ______ 2013, discloses additional
details of a central processor and a network management ending and
is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
[0064] FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating exemplary
communication utilizing a plurality of distributed transceivers in
a mobile entity, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the
invention. Referring to FIG. 3, there are shown network 300, which
comprises a plurality of mobile entities 301, 304, 307, a mobile
communication device 310, a coordinating entity 312 and a plurality
of communication networks that are collectively referenced as 330.
The plurality of communication networks 330 may comprise a
satellite network 320, a WWAN 322, a WLAN 324, the Internet 326 and
a cloud network 328. FIG. 3 also illustrates exemplary wireless
communication links 351a, . . . , 351n, links 352a, . . . , 352n,
and communication links 353.
[0065] Each of the mobile entities 301, 304, 307 may comprise, for
example, an automobile such as a car, a truck, an omnibus (bus), a
trailer, a mobile home train, a forklift, construction equipment,
an aircraft or any other type of vehicle. Each of the mobile
entities 301, 304, 307 may comprise a plurality of distributed
transceivers, a central processor and a network management engine.
In this regard, the mobile entity 301 comprises a plurality of
distributed transceivers 301a, 301b, 301c, 301d, 301e, . . . ,
301n, a network management engine 302 and a central processor 303.
The mobile entity 304 comprises a plurality of distributed
transceivers 304a, 304b, 304c, . . . , 304n, a network management
engine 305 and a central processor 306. The mobile entity 307
comprises a plurality of distributed transceivers 307a, 307b, 307c,
. . . , 307n, a network management engine 308 and a central
processor 309.
[0066] The mobile entity 301 and the plurality of distributed
transceivers 301a, 301b, 301c, 301d, 301e, . . . , 301n may be
substantially similar to the mobile entity 200 and the plurality of
distributed transceivers 204a, 204b, 204c, 204d, 204e, 204f, . . .
, 204n, which are shown and described with respect to FIG. 2, for
example. One or more of the plurality of distributed transceivers
301a, 301b, 301c, 301d, 301e, . . . , 301n in the mobile entity 301
may be operable to communicate or relay content among one or more
of the communication networks 300, the mobile entity 307 and/or the
mobile communication device 310. The mobile entity 304 and the
plurality of distributed transceivers 304a, 304b, 304c, . . . ,
304n may be substantially similar to the mobile entity 200 and the
plurality of distributed transceivers 204a, 204b, 204c, 204d, 204e,
204f, . . . , 204n, which are shown and described with respect to
FIG. 2, for example. One or more of the plurality of distributed
transceivers 304a, 304b, 304c, . . . , 304n in the mobile entity
304 may be operable to communicate or relay content among one or
more of the communication networks 300, the mobile entity 301
and/or the mobile communication device 310. The mobile entity 307
and the plurality of distributed transceivers 307a, 307b, 307c, . .
. , 307n may be substantially similar to the mobile entity 200 and
the plurality of distributed transceivers 204a, 204b, 204c, 204d,
204e, 204f, . . . , 204n, which are shown and described with
respect to FIG. 2, for example. One or more of the plurality of
distributed transceivers 307a, 307b, 307c, . . . , 307n in the
mobile entity 307 may be operable to communicate or relay content
among one or more of the communication networks 300 the mobile
entities 301, 304 and/or the mobile communication device 310.
[0067] Each of the central processors 303, 306, 309 in the mobile
entities 301, 304, 307, respectively, may comprise suitable logic,
circuitry, interfaces and/or code that may be operable to control
and/or manage operation of the plurality of distributed
transceivers in the mobile entities 301, 304, 307, respectively. In
this regard, the central processors 303, 306, 309 in the mobile
entities 301, 304, 307 may be operable to control and/or manage
operation of the plurality of distributed transceivers 301a, 301b,
301c, 301d, 301e, . . . , 301n, 304a, 304b, 304c, . . . , 304n,
307a, 307b, 307c, . . . , 307n, respectively. Each of the central
processors 303, 306, 309 may be operable to configure and/or manage
the communication links that are handled by the mobile entities
301, 304, 307, respectively. Each of the central processors 303,
306, 309 may be operable to monitor and/or collect information from
each of the plurality of distributed transceivers 301a, 301b, 301c,
301d, 301e, . . . , 301n, 304a, 304b, 304c, . . . , 304n, 307a,
307b, 307c, . . . , 307n, respectively, and communicate data
associated with the monitoring and/or collecting to one or more of
the network management engines 302, 305, 308. One or more of the
network management engines 302, 305, 308 may be operable to utilize
the resulting communicated data to configure the operation of one
or more of the plurality of distributed transceivers 301a, 301b,
301c, 301d, 301e, . . . , 301n, 304a, 304b, 304c, . . . , 304n,
307a, 307b, 307c, . . . , 307n and/or their corresponding plurality
of antenna arrays. Each of the central processors 303, 306, 309 in
the mobile entities 301, 304, 307, respectively, may be
substantially similar to the central processor 206, which is shown
and described with respect to FIG. 2, for example.
[0068] Each of the network management engines 302, 305, 308, which
may be located in the mobile entities 301, 304, 307, respectively,
may be operable to configure the corresponding distributed
transceivers within the corresponding mobile entity. In this
regard, for example, the network management engines 302, 305, 308
may be operable to determine which one or more of the distributed
transceivers may be activated and/or deactivated, and/or the
carrier frequency and/or frequencies, beam patterns, modulations,
security, power that may be utilized by one or more of the
distributed transceivers. Although the network management engines
302, 305, 308 are illustrated as being located in the mobile
entities 301, 304, 307, respectively, the invention is not limited
in this regard. Accordingly, the network management engines 302,
305, 308 may logically or physically reside as separate components
or devices, and/or may be located within other components or
devices within the network 300. For example, network management
engines such as the network management engines 302, 305, 308 may be
located in and/or within devices within the WWAN 322, the WLAN 324,
the Internet 326 and/or the cloud network 328. For example, network
management engines such as the network management engines 302, 305,
308 may be located in the base stations 112a, 112b, . . . , 112n,
of the WWAN 114, which are shown and described with respect to FIG.
1. In another example, network management engines such as the
network management engines 302, 305, 308 may be located in the
access points 114a, 114b, . . . , 114n, of the WLAN 114, which are
shown and described with respect to FIG. 1, for example. In some
embodiments of the invention, network management engines 302, 305,
308 may be coordinated, managed, arbitrated, and/or overridden by
the coordinating entity 312.
[0069] The network management engines such as the network
management engines 302, 305, 308, which may be located in the
mobile entities 301, 304, 307, respectively, may be operable to
utilize different types of data to configure the settings and/or
operation of one or more of the distributed transceivers. Exemplary
types of data may comprise the global navigational satellite system
(GNSS) location of the mobile entity, the speed of the mobile
entity, and motion sensor data. The network management engines such
as the network management engines 302, 305, 308, may be operable to
utilize the different types of data to predict the trajectory
and/or orientation of the corresponding mobile entity and the
resulting predicted information may be utilized to adjust one or
more of the settings and/or configurations for one or more of the
distributed transceivers in the network 300. The adjustment of one
or more of the settings and/or configurations for one or more of
the distributed transceivers in the network 300 may be done in
advance to guarantee a good link performance. Exemplary GNSS data
may comprise data from global positioning system (GPS), Galileo
and/or GLONASS. Exemplary speed data may be derived from GNSS
and/or speedometer and so on. Exemplary motion sensor data may be
derived from accelerometers and/or gyroscopes and so on. In some
embodiments of the invention where non-stationary satellite orbits
may be utilized, the moving locations and known speed vectors of
satellites may be utilized to predict the relative trajectories of
satellites and the mobile entities and adjust the beam patterns
utilized by one or more of the distributed transceivers in the
network 300 in advance.
[0070] In some embodiments of the invention, the network management
engine within a mobile entity and/or the coordinating entity 312
may be operable to effect changes in the carrier frequency that is
being utilized by one or more of the distributed transceivers. In
this regard, for example, the network management engine 302 in the
mobile entity 301 and/or the coordinating entity 312 may be
operable to cause a change in the carrier frequency that is being
utilized by one or more of the distributed transceivers to handle
communication links with the satellite network 320 based on current
or predicted weather conditions. For example, a switch may be made
to utilize one or more better carrier frequencies based on
humidity, rain, temperature, pressure, environmental emergency, and
so on.
[0071] In some embodiments of the invention, a set of distributed
transceivers within a mobile entity may be linked to concurrently
handle multiple available satellites. For example, the distributed
transceivers 301a, 301b, 301c, 301d in the mobile entity 301 may be
linked to concurrently handle traffic from a plurality of
satellites in the satellite network 320. The concurrent
communication links may be utilized to transport different data
streams to provide a higher throughput and/or to transport the same
data stream in order to provide diversity, reliability and link
margin.
[0072] In some embodiments of the invention, when acting as a relay
node, the mobile entities 301, 304, 307 may be operable to
configure different ones of their corresponding distributed
transceivers and/or utilize different configurations for handling
external communication links. For example, the mobile entity may be
operable to utilize a first set of distributed transceivers and/or
frequencies to receive data on the downlink from the satellite
network 320 while utilizing the first set of distributed
transceivers and/or frequencies for transmitting data on the uplink
to one or more base stations in the WWAN 322. In some embodiments
of the invention, the network management engine 302 and/or the
coordinating entity 312 may determine that different connection
types may be utilized for handling the corresponding downlink. In
this regard, the network management engine 302 and/or the
coordinating entity 312 may determine that one or more
communication links may be established with the satellite network
320 and utilized to download content from the Internet 326.
Depending on the location of the mobile entity 301 and/or
propagation conditions, in order to download the content from the
Internet 326, the network management entity 302 may determine that
one or more of the communication links that are currently being
utilized by the mobile entity 301 may need to be switched in order
to utilize one or more different distributed transceivers to
connect to one or more base stations in the WWAN 322 and/or one or
more access points in the WLAN 324. The switching of the downlink
connection between the satellite network 320, the WWAN 322, and/or
the WLAN 324 may occur dynamically and may be based on, for
example, channel conditions, coverage, throughput demand, QoS, CoS.
A subset of embodiments in U.S. application Ser. No. ______
(Attorney Docket No. (25067US02), entitled "METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR A
REPEATER NETWORK THAT UTILIZES DISTRIBUTED TRANSCEIVERS WITH ARRAY
PROCESSING," which is incorporated herein by reference in its
entirety, may be applicable to this scenario.
[0073] In various embodiments of the invention, one or more of the
distributed transceivers in one or more of the mobile entities 301,
304, 307 may be operable to sense the environment in which they
operate. For example, one or more of the distributed transceivers
301a, 301b, 301c, 301d, 301e, . . . , 301n, 304a, 304b, 304c, . . .
, 304n, 307a, 307b, 307c, . . . , 307n may be operable to sense the
environment in order to determine devices and/or objects in the
environment, which may be utilized to establish or improve the link
quality between mobile entities, mobile communication devices
and/or network devices such as access points. These devices and/or
objects in the environment may be planted in the environment for
the purpose of network improvement and/or may be existing objects
in the environment such as fixtures. These devices and/or objects
in the environment may have different RF reflection and refraction
and/or diffraction properties and may be utilized differently by
one or more of the distributed transceivers to improve and/or
optimize communication. Some devices and/or objects in the
environment may possess good reflective properties with low
reflection loss and/or refraction/diffraction and other devices
and/or objects in the environment may possess good and/or
controlled refraction and/or diffraction properties. The resulting
information from the sensing may be communicated from one or more
of the distributed transceivers 301a, 301b, 301c, 301d, 301e, . . .
, 301n, 304a, 304b, 304c, . . . , 304n, 307a, 307b, 307c, . . . ,
307n to the network management engine 302 and/or the coordinating
entity 312, which may be operable to analyze the corresponding
information and determine appropriate configuration for one or more
of the distributed transceivers 301a, 301b, 301c, 301d, 301e, . . .
, 301n, 304a, 304b, 304c, . . . , 304n, 307a, 307b, 307c, . . . ,
307n and/or their corresponding antenna arrays.
[0074] In accordance with various embodiments of the invention, the
network management engine 302 and/or the coordinating entity 312
may be operable to manage the combination of distributed
transceiver resources within the mobile entity 301 in order to, for
example, maximize and/or optimize the performance of the
corresponding wireless communication links 351a, . . . , 351n,
communication links 352a, . . . , 352n, and communication links
353. In accordance with various embodiments of the invention, the
network management engine 302 and/or the coordinating entity 312
may be operable to coordinate operation of the plurality of
distributed transceivers 301a, 301b, 301c, 301d, 301e, . . . , 301n
in the mobile entity 301, to provide, for example, spatial
multiplexing, spatial diversity, frequency diversity, and/or
multiple input multiple output (MIMO) processing. In this regard,
the network management engine 302 and/or the coordinating entity
312 may be operable to combine or aggregate the distributed
transceiver resources in the mobile entity 301 in order to program
or configure the resulting pooled distributed transceiver resources
to provide better performance over the communication links 351a, .
. . , 351n, communication links 352a, . . . , 352n, and
communication links 353. The network management engine 302 and/or
the coordinating entity 312 may be operable to program or configure
the resulting pooled distributed transceiver resources to provide
different levels of coordination based on system restrictions
and/or capabilities and/or based on channel characteristics, QoS,
CoS, traffic type and so on. The network management engine 302
and/or the coordinating entity 312 may be operable to manage the
combination of distributed transceiver resources within the mobile
entities 304, 307 in a similar manner.
[0075] In some embodiments of the invention, the coordinating
entity 312 may adopt a cost function as the criterion for
configuration and optimization of the network. The coordinating
entity 312 may then attempt to configure the entities in 300
(including all distributed transceivers) to optimize that cost
function (minimize or maximize depending on the nature of the
function). For example, one such cost function may be the total
network capacity, i.e., combined/aggregated throughputs delivered
to all end mobile devices. Another exemplary cost function may be
the aggregated capacity delivered to a subset of end mobile devices
(e.g., premium users). Another exemplary cost function may be the
spectral efficiency achieved over licensed spectrums (to exclude
unlicensed bands such as 2.4/5 GHz ISM bands). Yet another
exemplary cost function may be a combination of projected battery
lives of end users (i.e., their current consumption). Another cost
function may be a combination of latency, diversity order, and
reliability for a subset of users. Another exemplary cost function
may be the worst throughput in the network (i.e., maximizing the
minimum throughput). Another exemplary cost function may be the
number of end users achieving a capacity/throughput above a
programmable threshold. Yet another exemplary cost function may be
a weighted combination of the above example functions. Furthermore,
the coordinating entity 312 may dynamically and/or adaptively
switch between different cost functions (optimization policies)
based on parameters such as the number of active/connected devices,
time of day, geographical location, time-dependent spectrum
licenses, etc.
[0076] U.S. application Ser. No. 13/473,160, which was filed May
16, 2012 discloses a method and system for providing diversity in a
network of distributed transceivers with array processing and is
hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirely.
[0077] U.S. application Ser. No. 13/473,180, which was filed May
16, 2012 discloses a method and system that utilizes multiplexing
in a network of distributed transceivers with array processing and
is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirely.
[0078] U.S. application Ser. No. 13/473,113, which was filed May
16, 2012 discloses a method and system that utilizes MIMO
communication in a network of distributed transceivers with array
processing and is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its
entirely.
[0079] The mobile communication device 310 may comprise suitable
logic, circuitry, interfaces and/or code that may be operable to
communicate with one or more of the distributed transceivers in the
mobile entities. In this regard, the mobile communication device
310 may be operable to communicate with one or more of the
distributed transceivers 301a, 301b, 301c, 301d, 301e, 301f, . . .
, 301n, 304a, 304b, 304c, . . . , 304n, 307a, 307b, 307c, . . . ,
307n, which are located within the mobile entities 301, 304, 307,
respectively. The mobile communication device 310 may be operable
to communicate utilizing, for example, WWAN, WMAN, WLAN, WPAN
and/or mmWave technologies, standards and/or protocols. Exemplary,
WWAN technologies, standards and/or protocols may comprise 3G, 4G,
LTE, and/or WiMax. Exemplary WLAN technologies, standards and/or
protocols may comprise an IEEE 802.11 based standard such as 802.11
a/b/g/n/ac/p/q and/or variants thereof. Exemplary mmWave
technologies, standards and/or protocols may comprise 60 GHz
wireless standard, IEEE 802.11ad, WirelessHD and/or WiGig.
[0080] The central processor 311 in the mobile communication device
310 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces and/or code
that may be operable to control and/or manage operation of the
plurality of distributed transceivers in the mobile communication
device 310. In this regard, the central processor 311 may be
operable to control and/or manage operation of the plurality of
distributed transceivers 310a, . . . , 310n, respectively. The
central processor 311 may be operable to configure and/or manage
the communication links that are handled by the mobile
communication device 310. In this regard, the central processor 311
may be operable to monitor and/or collect information from each of
the plurality of distributed transceivers 310a, . . . , 310n,
respectively, and may communicate data associated with the
monitoring and/or collecting to one or more of the network
management engines 302, 305 and/or the coordinating entity 312, to
which the mobile communication device 310 may be communicatively
coupled. One or more of the network management engines 302, 305
and/or the coordinating entity 312 may be operable to utilize the
resulting communicated data to configure the operation of one or
more of the plurality of distributed transceivers 301a, 301b, 301c,
301d, 301e, . . . , 301n, 304a, 304b, 304c, . . . , 304n and/or
their corresponding plurality of antenna arrays. The central
processor 311 in the mobile communication device 310 may be
substantially similar to the central processor 206, which is shown
and described with respect to FIG. 2, for example.
[0081] The coordinating entity 312, which may be optional, may
comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces and/or code that may
be operable to control, coordinate and/or manage the handling and
routing of traffic and/or control data within the communication
network 300. The coordinating entity 312 may be operable to control
the type and/or amount of links, the number of distributed
transceivers, configuration of the distributed transceivers'
interfaces and/or components including RF front ends and/or antenna
arrays, which may be utilized by one or more of the distributed
transceivers to handle traffic for one or more of the mobile
entities 301, 304, 307 and/or the mobile communication device 310.
The coordinating entity 312 may be operable to control the
allocation and de-allocation of bandwidth to facilitate
communication of traffic in order to provide and/or guarantee a
particular class of service (CoS) and/or Quality of Service (QoS)
for the mobile entities 301, 304, 307 and/or the mobile
communication device 310. The coordinating entity 312 may also be
operable to coordinate amongst the various access devices in the
WWAN 322 and/or the WLAN 324 and the network management engines
and/or the central processors in the mobile entities and/or mobile
communication devices in order to route traffic within the
communication network 300 Although the coordinating entity 312 is
illustrated as a separate entity within the network 300, the
invention is not limited in this regard. Accordingly, the
coordinating entity 312 may logically or physically reside as
separate components or devices and/or located within other
components or devices within the network 300. For example, the
coordinating entity 312 may be located in and/or within devices
within the WWAN 322, the WLAN 324, the Internet 326 and/or the
cloud network 328. For example, the coordinating entity 312 may be
located in the base stations 112a, 112b, . . . , 112n, of the WWAN
112, which are shown and described with respect to FIG. 1. In
another example, the coordinating entity 312 may be located in the
access points 114a, 114b, . . . , 114n, of the WLAN 114, which are
shown and described with respect to FIG. 1. In some embodiments of
the invention, the functionality of the coordinating entity 312 may
be split amongst a plurality of devices within the network 300.
[0082] The satellite network 320 may be operable to convey content
to a plurality of receiving devices via one or more satellites. In
this regard, satellites in the satellite network 320 may be
operable to broadcast content, which may received by one or more of
the mobile entities 301, 304, 307. One or more of the mobile
entities 301, 304, 307 may be operable to process and/or
communicate the received content to others of the mobile entities
301, 304, 307 and/or the mobile communication device 310. The
satellite network 320 may be substantially similar to the satellite
network 110, which is shown and described with respect to FIG. 1,
for example.
[0083] The WWAN 322 may comprise suitable logic, interfaces and/or
devices that may be operable to provide wide area wireless
connectivity. In this regard, the wireless wide area network 322
may enable communication via one or more WWAN based standards
and/or protocols such as 3G, 4G, LTE and WiMax. Content from one or
more of the Internet 326, the cloud network 328, the WWAN 322
and/or the WLAN 324 may be wirelessly communicated among one or
more of the mobile entities 301, 304, 307 and/or the mobile
communication device 310. The WWAN 322 may be substantially similar
to the WWAN 112, which is shown and described with respect to FIG.
1.
[0084] The WLAN 324 may comprise suitable logic, interfaces and/or
devices that may be operable to provide local area wireless
connectivity. In this regard, the WLAN 324 may enable communication
via IEEE 802.11 based standards and/or protocols such as 802.11
a/b/g/n/ac/p/q and/or variants thereof. The WLAN 324 may be
substantially similar to the wireless local area network 114, which
is shown and described with respect to FIG. 1, for example.
[0085] The Internet 326 may comprise suitable devices and/or
interfaces that enable the interconnection of a plurality of
networks and/or devices. In this regard, the Internet 116 may
enable the interconnection of, for example, the satellite network
320, the WWAN 322, the WLAN 324, and/or the cloud network 328. The
Internet 326 may host a plurality of resources and provide a
plurality of Internet-based services. The Internet 326 may be
substantially similar to the Internet 116, which is shown and
described with respect to FIG. 1, for example.
[0086] The cloud network 328 may comprise suitable devices and/or
interfaces that is operable to provide one or more services to, for
example, the satellite network 320, the WWAN 322, the WLAN 324, the
mobile entities 301, 304, 307 and/or to the mobile communication
device 310. In this regard, the cloud network 328 may, for example,
provide storage of information, hosting of information and/or other
cloud based services for the satellite network 320, the WWAN 322,
the WLAN 324, mobile entities 301, 304, 307 and/or the mobile
communication device 310 via the Internet 326. The cloud network
328 may be communicatively coupled to the Internet 326 via the
communication link. The cloud network 328 may be substantially
similar to the cloud network 118, which is shown and described with
respect to FIG. 1, for example.
[0087] One or more of the plurality of distributed transceivers
which may be internal and/or external to a mobile entity may be
configured to operating in, for example, a relay mode. In an
exemplary embodiment of the invention, one or more of the plurality
of distributed transceivers 301a, 301b, 301c, 301d, 301e, . . . ,
301n may be communicatively coupled to the WWAN 322 and one or more
remaining ones of the plurality of distributed transceivers 301a,
301b, 301c, 301d, 301e, . . . , 301n may be communicatively coupled
to one or more of the plurality of distributed transceivers 307a,
307b, 307c, . . . , 307n in the mobile entity 307. For example, the
distributed transceivers 301b, 301c in the mobile entity 301 may be
communicatively coupled to the WWAN 322 and distributed
transceivers 301e, 301n in the mobile entity 301 may be
communicatively coupled to the distributed transceivers 307b, 301c
in the mobile entity 307. In this regard, the distributed
transceivers 301b, 301c in the mobile entity 301 may receive
content from the cloud network 328 via the WWAN 322 and the
distributed transceivers 301e, 301n in the mobile entity 301 may be
operable to relay the content to the distributed transceivers 307b,
307c in the mobile entity 307. In this regard, the central
processors 303, 309 and/or the network management engines 302, 308
in the mobile entities 301, 307, respectively, may be operable to
coordinate the relay operation including the carrier frequency
and/or frequencies, beam patterns, modulations, security, and/or
power levels that may be utilized by one or more of the distributed
transceivers 301b, 301c, 301e, 301n, 307b, 307c.
[0088] In another example, the distributed transceivers 301b, 301c
in the mobile entity 301 may be communicatively coupled to the WLAN
324 and distributed transceivers 301d in the mobile entity 301 may
be communicatively coupled to the distributed transceivers 304a in
the mobile entity 304. In this regard, the distributed transceivers
301b, 301c in the mobile entity 301 may receive content from the
Internet 326 via the WLAN 324 and the distributed transceivers 301d
in the mobile entity 301 may be operable to relay the content to
the distributed transceivers 304a in the mobile entity 307. In this
regard, the central processors 303, 306 and/or the network
management engines 302, 305 in the mobile entities 301, 304,
respectively may be operable to coordinate the relay operation
including the carrier frequency and/or frequencies, beam patterns,
modulations, security, and/or power levels that may be utilized by
one or more of the distributed transceivers 301b, 301c, 301d, 304a.
In this regard, in instances where the mobile entity 301 may be
located outside a home having the WLAN 324, the mobile entity 301
may be operable to function as a relay node between the access
points that may be within WLAN 324 and the mobile entity 304.
[0089] In another example, the distributed transceivers 301b, 301c
in the mobile entity 301 may be communicatively coupled to the WWAN
322 and distributed transceivers 301e, 301n in the mobile entity
301 may be communicatively coupled to the distributed transceivers
310a, 310n in the mobile communication device 310. In this regard,
the distributed transceivers 301b, 301c in the mobile entity 301
may receive content from the Internet 326 via the WWAN 322 and the
distributed transceivers 301e, 301n in the mobile entity 301 may be
operable to relay the content to the distributed transceivers 310a,
310n in the mobile communication device 310. In this regard, the
central processors 303, 311 and/or the network management engine
302 in the mobile entities 301, 310 respectively, may be operable
to coordinate the relay operation including the carrier frequency
and/or frequencies, beam patterns, modulations, security, and/or
power levels that may be utilized by one or more of the distributed
transceivers 301b, 301c, 301e, 301n, 310a, 310n.
[0090] In accordance with various embodiment of the invention, the
mobile entities 301, 304, 307 may be operable to utilize different
carrier frequencies, modulations, constellations, encoding and/or
protocols for one or more connections to the base stations in the
WWAN 322, to the access points in the WLAN 324, to the mobile
device 310. For example, the communication links coupling the
mobile entity 301 and one or more base stations in the WWAN 322
and/or one or more access points in the WLAN 324 may utilize 2 GHz,
5 GHz or 60 GHz carrier frequencies, as well as WLAN or LTE
protocols. Similarly, the communication links coupling the one or
more of the mobile entities 301, 304, 307 to the mobile
communication device 310 may utilize 2 GHz, 5 GHz or 60 GHz carrier
frequencies and/or may reuse the same frequency as the one used to
communicate with one or more base stations in the WWAN 322.
Wireless personal area network (WPAN) such as Bluetooth and ZigBee
and/or WLAN protocols may also be utilized.
[0091] In accordance with various embodiments of the invention,
usage of one or more of the distributed transceivers in a mobile
entity may be shared. For example, in instances where the mobile
entity 301 may be a privately owned automobile, communication links
to one or more of the transceivers within the mobile entity 301 may
be limited to a list of mobile communication devices that are owned
and/or authorized by the owner of the mobile entity 301. In
instances where the mobile entity 301 may be a publicly owned
automobile, such as a taxi or a bus, communication links to one or
more of the transceivers within the mobile entity 301 may be
limited to authorized users of the bus or may be opened to the
general public. In instances where the mobile entity 301 may be a
privately owned automobile, the owner of the mobile entity 301 may
receive incentives from the WWAN carriers to allow the network
management engine 302 and/or the coordinating entity 312 to utilize
one or more of the distributed transceivers in the mobile entity
301 to provide communication to other users or customers of the
WWAN carrier in instances when they may be within operating range
of the mobile entity 301. Exemplary incentives may comprise a bill
credit, bill discount, higher data cap, higher data rate,
reciprocal subscriber usage, cash rebate, and so on.
[0092] In some embodiments of the invention, the network management
engines 302, 305, 308 and/or the coordinating entity 312 may be
operable to configure one or more distributed transceivers in a
mobile entity to backhaul traffic to one or more of the
communication networks 330. For example, the coordinating entity
312 and/or the network management engine 2d transceivers 301b, 301c
in a mobile entity 301 to backhaul traffic to the WWAN 322. In this
regard, the coordinating entity 312 and/or the network management
engine 302 may be operable to coordinate the resources for the
distributed transceivers 301b, 301c to provide a high bandwidth
backhaul communication link to the WWAN 322. The high bandwidth
backhaul communication link to the WWAN 322 may be established
whenever it may be needed and its resources may be reallocated
whenever there is no longer a need for the high bandwidth backhaul
communication link to the WWAN 322. In various embodiments of the
invention, backhaul communication links may be established between
a plurality of mobile entities having sufficient available
bandwidth in order to convey traffic from, for example, a mobile
communication device such as the mobile communication device 310 to
one or more of the communication networks 330
[0093] In some embodiments of the invention, the network management
entity 302 and/or the coordinating entity 312 may be operable to
establish a backhaul communication link to the WWAN 322 as a
virtual private network in order to provide security, privacy
and/or anonymity.
[0094] In some embodiments of the invention, the network management
entity 302 and/or the coordinating entity 312 may be operable to
assign different traffic types and/or classes to different types of
communication links being handled by the distributed transceivers
301a, 301b, 301c, 301d, 301e, . . . , 301n. For example, at least a
portion of the communication of control data and/or settings
between the mobile entity 301 and the networks 300 may be
transported through one or more base stations in the WWAN 322
because of its higher reliability of, for example, the LTE or WWAN
communication link, while high throughput streaming traffic may be
transported over satellite communication links between the
satellite network 320 and one or more of the distributed
transceivers 301a, 301b, 301c, 301d, 301e, . . . , 301n in the
mobile entity 301.
[0095] In some embodiments of the invention, the network management
engines 302, 305, 308 and/or the coordinating entity 312 may be
operable to co-optimize the network configurations for the mobile
entities 301, 304, 307, respectively. In this regard, the mobile
entities 301, 304, 307 may function as, for example, distributed
access points and/or network nodes that may be operable to provide
high throughput links to a group of mobile communication devices
such as the mobile communication device 310. The distributed access
points and/or network nodes provided by the mobile entities 301,
304, 307 may operate in a manner that may be substantially similar
to the access points and distributed transceivers, which are
illustrated and described with respect to FIG. 1, for example.
[0096] In some embodiments of the invention, a mobile entity such
as the mobile entity 301, with distributed transceivers 301a, 301b,
201c, 301d, 301e, . . . , 301n may be utilized to provide
high-speed broadband wireless connectivity to fixed devices such as
access points and/or routers. For example, when the mobile entity
301 and/or mobile entity 304 may be close to a house and/or an
office, the mobile entities 301, 304 may be utilized as a relay
node to provide connection to the routers and/or gateways within
the home and/or the office. In this regard, the router and/or
gateway in the home and/or office may connect to the Internet
either through existing wire-line connections such as cable modem,
DSL, dial up, or the wireless connection provided by one or both of
the mobile entities 301, 304. This multi-mode router and/or gateway
may use the two connection types (wired and/or wireless)
exclusively or concurrently based on parameters such as time of
day, availability of mobile entities, peak throughout demand,
achievable throughput through DSL/cable-modem, congestion in any of
networks, and time-based billing policies.
[0097] In some embodiments of the invention, a mobile entity such
as the mobile entity 301 may be operable to share its position
and/or speed data. In this regard, the mobile entity 301, which may
be functioning as a relay, may be operable to provide connectivity
to one or more mobile communication devices and may communicate or
otherwise share its position and/or speed data to those mobile
communication devices. The mobile communication devices may then
utilize the position and/or speed data from the mobile entity to
improve their overall positioning accuracy and/or to switch off
their internal positioning methods such as GNSS to conserve battery
power. Exemplary position and/or speed data may be derived from
GNSS, speedometer, motion sensing devices and/or other positioning
devices and/or techniques in the mobile entity 301.
[0098] FIG. 4 is a flow chart illustrating exemplary steps for
communicating utilizing distributed transceivers in a mobile
entity, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the
invention. Referring to FIG. 4, there are shown exemplary steps 402
through 408. In step 402, a mode of operation and/or configuration
for one or more transceivers in a mobile entity to handle
communication of one or more data streams may be determined. In
step 404, one or more of the distributed transceivers in the mobile
entity and/or one or more corresponding antenna arrays may be
configured based on the determined mode of operation and/or
configuration. In step 406, the one or more data streams may be
communicated utilizing the configured one or more of the
distributed transceivers in the mobile entity and/or the one or
more corresponding antenna arrays. In step 408, one or more of the
transceivers may be dynamically and/or adaptively adjusted in the
mobile entity to utilize, for example, different modulation
schemes, constellations, protocols, frequencies, wireless standards
and/or bandwidths to handle communication of one or more of the
data streams.
[0099] FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating exemplary steps for
communicating utilizing distributed transceivers in a mobile
entity, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the
invention. Referring to FIG. 5, there are shown exemplary steps 502
through 508. In step 502, a current location, speed, acceleration
of a mobile entity may be determined. In step 504, based on the
determined current location, speed, acceleration of the mobile
entity, a trajectory of the mobile entity may be determined or
predicted. In step 506, a configuration and/or a mode of operation
for one or more of the distributed transceivers and/or one or more
corresponding antenna arrays for the mobile entity may be
determined based on the determined trajectory and/or based on a
prior and/or current configuration of the one or more of the
distributed transceivers and/or one or more corresponding antenna
arrays. In step 508, one or more of the transceivers and/or
corresponding antenna arrays for the mobile entity may be
dynamically and/or adaptively adjusted to utilize, for example,
different modulation schemes, constellations, protocols,
frequencies, wireless standards and/or bandwidths to handle
communication of one or more of the data streams based on the
determined configuration and/or mode of operation.
[0100] FIG. 6 is a flow chart illustrating exemplary steps for
communicating utilizing distributed transceivers in a mobile
entity, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the
invention. Referring to FIG. 6, there are shown exemplary steps 602
through 610. In step 602, bandwidth requirements for handling
communication of one or more data streams for one or more mobile
entities may be determined. In step 604, a mode of operation and/or
configuration for one or more transceivers in one or more mobile
entities may be configured to handle communication of the one or
more data streams. In step 606, one or more of the distributed
transceivers and/or one or more corresponding antenna arrays in the
one or more mobile entities may be configured based on the
determined mode of operation and/or configuration. In step 608, one
or more of the distributed transceivers and/or one or more
corresponding antenna arrays in the one or more of the mobile
entities may be configured to operate as one or more backhaul
communication links. In step 610, the one or more data streams may
be communicated utilizing the configured one or more of the
distributed transceivers and/or corresponding antenna arrays via
the configured one or more backhaul communication links.
[0101] In various exemplary aspects of the invention, a plurality
of distributed transceivers 301a, 301b, 301c, 301d, 301e, 301f, . .
. , 301n and/or one or more corresponding antenna arrays, which may
be communicatively coupled to one or more of the plurality of
distributed transceivers 301a, 301b, 301c, 301d, 301e, 301f, . . .
, 301n, may be configured to handle communication of one or more
data streams among one or more of a plurality of wireless
communication networks 330, one or more other mobile entities 304,
307 and/or one or more mobile communication devices 310. The one or
more data streams may be communicated utilizing the configured one
or more of the plurality of distributed transceivers 301a, 301b,
301c, 301d, 301e, 301f, . . . , 301n and/or the one or more
corresponding antenna arrays. The mobile entity may comprise a car,
a truck, an omnibus (bus), a trailer, a mobile home, train, bus, a
forklift, construction equipment, a boat, a ship, an aircraft or
any other vehicle. The plurality of wireless communication networks
330 may comprise a satellite network 320, a wireless wide area
network 322, a wireless medium area network, a wireless local area
network 324, a wireless personal area network, Internet 326 and/or
network cloud 328. Configuring of the one or more of the plurality
of distributed transceivers 301a, 301b, 301c, 301d, 301e, 301f, . .
. , 301n and/or the one or more corresponding antenna arrays may be
controlled from a component and/or within one or more of the mobile
entity 301, the one or more other mobile entities 304, 307, the one
or more mobile communication devices 310 and/or one or more of the
wireless communication networks 330.
[0102] In some embodiments of the invention, one or more of the
plurality of distributed transceivers 301a, 301b, 301c, 301d, 301f,
301e, . . . , 301n may be configured to operate as a relay node
and/or a repeater node. A location, speed and/or trajectory of the
mobile entity 301 may be determined and one or more of the
plurality of distributed transceivers 301a, 301b, 301c, 301d, 301e,
301f, . . . , 301n and/or one or more corresponding antenna arrays
may be configured based on the determined location, speed and/or
trajectory. One or more of the plurality of distributed
transceivers 301a, 301b, 301c, 301d, 301e, 301f, . . . , 301n may
be dynamically and/or adaptively controlled to utilize one or more
modes of operation to communicate the one or more data streams
and/or to split the communication of the one or more data streams
amongst a portion of the plurality of distributed transceivers
301a, 301b, 301c, 301d, 301e, 301f, . . . , 301n. The modes of
operation may comprise a spatial diversity mode, a frequency
diversity mode, a spatial multiplexing mode, a frequency
multiplexing mode and/or a MIMO mode. One or more of the plurality
of distributed transceivers in a mobile entity such as the
plurality of distributed transceivers 301a, 301b, 301c, 301d, 301e,
301e, . . . , 301n in the mobile entity 301 may be operable to
operate in a relay and/or repeater mode.
[0103] In accordance with various embodiments of the invention,
traffic may be backhauled from the mobile entity 301 and/or the one
or more other mobile entities 304, 307 via one or more wireless
communication links to one or more of the plurality of wireless
communication networks. One or more of the plurality of distributed
transceivers in the mobile entity 301 and/or the one or more other
mobile entities 304, 307 may be configured to utilize different
types of communication links to handle different types of data
traffic. One or more of the plurality of distributed
transceivers301a, 301b, 301c, 301d, 301e, 301f, . . . , 301n in the
mobile entity 301 and/or one or more of a plurality of distributed
transceivers 304a, 304b, 304c, . . . , 304n, 307a, 307b, 307c, . .
. , 307n in the one or more other mobile entities 304, 307,
respectively, may be configured to utilize different modulation
schemes, constellations, protocols, frequencies, wireless standards
and/or bandwidths to handle the communication of the one or more
data streams.
[0104] As utilized herein the terms "circuits" and "circuitry"
refer to physical electronic components (i.e. hardware) and any
software and/or firmware ("code") which may configure the hardware,
be executed by the hardware, and or otherwise be associated with
the hardware. As used herein, for example, a particular processor
and memory may comprise a first "circuit" when executing a first
one or more lines of code and may comprise a second "circuit" when
executing a second one or more lines of code. As utilized herein,
"and/or" means any one or more of the items in the list joined by
"and/or". As an example, "x and/or y" means any element of the
three-element set {(x), (y), (x, y)}. As another example, "x, y,
and/or z" means any element of the seven-element set {(x), (y),
(z), (x, y), (x, z), (y, z), (x, y, z)}. As utilized herein, the
term "exemplary" means serving as a non-limiting example, instance,
or illustration. As utilized herein, the terms "e.g.," and "for
example" set off lists of one or more non-limiting examples,
instances, or illustrations. As utilized herein, circuitry is
"operable" to perform a function whenever the circuitry comprises
the necessary hardware and code (if any is necessary) to perform
the function, regardless of whether performance of the function is
disabled, or not enabled, by some user-configurable setting.
[0105] Other embodiments of the invention may provide a computer
readable device and/or a non-transitory computer readable medium,
and/or a machine readable device and/or a non-transitory machine
readable medium, having stored thereon, a machine code and/or a
computer program having at least one code section executable by a
machine and/or a computer, thereby causing the machine and/or
computer to perform the steps as described herein for distributed
transceivers and mobile connectivity.
[0106] Accordingly, the present invention may be realized in
hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software. The
present invention may be realized in a centralized fashion in at
least one computer system, or in a distributed fashion where
different elements are spread across several interconnected
computer systems. Any kind of computer system or other apparatus
adapted for carrying out the methods described herein is suited. A
typical combination of hardware and software may be a
general-purpose computer system with a computer program that, when
being loaded and executed, controls the computer system such that
it carries out the methods described herein.
[0107] The present invention may also be embedded in a computer
program product, which comprises all the features enabling the
implementation of the methods described herein, and which when
loaded in a computer system is able to carry out these methods.
Computer program in the present context means any expression, in
any language, code or notation, of a set of instructions intended
to cause a system having an information processing capability to
perform a particular function either directly or after either or
both of the following: a) conversion to another language, code or
notation; b) reproduction in a different material form.
[0108] While the present invention has been described with
reference to certain embodiments, it will be understood by those
skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents
may be substituted without departing from the scope of the present
invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a
particular situation or material to the teachings of the present
invention without departing from its scope. Therefore, it is
intended that the present invention not be limited to the
particular embodiment disclosed, but that the present invention
will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the
appended claims.
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