Method and system for distributed communication
View Patent ↗A decentralized communication device is provided that facilitates optimal positioning and orientation of one or more antennas for wireless communication with external devices. The decentralized communication device includes one or more master components and one or more slave components. The master and the slave components are physically separate and communicate wirelessly. In some embodiments the slave acts as a carrier frequency translator between the master and an external wireless device, where it communicates with the external device using a first frequency and communicates with the master using a second frequency which is different from the first frequency. In another embodiment the slave has most or all the physical layer to do the digital coding, digital modulation, data framing, data formatting and data packetization for communicating with an external device, in which case digital coding and digital modulation is distributed between the master and the slave.
1. A communication device, comprising:
a plurality of master components comprising a first master component comprising a processing unit; and
a set of slave components:
each slave component comprising a plurality of antennas for wirelessly communicating with an external device using a first carrier frequency; and
each slave component connected to the first master component by a wire line and communicating with the first master component through the wire line,
wherein the processing unit of the first master component is configured to:
select a plurality of slave components from the set of slave components to communicate a plurality of data streams, using the first carrier frequency, with the external device, each of the plurality of data streams comprising a same content;
perform beamforming for the plurality of slave components to maximize a power of a signal received at the external device from the plurality of antennas of the plurality of slave components; and
select one or more master components from the plurality of master components to directly communicate with the first master component.
2. The communication device of claim 1 , wherein the processing unit is one of a digital signal processor (DSP) and a processor.
3. The communication device of claim 1 , wherein the first master component selects the plurality of slave components based on a set of criteria comprising one of power consumption of the first master component, power consumption of one or more slave components, optimal bit error rate of signals exchanged between one or more slave components and the external device, signal to noise ratio of signals exchanged between one or more slave components and the external device, and Electronic Vector Magnitude (EVM).
4. The communication device of claim 1 , wherein the processing unit of the first master component is further configured to:
monitor a performance of the communication of the data streams; and
change a number of the selected slave components to communicate to the data stream with the external device.
5. The communication device of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of the slave components is a first plurality of the slave components from the set of slave components, wherein the processing unit of the first master component is further configured to:
monitor a performance of the communication of the data streams; and
select a second, different plurality of slave components from the set of slave components to communicate the data streams with the external device.
6. The communication device of claim 1 , wherein the first master component is configured to perform multiple input multiple output (MIMO) coding on the data stream.
7. The communication device of claim 1 , wherein the processing unit of the first master component performs beamforming by changing one or more of (i) radio frequency (RF) delays, (ii) phase, and (iii) amplitude of the signals transmitted by the slave components to the external device.
8. The communication device of claim 1 , wherein the first master component communicates with a first slave component from the plurality of slave components using a first communication standard, wherein the first master component communicates with a second slave component from the plurality of slave components using a second communication standard.
9. The communication device of claim 1 , wherein the first master component communicates with each slave component using a second carrier frequency, the second carrier frequency different than the first carrier frequency.
10. The communication device of claim 1 , wherein the first master component communicates with each slave component using said first carrier frequency.
11. A method of communication using a communication device comprising (i) a plurality of master components comprising a first master component comprising a processing unit, and (ii) a set of slave components, each slave component connected to the first master component by a wire line, the method comprising:
by the processing unit of the first master component, selecting a plurality of slave components from the set of slave components to communicate a plurality of data streams using a first carrier frequency with an external device, each slave component in the plurality of slave components comprising a plurality of antennas for wirelessly communicating with the external device using the first carrier frequency, each of the plurality of data streams comprising a same content;
by the processing unit of the master component, performing beamforming for the plurality of slave components to maximize a power of a signal received at the external device from the plurality of antennas of the plurality of slave components; and
by the processing unit of the first master component, selecting one or more master components from the plurality of master components to directly communicate with the first master component.
12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the processing unit is one of a digital signal processor (DSP) and a processor.
13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the first master component selects the plurality of slave components based on a set of criteria comprising one of power consumption of the first master component, power consumption of one or more slave components, optimal bit error rate of signals exchanged between one or more slave components and the external device, signal to noise ratio of signals exchanged between one or more slave components and the external device, and Electronic Vector Magnitude (EVM).
14. The method of claim 11 further comprising:
by the processing unit of the first master component, monitoring a performance of the communication of the data stream; and
by the processing unit of the first master component, changing a number of the selected slave components to communicate the data streams with the external device.
15. The method of claim 11 , wherein the plurality of the slave components is a first plurality of the slave components from the set of slave components, the method further comprising:
by the processing unit of the first master component, monitoring a performance of the communication of the data streams; and
by the processing unit of the master component, selecting a second, different plurality of slave components from the set of slave components to communicate the data stream with the external device.
16. The method of claim 11 further comprising performing multiple input multiple output (MIMO) coding on the data stream by the first master component.
17. The method of claim 11 , wherein the processing unit of the first master component performs beamforming by changing one or more of (i) radio frequency (RF) delays, (ii) phase, and (iii) amplitude of the signals transmitted by the slave components to the external device.
18. The method of claim 11 , wherein the first master component communicates with a first slave component from the plurality of slave components using a first communication standard, wherein the master component communicates with a second slave component from the plurality of slave components using a second communication standard.
19. The method of claim 11 , wherein the first master component communicates with each slave component using a second carrier frequency, the second carrier frequency different than the first carrier frequency.
20. The method claim 11 , wherein the first master component communicates with each slave component using said first carrier frequency.