Fixed wireless systems and methods incorporating a beam steering antenna
Examples disclosed herein relate to a node in a fixed wireless network. A controller determines optimal paths between nodes through relational calculations. Phase shifts are made to signals generated from one node to another according to the optimal path direction.
1. A method for adjusting a fixed wireless network, the method comprising:
detecting a change in operation of one node in a set of nodes, Γ i , in a fixed wireless network;
determining optimal paths in the fixed wireless network between M pairs of nodes, Γ m source and Γ m target , in the set of nodes, Γ i , with minimum bandwidth values, B* m , using a path function, F, of a latency, λ, and a bandwidth, B, where the path function, F, increases as the latency, λ, increases, and the path function, F, increases as the bandwidth, B, decreases; and
adjusting a beam direction by generating a phase shift in a beam steering antenna at the node associated with the detected change in operation, the phase shift corresponding to a determined optimal path for the node associated with the detected change in operation.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the set of nodes comprises a plurality of Fixed Wireless Radio (“FWR”) nodes and a plurality of User Equipment (“UE”) nodes.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein detecting a change in operation comprises detecting at least one of a malfunctioning node, a node that is taken out of the fixed wireless network, and a node that is introduced into an existing network.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the beam steering antenna comprises a metastructure antenna having a plurality of metastructure antenna elements.
5. The method of claim 4 , wherein generating the phase shift comprises generating a phase shift in a radio-frequency integrated circuit (“RFIC”) coupled to the metastructure antenna.
6. The method of claim 4 , wherein the metastructure antenna comprises a plurality of subarrays, each subarray to generate a radio frequency (“RF”) beam at a given direction.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the beam steering antenna is configured to generate RF beams at controlled directions, the beam steering antenna having a plurality of radiating elements.
8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:
controlling directions of the generated RF beams; and
adjusting the generated RF beams in response to one of the set of nodes in the fixed wireless network moving to a new location.
9. The method of claim 8 , wherein controlling and adjusting the generated RF beams comprises configuring the plurality of radiating elements into a plurality of subarrays, wherein each subarray generates an independent beamform.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the path function, F, is expressible as:
F
(
λ
,
B
)
=
λ
λ
0
+
B
0
min
(
B
,
B
m
*
)
,
where λ 0 and B 0 are constants.
11. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining each optimal path comprises:
finding the smallest values of the function along paths between each source node, Γ m source , and each target node, Γ m target .
12. The method of claim 11 , wherein determining each optimal path comprises:
defining a set of edges for the set of nodes with associated latency and bandwidth values;
defining a function of latency and bandwidth for a set of users; and
determining the optimal path by finding the smallest values of the function along data paths between each pair of nodes.
13. A centralized baseband controller, comprising:
a path module to:
define a set of edges between nodes in a fixed wireless network having a set of nodes, Γ i , wherein the set of edges has associated latency, λ, and bandwidth, B, values;
select paths between M pairs of nodes, Γ m source and Γ m target , in the set of nodes, Γ i , with minimum bandwidth values, B* m , using a path function, F, of a latency, λ, and a bandwidth, B, where the path function, F, increases as the latency, λ, increases, and the path function, F, increases as the bandwidth, B, decreases; and
instruct an antenna controller of one of the nodes to adjust a radiation beam of a beam steering antenna according to a selected path.
14. The centralized baseband controller of claim 13 , wherein a beam adjust module is adapted to generate a phase shift in a radiation beam from the node.
15. The centralized baseband controller of claim 13 , wherein the path function, F, is expressible as:
F
(
λ
,
B
)
=
λ
λ
0
+
B
0
min
(
B
,
B
m
*
)
,
where λ 0 and B 0 are constants.
16. A centralized baseband controller, comprising:
a path module to:
define a set of edges between nodes in a fixed wireless network having a set of nodes, Γ i , wherein the set of edges has associated latency, λ, and bandwidth, B, values;
select paths between M pairs of nodes, Γ m source and Γ m target , in the set of nodes, Γ i , with minimum bandwidth values, B* m , based on minimizing a path function, F, of a latency, λ, and a bandwidth, B, where the path function, F, increases as the latency, λ, increases, and the path function, F, increases as the bandwidth, B, decreases; and
instruct an antenna controller of one of the nodes to adjust a radiation beam of a beam steering antenna according to a selected path.
17. The centralized baseband controller of claim 16 , wherein a beam adjust module is adapted to generate a phase shift in a radiation beam from the node.
18. The centralized baseband controller of claim 16 , wherein the path function, F, is expressible as:
F
(
λ
,
B
)
=
λ
λ
0
+
B
0
min
(
B
,
B
m
*
)
,
where λ 0 and B 0 are constants.
19. The centralized baseband controller of claim 16 , wherein the beam steering antenna comprises a plurality of radiating elements.