Techniques for wireless network communications with high-directional steerable antennas combining quasi omni-directional transmissions with beamforming training

1. A method, comprising:

communicating in a wireless personal area network (WPAN) system using a low-rate quasi omni-directional communications mode implemented as TX-RX space scanning using directional antennas, and a high-rate directional communications mode with beamformed directional antennas; and wherein the quasi low-rate omni-directional communications mode using TX-RX space scanning uses a same frame to simultaneously carry control information and perform beamforming training of the directional antennas;

wherein said WPAN is a piconet that includes a central station, a Piconet controller (PNC) and other station devices (DEVs) and a low-rate omni-directional mode is used only for the following set of MAC/PHY functions that are required before switching to a high-rate directional mode: omni-beacon frame with control information in low-rate mode; Low-rate association request command sent by DEV not associated to the piconet to request an association; Beamforming training frame to perform training between two DEVs; and Beamforming retraining request sent by DEVs that are associated to the piconet but lost the beamforming to the PNC and cannot use directional mode.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein to send a frame between two stations in said high-rate directional communications mode, a pair of stations perform beamforming operations by adjusting antenna patterns towards each other or towards a reflecting object by implementing TX-RX space scanning prior to the start of transmit or receive operations in said high-rate directional communications mode in said WPAN system.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein said quasi low-rate omni-directional communications mode using TX-RX space scanning uses the same frame to simultaneously carry control information in said low-rate omni-directional mode and perform beamforming training of directional antennas.

4. A method, comprising:

enabling a wireless station to operate in a wireless personal area network (WPAN) system using low-rate quasi omni-directional transmissions to support steerable directional antennas by enabling low-rate transmissions in all transmit directions and receiving from all receive directions used in a high-rate mode; and wherein transmission formats are the same for beamforming training and for low-rate quasi omni-directional transmission based on TX-RX space scanning so that a same frame may be used for carrying control information and performing beamforming training;

wherein said WPAN is a piconet that includes a central station, a Piconet controller (PNC) and other station devices (DEVs) and a low-rate omni-directional mode is used only for the following set of MAC/PHY functions that are required before switching to a high-rate directional mode: omni-beacon frame with control information in low-rate mode; Low-rate association request command sent by DEV not associated to the piconet to request an association; Beamforming training frame to perform training between two DEVs; and Beamforming retraining request sent by DEVs that are associated to the piconet but lost the beamforming to the PNC and cannot use directional mode.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising using low-rate omni-directional beacon frames and high-rate directional beacon frames.

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein to send a frame between two stations in said high-rate directional communications mode, a pair of stations perform beamforming operations by adjusting antenna patterns towards each other or towards a reflecting object by implementing TX-RX space scanning prior to the start of transmit or receive operations in said high-rate directional communications mode in said WPAN system.

7. The method of claim 4 , wherein said quasi low-rate omni-directional communications mode using TX-RX space scanning uses the same frame to simultaneously carry control information in a low-rate omni-directional mode and perform beamforming training of directional antennas.

8. A method, comprising:

defining a superframe format that is operable in wireless devices to communicate in a wireless personal area networks (WPAN) system with high-directional steerable antennas combined with emulated omni-directional transmissions implemented as TX-RX space scanning using directional antennas; and wherein the superframe format contains a frame to simultaneously carry control information and perform beamforming training of the directional antennas;

wherein said WPAN is a piconet that includes a central station, a Piconet controller (PNC) and other station devices (DEVs) and a low-rate omni-directional mode is used only for the following set of MAC/PHY functions that are required before switching to a high-rate directional mode: omni-beacon frame with control information in low-rate mode; Low-rate association request command sent by DEV not associated to the piconet to request an association; Beamforming training frame to perform training between two DEVs; and Beamforming retraining request sent by DEVs that are associated to the piconet but lost the beamforming to the PNC and cannot use directional mode.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein said superframe is operable such that when sending a frame between two stations using said high directional steerable antennas, a pair of stations perform beamforming operations by adjusting antenna patterns towards each other or towards a reflecting object by implementing TX-RX space scanning prior to the start of transmit or receive operations using said high directional steerable antennas in said WPAN system.

10. The method of claim 8 , further comprising defining said superframe format such that emulated low-rate omni-directional transmissions using TX-RX space scanning uses a same frame to simultaneously carry control information in a low-rate omni-directional mode and perform beamforming training of directional antennas.

11. An apparatus, comprising:

a transceiver operable to communicate in a wireless personal area network (WPAN) system using directional antennas and frequencies above 45 GHz, the transceiver adapted to use a low-rate emulated omni-directional communications mode implemented as TX-RX space scanning using the directional antennas, and a high-rate directional communications mode; and wherein the low-rate omni-directional communications mode using TX-RX space scanning uses a same frame to simultaneously carry control information and perform beamforming training of the directional antennas;

wherein said WPAN is a piconet that includes a central station, a Piconet controller (PNC) and other station devices (DEVs) and a quasi low-rate omni-directional communication mode is used only for the following set of MAC/PHY functions that are required before switching to a high-rate directional mode: omni-beacon frame with control information in low-rate mode; Low-rate association request command sent by DEV not associated to the piconet to request an association;

Beamforming training frame to perform training between two DEVs; and Beamforming retraining request sent by DEVs that are associated to the piconet but lost the beamforming to the PNC and cannot use directional mode.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein to send a frame between two stations in said high-rate directional communications mode, a pair of stations perform beamforming operations by adjusting antenna patterns towards each other or towards a reflecting object by implementing TX-RX space scanning prior to the start of transmit or receive operations in said high-rate directional communications mode in said WPAN system.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein said quasi low-rate omni-directional communications mode using TX-RX space scanning uses the same frame to simultaneously carry control information in a low-rate omni-directional mode and perform beamforming training of directional antennas.

14. A non-transitory machine-accessible medium that provides instructions, which when accessed, cause a machine to perform operations comprising: communicating in a wireless personal area network (WPAN) system using a low-rate quasi omni-directional communications mode implemented as TX-RX space scanning using directional antennas, and a high-rate directional communications mode with beamformed directional antennas;

and wherein the quasi low-rate omni-directional communications mode using TX-RX space scanning uses a same frame to simultaneously carry control information and perform beamforming training of the directional antennas;

wherein said WPAN is a piconet that includes a central station, a Piconet controller (PNC) and other station devices (DEVs) and a quasi low-rate omni-directional communication mode is used only for the following set of MAC/PHY functions that are required before switching to a high-rate directional mode: omni-beacon frame with control information in low-rate mode; Low-rate association request command sent by DEV not associated to the piconet to request an association; Beamforming training frame to perform training between two DEVs; and Beamforming retraining request sent by DEVs that are associated to the piconet but lost the beamforming to the PNC and cannot use directional mode.

15. The non-transitory machine-accessible medium of claim 14 , wherein to send a frame between two stations in said high-rate directional communications mode, a pair of stations perform beamforming operations by adjusting antenna patterns towards each other or towards a reflecting object by implementing TX-RX space scanning prior to the start of transmit or receive operations in said high-rate directional communications mode in said WPAN system.

16. The non-transitory machine-accessible medium of claim 14 , wherein said quasi low-rate omni-directional communications mode using TX-RX space scanning uses the same frame to simultaneously carry control information in a low-rate omni-directional mode and perform beamforming training of directional antennas.