Quasi-omni Probe Request for 60 GHz Wireless Terminal Discovery
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing methods for wireless terminal devices to establish connections using 60 GHz millimeter wave communication are hindered by the time-consuming beam-forming process, which delays the discovery phase and increases protocol overhead.
Innovation Solution
The proposed method involves transmitting a Probe request frame using a quasi-omni antenna pattern if beam-forming training with a wireless base station device is not completed, and selecting the base station as a connection destination if a Probe response frame is received, thereby skipping the beam-forming training in the Beacon Transmission Interval and Association Beam Forming Training intervals.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If beam-forming training is performed before discovery in 802.11ad, then directional communication reliability is improved, but discovery time increases and high-speed connection establishment is delayed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the conventional sequence by performing discovery before beam-forming training. The wireless terminal transmits Probe Request frames using a quasi-omni antenna pattern to discover base stations without prior directional alignment, then performs beam-forming training after discovery. This reversal eliminates the requirement for pre-established directional links, enabling high-speed discovery while maintaining subsequent communication reliability through post-discovery beam training.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies preliminary action by conducting the discovery process first using quasi-omni transmission before performing beam-forming training. The terminal preliminarily identifies candidate base stations through Probe Request/Response exchange without directional constraints, then subsequently performs beam training to establish optimal directional links. This preliminary discovery action removes the time-critical path dependency on beam-forming completion.
2Reliability
If beam-forming training is completed before discovery, then communication quality is improved, but protocol overhead and processing time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the traditional protocol sequence by placing discovery before beam-forming training. Instead of requiring completed beam training as a prerequisite for discovery, the terminal performs Probe Request transmission with quasi-omni antenna pattern first, then executes beam training afterward. This inversion simplifies the protocol flow by removing redundant pre-discovery beam training steps and associated overhead frames.
3Reliability
If directional beam-forming is used for Probe Request transmission, then transmission reliability is improved, but discovery speed decreases and interference with other stations increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the antenna pattern parameter from directional beam-forming to quasi-omni pattern during the Probe Request transmission phase. This parameter change enables the terminal to transmit discovery frames in multiple directions simultaneously, increasing discovery speed and reducing interference by avoiding narrow beam conflicts. After discovery, the system transitions back to directional beam-forming for data transmission to maintain reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies dynamics by making the antenna pattern adaptive to the operational phase. The system dynamically switches between quasi-omni pattern during discovery and directional beam pattern during data transmission. This dynamic adjustment optimizes performance for each phase: quasi-omni enables fast multi-directional discovery, while directional beam provides focused reliable communication when the target is known.
Data Source
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AI summary
A method for use of a wireless terminal device (100) includes transmitting a Probe request frame (1001) by using a quasi-omni antenna pattern if beam-forming training with a wireless base station device (200) is not completed, selecting the wireless base station device (200) as a connection destination if a Probe response frame (1003) corresponding to the Probe request frame (1001) is received from the wireless base station device (200), and performing the beam-forming training with the wireless base station device (200) if the Probe response frame (1003) is not received from the wireless base station device (200).