GB2510411A - Assessing the quality of received test frames transmitted from multiple antennas at the same time to determine whether spatial reuse can be applied - Google Patents

Abstract

This invention could be used in systems in which a transmitting device (110, Fig. 1A) with multiple directional antennae (130, 140 Fig. 1A) communicates with a receiver (100, Fig 1A) with multiple antennas so that data is transmitted between the two devices in multiple streams simultaneously. When different data is transmitted on each stream, this is often referred to as spatial multiplexing in the prior art. Alternatively, the invention is applicable to spatial reuse systems in which multiple transmit devices (160, 170, Fig. 1B), each with at least one directional antenna, communicate with a receiver (150, Fig. 1B) with multiple antennas. The invention involves transmitting a first frame 320 from a first transmission antenna (140, Fig. 1A) and during this transmission transmitting a second frame 340 from a second transmission antenna (130, Fig. 1A). The frames are received at a receiving device and a determination is made of the influence of the transmission of the second frame on the quality of reception of the first frame. On the basis of the determined quality an evaluation is carried out as to whether simultaneous data communication can take place between different devices of the network on different spatial communication paths.

Description

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONFIGURING A PLURALITY OF RADIO

COMMUNICATION PATHS

The present invention concerns a method and a device for configuring a plurality of radio communication paths The simultaneous use of several communications paths by employment of directional antennas has been a subject of interest for the wireless community and is often referred to as a spatial reuse problem. US 201210099582, for example, describes the implementation of an antenna training sequence for spatial reuse, based on a clear channel assessment using energy or preamble detection. A check for interference during the training sequence determines whether or not the antenna training sequence was successful. If there was interference during the antenna training sequence, then spatial reuse is not permitted. Otherwise, spatial reuse may be permitted. The described training sequence always involves the device that wishes to establish a new communication and provides no information on mutual interference between other communications paths. The described method also suffers the drawback that during the training sequence, any on-going communication is subject to interference resulting from the antenna training sequence.

Most prior art techniques evaluating spatial reuse use PHY modules that have usage restrictions. In addition to using such PHY modules, when transmitting frames (composed of a preamble and payload data), a PHY receiver synchronizes on the preamble, then receives all data from the transmission associated with that preamble only. When receiving from devices transmitting simultaneously, a PHY receiver module is only able to synchronize with one of the preambles and may synchronize randomly with one or another preamble depending on the received signal level variation. Consequently, MAC level transmissions need to delay transmission of simultaneous frames in order to avoid such random behaviour.

Although this can help to resolve the random PHY behaviour at reception, it introduces unequal behaviour between the two transmitters, since once PHY is locked, i.e synchronized on the preamble from one transmission, the other transmission has no chance of being taken into account. In that case, if all simultaneous paths can be received, only the one transmitted first is taken into account. As a consequence it would be desirable to enable all simultaneous communications paths to be taken into account for path selection, independently of PHY module restriction.

The present invention has been devised to address one or more of the foregoing concerns.

According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a method of configuring a plurality of radio communication paths for simultaneous data transmissions between devices of a wireless network, each device being equipped with at least one antenna for transmitting and/or receiving data, the method comprising, for at least one set of communication paths in the network, transmitting a first frame from a first transmission antenna and, during said transmission, transmitting a second frame from a second transmission antenna; detecting a first influence of the transmission of the second frame on the quality of reception of the first frame by at least one first receiving antenna; and evaluating, based at least on the detected first influence the capability of the said at least one set of communication paths for simultaneous data transmission between devices of the network.

The method helps to determine communication paths which are more reliable for simultaneous communications between devices of the network while avoiding disturbance of on-going communications in the network. This enables more reliable simultaneous data transmission on selected communication paths thereby leading to increased data throughput in networks, in particular for data streaming applications such as video streaming. Embodiments of the invention enable simultaneous communication paths to be assessed independent of PHY module restrictions. All potential communication paths may be tested enabling the communication paths more capable of simultaneous communications to be tested.

This is particularly useful in scenarios where the relative positions of the devices are not known so that no forecast can be made for the best paths.

In an embodiment, the method includes transmitting a third frame from the second transmission antenna and, during said transmission, transmitting a fourth frame from the first transmission antenna; and detecting a second influence of the transmission of the fourth frame on the quality of reception of the third frame by at least one antenna receiving the third frame, wherein the evaluation of the capabiity of the set of communication paths for simultaneous data transmission is further based on the detected second influence This enables information on mutual interference between communications paths to be evaluated and thus help to provide more reliable simultaneous data transmission communication paths by testing the mutual influences between the communications paths.

In some embodiments the second frame is transmitted after a predetermined delay after the starting time of transmission of the first frame. In some embodiments, the fourth frame is transmitted after a predetermined delay after the starting time of transmission of the third frame.

The delays allow the restrictions of the sub-layers to be taken into account. Antennas already receiving will not be disturbed by the delayed transmission. This facilitates assessment of all possible simultaneous communication paths.

In some embodiments the predetermined delay is set according to the preamble period of the first frame.

In an embodiment detecting the influence comprises checking the ability to decode the received frame.

In an embodiment, the method includes changing the antenna parameter settings of the first transmission antenna and/or the antenna parameters of the at least one receiving antenna, and repeating, for each antenna parameter setting, the steps of transmitting, detecting and evaluating and then selecting the antenna parameter settings based on the detected first influences for each antenna setting.

In an embodiment, the method includes changing the antenna parameter settings of the transmission of the second transmission antenna and/or the antenna parameter settings of the at least one receiving antenna, repeating the steps of transmitting, detecting and evaluating and selecting the antenna parameters based on the detected second influences for each antenna parameter setting.

In an embodiment detecting the influence comprises measuring the transmission quality of each transmission for the different antenna parameter settings and obtaining the respective quality levels (RSSI), the method further comprising: selecting from among the selected antenna parameter settings, the antenna parameter for which the measure transmission quality level exceeds a predetermined threshold.

In some embodiments the first antenna and the second antenna may belong to the same device. In some embodiments the reception antennas of the first frame and the second frame are provided on the same device of the network.

In some embodiments the same frequency is applied for transmissions from the first antenna and the second antenna.

In an embodiment in the case where the evaluated capability of the said set of communication paths is not suitable for simultaneous data transmissions the steps of transmitting, detecting and evaluating are repeated with a change in the frequency of the respective transmission.

In an embodiment the antenna parameter setting step comprises setting transmission parameters of a transmission antenna. For example, the antenna parameter setting step comprises setting an antenna orientation.

In some embodiments the capabilities of plurality of communication paths sets for simultaneous data transmission are evaluated and, the method further includes classifying each communication path set according to their capability for simultaneous communication; and selecting a set of communication paths from among the plurality of communication paths according to the classification.

In some embodiments the method is implemented for all antennas of devices designated as sending devices and all antennas of devices designated as receiving devices.

According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a device for configuring a plurality of radio communication paths for simultaneous data transmissions between devices of a wireless network, each device being equipped with at least one antenna for transmitting and/or receiving data, the device comprising: a control module to co-ordinating, for at least a set of communication paths, transmission of a first frame from a first transmission antenna and during said transmission, transmission of a second frame from a second transmission antenna; a processor for detecting a first influence of the transmission of the second frame on the quality of reception of the first frame by at least one first receiving antenna; and for evaluating, based at least on the detected first influence the capability of said at least set of communication paths for simultaneous data transmission between devices of the network.

In an embodiment, the control module is configured to co-ordinate transmission of a third frame from the second transmission antenna and, during said transmission, transmission of a fourth frame from the first transmission antenna, and; the processor is configured to detect a second influence of the transmission of the fourth frame on the quality of reception of the third frame by at least one antenna receiving the third frame, the evaluation of the capability of said at least set of communication paths for simultaneous data transmission being further based on the detected second influence In an embodiment, the control module is configured to co-ordinate transmission of the second frame after a predetermined delay after the starting time of transmission of the first frame.

In an embodiment, the control module is configured to co-ordinate transmission of the fourth frame after a predetermined delay after the starting time of transmission of the third frame.

In an embodiment, the predetermined delay is set according to the preamble period of the first frame.

In an embodiment, the processor is configured to detect the first or second influence by checking the ability of the device receiving the respective frame to decode the received frame.

In an embodiment, the control module is configured to co-ordinate changing of the antenna parameters of the first transmission antenna and/or the antenna parameters of the at least one receiving antenna, and repetition, for each antenna parameter setting, of the steps of transmitting, detecting and evaluating, the processor being configured to select the antenna parameter setting based on the detected first influences for each antenna setting.

In an embodiment, the control module is configured to co-ordinate changing of the antenna parameters of the second transmission antenna and/or the antenna parameters of the at least one receiving antenna, and repetition, for each antenna setting, of the steps of transmitting, detecting and evaluating, the processor being configured to select the antenna parameter setting based on the detected second influences for each antenna setting.

In an embodiment, the processor is configured to detect the first or second influence by measuring the transmission quality of each transmission for the different antenna parameter settings and obtaining the respective quality levels (RSSI) , the processor being further configured to: select from among the previously selected antenna parameters, the antenna parameter settings for which the measured transmission quality level exceeds a given threshold.

In an embodiment, the set of communication paths are established between devices comprising at least one device equipped with a plurality of antennas.

In an embodiment, the control module is configured to co-ordinate application of the same frequency by the first and second transmission antennas.

In an embodiment, in the case the set of communication paths are evaluated as not capable for simultaneous data transmission the control module is configured to co-ordinate repetition of the steps of transmitting, detecting and evaluated with a change of frequency for the respective communication paths.

In an embodiment, the control module is configured to co-ordinate setting transmission parameters of the first or second transmission antenna to change the antenna parameter settings.

In an embodiment, the control module is configured to co-ordinate setting an antenna orientation to change the antenna parameter settings.

In an embodiment, the control module is configured to co-ordinate evaluation of a plurality of communication paths, the processor being configured: to classify each set of communication paths set according to their capability for simultaneous communication; and to select a set of communication paths according to the classification.

In an embodiment, the control module is configured to co-ordinate evaluation for all antennas of devices designated as sending devices and all antennas of devices designated as receiving devices.

At least parts of the methods according to the invention may be computer implemented. Accordingly, the present invention may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment (including firmware, resident software, micro-code. etc.) or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects that may all generally be referred to herein as a "circuit", "module" or "system". Furthermore, the present invention may take the form of a computer program product embodied in any tangible medium of expression having computer usable program code embodied in the medium.

Since the present invention can be implemented in software, the present invention can be embodied as computer readable code for provision to a programmable apparatus on any suitable carrier medium. A tangible carrier medium may comprise a storage medium such as a floppy disk, a CD-ROM, a hard disk drive, a magnetic tape device or a solid state memory device and the like. A transient carrier medium may include a signal such as an electrical signal, an electronic signal, an optical signal, an acoustic signal, a magnetic signal or an electromagnetic signal, e.g. a microwave or RF signal.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, and with reference to the following drawings in which: Figures IA and lB are schematic diagrams of wireless communication network in which one or more embodiments of the invention may be implemented; Figure 2 is a schematic block diagram of a wireless communication device according to at least one embodiment of the invention; Figure 3 schematically illustrates a discovery transmission sequence for configuring simultaneous communication paths according to an embodiment of the invention; Figure 4 is a flow chart setting out steps of a method implemented by a master device of a wireless network for configuring simultaneous communication paths in the wireless network according to an embodiment of the invention; Figure 5 is a flow chart setting out steps of a method implemented by a device of a wireless network for configuring simultaneous communication paths in the wireless network according to an embodiment of the invention; Figure 6 is a flow chart setting out steps of a method of reporting reception quality for configuring simultaneous communication paths in the wireless network according to an embodiment of the invention; Figure 7 is a flow chart setting out steps of a method for identifying potential simultaneous communication paths in the wireless network according to an embodiment of the invention; and Figure 8 is a flow chart setting out steps of a method for selecting potential simultaneous communication paths in the wireless network according to an embodiment of the invention.

Figures IA and lB schematically illustrate wireless communication networks in which one or more embodiments of the invention may be implemented. Each wireless communication network comprises a plurality of wireless communication devices. Although only two devices are shown in Figure 1A and three devices are shown in Figure 1B, it will be appreciated that the invention may be applied to a wireless communication network with any number of wireless devices. In Figure IA the wireless communication system includes two wireless communication devices 100 and 110, which are respectively for example a display device 100 (such as a Video projector or a device connected to a display device (HD TV,..)) and a video source device 110 (For example a device connected to a HD source generating a 1080p or a 4K2K video stream). In video transmission, source device 110 provides video data wirelessly to display device 100, using directional transmission antennas 140 and 130. Simultaneous transmissions, using both transmission antennas 140, at the same time to provide two different transmission paths are used in order to: -satisfy bandwidth demands for 4K2K video transmission (6 Gbps), by aggregation of two radio modules (each able to provide up to 3Gbps in the case where Millimeter Wave frequency bands such as 60 GHz are used, for

example)

-provide one main transmission path for transmitting l080p video stream (3Gbps), and an auxiliary (second) transmission path for retransmission on demand in case transmission errors occur over the medium.

Display device 100 is configured to receive video data from each path through quasi omni-directional antennas 120 and 125. In this way four wireless communication paths may be provided between the data source device 110 and the display device 100: a first path between transmitting antenna 140 of data source device 110 and receiving antenna 120 of display device 100; a second path between transmitting antenna 140 of data source device 110 and receiving antenna 125 of display device 100; a third path between transmitting antenna 130 of data source device 110 and receiving antenna 120 of display device 100; and a fourth path between transmitting antenna 130 of data source device 110 and receiving antenna 125 of display device 100.

The aim is to establish reliable simultaneous communication over a pair of communication paths from among the four wireless communication paths, for example the first and fourth paths or the second and third paths.

Figure lB illustrates another example of a wireless communication system where a discovery method in accordance with embodiments of the invention may be applied in order to enable simultaneous communications over the system. This wireless communication system includes three wireless communication devices 150, 160 and 170, where device 150 is a display device (for example a video projector or a device connected to a display device (HD TV,..)) and devices 160.

are video source devices (For example connected to a HD source generating lOSOp video stream).

When used for video transmission, each source device 160 and 170 provides video data wirelessly to display device 150, using their directional transmission antennas 190 and 195, respectively. Simultaneous transmissions, using both transmission antennas are required in order to enable for example the display of an image or part of an image from each source.

Display device 150 receives video data from each source device (160 or 170) through one of its quasi omni-directional antennas 180 or 185.

In this way four wireless communication paths may be provided between the data source devices 160 and 170 and the display device 150.

a first path between transmitting antenna 190 of data source device 160 and receiving antenna 180 of display device 150; a second path between transmitting antenna 190 of data source device 160 and receiving antenna 185 of display device 150; a third path between transmitting antenna 195 of data source device 170 and receiving antenna 185 of display device 150; and a fourth path between transmitting antenna 195 of data source device 170 and receiving antenna 180 of display device 150.

The aim is here also to establish reliable simultaneous communication over a pair of communication paths from among the four paths, for example, the first and third paths or the second and fourth paths. More generally, the aim is to find reliable simultaneous communication paths between two or more transmitting antennas and/or two or more receiving antennas.

Figure 2 is a functional block diagram of a wireless communication device of Figures IA and lB. A wireless communication device comprises: * a main controller 201, * one or two physical layer units (denoted PHY A and PHY B) 211 and 212, * a video output 239 enabling the connection of a display device for example in device 100 or 150 of Figure IA or IB, * a video input 240 enabling connection of a video source device, for example in device 110, 160 or 170 of Figure IA or lB.

The main controller 201 includes: * a Random Access Memory (denoted RAM) 233, * a Read-Only Memory (denoted ROM) 232, * a micro-controller or Central Processing Unit (denoted CPU) 231, * a user interface controller 234, * a medium access controller (denoted MAC) 238, * a video processing controller 235, * a video interface controller 236, * a video Random Access Memory (denoted video RAM) 237.

CPU 231, MAC 238, video processing controller 235, user interface controller 234 exchange control information via a communication bus 244, to which are also connected RAM 233, and ROM 232. CPU 231 controls the overall operation of the device and is configured to execute, from the memory RAM 233.

instructions pertaining to a computer program loaded from the memory ROM 232.

By means of the user interface controller 234, the user can configure operation of each system, such as video input selection or can control each device such as the display device 100 to control the output display, such as luminance, zoom aspect and the like. This interface can be a wired interface (such as, for example, Ethernet, Universal Serial Bus USB) or a wireless interface (such as, for example, infrared, WiFi).

The video processing controller 235 performs all necessary transformations of video data which are temporary stored in video RAM 237, such as digital zoom or upscale of the data to a higher video resolution. The video processing controller 235 receives video image from the MAC 238.

MAC 238 controls the emission and reception of MAC frames conveying control data and/or video data. Control data is used for protocol management of the antenna discovery period in accordance with embodiments of the invention, and video/control is used for video transmission between devices of the wireless communication system. For data communications between devices, the MAC 238 can rely on one or a plurality of physical layer units 211 and 212 (two in this example). Preferably, all the physical layer units operate in the 60GHz band.

Typically, useful throughput between MAC 238 and each physical layer unit is in the order of 3.5Gbps.

Each physical layer unit 211 and 212 embeds a modem, a radio module and antennas. The radio module is configured to process a signal output by the modem before it is transmitted by means of the antenna. For example, the processing includes frequency transposition and/or power amplification processes.

Conversely, the radio module also processes a signal received by the antenna before it is provided to the modem. The modem modulates and demodulates the digital data exchanged with the radio module. For instance, a modulation and demodulation scheme that may be applied includes for example Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiplexing (OFDM). In the preferred embodiment, reception antennas are quasi omni-directional antenna with static radiation patterns and transmission antennas are configurable directional radiation pattern antennas. It will be appreciated however that, embodiments of the invention may also apply to directional antennas in reception.

The MAC 238 acts as a synchronization control unit, which controls scheduling of transmissions via the network. This means that MAC 238 schedules the beginning and the end of an emission of radio frames over the medium, as well as the beginning and the end of a reception of frames from the medium. In one particular embodiment, access to the medium is scheduled according to a TDMA (Time Division Multiple Access) scheme, where each transmission time slot is associated with only one device. A single MAC frame is transmitted during each transmission slot. The set of MAC frames transmitted during one TDMA sequence is called a superframe.

From among the devices of the wireless communication network, one device is in charge of defining the beginning of each superframe cycle. For instance, the designated device may be the display device 100 of Figure 1A (or the display device 150 of Figure 1B); The designated device is called the master device and is configured to transmit a first MAC frame at fixed periodic intervals. This MAC frame is generally called a beacon frame marking the beginning of the superframe.

Others devices can then determine the beginning of each superframe cycle according to the reception time of the beacon frame from the master device.

At the reception side, the modem of physical layer unit 211 or 212 collects the radio frames received from the radio module through the antenna, and transmits radio frames to the MAC 238. The MAC 238 is therefore able to detect if a radio frame is missing. This detection is made when the MAC 238 is expecting a radio frame payload during a scheduled receiving time slot but no data is received from the physical layer unit. This situation occurs when the modem has failed to recognize the radio frame preamble, the synchronization was unsuccessful because the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) or the received signal strength indication (RSSI) was too low (the signal is indiscernible from noise or from the concurrent transmission). In addition, MAC 238 is able to detect transmission errors within a radio frame. Since a radio frame payload can be divided into several packets, CRC (Cyclic Redundancy Check) data computed by MAC 238 can be appended to the end of each packet. For a given packet received in a destination device, if the CRC computation result is different from the one received with the packet, then the MAC 238 can decide to drop this packet as it is very likely to contain erroneous data.

Thus the MAC 238 can indicate poor reception during an antenna discovery period that could occur due to the concurrent transmission that is disruptive to reception.

Figure 3 graphically illustrates the discovery transmission sequence used during a transmission antenna configuration method in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

Initially, prior to the illustrated sequence, a master device (device 100 for example in the system of the Figure IA) initialises the TDMA sequence by sending a specific beacon frame, which is used as a synchronisation signal between all devices in the wireless system. The master device is then responsible for all TDMA management (Wireless device insertion, TDMA management and antenna discovery management). As such, the master device enables association of other devices to be inserted into the wireless network and to allocate, to any device of the wireless communication system, a frame during "control period" 301. This control period will therefore be used for communicating information between devices, such as a protocol or an internal operation (referred to hereafter as "Event") or result of measurements.

During insertion of a wireless device into the wireless communication, each newly inserted device provides information on the number of Tx/Rx antennas it has and the number of antenna positions for each directional antenna. This value will be used later to determine the number of antennas to be checked in the discovery of simultaneous communications paths.

A "Start discovery" event initiates the transmission sequence during an Antenna discovery period 310. During a "start discovery" event, the master device indicates (or identifies) the following information: -the number of transmitting (Tx) antennas (Nb_Tx) involved in the discovery sequence -for each Tx antenna, an identification list containing the corresponding device identifier Txld (as known by the wireless network association) and at least the identifier of the antenna to be used (Ant_Txld). The ordering of the transmitters in the identification list enables each transmitter to determine when the transmitted frame should be sent wirelessly. The identification list may also contain information of the frequency and/or the modulation used during the antenna discovery transmission sequence.

-the number of reception Rx devices (Nb_RxDev) involved in the discovery process and their respective device identifier (Rx_ld). Each Rx device performs detection of a successful reception (i.e. identification of frame information with no data corruption) at MAC level. It may be noted that the number of Rx antennas should at least be equal to number of simultaneous Tx antennas transmissions.

For example in the system in Figure 1A, display device 100 initiates an antenna discovery period by transmitting a "Start Discovery" event with the following parameters: 2,{[Dev_/D_ 110, id_A ntenna_ 140],[Dev_ID _110 id_A ntenna_ 130]).

Dev_ID _ 100 It then identifies the occurrence of 2 simultaneous transmissions, from device 110, using same frequency and default modulation type by default (for enabling reception status estimation).

The transmission is split into two sequences corresponding to each element (antenna) in the Identification list. In each period, the transmission issued from the specified antenna will be initiated before the transmission issued from the other antenna.

In the example described, the first frame sequence includes: -frame 320 transmitted by device 110 using antenna 140. Simultaneously, device 110 firstly applies a delay 330 before transmitting frame 340 from the other antenna 130 so that frame 340 is transmitted from the other antenna 130 during transmission of frame 320 from the first antenna 140 but after a delay 330.

In the example described, the second frame sequence includes: -frame 370 transmitted by device 110 using antenna 130 and simultaneously, device 110 applies first a delay 350 before transmitting frame 360 from the antenna 140 so that frame 360 is transmitted during transmission of frame 370 but after the delay 350.

Each of the transmitted frames (320-340-360-370) includes a respective preamble (320P-340P-360P-370P), to enable the modem to synchronise to the received frame, and a payload that contains at least information on the device that transmitted the frame (here device 110), on the antenna from which the transmission is performed (here antenna 140 for frames 320 and 360, and antenna 130 for frames 340 and 370) and the antenna angle used for transmission. When a frame is correctly received at MAC level, this information enables the receiving device (here 100) to identify the antenna path from which simultaneous communications may occur without perturbation.

Delays 330 and 350 prior to transmission of the second frame in each set are delays of a time duration adapted so as to prevent the delayed transmission occurring during the preamble period of the first transmitted frame 320 or 370. As such, once reception on a PHY module is locked on one frame, all data from this frame will be returned to MAC layer. By this means and the 2 sequence periods, each transmission issued from a preferred antenna (140 for first sequence, 130 for second sequence) has an equal chance of being detected by an antenna receiver.

Therefore all possible antenna paths may be measured without specific settings of the PHY module and it will therefore enable more simultaneous transmission opportunities to be detected.

Moreover, the recovery period of simultaneous transmissions (320 and 340 for the first sequence, 370 and 360 for second sequence) enables influence from concurrent transmissions to be detected. It may occur that during reception of frame 320, the concurrent transmission of frame 340 may degrade the reception quality of frame 320 resulting in erroneous data payload reception of frame 320.

This will be detected at MAC level using an error detection mechanism technique (such as CRC/FEC(Forward Error Correction)) and consequently this concurrent transmission path will not be reported as a viable path for simultaneous communication.

All antenna discoveries are performed through the control of one device (here called master device"), by the sending of event. An event may either be an internal operation event (in the case where the device that is a master device is the transmitter/receiver of the antenna discovery period), or through protocol messages that are exchanged during "control period" 301.

The flowchart of Figure 4 sets out steps of an operation performed by the designated master device of the wireless communication network to initiate and select paths enabling simultaneous concurrent transmission communications in accordance with one or more embodiments of the invention. The most appropriate path can then be selected as the path allowing simultaneous communications.

In an initial step 400, master device initiates the start of the discovery antenna procedure by sending a "Start Discovery" event with parameters as described previously. During this step, a counter of the number of TxPhy antenna sets tested is set to to 0. This counter will indicate how many TxPhy antenna sets have been checked for support of simultaneous communications. A TxPhy antenna set includes one of the N positions of a first PHY module (211 or 212) transmission antenna, with one of the M positions of a second PHY module transmission antenna. In this case up to N* M TxPhy antenna sets are checked during the antenna discovery procedure. A Nb Candidate internal variable is also set to the value 0. This enables the number of antenna sets which are considered as potential candidates for simultaneous transmission to be stored.

Once the procedure has been started, in step 410, the master device checks if all the TxPhy antenna sets for transmission have been used during the antenna discovery period by comparing the value of the TxPhy antenna set counter with the N*M value (maximum count value).

If the check at step 410 is negative, signifying that the number of TxPhy antenna sets counted is less than N*M, there is still at least one TxPhy antenna set which has not yet been tested during the antenna discovery period, and the method proceeds to step 420.

In step 420, using the scontrol period" 301, the master device informs devices involved in the discovery procedure of the next TxPhy antenna set to use. This is performed by the sending of event "Antenna set" with the following parameters: For each Tx antenna, a specification of the antenna angle to be set for transmitting frames of the discovery sequence. The list will be ordered using the same order as that specified in the "Start Discovery" event.

For example in the system in Figure IA, the display device 100 may indicate the next step of the discovery procedure by sending an "Antenna Set" event with the following parameters: AngleO, AnglelO This indicates to device 110 that transmission using antenna 140 should be performed with the antenna set to an AngleO value, while transmission using antenna 130 will be performed with the antenna set to an anglelO value.

In step 430, the master device synchronises the devices of the wireless communication network involved in the discovery procedure in order that they start either using new settings in the case of transmission devices or that they initiate new detections in the case of reception devices. This is performed by sending a "Use Antenna set" event with parameters specifying, for example, the number of superframes before applying the new settings. Each device implied in the discovery procedure will decrease the received value until it reaches 0, at which point they should start their new operation associated with the event.

The Master device at this point has started a new phase of antenna discovery with a specific TxPhy antenna set. It then waits for all reception devices to return their reception detection report (Step 440). This report will indicate the ability of the respective reception device to correctly decode (at MAC level) the frames transmitted from each Tx antenna and the corresponding reception level. This step will be further explained with reference to Figure 6.

In step 450, a master device identifies possible simultaneous communication sets from the received detection reports. This identification process is further explained in relation to Figure 7. In the case of a two reception quasi omni-directional antenna set (as is the case for Figure IA or IB), this step will identify 0 or 1 (none or one) as a possible communication set. In the case of directional Rx antenna or in the case where the number of Rx antennas is greater than the Tx antenna set, this step may identify several possible communications sets (Either with different Rx angles or using different Rx antennas).

After step 450, the value of the counter of TxPhy antenna sets is increased by 1 and the check of step 410 is performed once again.

If the test of step 410 is positive (i.e. the counter of TxPhy antenna sets equals N*M), then step 460 is performed. During step 460, master device notifies all devices of the wireless communication network that the antenna discovery procedure has finished. It then sends a "Stop Discovery" event.

Once done, the next step 470 proceeds to the selection of the best path for simultaneous communication if it exists, using all the identified potential simultaneous communication sets and their characteristics. This process is further explained with reference to Figure 8.

The flowchart of Figure 5 sets out the operational steps performed by any device of the wireless system, during the simultaneous communication path discovery procedure in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

Each step is initiated by the notification of an event reception (Step 500), either received internally (for example by the master device 100 in Figure IA, that is also receiver device for the discovery procedure), or received via a protocol message received during "control period" 301.

A first check 505 is performed, to verify if the event that occurs is a "Start Discovery" event. If this is the case, each device of the wireless system checks the parameters provided in the payload to identify if it is implied in discovery procedure (step 510), and to identify which role it plays and with which settings.

To identify its role as Transmitter (Tx), a device checks if its own device identifier (Devid) appears in the Tx antenna identification list (Tx Id). If the corresponding device identifier is present the device deduces which antenna is to be used (and optionally the frequency and/or modulation that should be used) and the Antenna discovery transmission period organisation.

To identify its role as a receiver (Rx) in the discovery procedure, a device chocks if its device identifier (Dcv_/d) appears in the Rx devices identifier list (RxId). If its device identifier does appear in the Rx identifier list, from the Tx antenna identification list parameter, the receiving device deduces how many frequencies (and also modulations) are used for the TxPhy antenna set during the discovery procedure, in order to adapt its reception process. Indeed, if several frequencies are used for the IxAhy Antenna set, the receiving device checks its ability to correctly receive at each frequency, in order to obtain an exhaustive re port.

In the initial step of one particular embodiment, only one frequency is used. As such, the procedure tries to use the least possible number of different frequencies to obtain simultaneous communications thereby optimising the usage of spatial diversity provided by the directional antennas.

If the identifier of a device does not appear in either the Tx identification list or the Rx identification list devices identifier list, then that particular device is not concerned by the discovery process and thus its role is set to none.

Once identification has been performed, the processing of the event is done and the process terminates in step 570.

If the result of the check at step 505 is negative i.e. the event is not a Start Discovery" event, step 515 then verifies if the event that occurs is a Stop Discovery" event.

A "Stop Discovery" event signifies that the discovery process has ended, and all devices of the wireless communication system set their role to none (520).

Once resetting of role to none has been performed, processing of the event is done and the process terminates. (Step 570) If the result of check at step 515 is negative, i.e. the event is not a "Stop Discovery" event, step 525 then verifies if the event that occurs is an "Antenna set" event.

If the result of check 525 is positive, i.e. the event is an "Antenna set" event, the device checks which role it has in the discovery process in step 530.

If the role of the device is set to none or Rx, then the device is not concerned by the "Antenna set" event. Otherwise, the device plays the role of a Tx device in the discovery procedure, and the received event concerns transmitting devices.

In step 535 the device, having a transmitting role, extracts, from the parameters, the settings of its antenna (e.g. the angle used for transmitting data).

Several antennas' settings may be extracted for the same device, such as for the particular embodiment of Figure IA, where the device 110 sets several antennas in each step of the discovery procedure.

Once the parameters for the next discovery step are taken into account, processing of the event is done and the process finishes (Step 570).

If the result of check 525 is negative, i.e. the event is not an "Antenna set" event, step 545 verifies if the event that occurs is a "Use Antenna set" event. If check 545 is positive, i.e. the event is a "Use Antenna set" event, the device checks which role it plays in the discovery process (step 550). If the role of the device is set to none, then the device is not concerned by the event. If the role of the device is Rx, once the number of superframes indicating when to apply the event reaches the value 0, the receiving device starts checking for correct reception from any TxPhy antenna set of the transmitting devices (step 560). The device internally sets a "detected frame" value to FALSE.

For quasi omni-directionnal reception antennas, for each frequency used, the process involves checking if reception of data occurs with no errors on each reception antenna, during at least one superframe.

If no reception or reception with errors occurred, the receiving device keeps the "detected frame" value as set at FALSE, indicating nothing has been received.

If at least one frame of the antenna discovery period is received without error, then the device extracts from the data payload, the identifier of the Transmitting device (Stored_Tx_Id), of the Antenna from which transmission is performed (Stored_TxAntjd) and the antenna angle used for the Transmission (Store d_TxAnAngIe).

Moreover, for a correctly received frame in the discovery period, the receiving device stores the reception level (also known as RSSI) value, indicating the quality of reception.

In order to keep only viable communication links (radio transmission paths with good quality), the reception level is first checked with a minimum threshold value. If the check is negative, i.e. the reception level falls below the minimum threshold value, then reception is considered as not being viable and the communication path is not stored for later treatment.

If the result of the check is positive, i.e. the reception level is equal to or exceeds the minimum threshold value, then the receiving device stores in memory all the information extracted and associated with that communication path: it stores the identifier of the antenna from which reception is performed (Stored_Rx_!d) and the corresponding reception level (Stored_Rx_Rssi). It then sets its detected frame" value to TRUE.

In the case where reception is performed through directional antennas, the reception involves checking, using a new angle during each superframe. In the case where a frame is coirectly received, the same information as for the quasi omni-directional case is stored, as well as additional information of the reception angle that enables the reception.

Once reception checking has been performed, the receiving device then (565) reports for each of its reception antenna the status of detection of each TxPhy antenna set and the corresponding reception level in the case of correct detection. This step is further explained in Figure 6.

If, in step 550, the role of the device is Tx, once the number of superframes indicating when to apply the event reaches value 0, the transmitting device sets the PHY level in step 555 with parameters previously specified in step 535: this means frequency and Antenna angle. It will then start the transmission sequence as explained in Figure 3, applying the transmission order as indicated by the master device during "Start Discovery" event.

Once the processing of the "Use Antenna set" event 545 is done, the process finishes (Step 570) If the result of check 545 is negative. i.e. the event that occurs does not concern the discovery procedure and the event is then ignored, the process ends (step 570).

The flowchart of Figure 6 illustrates how, in an embodiment of the invention, each receiving device reports detection information to the designated master device, responsible for the antenna discovery procedure.

This algorithm is performed for each antenna of the receiving device. The reported information includes: -identification of the receiving device and of the antenna of that receiving device for which information is reported -Nb_Tx elements where Nb_Tx corresponds to the value specified in the "start discovery" event in the same order as used during the start discovery event.

Each element includes: o a detection value indication set to "OK" when successful, or else set to "KO" when unsuccessful o a reception level value, of significance only when the detection value is set to "OK".

Figure 6 illustrates an example of the creation of report information in a scenario, corresponding to Figure IA or IB, where two transmission Tx antennas are used. It will be appreciated that the algorithm may be applied to a scenario in which more than two Tx antennas are used.

When using a quasi omni-directional reception antenna, only one measurement is performed for each reception antenna. In the case where reception is performed by means of a directional antenna, several measurements may be made for reception from the same TxPhy antenna set. In such case, a pre-filtering step is applied, such as selecting an RX antenna angle that has the best reception level value measurement. In such a case, the same algorithm may then be performed for directional antennas as is performed for quasi omni-directional antennas.

In an initial step (step 600), a setup process for information reporting for the receiving antenna is performed. This involves reporting the device identifier (Devici) of the receiving device in the Rx Report.Devld field, and also specifying the antenna for which the report is to be performed (setting the

Rx_Report.Ant_Devld field with a Ant_RxId value).

Identification of the antenna is optional for the embodiments of Figures IA and I B, but is applied when the number of RX antennas is greater than the number Nb_Tx of antennas used during the antenna discovery procedure. For example, in the case of two receiver devices (each with two Rx antennas) concerned by antenna discovery procedure, identification of the antenna enables selection for each device of the best reception antenna from among the two antennas of the device that will enable simultaneous communications to the two devices.

Step 610 is then performed for setting a default value, here corresponding to no detection of any frame for each TX antenna set. The field dctocL value of any RxReport.TX element is set to the value "KO" (Corresponding Rx_Level could be set to 0 for example).

In the example of Figure IA, after these initial two steps, for the case of a TxPhy antenna set composed of 2 antennas (referred to as Tx_Phyl for the antenna transmitting first in the first sequence of frames 320 and Tx_Phy2 for the antenna transmitting first in the second sequence of frames 370), the reported information is then set to: RxReport = {Dev_ID_ 100, Id_A ntenna_ 120,{[KO,0][KO,0]}} A first check is then performed to find out if any frame has been received (620). This check will test if the "detected frame" value is set to FALSE.

If the "detected frame" check value is positive, this indicates that no frame has been received. The report is then complete and is ready for operation of step 670.

If the "detected frame" check value is negative, this indicates that at least one frame has been received, and the algorithm then checks from which Tx_Phy of the antenna set frame is received.

In Step 630 a search is performed for reception of a frame transmitted from TxPhyl. The search proceeds by checking all the memorized information from step 560 of Figure 5, to determine if any of the memorized information concerned the first transmitter device of first frames sequence identified in "Start Discovery" event.

It is then checked if: -Stored_Tx_Id is equal to Tx_Id -Stored_TxA nt_Id is equal to AnLTx/d -Stored Rx Id is equal to AnLRxld If all conditions are true, this indicates that at least one of the frames (320 or/and 360) issued from the first transmitter device of the TxPhy antenna set has been correctly received for the receiving antenna concerned by the report Next, in step 640, correct detection from the Tx Phyl is reported by setting the RxReport.TX[Tx_Phyl] respective fields detect_value to "OK" and setting RxLevel to the Stored_Rx_Rssi of the memorized information.

If none of the memorized information satisfies the check, then reception for this Tx_Phyl is not possible and the previous set value of "KO" is still valid.

Stop 650 is then performed (either after 640 when check 630 is positive, or directly if check 630 is negative).

In stop 650 a search is performed for reception of a frame from Tx_Phy2.

The search proceeds by checking in all the memorized information from step 560, if any of the memorized information concerned the first transmitter device of the second frame sequence identified in the "Start Discovery" event.

It is then checked if: -Stored_Tx_Id is equal to Tx_Id -Stored_TxA nt_Id is equal to AnLTxId -Stored Rx Id is equal to AnLRxId If all conditions are true, at least one of the frames (340 or/and 370) issued from the second transmitter device of the TxPhy antenna set has been correctly received.

Next, in step 660, correct detection from the Tx_Phy2 is reported, by setting the RxReport.TX[Tx_Phy2] respective fields detect_value to "OK" and the RxLevel to the Store d_Rx_Rssi of the memorized information.

If none of the memorized information satisfies the check, then reception for this Ix Phy2 is not possible and the previous set value "KO" is still valid.

Step 670 is then performed (either after 660 when check 650 is positive, or directly if check 650 is negative, or if check 620 is positive).lt then sends the content of the report information to the master device using "Control period".

Four types of report are possible (according to the detect_value field) in one particular embodiment, corresponding for example to: 1) RxReport = {DevID 100,Id Antenna 120,{[KO,0][KO,0]}} 2) RxReport = {DevID 100,IdAntennal2O,{[OK,50][KO,0]}} 3) RxReport = {DevID 100,IdAntennal2O,{[KO,0][OK,50]}} 4) RxReport = {Dev_ID_ 100,IdAntennal2O,{[OK,50][OK,50]}} Without using Antenna Discovery period as described in figure 3, only cases 1, 2 or 3 could have been reported by the prior art PHY module technique and such a report would be unreliable.

Case I indicates that nothing has been received and it follows that in conventional simultaneous PHY transmission, the result would be the same for this case.

Cases 2 or 3, could have been reported using a conventional PHY module technique but in an unreliable way. Indeed, these cases correspond either to situations where only transmission of one of the antennas is received (ideal case), or to situations when transmissions from both antennas are received, and the conventional PHY module randomly synchronises on the first preamble received, ignoring the second transmission. This then leads to uncertainty.

On the contrary, the two frame sequence transmission during discovery as explained with reference to Figure 3, provides a reliable report from the receiving device, and therefore better selection of simultaneous communications paths.

Furthermore, the last case 4 is impossible to obtain by means of conventional simultaneous non delayed transmission (or transmission always delayed in the same order) since PHY modules receive both transmissions simultaneously and select one of the frames randomly (or always select the first frame transmitted).

Therefore according to embodiments of the invention, more possible simultaneous communication paths are provided than with conventional methods.

The flowchart of Figure 7 illustrates how, in an embodiment of the invention, the master device identifies possible simultaneous communication sets for the TxPhy antenna set used during discovery, after receiving reports from all receiving devices.

In one example, after receiving Rx_Reportanti and Rx_Reportant2, the master device has 7 possible combinations (A to C) to study (from the possible 16, removing redundant and symmetrical cases) as follows Case A B C D E F G tj Tx[TxPhyl]

KO OK OK OK OK OK KO

detect_value

CD _____________ ______ ______ _______ ______ ______ ______ ______ -o

o Tx[Tx_Phy2]

KO OK OK OK KO KO OK Dl

a detect value Tx[Tx_Phyl] x OK KO OK KO OK KO 1 detect_value

CD _____________ ______ ______ _______ ______ ______ ______ ______

o Tx[Tx_Phy2] x OK OK KO OK KO OK Dl detect value

NJ

These 7 cases are described hereinafter.

Case A: (7 possible combinations) Tx[Tx_Phyl]

KO KO KO KO OK OK KO

ti detect_value

CD _____________ ______ ______ _______ ______ ______ ______ ______

-D

o Tx[Tx_Phy2]

KO KO KO KG OK KO OK

detect value

-

o Tx[TxPhyl]

KO OK KO OK KO KO KO

detect value

CD _____________ ______ ______ _______ ______ ______ ______ ______

o Tx[TxPhy2]

KO OK OK KO KO KO KO Dl

detect value One of the expected reception devices does not receive any frame. The TX antenna set is then determined as not being useful. This corresponds to the outcome of step 700 being positive. Step 705 then ends the algorithm.

Case B: (1 possible combination) Tx[Tx Phyl] >< -OK I detect_value (p ______________ _______ Tx[Tx_Phy2] detect_value Tx[Tx Phyl]

-OK

I detect_value (p ______________ _______ Tx[Tx_Phy2]

OK

detect value p4 The two devices are able to receive from both transmission antennas. This corresponds to check 700 being negative, followed by check 710 being positive (First antenna report = {OK,OK}), then both check 715 and 720 being negative (Second antenna report = {OK,OK}).

The TxPhy antenna set is then stored in memory, since it is determined as being viable for simultaneous communications. Corresponding reception antenna set information is also stored, such as Rx_Report.Devld, Rx_Report.Ant_Devld and each reception level from Rx_Report.TX[TX_Phy].Rx_Level. (Step 725) Moreover, for the stored information, another information referred to as "perturbation level" is set to value 2 by the device master, to indicate the level of usability regarding PHY capabilities. The higher the level, the more PHY capabilities are required for using the stored possible path for simultaneous communications. With a perturbation level of 2, a specific PHY filtering functionality will be required to enable reception of each frame, when transmitting them in a simultaneous or delayed frame transmission scheme. This step also increases the Nb_Candidate internal variable by 1 unit.

Case C: (2 possible combinations) Tx[Tx_Phyl] x OK KO I detect value (p _____________ ______ ______ 3 Tx[Tx_Phy2] detect value OK OK Tx[Tx_Phyl] x KG OK detect value 3 Tx[Tx_Phy2] detect_value 0K OK Case D: (2 possible combinations) Tx[Tx Phyl] x -OK OK I detect_value Tx[Tx_Phy2]

OK KO

. detect_value Tx[Tx_Phyl] x OK OK I detect_value 3 Tx[Tx_Phy2] detect value KG OK One of the two devices is able to receive from both transmission antennas, while the other only receives from one Tx antenna.

This corresponds to check 700 being negative and then -either check 710 being positive, followed by one of the two checks 715 or 720 being positive -either check 710 being negative, followed o either by check 735 being positive, then check 740 being negative and check 745 being positive o or by checks 735 and 755 being negative, then check 745 being positive.

In all cases, step 730 is then executed.

The same information as that for step 725 is then stored in memory by the master device.

In step 730 the perturbation level is set to 1, since the path is determined as being viable for use without perturbation in simultaneous communications as long as the frame, transmitted to the device receiving by only one antenna, is sent first (no specific filtering at PHY level is required). This will ensure that the PHY receiving the first frame will first synchronise on the preamble for that frame. Since the reception is not disturbed by the delayed transmission on the second antenna the frame is correctly received without error. This step also increases the Nb_Candidate internal variable by 1 unit.

Case F: (2 possible combinations) Tx[Tx_Phyl] x OK KO detect value

CD _____________ ______ ______

8 Tx[Tx Phy2]

KG OK

a detect value Tx[Tx_Phyl] x KG OK I detect value

CD _____________ ______ ______

3 Tx[Tx_Phy2]

OK KO

a detect value Each device is able to receive only one transmission, and moreover each transmission is made from a different antenna.

This corresponds to check 700 and 710 being negative and then -check 735 being positive, followed by check 740 being positive, or -check 735 being negative, followed by check 755 being positive In either case, step 750 is then executed.

The same information as that from step 725 is then stored in memory by the master device.

In step 750 the perturbation level is set to 0, since it is considered that the path could be used for simultaneous communications without perturbation, irrespective of the order of transmission. Such paths are the preferred communication paths for simultaneous transmission. This step also increases the Nb_Candidate internal variable by 1 unit.

Case F: (1 possible combination) Tx[Tx Phyl] x -OK I detect value Tx[Tx_Phy2] . detect value Tx[Tx Phyl] x -OK detect_value Tx[Tx_Phy2]

KO

a detect value P.3 Case G: (1 possible combination) j Tx[Tx Phyl] x KO I detect_value Tx[Tx_Phy2]

OK

. detect_value Tx[Tx Phyl] x KO I detect_value Tx[Tx_Phy2] . detect_value P.) Each device is able to receive only one transmission, but both receive from the same transmission antenna. Therefore there is no simultaneous communication paths to the two reception antennas. The TX antenna set is considered not to be useful.

This corresponds to check 700 and 710 being negative and then -check 735 being positive, followed by both check 740 and 745 being negative; or -check 735 being negative, followed by both check 755 and 745 being negative.

It should be noted that storing reception antenna set information is not mandatory when the number of Rx antennas of the Nb_RxDev reception devices equals the number of TX antennas (Nb_Tx). It is used when there are more Rx antennas than Nb_Tx in order to identify which antennas will be used at reception for the purpose of simultaneous communications.

The flow chart of Figure 8 details how, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention, the master device proceeds to path selection for simultaneous communications. Following the discovery steps described with reference to Figure 4, the master device has stored in its memory Nb_Candidate possible simultaneous communication sets. Each communication set is defined by -a Tx Antenna set composed of Nb_Tx antennas (in the example of the particular embodiment of 2) with the Tx_Id and AnL TxId of each antenna -reception antenna report information with identification of the RX antennas and RxLevel of each of the antennas.

-"perturbation level" information issued from the identification of possible communication sets during step 450, as explained in more detail with reference to Figure 7.

In an initial step 800, a check is performed to find out if any viable simultaneous communication sets exist. This is performed by checking the value of internal variable Nb_Candidate.

If the value of Nb_Candidate equals 0, the outcome of step 800 is positive, indicating that there is no opportunity of using simultaneous communication paths with the initial condition (the same frequency on each TX antenna).

In step 810 a check is performed to verify if all frequency allocation possibilities for the TxPhy antenna set have been tested. If this is the case (outcome of step 810 is positive), then it is not possible to find simultaneous communication paths for the system. (step 820) Otherwise, a new frequency allocation scheme is defined for the TxPhy antenna set (step 830). In one particular embodiment, this involves allocating a different frequency for each Tx antenna. In case, for example, of a Nb_TX antenna set of 3, with 2 possible frequencies fO and fi, it would involve selecting for example an allocation such as (fO,fl,fO) different from the initial (fO,fO,fO) set.

Next in step 840 the discovery process is restarted as explained with reference to Figure 4, with new frequency allocation settings.

If step 800 is negative, then this indicates that potential candidates for simultaneous communication paths exist, with regard to the frequency scheme allocation selected. The master device will then select the best path for simultaneous communications by performing following steps.

In a first step 850, the master device sorts each of the Nb_Candidate possible simultaneous communication sets by using the "perturbation level" information. All sets having level 0 will be stored in a Candidate_LovelO table (and the corresponding Nb_Candidatc_LO counter will increase from its initial value of 0).

For another possible perturbation level Y, the same will be done with the corresponding Candidate_LevelY table and NB_Candidate_L Y counter.

Then in step 860, in each Candidate Level Ytable NB CandidateLY sets are classified by calculating a best average coexistence reception level value.

For the preferred embodiment, with 2 Rx reception antennas, calculating a best average coexistence reception level value involves calculating the value ((Rx_ReporLti.TX[TX_Phy].Rx_Leve2 + (Rx_Reportant2.TX[TX_Phyj].Rx_Leve2) - (I Rx_Reportanti.TX[TX_Phy]. Rx_Level -Rx_Reportant2.TX[TX_Phyj]. Rx_LevelI)2 where Rx_Reportanti.TX[TX_Phyi].Rx_Level is the reported RSSI level from antenna I concerning TX_Phy (where i has a value of I or 2), and Rx_Reportant2.TX[TX_Phyj].Rx_Level is the reported RSSI level from antenna 2 concerning TX_Phy (where] is a value of 1 or 2, and i!=]).

This calculation enables each candidate to be classified, giving priority to the path that is the best average path for both antenna receptions, since it subtracts the most significant value when there is a big RSSI value difference between two paths. In this sense, paths with a good level value and with the least dispersion between the RSSI levels are selected in priority.

For each Candidate Level Y table, classification is performed in order that the best value is selected first.

Once done, the next step 870, selects from among all paths the paths to be used for simultaneous communications for the TxPhy antenna set.

This is done by selecting in order of priority, from the lowest perturbation level (here 0) to the highest (here 2), the first classified antenna set of the concerned Candidate_Level table. It then checks first if NB_Candidate_LO is null or not. If not null, the first Candidate LevelO element is selected. Otherwise a check of the NB_Candidate_LI value is performed.

If the NB_Candidate_LI value is not null, the first Candidate_Levell element is selected. Otherwise, only Candidate_Leve/2 element exists (may be checked by NB_Candidate_L2 that should bo!=0, otherwise stop 800 should have returned NbCandidate=O), and the first classified element is selected.

Although the present invention has been described hereinabove with reference to specific embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments, and modifications will be apparent to a skilled person in the art which lie within the scope of the present invention.

Many further modifications and variations will suggest themselves to those versed in the art upon making reference to the foregoing illustrative embodiments, which are given by way of example only and which are not intended to limit the scope of the invention, that being determined solely by the appended claims. In particular the different features from different embodiments may be interchanged, where appropriate.

In the claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude other elements or steps, and the indefinite article "a" or "an" does not exclude a plurality. The mere fact that different features are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these features cannot be advantageously used.

Claims (16)

1. CLAIMSA method of configuring a plurality of radio communication paths for simultaneous data transmissions between devices of a wireless network, each device being equipped with at least one antenna for transmitting and/or receiving data, the method comprising, for at least a set of communication paths in the network: transmitting a first frame from a first transmission antenna and during said transmission transmitting a second frame from a second transmission antenna; detecting a first influence of the transmission of the second frame on the quality of reception of the first frame by at least one first receiving antenna; and evaluating, based at least on the detected first influence, the capability of said at least set of communication paths for simultaneous data transmission between devices of the network.
2. 2. A method according to claim 1, further comprising transmitting a third frame from the second transmission antenna and, during said transmission, transmitting a fourth frame from the first transmission antenna, and; detecting a second influence of the transmission of the fourth frame on the quality of reception of the third frame by at least one antenna receiving the third frame, wherein, the evaluation of the capability of said at least set of communication paths for simultaneous data transmission is further based on the detected second influence
3. 3. A method according to claim I or 2 wherein the second frame is transmitted after a predetermined delay after the starting time of transmission of the first frame.
4. 4. A method according to claim 2 or 3 wherein the fourth frame is transmitted after a predetermined delay after the starting time of transmission of the third frame.
5. 5. A method according to claim 3 or 4 wherein the predetermined delay is set according to the preamble period of the first frame.
6. 6. A method according to any preceding claim wherein detecting the first or second influence comprises checking the ability of the device receiving the respective frame to decode the received frame.
7. 7. A method according to any preceding claim further comprising changing the antenna parameter settings of the first transmission antenna and/or the antenna parameter settings of the at least one receiving antenna, and repeating, for each antenna parameter setting, the steps of transmitting, detecting and evaluating, the method further comprising selecting the antenna parameter settings based on the detected first influences for each antenna setting.
8. 8. A method according to any one of claims 2 to 7 further comprising changing the antenna parameter settings of the second transmission antenna and/or the antenna parameter settings of the at least one receiving antenna, and repeating, for each antenna parameter setting, the steps of transmitting, detecting and evaluating, the method further comprising selecting the antenna parameters settings based on the detected second influences for each antenna setting.
9. 9. A method according to claim 7 or 8 wherein detecting the first or second influence comprises measuring the transmission quality of each transmission for the different antenna parameter setting and obtaining the respective quality levels (RSSl) , the method further comprising: selecting from among the previously selected antenna parameter settings, the antenna parameter setting for which the measured transmission quality level exceeds a given quality level threshold.
10. 10. A method according to any preceding claim wherein the first and second transmissions are established between devices comprising at least one device equipped with a plurality of antennas.
11. 11. A method according to any preceding claim wherein the same frequency is applied for transmission by the first and second transmission antennas.
12. 12. A method according to claim 11 wherein in the case where the said set of communication paths are evaluated as being incapable for simultaneous data transmission, the steps of transmitting, detecting and evaluating are repeated by changing the frequency for the respective communication path.
13. 13. A method according to any one of claims 7 to 12 wherein the antenna parameter setting step comprises setting transmission parameters of the first or second transmission antenna.
14. 14. A method according to any one of claims 7 to 13 wherein the antenna parameter setting step comprises setting an antenna orientation.
15. 15. A method according to any preceding claim wherein a plurality of communication paths sets is obtained, the method further comprising the steps of: classifying each set of communication paths according to their evaluated capability for simultaneous transmission; and selecting a set of communication paths according to the classification.
16. 16. A method according to any preceding claim, the method being implemented for all antennas of devices designated as transmission devices and all antennas of devices designated as receiving devices.17 A device for configuring a plurality of radio communication paths for simultaneous data transmissions between devices of a wireless network, each device being equipped with at least one antenna for transmitting and/or receiving data, the device comprising: a control module to co-ordinating, for at least a set of communication paths, transmission of a first frame from a first transmission antenna and during said transmission, transmission of a second frame from a second transmission antenna; a processor for detecting a first influence of the transmission of the second frame on the quality of reception of the first frame by at least one first receiving antenna; and for evaluating, based at least on the detected first influence the capability of said at least set of communication paths for simultaneous data transmission between devices of the network.18. A device according to claim 17, wherein the control module is configured to co-ordinate transmission of a third frame from the second transmission antenna and, during said transmission, transmission of a fourth frame from the first transmission antenna, and; the processor is configured to detect a second influence of the transmission of the fourth frame on the quality of reception of the third frame by at least one antenna receiving the third frame, the evaluation of the capability of said at least set of communication paths for simultaneous data transmission being further based on the detected second influence 19. A device according to claim 17 or 18 wherein the control module is configured to co-ordinate transmission of the second frame after a predetermined delay after the starting time of transmission of the first frame.20. A device according to claim 18 or 19 wherein the control module is configured to co-ordinate transmission of the fourth frame after a predetermined delay after the starting time of transmission of the third frame.21. A device according to claim 19 or 20 wherein the predetermined delay is set according to the preamble period of the first frame.22. A device according to any one of claims 17 to 21 wherein the processor is configured to detect the first or second influence by checking the ability of the device receiving the respective frame to decode the received frame.23. A device according to any one of claims 17 to 22 wherein the control module is configured to co-ordinate changing of the antenna parameters settings of the first transmission antenna and/or the antenna parameters of the at least one receiving antenna, and repetition, for each antenna parameter setting, of the steps of transmitting, detecting and evaluating, the processor being configured to select the antenna parameter settings based on the detected first influences for each antenna setting.24. A device according to any one of claims 17 to 22 wherein the control module is configured to co-ordinate changing of the antenna parameters settings of the second transmission antenna and/or the antenna parameters of the at least one receiving antenna, and repetition, for each antenna setting, of the steps of transmitting, detecting and evaluating, the processor being configured to select the antenna parameter settings based on the detected second influences for each antenna setting.25. A device according to claim 23 or 24 wherein the processor is configured to detect the first or second influence by measuring the transmission quality of each transmission for the different antenna parameter settings and obtaining the respective quality levels (RSSI) , the processor being further configured to: select from among the previously selected antenna parameters, the antenna parameter settings for which the measured transmission quality level exceeds a given threshold.26. A device according to any one of claims 17 to 25 wherein the set of communication paths are established between devices comprising at least one device equipped with a plurality of antennas.27. A device according to any preceding claim wherein the control module is configured to co-ordinate application of the same frequency by the first and second transmission antennas.28. A device according to claim 27 wherein in the case the set of communication paths are evaluated as being incapable for simultaneous data transmission the control module is configured to co-ordinate repetition of the steps of transmitting, detecting and evaluating with a change of frequency for the respective communication paths.29. A device according to any one of claims 24 to 28 wherein the control module is configured to co-ordinate setting transmission parameters of the first or second transmission antenna to change the antenna parameter settings.30. A device according to any one of claims 24 to 29 wherein the control module is configured to co-ordinate setting an antenna orientation to change the antenna parameter settings.31. A device according to any one of claims 17 to 30 wherein the control module is configured to co-ordinate evaluation of a plurality of communication paths, the processor being configured: to classify each set of communication paths set according to their capability for simultaneous communication; and to select a set of communication paths according to the classification.32. A device according to any preceding claim, wherein the control module is configured to co-ordinate evaluation for all antennas of devices designated as sending devices and all antennas of devices designated as receiving devices.33. A computer program product for a programmable apparatus, the computer program product comprising a sequence of instructions for implementing a method according to any one of claims I to 16 when loaded into and executed by the programmable apparatus.34. A computer-readable storage medium storing instructions of a computer program for implementing a method, according to any one of claims I to 16.35. A method of configuring a plurality of radio communication paths for simultaneous data transmissions substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in Figures 4 to 8.