Wireless communication method and apparatus for forming, steering and selectively receiving a sufficient number of usable beam paths in both azimuth and elevation

Abstract

A wireless communication method of exploiting the radio frequency (RF) physical environment to establish a sufficient number of usable multiple paths of RF propagation for facilitating communications. The method is implemented in a wireless communication system including at least one transmitter and at least one receiver. The receiver's antenna is directed towards one of a plurality of reception paths and receives a data stream from the transmitter via the reception path that the receiver antenna is directed towards. The receiver decodes the data stream, reconstructs a modulation pattern of the decoded data stream, and subtracts the reconstructed data stream from a sum of all of the signals received by the receiver via the reception paths. The receiver provides received signal direction information associated with reception paths to the transmitter. The transmitter adjusts and/or eliminates one or more of the reception paths that are unusable based on the signal direction information.

1 . A wireless communication receiver configured to:
 receive, from a sender, an omni-directional beam or a broad beam;   determine the direction from which it receives signals by noting significant change information in the received signals; and   return the significant change information to the sender.   
     
     
         2 . A wireless communication transmitter configured to send a wireless communication to a receiver using an omni-directional beam or a broad beam adjusted according to received feedback information, from the receiver, that includes at least one significant change information based on adjustments to the omni-directional beam or the broad beam. 
     
     
         3 . The transmitter of  claim 2 , further configured to change azimuth or elevation of the beams to cause the beams to scatter in various directions which changes a multipath. 
     
     
         4 . The transmitter of  claim 2 , further configured to narrow its beam transmission based upon the at least one received significant change information. 
     
     
         5 . A method for wireless communication comprising:
 receiving, by a wireless receiver, an omni-directional beam or a broad beam from a sender;   the receiver determining the direction from which it receives signals by noting significant change information in the received signals; and   the receiver returning the significant change information to the sender.   
     
     
         6 . A method for determining signal direction comprising:
 a transmitter using an omni-directional beam or a broad beam adjusted according to received feedback information that includes at least one significant change information based on adjustments to the omni-directional beam or the broad beam.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , further comprising:
 the transmitter changing azimuth or elevation of the beams causing the beams to scatter in various directions which changes a multipath.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the beam transmission is narrowed based upon the at least one received significant change information.