Patent ID: 7280073

Claim:
A method of determining a direction of transmission from a first wireless node to a second wireless node of a wireless communication network, said second wireless node having an antenna array including a plurality of antenna panels, said method comprising: generating a plurality of differential gain tables for each panel and its neighboring panels, each of said generated differential gain tables having a plurality of differential gain entries corresponding to a plurality of angles; receiving a communication signal transmitted by a transmitter of said first wireless node at the antenna of the second wireless node; determining which panel of said plurality of panels receives the communication signal with the highest received signal strength; calculating a first signal strength difference from the signal strength at the panel determined to be receiving the highest received signal strength and the signal strength at a first neighboring panel; calculating a second signal strength difference from the signal strength at the panel determined to be receiving the highest received signal strength and the signal strength at a second neighboring panel; performing a first search of a differential gain table corresponding to the panel receiving the highest received signal strength and a first neighboring panel, to find a match between said first signal strength difference and a differential gain entry in said differential gain table corresponding to the panel receiving the highest received signal strength and the first neighboring panel; if no match is found from performing said first search, performing a second search of a differential gain table corresponding to the panel receiving the highest received signal strength and a second neighboring panel, to find a match between said second signal strength difference and a differential gain entry in said differential gain table corresponding to the panel receiving the highest received signal strength and the second neighboring panel; and using the results of said first and/or second searches to determine a direction of said transmission from said first wireless node to said second wireless node.