Directional antenna arrangement for high-speed wireless communication networks

Claim 1

A multilayered streamlined antenna array, comprising: a first layer having a selectively controllable switch matrix formed thereon, said switch matrix having an input port and a plurality of output ports; a second layer displaced from said first layer, said second layer having a first array of Butler matrices having a plurality of input ports and a plurality of output ports, wherein one of said plurality of input ports is connected to a corresponding output of said plurality of switch matrix output ports, said first array of Butler matrices being configured to arrange the phase of an input signal along an x-axis; and a third layer displaced from said second layer, said third layer having a second array of Butler matrices having a plurality of input ports and a plurality of output ports, wherein one of said plurality of input ports is connected to a corresponding output of said plurality of output ports of said first array, said second array of Butler matrices being configured to arrange the phase of the input signal along the y-axis.

Claim 9

A method for determining the optimum transmission path in narrow beam wireless transmission networks, comprising: determining a signal-to-noise ratio for received data transmissions and comparing said signal-to-noise ratio to a predefined threshold level; determining a multipath distortion parameter for said received data transmissions and comparing said multipath distortion parameter to a predefined threshold level; and selecting a transmission path when said signal-to-noise ratio and said multipath distortion parameter satisfy said predetermined threshold levels.

Claim 10

A method for determining the optimum transmission path in narrow beam wireless transmission networks, comprising: providing at least one multilayered antenna array at a transmitting location and at a receiving location, said at least one antenna array having a plurality of antenna elements positioned on a first layer coupled to at least one Butler matrix array positioned on a second layer, said Butler matrix array having a plurality of outputs wherein one output of said plurality of outputs is coupled to one of said plurality of antenna elements, and said Butler matrix array having a plurality of inputs selectively coupled to data transmission signals; coupling a transmitter network to said antenna array at the transmitting location, said transmitter network having an output port selectively connectable to one of said plurality of inputs of said at least one Butler matrix array, said transmitter network being configured to generate the data transmission signal; coupling a receiver network to said antenna array at the receiving location, said receiver network being configured to receive data transmission signals; determining a signal-to-noise ratio for received data transmissions and comparing said signal-to-noise ratio to a predefined threshold level; determining a multipath distortion parameter for said received data transmissions and comparing said multipath distortion parameter to a predefined threshold level; and selecting a transmission path between the transmitter and receiver locations when said signal-to-noise ratio and said multipath distortion parameter satisfy said predetermined threshold levels.