High SINR synchronous beam mobile network and base station antenna design

Abstract

A multi-beam communication system is disclosed that uses an array of antenna assemblies and RF elements to provide two or more sets of multi-beams, where each individual set of beams may be considered to be in a beam state. The antenna assembly has a first set of RF elements oriented to produce a first beam state and a second set of RF elements oriented to produce a second beam state. Each set of RF elements includes a set of output sectors, wherein the controller is configured to selectively activate a beam state.

Description

[0001] This application claims priority to the following case: U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 63 / 397,113, filed on August 11, 2022, entitled "High SINR Synchronized-Beams Mobile Network and Base-Station Antenna Design". This material and all other cited foreign materials are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. In the event that the definition or use of a term in a reference incorporated by reference is inconsistent with or contrary to the definition of the term provided herein, the definition of the term provided herein shall be deemed controlling. Field of the Invention

[0002] The field of the present invention is RF frequency antennas and lenses. Background of the Invention

[0003] The background description contains information that may be useful in understanding the present invention. This is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art or relevant to the currently claimed invention, or that any specifically or implicitly referenced disclosure is prior art.

[0004] With the introduction of 5G and the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Release 16 and upcoming Releases 17 and 18, beam selection plays an important role in achieving the goals of key network performance metrics such as data throughput, QoS, and capacity whenever possible. The 3GPP standards include inter-cell interference coordination (ICIC) introduced in Release 8 to mitigate interference by restricting parts of the spectrum of UEs at the cell edge, and Release 9 introduced enhanced inter-cell interference coordination (eICIC), where the concept of almost blank subframes (ABS) was introduced to further mitigate interference, Release 10 further added further enhanced inter-cell interference coordination (FeICIC) with advanced channel state information (CSI) capabilities and coordinated multi-point (CoMP) to further mitigate inter-cell interference by sharing eNBs. Thus, although the 3GPP standards have invested considerable effort in inter-cell interference over the past 15 years, RF lens technology for beam selection still has advantages, and the switching described graphically herein can be implemented within the standard, as for example, the switching can act as an analog of a blanking subframe.

[0005] A user equipment (UE) needs to improve the signal-to-noise and interference ratio (SINR) to achieve higher performance of 256QAM (Quadrature Amplitude Modulation). However, as the number of UEs increases over time, and with the demand for higher throughput and capacity, more beams / sectors / radios have been deployed throughout the network to meet this increasing demand. As more beams / sectors / radios are introduced into the network, the interference between these beams / sectors / radios also increases. In other words, as more sectors are introduced to meet the capacity demand, more SINR is naturally generated because there are more beams interfering with each other. Therefore, the main drawbacks of the early technologies are the poor SINR of "always-on" multiple beams (especially in areas where beam crossing increases SINR and reduces CQI), and the lack of standardization of beam selection.

[0006] More recent methods for reducing SINR within a single sector have introduced MIMO / beamforming antenna technology. Instead of using the traditional method of static beams (or multiple static beams to increase capacity), this technology uses a single non-static sector at a time, causing a single active beam to move and form to provide coverage of different geographical locations within the sector. By using a single non-static beam, the SINR is reduced because now only a single sector / beam is operating at a time. However, there may still be significant interference or SINR generated from adjacent sectors or cell sites, and thus a solution for how to achieve high SINR between two separate sectors is still needed. In addition, this method is limited to covering a geographical area with a single radio, and cannot provide good SINR isolation when a single sector requires multiple beams.

[0007] Therefore, a new method for optimizing network performance is proposed. Summary of the Invention

[0008] The following description contains information that may be useful for understanding the present invention. This does not admit that any of the information provided herein is prior art or relevant to the currently claimed invention, nor does it admit that any specifically or implicitly referenced disclosure is prior art.

[0009] The solution is preferably implemented using an RF lens antenna and an assembly providing two or more sets of multi-beams. For network operation purposes, each individual set of beams can be considered a "beam state" as a given state describes the set of patterns available to the network on that time slice. The key performance advantage of providing two or more beam states is that a given beam state has a very high SINR for a reference power level across all angles within the beam. For example, beam states can be designed such that within a 3 dB or 10 dB pattern level, the SINR is greater than 20 dB. A high SINR across a significant portion of the beam is possible because the nearest adjacent beams produce sidelobes only at low levels. In 3GPP terminology, a state can be considered a radio frame or subframe and when the term "handover" is used herein can be considered an ABS or equivalent, as defined in the standard, a change from one radio channel to another radio channel.

[0010] Depending on the needs of the network, two or more sets of output beams can be alternately selected to achieve high SINR coverage across the entire sector. This arrangement has the additional advantage as it allows for one or more radios per sector, up to a single radio per beam group, thereby increasing capacity without increasing the physical footprint of additional cell sites. The same idea can be extended to the entire three sectors of a typical cell site as well as a cluster of numerous cell sites, ensuring that a large portion of the network has high SINR.

[0011] Various objects, features, aspects and advantages of the subject matter of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments and the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals represent like components.

[0012] The following discussion provides many example embodiments of the subject matter of the present invention. Although each embodiment represents a single combination of inventive elements, the inventive subject matter is considered to include all possible combinations of the disclosed elements. Thus, if one embodiment includes elements A, B, and C, and a second embodiment includes elements B and D, the inventive subject matter is considered to include the other remaining combinations of A, B, C, or D even if not explicitly disclosed. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] Figure 1A An exemplary antenna system is shown.

[0014] Figure 1B An exemplary antenna system in a first beam state is shown.

[0015] Figure 1C An exemplary antenna system in a second beam state is shown.

[0016] Figure 1DAn exemplary antenna system with two beam states is shown, each beam state having a set of output beams.

[0017] Figure 1E An exemplary antenna system with three beam states is shown, each beam state having a set of output beams.

[0018] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary antenna system with an RF lens and controllers, wherein each controller includes two associated RF elements.

[0019] Figure 3 An alternative antenna system is shown having three controllers, each with multiple RF elements.

[0020] Figure 4 Shown with Figure 1D Similar antenna system, but for a full three-sector site.

[0021] Figure 5 An alternative antenna system is presented having multiple output sites, each having multiple output beams and configured for multiple beam states. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] As used in this specification and the appended claims, when a system, engine or module is described as being configured to perform a set of functions, the meaning of "configured to" or "programmed to" is defined as one or more processors being programmed by a set of software instructions to perform the set of functions.

[0023] The following discussion provides example embodiments of the inventive subject matter. Although each embodiment represents a single combination of inventive elements, the inventive subject matter is considered to include all possible combinations of the disclosed elements. Thus, if one embodiment includes elements A, B, and C, and a second embodiment includes elements B and D, then even if not explicitly disclosed, the inventive subject matter is considered to include other remaining combinations of A, B, C, or D.

[0024] As used herein and unless the context indicates otherwise, the term "coupled to" is intended to include both direct coupling (where two elements coupled to each other are in contact with each other) and indirect coupling (where at least one additional element is positioned between the two elements). Therefore, the terms "coupled to" and "coupled with..." are used synonymously.

[0025] FIG. 1 shows an antenna system 100 according to some embodiments of the subject matter of the present invention. In the depicted embodiment, the antenna system 100 includes a spherical lens 150. A spherical lens is a lens whose surface is spherical (or substantially spherical). As defined herein, a lens having a surface that substantially conforms to a spherical shape means that at least 50% (preferably at least 80%, and even more preferably at least 90%) of the surface area conforms to a spherical shape. Examples of spherical lenses include spherical shell lenses, Luneburg lenses, etc. The spherical lens may include only one layer of dielectric material or multiple layers of dielectric material. A conventional Luneburg lens is a spherically symmetric lens having multiple layers within the sphere, and the multiple layers have different refractive indices.

[0026] The antenna system 100 further includes a plurality of RF element assemblies associated with the spherical lens 150. The RF element assemblies may include transmitters, receivers, or transceivers. As shown, the antenna system 100 includes RF element assemblies 110, 115, 120, 125, 130, 135, 140, and 145. In this example, each element assembly includes only one RF element, but it has been contemplated that each element assembly may accommodate multiple RF elements.

[0027] In Figure 1A it, the RF element assembly 110 generates an output beam 111, the RF element assembly 120 generates an output beam 121, the RF element assembly 130 generates an output beam 131, the RF element assembly 140 generates an output beam 141, the RF element assembly 115 generates an output beam 116, the RF element assembly 125 generates an output beam 126, the RF element assembly 135 generates an output beam 136, and the RF element assembly 145 generates an output beam 146. Each RF element assembly generates an output beam, and the output beam can be adjusted by its associated sub-controller (not shown) to provide coverage of the output sector. The antenna system 100 includes output sectors 112, 117, 122, 127, 132, 137, 142, and 147. In a preferred embodiment, the output beams 111, 116, 121, 126, 131, 136, 141, and 146 of the spherical lens 150 are generated by eight RF elements of the antenna system 100 that are separated by 15-degree intervals to generate eight sectors and are centered at -52.5, -37.5, -22.5, -7.5, 7.5, 22.5, 37.5, and 52.5 degrees. In some embodiments, the spherical lens 150 is a spherical Luneburg lens with a diameter of 180 cm.

[0028] In an exemplary embodiment, each RF element (from RF element assemblies 110, 115, 120, 125, 130, 135, 140, and 145) is configured to emit an output beam (e.g., a radio frequency signal) in the form of a beam into the atmosphere through its corresponding spherical lens. The spherical lens 150 allows the output RF signal to be narrowed so that the resulting beam can travel a greater distance. In some embodiments, at least some of the RF elements are configured to receive / detect incoming signals that have been focused by the spherical lens 150.

[0029] In some embodiments, the output beams of a spherical Luneburg lens (not shown) with a diameter of 180 cm and eight RF elements are separated at 15-degree intervals and centered at -52.5, -37.5, -22.5, -7.5, 7.5, 22.5, 37.5, and 52.5. This beam separation pattern can represent a situation where a multi-beam system simultaneously uses eight beams to cover a traditional 120-degree sector in a cellular network to improve throughput, signal quality (QOS), and capacity.

[0030] Two characteristics of simultaneously generating all beams are 1) high cross, 2) and high sidelobe level. Traditionally, cellular networks are based on 120-degree sectors, where the intersection points of the radiation patterns between sectors are designed to occur at approximately the 10 dB level; the inventive concept proposed herein is configured to be suitable for any beam crossing level. Another consequence of the traditional antenna architecture is a higher SINR level in the crossing region. Figure 1A Follow the traditional method of 10 dB crossing level and generate a high SINR in the crossing region.

[0031] Figure 1B An antenna system 100 in a first beam state is depicted, where the RF element 110 generates an output beam 111, the RF element 120 generates an output beam 121, the RF element 130 generates an output beam 131, and the RF element 140 generates an output beam 141. Similarly, Figure 1CDepicts an antenna system 100 in a second beam state, where RF element 115 generates output beam 116, RF element 125 generates output beam 126, RF element 135 generates output beam 136, and RF element 145 generates output beam 146. In a preferred embodiment, the first beam state and the second beam state are configured for different times. In the depicted example, output beams 111, 116, 121, 126, 136, 141, and 146 are sufficiently separated in azimuth to eliminate any significant cross-levels and to eliminate the SLL within each beam. A possible consideration associated with this method is that eight beams require two separate time slots. Before implementing beam selection in the 3GPP standard, this method requires a "temporary" mechanism to address beam selection, but the current standard beam selection method is well established, and the method described herein is consistent with the inter-cell interference method proposed in the standard.

[0032] Figure 1D Depicts an embodiment similar to Figure 1C which defines two beam states 160 and 170, where each beam state includes a set of output beams. Beam state 160 is configured to include output beams 111, 121, and 131. Beam state 170 is configured to include output beams 116, 126, and 136. The subject matter of the present invention is not limited to two beam states. In fact, depending on the embodiment, three or more beam states are possible. Figure 1E Illustrates the case of three beam states, having beam states 180, 185, and 190. Beam state 180 is configured to include output beams 111 and 126. Beam state 165 is configured to include output beams 116 and 131. Beam state 190 is configured to include output beams 121 and 136.

[0033] Figure 2Shows another embodiment of the inventive concept, where the antenna system 200 has an RF lens 201 and controllers 215, 230, 245, and 260. Each controller includes at least two associated RF elements. Controller 215 includes RF elements 205 and 210. Controller 230 includes RF elements 220 and 225. Controller 245 includes RF elements 235 and 240. Controller 260 includes RF elements 250 and 255. In some embodiments, RF elements 205, 220, 235, and 250 are configured to output their respective output beams in a first beam state. In related embodiments, RF elements 210, 225, 240, and 255 are configured to output their respective output beams in a second beam state. In a preferred embodiment, the controllers of the antenna system 200 are configured to select between at least two beam states to produce the associated output beams. In related embodiments, controller 215 can be a device other than a radio, or in a more likely 5G scenario, controller 215 is implemented in software such that the radio device effectively selects between different beams at a given moment.

[0034] Figure 3 Shows an embodiment of the inventive subject matter for three beam states, where the multi-beam communication system 300 includes an RF lens 301, RF elements 351 - 358 arranged around the RF lens 301 to produce output beams, controllers 320 - 340, and a radio 310. In the depicted embodiment, RF elements 351, 354, and 357 are controlled via controller 340, RF elements 352, 355, and 358 are controlled via controller 330, and RF elements 353 and 356 are controlled via controller 320. The radio 310 is configured to provide commands to controllers 320 - 340. In some embodiments, the radio 310 is a 5G new radio (e.g., gnodeB). In other embodiments, the radio 310 is a base transceiver station (BTS).

[0035] Advantageously, as Figure 3 depicted, this configuration of an RF lens with multiple paired feed elements facilitates the ability to generate multiple simultaneous and independent beams from a single antenna to achieve the desired coverage. Comparing this with flat arrays in an 8x8 configuration, these flat arrays require additional hardware and / or software to achieve similar but degraded results due to the inability to generate consistent performance beams in an 8x8 scenario or in a 120-degree full coverage of a single antenna.

[0036] Figure 4 Depicts an embodiment similar to Figure 1D but for a full three-sector site. Figure 4Depicts an antenna system 400 in a first beam state 405 and a second beam state 410, the antenna system having output beams 405, 406, 410, 411, 415, 416, 420, 421, 425, 426, 430, 431, 435, 436, 440, 441, 445, 446, 450, and 451. In the depicted embodiment, the antenna system 400 in the first beam state 405 generates output beams 405, 410, 415, 420, 425, 430, 435, 440, 445, and 450. The antenna system 400 in the second beam state 410 generates output beams 406, 411, 416, 421, 426, 431, 436, 441, 446, and 451. In a preferred embodiment, the first beam state 405 and the second beam state 410 are asynchronous. In a related embodiment, the first beam state 405 and the second beam state 410 are at least partially synchronized.

[0037] Figure 5 Shows the inventive concept applied to a site cluster. Figure 5 Depicts an antenna system 500 in a first configuration 510A and a second configuration 510B, the antenna system having output sites 501 - 503. Output site 501 generates output beams in a first beam state 501A and a second beam state 501B.. Output site 502 generates output beams in a first beam state 502A and a second beam state 502B. Output site 503 generates output beams in a first beam state 503A and a second beam state 503B. In the first configuration 510A, the output sites 501 - 503 of the antenna system 500 generate output beams in the first beam states 501A - 503A. In the second configuration 510B, the output sites 501 - 503 of the antenna system 500 generate output beams in the first beam states 501B - 503B.

[0038] In a preferred embodiment, the subject matter of the present invention further includes modifying the precoding weights selected by a modification controller or a base station transceiver after receiving and processing channel state information (CSI) from a mobile station to allow derivation of two or more sets of beam states from a beam state selection timing algorithm. In a preferred embodiment, the algorithm is configured such that only one beam state is active at a given time. In a related embodiment, the controller or the base station transceiver is configured to connect one radio port to one antenna beam port, where the controller is implemented in software and complies with the 5G 3GPP standard.

[0039] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the novel concept of using two sets of beams emitted from an RF lens to provide a significant improvement in system SINR can be applied to a wide range of embodiments, where the number of beams, the use of a lens array to form beams with a narrow elevation pattern, the frequency range, the number of beam outputs connected to each radio, etc. fall within the scope of the described invention.

[0040] Furthermore, this method of time synchronization for different beams can be applied to: 1) single-sector (synchronization of multiple beams within a single sector), 2) multi-sector (synchronization between two or more single- / or multi-beam sectors), and 3) network (synchronization between different cell sites). In fact, in a preferred embodiment, the system can be used for beamforming of standard antennas and antenna groups. In related embodiments, the antenna includes a lens. However, the method is not limited to being used with RF lens antennas, and even when multiple beams are required within the output sector or multiple radios are required within the output sector, which provide significant advantages for the method, it can be applied to any type of antenna.

[0041] The discussion herein provides many example embodiments of the subject matter of the present invention. Although each embodiment represents a single combination of inventive elements, it is contemplated that the inventive subject matter includes all possible combinations of the disclosed elements. Thus, if one embodiment includes elements A, B, and C, and a second embodiment includes elements B and D, the inventive subject matter is considered to include the other remaining combinations of A, B, C, or D, even if not explicitly disclosed.

[0042] In some embodiments, numbers representing quantities, properties (such as orientation, position, etc.) of components used to describe and claim certain embodiments of the present invention should be understood to be modified in some cases by the term "about". Thus, in some embodiments, the numerical parameters set forth in the written description and the appended claims are approximations, and the approximations can vary depending on the desired properties sought to be obtained by a particular embodiment. In some embodiments, the numerical parameters should be interpreted in accordance with the number of significant figures reported and by applying conventional rounding techniques. Although the wide range of numerical ranges and parameters set forth for some embodiments of the present invention are approximations, the numerical values reported in specific instances are reported as precisely as possible. The numerical values presented in some embodiments of the present invention may contain certain errors necessarily resulting from the standard deviations found in their respective test measurements.

[0043] As used throughout the specification herein and in the claims below, the meanings of "a", "an", and "the" include plural referents unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Also, as used in the specification herein, the meaning of "in" includes "in" and "on" unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0044] References to ranges of values herein are merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referring individually to each separate value falling within the range. Unless otherwise indicated herein, each separate value is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually recited herein. All methods described herein may be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context. The use of any and all examples, or exemplary language (e.g., "such as") provided herein with respect to certain embodiments of the present invention is merely intended to better illuminate the invention and does not pose a limitation on the scope of the invention as otherwise claimed. No language in the specification should be construed as indicating any non-claimed element as essential for the practice of the invention.

[0045] Groupings of alternative elements or embodiments of the invention disclosed herein should not be construed as limitations. Each member of a group may be referred to and claimed individually or in any combination with other members of the group or other elements found herein. For reasons of convenience and / or patentability, one or more members of a group may be included in or deleted from a group. When any such inclusion or deletion occurs, the specification as recited herein is deemed to contain the modified group in order to satisfy the written description of all Markush groups used in the appended claims.

[0046] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that, without departing from the inventive concept herein, further modifications are possible in addition to those already described herein. Accordingly, the subject matter of the present invention is not limited except as in the spirit of the appended claims. Additionally, in interpreting both the specification and the claims, all terms should be interpreted in the broadest possible manner consistent with the context. Specifically, the terms "comprise" and "comprising" should be interpreted to refer to elements, components, or steps in a non-exclusive manner, such that the recited elements, components, or steps may be present, used, or combined with other elements, components, or steps not expressly recited. Where the specification or claims refer to at least one of something selected from the group consisting of A, B, C... and N, the text should be interpreted as requiring only one element from the group, rather than A plus N or B plus N, etc.

Claims

1. A multi-beam communication system, comprising: A first antenna assembly located within an antenna assembly array; The first antenna assembly has a first set of RF elements oriented to produce a first beam state and a second set of RF elements oriented to produce a second beam state; Wherein the first set of RF elements includes a first set of output sectors, and the second set of RF elements includes a second set of output sectors; And Wherein a controller is configured to selectively activate the first beam state and the second beam state.

2. The multi-beam communication system according to claim 1, wherein the first beam state further includes a first beam group, and wherein the second beam state includes a second beam group.

3. The multi-beam communication system according to claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the first set of output sectors overlaps with the second set of output sectors.

4. The multi-beam communication system according to claim 3, wherein the first set of output sectors does not overlap with the second set of output sectors.

5. The multi-beam communication system according to claim 1, wherein the selective activation of the controller is a function of a wireless network protocol.

6. The multi-beam communication system according to claim 1, wherein the first antenna assembly further includes a first RF lens.

7. The multi-beam communication system according to claim 6, further comprising a second RF lens having a third set of RF elements oriented to produce a third set of output sectors and a fourth set of RF elements oriented to produce a fourth set of output sectors.

8. The multi-beam communication system according to claim 6, wherein at least some of the beam states in the beam states operate simultaneously within a range of 0.5 to 30 GHz.

9. The multi-beam communication system according to claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to selectively activate the first beam state independently of the second beam state.

10. The multi-beam communication system according to claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to at least combine the first beam state and the second beam state into a combined beam state, and wherein the combined beam state is configured for 120-degree coverage.

11. The multi-beam communication system according to claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to selectively activate the first beam state and the second beam state according to time 12. The multi-beam communication system according to claim 6, wherein the first RF lens is configured such that the selective activation of the first beam state changes a first output beam with respect to at least one of a beam frequency range, a beam width, a beam direction, a beam polarization, a beam gain, and a beam sidelobe level.

13. The multi-beam communication system according to claim 1, further comprising a second antenna assembly located within the antenna assembly array; The second antenna assembly has a third set of RF elements oriented to produce a third beam state and a fourth set of RF elements oriented to produce a fourth beam state; wherein the third set of RF elements includes a third set of output sectors, and the fourth set of RF elements includes a fourth set of output sectors; and wherein the controller is configured to selectively activate the third beam state and the fourth beam state.

14. The multi-beam communication system according to claim 14, wherein the third beam state further includes a third beam group, and wherein the third beam state includes a third beam group.

15. The multi-beam communication system according to claim 14, wherein the third beam state is the same as the first beam state.

16. The multi-beam communication system according to claim 14, wherein the third beam state is different from the first beam state.

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