Dispersion type radio frequency communication system for automobiles

Abstract

To provide a dispersion type radio frequency (RF) communication system for automobiles.SOLUTION: In an RF communication system for automobiles, a dispersion type radio 260 includes an RF module to be placed near an antenna to meet a specified output power with low insertion loss. Additionally, a baseband processor (digital processing 251) is arranged away from the RF module in a different area of an automobile to provide a cooler environment. In addition, the RF module communicates with the baseband processor in digital form to eliminate the need for costly high wiring (e.g., due to the high noise immunity resulting from the use of digital signaling), and uses a digital transfer wiring that may already exist in automobiles for other purposes. The RF module includes RF front ends (RFFE) 255a to 255n and transceivers to be used to provide frequency conversion between RF and baseband.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] Embodiments of the present invention relate to electronic systems, and more specifically to radio frequency (RF) electronic equipment. [Background technology]

[0002] Radio frequency (RF) communication systems transmit and receive RF signals via antennas. RF signals may have frequencies in the range of approximately 400 MHz to approximately 7.125 GHz for frequency range 1 (FR1) of the fifth-generation (5G) communication standard, or in the range of approximately 24.250 GHz to approximately 71.000 GHz for frequency range 2 (FR2) of the 5G communication standard, for example, in the range of approximately 30 kHz to 300 GHz. [Overview of the project]

[0003] In a given embodiment, the Disclosure relates to a distributed radio frequency communication system for an automobile, the distributed radio frequency communication system comprising a digital processing circuit, wiring, a first serializer / deserializer circuit electrically connected between the digital processing circuit and the wiring, a first radio frequency module, and a second serializer / deserializer circuit electrically connected between the first radio frequency module and the wiring. The first serializer / deserializer circuit and the second serializer / deserializer circuit are configured to communicate digital data via the wiring.

[0004] In various embodiments, the wiring includes twisted pair wires.

[0005] In certain embodiments, the wiring includes Ethernet® cables.

[0006] In some embodiments, the digital processing circuit includes a baseband processor.

[0007] In some embodiments, the first radio frequency module includes at least one transceiver and at least one radio frequency front end. According to some embodiments, the distributed radio frequency communication system further includes at least one antenna coupled to at least one radio frequency front end. According to some embodiments, the distributed radio frequency communication system further includes a second radio frequency module, and a second serializer / deserializer circuit is electrically connected between the second radio frequency module and the wiring.

[0008] In some embodiments, the distributed radio frequency communication system further includes a second radio frequency module and a third serializer / deserializer circuit electrically connected between the second radio frequency module and the wiring. According to certain embodiments, the wiring includes a common cable shared by the second serializer / deserializer circuit and the third serializer / deserializer circuit. According to various embodiments, the wiring includes a first cable connected between the second serializer / deserializer circuit and the first serializer / deserializer circuit, and a second cable connected between the third serializer / deserializer circuit and the first serializer / deserializer circuit.

[0009] In various embodiments, the distributed radio frequency communication system further includes at least one automotive system configured to communicate with a digital processing circuit via a second serializer / deserializer circuit, wiring, and a first serializer / deserializer circuit.

[0010] In some embodiments, the digital data includes in-phase and quadrature data that represent the radio frequency transmission signal.

[0011] In a given embodiment, the present disclosure relates to an automobile. The automobile includes a digital processing circuit at a first location in the automobile, wiring, a first serializer / deserializer circuit electrically connected between the digital processing circuit and the wiring and located at the same location as the digital processing circuit, a first radio frequency module at a second location in the automobile, and a second serializer / deserializer circuit electrically connected between the first radio frequency module and the wiring and located at the same location as the first radio frequency module, wherein the first serializer / deserializer circuit and the second serializer / deserializer circuit are configured to communicate digital data via the wiring.

[0012] In some embodiments, the wiring includes twisted pair wires.

[0013] In various embodiments, the wiring includes Ethernet cables.

[0014] In certain embodiments, the digital processing circuit includes a baseband processor.

[0015] In some embodiments, the first radio frequency module includes at least one transceiver and at least one radio frequency front end.

[0016] In some embodiments, the automobile further includes at least one antenna coupled to at least one radio frequency front end and positioned in the same location as said at least one radio frequency front end. According to certain embodiments, the at least one antenna includes an antenna positioned on the roof, bumper, trunk, or mirror of the vehicle.

[0017] In various embodiments, the temperature at the first location is lower than that at the second location.

[0018] In some embodiments, the vehicle further includes a second radio frequency module, and a second serializer / deserializer circuit is electrically connected between the second radio frequency module and the wiring.

[0019] In some embodiments, the vehicle further includes a second radio frequency module and a third serializer / deserializer circuit that is electrically connected between the second radio frequency module and the wiring. According to a certain number of embodiments, the wiring includes a common cable shared by the second serializer / deserializer circuit and the third serializer / deserializer circuit. According to various embodiments, the wiring includes a first cable connected between the second serializer / deserializer circuit and the first serializer / deserializer circuit, and a second cable connected between the third serializer / deserializer circuit and the first serializer / deserializer circuit.

[0020] In some embodiments, the vehicle further includes at least one vehicle system configured to communicate with the digital processing circuit via the second serializer / deserializer circuit, the wiring, and the first serializer / deserializer circuit. According to a certain number of embodiments, the at least one vehicle system includes a radar or a camera.

[0021] In some embodiments, the digital data includes in-phase and quadrature phase data representative of a radio frequency transmission signal.

[0022] In certain embodiments, the present disclosure relates to a method of wireless frequency communication in a motor vehicle. The method includes generating digital data using a digital processing circuit disposed at a first location in the motor vehicle, serializing the digital data using a first serializer / deserializer circuit disposed at the same location as the digital processing circuit, transmitting the serialized digital data via a wiring to a second serializer / deserializer circuit, deserializing the serialized digital data to generate recovered digital data, and processing the recovered digital data using a wireless frequency module to generate a wireless frequency transmission signal, wherein the wireless frequency module is disposed at the same location as the second serializer / deserializer circuit at a second location in the motor vehicle.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0023] Embodiments of the present disclosure are described below through non-limiting examples with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0024] [Figure 1] It is a schematic diagram of an example of a communication network. ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ [Figure 4B] This is a schematic diagram of an example of beamforming that provides a transmit beam. [Figure 4C] This is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of beamforming that provides a receiving beam. [Figure 5] This is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of an automobile. [Figure 6] This is a schematic diagram of a distributed radio device in one embodiment for use in an automobile. [Figure 7A] This is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of a distributed radio for automobiles. [Figure 7B] This is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of a distributed radio for automobiles. [Figure 7C] This is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of a distributed radio for automobiles. [Figure 8] This is a schematic diagram of a portion of a distributed radio in another embodiment for an automobile. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0025] The following detailed description of a given embodiment presents various descriptions of a particular embodiment. However, the innovation described herein can be embodied in numerous different forms defined and covered, for example, by the claims. In this specification, the same reference numeral refers to drawings showing identical or functionally similar elements. It should be understood that the elements shown in the drawings are not necessarily to scale. It should also be understood that a given embodiment may include more elements than shown in the drawings, and / or subsets of the elements shown in the drawings. Furthermore, some embodiments may also include any suitable combination of features from two or more drawings.

[0026] The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) and is responsible for global issues concerning information and communication technologies, including the global sharing of radio frequency bands.

[0027] The Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP®) is a collaborative project among a group of telecommunications standards organizations worldwide, including the Radio Industry Association (ARIB), the Telecommunications Technology Committee (TTC), the China Communications Standards Association (CCSA), the Telecommunications Industry Solutions Alliance (ATIS), the Telecommunications Technology Association (TTA), the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI), and the Telecommunications Standards Development Institute of India (TSDSI).

[0028] Within the scope of the ITU, 3GPP develops and maintains technical specifications for various mobile communication technologies, including, for example, second-generation (2G) technologies (e.g., Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) (registered trademark) and Enhanced Data Rate for GSM Evolution (EDGE)), third-generation (3G) technologies (e.g., Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) and High-Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA)), and fourth-generation (4G) technologies (e.g., Long-Term Evolution (LTE) and LTE Advanced).

[0029] Technical specifications managed by 3GPP can be extended and revised through specification releases. These specification releases may span many years and may specify a wide range of new features and advancements.

[0030] For example, 3GPP introduced carrier aggregation (CA) for LTE in Release 10. Initially, 3GPP introduced two downlink carriers, but in Release 14, it expanded to include up to five downlink carriers and up to three uplink carriers. Other examples of new features and advancements provided by 3GPP releases include, but are not limited to, License-Assisted Access (LAA), Enhanced LAA (eLAA), Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IOT), Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X), and High-Power User Equipment (HPUE).

[0031] 3GPP introduced Phase 1 of fifth-generation (5G) technology in Release 15 and Phase 2 of 5G technology in Release 16. Subsequent 3GPP releases will further evolve and expand 5G technology. Here, 5G technology is also referred to as 5G New Radio (NR).

[0032] 5GNR supports or is planned to support a variety of features such as millimeter-wave spectrum communication, beamforming capability, high spectral efficiency waveforms, low latency communication, multiplex radio numerology, and / or non-orthogonal multiplex access (NOMA). Although such RF capabilities provide network flexibility and improve user data rates, there are a number of technical challenges in supporting these features.

[0033] The teachings herein are applicable to a wide variety of communication systems, including but not limited to those using advanced cellular technologies such as LTE Advanced, LTE Advanced Pro, and / or 5G NR.

[0034] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an example of a communication network 10. The communication network 10 includes a macrocell base station 1, a small cell base station 3, and various examples of user equipment (UEs). User equipment (UEs) include a first portable device 2a, a wirelessly connected car 2b, a laptop 2c, a stationary wireless device 2d, a wirelessly connected train 2e, a second portable device 2f, and a third portable device 2g.

[0035] Although specific examples of base stations and user equipment are shown in Figure 1, the communication network may include a wide variety of types and / or numbers of base stations and user equipment.

[0036] For example, in the illustrated example, the communication network 10 includes a macrocell base station 1 and a smallcell base station 3. The smallcell base station 3 may operate with relatively lower power, shorter range, and / or fewer concurrent users compared to the macrocell base station 1. The smallcell base station 3 may also be referred to as a femtocell, picocell, or microcell. Although the communication network 10 is shown to include two base stations, the communication network 10 may be implemented to include more or fewer base stations and / or other types of base stations.

[0037] Although various examples of user devices are presented, the teachings herein are applicable to a wide variety of user devices, including but not limited to mobile phones, tablets, laptops, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, wearable electronic devices, subscriber premises equipment (CPE), wirelessly connected vehicles, wireless relays, and / or a wide variety of other communication devices. Furthermore, user devices include not only currently available communication devices operating in cellular networks, but also subsequently developed communication devices that can be easily implemented in the systems, processes, methods and devices of the present invention described herein and claimed in the claims.

[0038] The communication network 10 illustrated in Figure 1 supports communication using various cellular technologies, including, for example, 4G LTE and 5G NR. In a given implementation example, the communication network 10 is further adapted to provide a wireless local area network (WLAN) such as Wi-Fi. Although various examples of communication technologies have been given, the communication network 10 can be adapted to support a wide variety of communication technologies.

[0039] Various communication links of the communication network 10 are depicted in Figure 1. Communication links can be duplicated (duplexed) in a wide variety of ways, including, for example, using frequency division duplication (FDD) and / or time division duplication (TDD). FDD is a type of radio frequency communication that uses different frequencies for transmitting and receiving signals. FDD can offer a number of advantages, such as high data rates and low latency. In contrast, TDD is a type of radio frequency communication that uses nearly the same frequency for transmitting and receiving signals, with the transmitting and receiving communications switching over time. TDD can offer a number of advantages, such as efficient use of the spectrum and variable allocation of throughput between the transmitting and receiving directions.

[0040] In a given implementation example, user equipment can communicate with a base station using one or more of 4G LTE, 5G NR, and WiFi technologies. In a given implementation example, Enhanced License-Assisted Access (eLAA) is used to aggregate one or more licensed frequency carriers (e.g., licensed 4G LTE and / or 5G NR frequencies) with one or more unlicensed carriers (e.g., unlicensed WiFi frequencies).

[0041] As shown in Figure 1, the communication link includes not only the communication link between the UE and the base station, but also UE-to-UE communication and base station-to-base station communication. For example, the communication network 10 can be implemented to support self-fronthaul and / or self-backhaul (such as between mobile device 2g and mobile device 2f).

[0042] In a given implementation example, the base station and / or user equipment communicate using beamforming. For example, beamforming can be used to converge signal strength to overcome path loss, such as the high loss associated with communication over high signal frequencies. In a given embodiment, cellular user equipment can communicate using beamforming and / or other techniques over a wide range of frequencies, including, for example, FR2-1 (24 GHz to 52 GHz), FR2-2 (52 GHz to 71 GHz), and / or FR1 (400 MHz to 7125 MHz).

[0043] Different users of the communication network 10 can share available network resources, such as the available frequency spectrum, in a wide variety of ways.

[0044] In one example, Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) is used to divide a single frequency band into multiple frequency carriers. In addition, one or more carriers are allocated to a specific user. Examples of FDMA include, but are not limited to, single-carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA) and orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA). OFDMA is a multi-carrier technique that divides the available bandwidth into many mutually orthogonal narrowband subcarriers, which can be allocated separately to different users.

[0045] Other examples of shared access include, but are not limited to, time-division multiplexing (TDMA), where users are allocated specific time slots to use frequency resources; code-division multiplexing (CDMA), where frequency resources are shared among different users by assigning each user a unique code; spatial-division multiplexing (SDMA), where beamforming is used to provide spatially divided shared access; and non-orthogonal multiplexing (NOMA), where power domains are used for multiple access. For example, NOMA may be used to serve a large number of users at the same frequency, time, and / or code but at different power levels.

[0046] Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) refers to technologies that increase the system capacity of LTE networks. For example, eMBB may refer to communications with a peak data rate of at least 10 Gbps and a minimum of 100 Mbps per user. Ultra-High Reliability Low Latency Communications (uRLLC) refers to technologies for communications with extremely low latency, for example, less than 2 milliseconds. uRLLC can be used for mission-critical communications such as autonomous driving and / or remote surgery applications. Massive Machine-Type Communications (mMTC) refers to low-cost, low-data-rate communications associated with wireless connectivity to everyday objects, such as communications associated with Internet of Things (IoT) applications.

[0047] The communication network 10 in Figure 1 can be used to support a wide variety of advanced communication functions, including but not limited to eMBB, uRLLC, and / or mMTC.

[0048] Figure 2A is a schematic diagram of an example of a communication link using carrier aggregation. By using carrier aggregation, the bandwidth of the communication link can be increased by supporting communication across multiple frequency carriers, thereby increasing the user data rate and improving network capacity by utilizing fragmented spectral distribution.

[0049] In the illustrated example, a communication link is provided between a base station 21 and a wirelessly connected vehicle 22. As used here, the vehicle includes, but is not limited to, a sedan, a sports utility vehicle (SUV), and a truck, as well as other vehicles. As shown in Figure 2A, the communication link includes a downlink channel (DL) used for RF communication from the base station 21 to the vehicle 22 and an uplink channel (UL) used for RF communication from the vehicle 22 to the base station 21.

[0050] Although Figure 2A shows carrier aggregation in the context of FDD communication, carrier aggregation can also be used for TDD communication.

[0051] In a given implementation example, the communication link can provide asymmetric data rates for the downlink and uplink channels. For example, the communication link can be used to support a relatively high downlink data rate to enable high-speed streaming of multimedia content to the vehicle 22, while providing a relatively low data rate for data uploads from the vehicle 22 to the cloud.

[0052] In the illustrated example, the base station 21 and the automobile 22 communicate via carrier aggregation, which can be used to selectively increase the bandwidth of the communication link. Carrier aggregation includes continuous aggregation, in which continuous carriers are aggregated within the same operating frequency band. Carrier aggregation may be discontinuous and may include carriers whose frequencies are separated within a common band or different bands.

[0053] In the example shown in Figure 2A, the uplink channel consists of three aggregated component carriers f UL1 ,f UL2 and f UL3 It includes. Additionally, the downlink channel has five aggregated component carriers f DL1 ,f DL2 ,f DL3 ,f DL4 and f DL5 This includes, although an example of component carrier aggregation is shown, more or fewer carriers can be aggregated for uplink and / or downlink. Furthermore, the number of aggregated carriers can be varied over time to achieve the desired uplink and downlink data rates.

[0054] For example, the number of aggregated carriers for uplink communication and / or downlink communication can be changed over time. For example, the number of aggregated carriers can change when the vehicle 22 moves through the communication network and / or when the network usage situation changes over time.

[0055] FIG. 2B shows various examples of uplink carrier aggregation for the communication link of FIG. 2A. FIG. 2B includes a first carrier aggregation scenario 31, a second carrier aggregation scenario 32, and a third carrier aggregation scenario 33, which schematically depict three types of carrier aggregations.

[0056] Carrier aggregation scenarios 31-33 show different spectral distributions for a first component carrier f UL1 , a second component carrier f UL2 , and a third component carrier f UL3 . Although FIG. 2B is shown in the context of aggregating three component carriers, carrier aggregation can also be used to aggregate more or fewer carriers. Further, although shown in the context of the uplink, the aggregation scenarios are also applicable to the downlink.

[0057] The first carrier aggregation scenario 31 shows in-band continuous carrier aggregation in which component carriers that are adjacent frequencies and within a common frequency band are aggregated. For example, the first carrier aggregation scenario 31 depicts the aggregation of component carriers f UL1 , f UL2 and f UL3 that are continuously located within the first frequency band BAND1.

[0058] Continuing to refer to Figure 2B, the second carrier aggregation scenario 32 represents an intraband discontinuous carrier aggregation in which two or more component carriers at non-adjacent frequencies but within a common frequency band are aggregated. For example, in the second carrier aggregation scenario 32, component carrier f, which is discontinuous but located within the first frequency band, is aggregated. UL1 ,f UL2 and f UL3 To depict the summation of these.

[0059] Third carrier aggregation scenario 33 represents intraband discontinuous carrier aggregation in which component carriers that are at non-adjacent frequencies and located within multiple frequency bands are aggregated. For example, in third carrier aggregation scenario 33, component carrier f of the first frequency band BAND1 UL1 and f UL2 And the component carrier f of the second frequency band BAND2 UL3 This depicts the conclusion.

[0060] Figure 2C shows various examples of downlink carrier aggregation for the communication link in Figure 2A. These examples involve the first component carrier f DL1 , second component carrier f DL2 Third component carrier f DL3 , fourth component carrier f DL4 and the 5th component carrier f DL5 Various carrier aggregation scenarios 34-38 for different spectral distributions are depicted. Although Figure 2C is shown in the context of aggregating five component carriers, carrier aggregation can also be used to aggregate more or fewer carriers. Furthermore, although shown in the context of downlink, the aggregation scenarios are also applicable to uplink.

[0061] The first carrier aggregation scenario 34 depicts the aggregation of component carriers located consecutively within the same frequency band. In addition, the second carrier aggregation scenario 35 and the third carrier aggregation scenario 36 depict two examples of aggregation where the carriers are discontinuous but located within the same frequency band. Furthermore, the fourth carrier aggregation scenario 37 and the fifth carrier aggregation scenario 38 depict two examples of aggregation where component carriers located at non-adjacent frequencies and within multiple frequency bands are aggregated. As the number of component carriers to be aggregated increases, the complexity of the possible carrier aggregation scenarios also increases.

[0062] Referring to Figures 2A-2C, the individual component carriers used in carrier aggregation can have various frequencies, including, for example, frequency carriers in the same band or multiple bands. In addition, carrier aggregation is applicable to implementations where the individual component carriers have approximately the same bandwidth, and is also applicable to implementations where the individual component carriers have different bandwidths.

[0063] A predetermined communication network allocates a primary component carrier (PCC) or anchor carrier for uplinks and a PCC for downlinks to a specific user device (corresponding to a car 22 in this example). In addition, PCCs are used when communicating using a single-frequency carrier for uplinks or downlinks. To improve the bandwidth for uplink communication, uplink PCCs can be aggregated with one or more uplink secondary component carriers (SCCs). In addition, to improve the bandwidth for downlink communication, downlink PCCs can be aggregated with one or more downlink SCCs.

[0064] In a given implementation example, the communication network provides network cells for each component carrier. In addition, the primary cell operates using PCC, while the secondary cell operates using SCC. The primary and secondary cells may have different coverage areas due to differences in carrier frequency and / or network environment.

[0065] Licensed-Assisted Access (LAA) is a downlink carrier aggregation in which licensed frequency carriers associated with a mobile network operator (i) are aggregated together with unlicensed spectrum frequency carriers such as WiFi. LAA uses downlink PCCs in the licensed spectrum to carry control and signaling information associated with the communication link, while unlicensed spectrum is aggregated for wider downlink bandwidth where available. LAA can operate through dynamic adjustment of secondary carriers to avoid and / or coexist with WiFi users. Enhanced Licensed-Assisted Access (eLAA) is an advanced form of LAA that aggregates licensed and unlicensed spectrum for both downlink and uplink. Furthermore, NR-U can operate over LAA / eLAA via the 5GHz band (5150-5925MHz) and / or the 6GHz band (5925MHz-7125MHz).

[0066] Figure 3A is a schematic diagram of an example of a downlink channel using multi-input, multi-output (MIMO) communication. Figure 3B is a schematic diagram of an example of an uplink channel using MIMO communication.

[0067] MIMO communication uses multiple antennas via a common frequency spectrum to communicate with multiple data streams simultaneously. In a given implementation, the data streams operate with different reference signals to enhance data reception at the receiver. MIMO communication benefits from a high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), improved coding, and / or reduced signal interference due to the spatial multiplexing of the radio environment.

[0068] MIMO order refers to the number of separate data streams being transmitted or received. For example, the MIMO order of downlink communication can be described by the number of transmitting antennas at the base station and the number of receiving antennas at the UE (corresponding to the wirelessly connected vehicle 42 in this example). For example, 2x2 DLMIMO refers to MIMO downlink communication using two base station antennas and two UE antennas. In addition, 4x4 DLMIMO refers to MIMO downlink communication using four base station antennas and four UE antennas.

[0069] In the example shown in Figure 3A, downlink MIMO communication is provided by transmitting using the M antennas 43a, 43b, 43c, ... 43m of base station 41 and receiving using the N antennas 44a, 44b, 44c, ... 44n of vehicle 42. Thus, Figure 3A shows an example of m × n DLMIMO.

[0070] Similarly, the MIMO order for uplink communication can be described by the number of UE (corresponding to vehicle 42 in this example) transmitting antennas and the number of base station receiving antennas. For example, 2×2ULMIMO refers to MIMO uplink communication using two UE antennas and two base station antennas. In addition, 4×4ULMIMO refers to MIMO uplink communication using four UE antennas and four base station antennas.

[0071] In the example shown in Figure 3B, uplink MIMO communication is provided by transmission using the N antennas 44a, 44b, 44c, ... 44n of the vehicle 42, and reception using the M antennas 43a, 43b, 43c, ... 44m of the base station 41. Thus, Figure 3B shows an example of n × m ULMIMO.

[0072] By increasing the MIMO level or order, the bandwidth of the uplink and / or downlink channels can be increased.

[0073] MIMO communication is applicable to various types of communication links, such as FDD and TDD communication links.

[0074] Figure 3C is a schematic diagram of another example of an uplink channel using MIMO communication. In the example shown in Figure 3C, the uplink MIMO communication is provided by transmission using the N antennas 44a, 44b, 44c, ... 44n of the vehicle 42. In addition, the first portion of the uplink transmission is received using the M antennas 43a1, 43b1, 43c1, ... 43m1 of the first base station 41a, while the second portion of the uplink transmission is received using the M antennas 43a2, 43b2, 43c2, ... 43m2 of the second base station 41b. In addition, the first base station 41a and the second base station 41b communicate with each other via wired, optical and / or wireless links.

[0075] The MIMO scenario in Figure 3C illustrates an example of how multiple base stations cooperate to facilitate MIMO communication.

[0076] Figure 4A is a schematic diagram of an example of a communication system 110 operating by beamforming. The communication system 110 includes a transceiver 105, signal conditioning circuits 104a1, 104a2…104an, 104b1, 104b2…104bn, 104m1, 104m2…104mn, and an antenna array 102. The antenna array 102 includes antenna elements 103a1, 103a2…103an, 103b1, 103b2…103bn, 103m1, 103m2…103mn.

[0077] Communication systems that communicate using millimeter-wave carriers (e.g., 30 GHz to 300 GHz), centimeter-wave carriers (e.g., 3 GHz to 30 GHz), and / or other frequency carriers may use antenna arrays to provide beamforming and directivity for transmitting and / or receiving signals.

[0078] For example, in the illustrated embodiment, the communication system 110 includes an array 102 of m × n antenna elements, each of which is controlled by a separate signal conditioning circuit in this embodiment. As indicated by the ellipsis, the communication system 110 can implement any appropriate number of antenna elements and signal conditioning circuits. The signal conditioning circuits may be included as part of the RF front end.

[0079] With respect to signal transmission, the signal conditioning circuit can supply a transmission signal to the antenna array 102, thereby generating an aggregated transmission signal that exhibits beam-like quality with a strong signal intensity, where signals radiated from the antenna elements combine using constructive and destructive interference and propagate in a given direction away from the antenna array 102.

[0080] In the context of signal reception, the signal conditioning circuit processes the received signal (for example, by separately controlling the received signal phase) so that more signal energy is received when the signal reaches the antenna array 102 from a specific direction. Thus, the communication system 110 also provides directivity for signal reception.

[0081] The relative concentration of signal energy that becomes the transmit or receive beam can be increased by increasing the size of the array. For example, if there is more signal energy that is focused and becomes the transmit beam, the signal can propagate over a longer range while providing a sufficient signal level for RF communication. For instance, a signal with a large ratio of signal energy that is focused and becomes the transmit beam may exhibit high effective isotropic radiated power (EIRP).

[0082] In the illustrated embodiment, the transceiver 105 supplies a transmit signal to a signal conditioning circuit and processes the reception of a signal received from the signal conditioning circuit. As shown in Figure 4A, the transceiver 105 generates a control signal for the signal conditioning circuit. The control signal can be used for various functions, such as controlling the gain and phase of the transmit and / or receive signals to control beamforming.

[0083] Figure 4B is a schematic diagram of an example of beamforming that provides a transmit beam. Figure 4B shows a portion of a communication system including a first signal conditioning circuit 114a, a second signal conditioning circuit 114b, a first antenna element 113a, and a second antenna element 113b.

[0084] Although the communication system is shown to include two antenna elements and two signal conditioning circuits, it may include additional antenna elements and / or signal conditioning circuits. For example, Figure 4B shows one embodiment of a part of the communication system 110 of Figure 4A.

[0085] The first signal conditioning circuit 114a includes a first phase shifter 130a, a first power amplifier 131a, a first low-noise amplifier (LNA) 132a, and a switch for controlling the selection of either the power amplifier 131a or the LNA 132a. In addition, the second signal conditioning circuit 114b includes a second phase shifter 130b, a second power amplifier 131b, a second LNA 132b, and a switch for controlling the selection of either the power amplifier 131b or the LNA 132b.

[0086] Although one embodiment of a signal conditioning circuit is presented, other implementations of the signal conditioning circuit are also possible. For example, in one example, the signal conditioning circuit includes one or more bandfilters, duplexers, and / or other components.

[0087] In the illustrated embodiment, the first antenna element 113a and the second antenna element 113b are spaced apart by a distance d. In addition, Figure 4B is annotated with an angle θ. In this example, θ is approximately 90° when the transmitting beam direction is substantially perpendicular to the plane of the antenna array, and approximately 0° when the transmitting beam direction is substantially parallel to the plane of the antenna array.

[0088] A desired transmission beam angle θ can be achieved by controlling the relative phase of the transmission signal applied to antenna elements 113a and 113b. For example, the first phase shifter 130a may have a reference value of 0°, and the second phase shifter 130b may be controlled to give a phase shift of approximately -2πf(d / ν)cosθ radians, where f is the fundamental frequency of the transmission signal, d is the distance between the antenna elements, ν is the velocity of the radiated wave, and π is the mathematical constant pi.

[0089] In a given implementation example, the distance d is implemented to be approximately λ / 2, where λ is the wavelength of the fundamental component of the transmitted signal. In such an implementation, the second phase shifter 130b can be controlled to provide a phase shift of approximately -πcosθ radians in order to achieve the transmitted beam angle θ.

[0090] Therefore, the relative phases of the phase shifters 130a and 130b can be controlled to provide transmit beamforming. In a given implementation example, a baseband processor and / or transceiver (e.g., transceiver 105 in Figure 4A) controls the phase values ​​of one or more phase shifters and the gain values ​​of one or more controllable amplifiers to control beamforming.

[0091] Figure 4C is a schematic diagram of an example of beamforming that gives a receive beam. Figure 4C is similar to Figure 4B, but differs in that Figure 4C shows beamforming in the context of a receive beam rather than a transmit beam.

[0092] As shown in Figure 4C, the relative phase difference between the first phase shifter 130a and the second phase shifter 130b can be selected to be approximately equal to -2πf(d / ν)cosθ radians in order to achieve the desired receiving beam angle θ. In an implementation example where the distance d corresponds to approximately λ / 2, the phase difference can be selected to be approximately equal to -πcosθ radians in order to achieve the receiving beam angle θ.

[0093] Although various formulas have been given for phase values ​​that give beamforming, other phase selection values ​​are also possible, such as phase values ​​selected based on the antenna array implementation, the signal conditioning circuit implementation, and / or the wireless environment.

[0094] Distributed radio frequency communication system for automobiles

[0095] To provide automotive cellular connectivity, a network access device (NAD) and its associated radio frequency front end (RFFE) can be placed in a compartment within the vehicle. In addition, RF wiring can be extended from the RFFE to various antennas positioned around the vehicle. For example, such antennas may include antennas on the fins on the vehicle's roof, antennas at the rear of the vehicle's trunk, antennas at the edges of the vehicle's external rearview mirrors, and / or other antennas.

[0096] When implementing an automotive RF communication system in this manner, the RF signal travels through long RF cables to reach a specific antenna. To achieve sufficiently low noise, these RF cables are extremely lossy, expensive, and / or degraded in performance. For example, for an RF communication system including a 23 dBm transmitter, an RFFE might generate an RF signal with 31 dBm of power to overcome cable losses. However, such high signal power levels are extremely inefficient and can generate a large amount of heat, increasing the device junction temperature. Alternatively, the RFFE might generate an RF signal with 23 dBm of power to improve efficiency and reduce heat generation. However, lower signal power can reduce the power output from the antenna to as low as 15 dBm. This can degrade the communication link (especially at the cell edges) and result in call drop.

[0097] To address losses resulting from long RF cables, an RF signal booster can be placed between the RFFE and the antenna. For example, the RF signal booster could correspond to a second RFFE or a booster RFFE. However, this approach is inefficient because the desired amount of power (e.g., 23 dBm) is generated twice (once at the primary RFFE and once at the booster RFFE), and it does not solve the problem of expensive cables.

[0098] A distributed RF communication system for automobiles is disclosed herein. In a given embodiment, the RF communication system for automobiles includes an RF module positioned near an antenna to satisfy a specific output power with low insertion loss. In addition, a baseband processor is positioned away from the RF module in different areas of the automobile to provide a low-temperature environment. Furthermore, the RF module communicates with the baseband processor in digital form to eliminate the need for costly wiring (for example, due to the high noise rejection resulting from the use of digital signal transmission) and uses digital transmission wiring that may already exist in the automobile for other purposes. The RF module may include an RF front end (RFFE) and transceivers used to provide frequency conversion between RF and baseband.

[0099] By implementing the RF communication system in the vehicle in this manner, losses between the RFFE and the antenna are reduced (for example, to the minimum or near-minimum), resulting in a high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), long coverage distances, and / or high data rates.

[0100] In a given implementation example, a serializer and a deserializer are positioned at opposite ends of a digital transmission line to support data transfer between the RF module and the baseband processor. For example, the serializer converts all in-phase (I) data and quadrature (Q) data (collectively referred to as IQ data) and control data coming from the baseband processor and application processor into a serial data stream that can be carried by a digital transmission line, such as a twisted-pair cable or an Ethernet cable. At the other end, where the RFFE and antenna are located, a deserializer can be used to convert the serial data back into IQ data and control data. Furthermore, serializer / deserializer (SERDES) circuits can be included at both ends of the wiring to support bidirectional communication between the RF module and the baseband processor.

[0101] Multiple RF modules can also be positioned to run through the vehicle and communicate with the baseband processor via the same or different wiring. Therefore, the RF modules can support antennas deployed throughout the vehicle at various points.

[0102] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of the automobile 210. The automobile 210 includes various electronic components used to improve the performance of the automobile 210, such as a roof-mounted fin antenna 201, a rear camera 202, a bumper antenna 203, a radar sensor 205, and a laser collision avoidance sensor 206.

[0103] Although an example of an electronic component for automobile 210 is depicted, automobiles may include antennas, sensors, and / or other components implemented in a wide variety of ways.

[0104] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of a distributed radio 260 in one embodiment for an automobile. The distributed radio 260 includes a digital processing circuit 251, source-side SERDES 252, ccSERDES 253a, 253b, ... 253n, digital wiring 254, radio transceivers / front-ends 255a, 255b, ... 255n, antennas 257a, 257b, ... 257n, and an automobile system 259a, 259b, ... 259n.

[0105] The digital processing circuit 251 may include one or more digital integrated circuits (ICs) that process data associated with various automotive systems. For example, for cellular communication of antennas 257a, 257b, ... 257n, the digital processing circuit 251 can provide functions associated with baseband processing and / or application processing. The digital processing circuit 251 can also perform other functions, such as processing associated with cameras, radar, lidar, and / or other functions of automotive systems 259a, 259b, ... 259n. In one embodiment, the digital processing circuit 251 corresponds to a single processor IC, and the baseband processor function and the application processor function are performed by software running on that processor IC. Implementing multiple automotive systems on a single processor reduces the number of electronic control units (ECUs) and associated software domains / programs.

[0106] As shown in Figure 6, source SERDES 252 communicates with source SERDES 253a, v253b, ... 253n via digital wiring 254. Although shared wiring is shown to be used, in other embodiments, separate wiring is provided between source SERDES 252 and destination SERDES 253a, 253b, ... 253n. Digital wiring 254 can be implemented in a wide variety of forms, including but not limited to twisted-pair cables or Ethernet cables.

[0107] Source SERDES 252 communicates with destination SERDES 253a, 253b, ... 253n using a digital data stream, and destination SERDES 253a, 253b, ... 253n also communicate with source SERDES 252 using a digital data stream. In other words, because the digital wiring 254 carries digital signals, high noise rejection is achieved, allowing the digital wiring 254 to be implemented at low cost and / or in long lengths.

[0108] Furthermore, since the digital wiring 254 and associated SERDES are shared among multiple automotive systems in this example, cable costs are reduced compared to implementations where a given automotive system (e.g., a cellular communication system) is implemented with dedicated wiring.

[0109] In the illustrated embodiment, the digital processing circuit 251 and source-side SERDES 252 can be located farther away (for example, in a cooler part of the vehicle) than one or more of the destination-side SERDES 253a, 253b, ... 253n and related components. That is, the destination-side SERDES 253a, 253b, ... 253n and related components (for example, RF modules including radio transceivers and front-ends that communicate with antennas) can be deployed in harsh / high-temperature environments, while the digital processing circuit 251 can be located in a less harsh / low-temperature environment.

[0110] Figure 7C is a schematic diagram of a distributed radio 310 of another embodiment for an automobile. The distributed radio 310 includes a baseband processor 301, baseband side SERDES 302, twisted pair wiring 303, first antenna side SERDES 304a, first transceiver (also referred to here as RFIC) 305a1, first RFFE 306a1, first antenna 307a1, second transceiver 305a2, second RFFE 306a2, second antenna 307a2, second antenna side SERDES 304b, third transceiver 305b1, third RFFE 306b1, third antenna 307b1, fourth transceiver 305b2, fourth RFFE 306b2, and fourth antenna 307b2.

[0111] Although the distributed radio 310 is depicted as including one baseband processor, one baseband-side SERDES, two antenna-side SERDES, four transceivers, four RFFEs, and four antennas, any number of components is possible. Furthermore, the correspondences between components (e.g., the number of antennas associated with an RFFE, the number of RFFEs associated with a transceiver, and / or the number of transceivers associated with a SERDES) may differ. In addition, one or more of the antenna-side SERDES may communicate with the baseband SERDES via separate wiring, and / or other automotive systems may share SERDES and digital wiring to reduce component and / or wiring costs.

[0112] Regarding transmission, as shown in Figure 7A, the baseband-side SERDES 302 converts all incoming IQ data and control data from the baseband processor and application processor (not shown in Figure 7A) into serial data streams. These serial data streams can be carried by twisted-pair wires 202 to the antenna-side SERDES 304a-304b. SERDES 304a-304b convert the serial data back into IQ data and control data for the transceiver. Regarding reception, SERDES 304a-304b convert the IQ data (and any other data such as feedback data) from the transceiver into serial data streams that are given to the baseband-side SERDES 302, which recovers the IQ data (and any other data) and provides the recovered data to the baseband processor 301.

[0113] In one embodiment, the distributed radio 310 is equipped with an emergency (eCall) function, and the RFFE and antenna are configured to transmit a sufficient number of frequency bands to transmit an emergency signal requesting rapid assistance in response to a road traffic accident.

[0114] Figure 7B is a schematic diagram of a distributed radio 320 of another embodiment for an automobile. The distributed radio 320 includes a baseband processor 301, baseband side SERDES 302, twisted pair wiring 303, first antenna side SERDES 304a, first transceiver 305a, first RFFE 306a1, first antenna 307a1, second RFFE 306a2, second antenna 307a2, second antenna side SERDES 304b, second transceiver 305b, third RFFE 306b1, third antenna 307b1, fourth RFFE 306b2, and fourth antenna 307b2.

[0115] The distributed radio 320 in Figure 7B is similar to the distributed radio 310 in Figure 7A, but differs in that each transceiver in the distributed radio 320 communicates with two RFFEs.

[0116] Although the embodiments described herein depict a predetermined number of components and their corresponding relationships, other numbers of components and / or corresponding relationships between components (e.g., the number of antennas associated with an RFFE, the number of RFFEs associated with a transceiver, and / or the number of transceivers associated with a SERDES) are also possible.

[0117] Figure 7C is a schematic diagram of a distributed radio 330 of another embodiment for an automobile. The distributed radio 330 includes a baseband processor 301, baseband side SERDES 302, a first twisted pair cable 303a, a second twisted pair cable 303b, a first antenna side SERDES 304a, a first transceiver 305a, a first RFFE 306a, a first antenna 307a1, a second antenna 307a2, a second antenna side SERDES 304b, a second transceiver 305b, a second RFFE 306b, a third antenna 307b1, and a fourth antenna 307b2.

[0118] In this embodiment, separate twisted-pair cables are used between each antenna-side SERDES and the baseband-side SERDES. In addition, in this example, two antennas are associated with each RFFE. The distributed radio here can use any appropriate number of components and / or component correspondences.

[0119] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of a portion of a distributed radio 1620 of another embodiment for an automobile. This portion of the distributed radio 1620 includes a module 1603 and antennas 1601a, 1601b, ... 1601n.

[0120] Module 1603 may include a substrate comprising one or more dies and one or more components mounted thereon. The die / component operates to provide SERDES 1605, digital circuitry 1606 (implemented in this example as power control 1623, digital predistortion 1621, and digital filtering 1622), data conversion circuitry 1607 (including a digital-to-analog converter 1626 that digitizes digital transmit data to generate an analog transmit signal for transmission, and an analog-to-digital converter 1622 that digitizes an analog receive signal to generate digital receive data), mixer circuitry 1608 (also called frequency upconversion / downconversion, and in this example including a mixer 1627 and a local oscillator (LO) 1613 for upconverting an analog transmit signal to generate an RF transmit signal and downconverting an RF receive signal to generate an analog receive signal), amplification circuitry 1609 (which may include a power amplifier, low-noise amplifier, variable-gain amplifier, and / or other amplifiers that amplify the RF transmit and RF receive signals), and / or filtering / switching circuitry 1610 (which filters the RF transmit and RF receive signals before and / or after amplification).

[0121] Module 1603 may be included in any of the distributed radios described herein. Module 1603 can be used to communicate using a wide variety of communication technologies, including but not limited to 2G, 3G, 4G (LTE, LTE Advanced, and LTE Advanced Pro), 5G NR, WLAN (e.g., WiFi), WPAN (e.g., Bluetooth® and ZigBee®), WMAN (e.g., WiMAX), and / or GPS technology.

[0122] The SERDES circuit 1605 includes a deserializer that recovers digitally transmitted data received from the digital wiring, and a serializer that transmits digitally received data via the digital wiring.

[0123] The digital transmission circuit 1606, in combination with the data conversion circuit 1607 and the mixing circuit 1608, operates to process digital transmission data to generate an RF signal for transmission, and to process the incoming RF signal received from the antenna to generate digital reception data. The digital transmission circuit 1606 can be provided with a certain number of functions, such as digital pre-distortion (DPD) 1621, digital filtering 1622, and / or digital power control 1623.

[0124] The amplification circuit 1609 and the filtering / switching circuit 1610 can operate as part of the front end to provide amplification, filtering, and selection of RF signals. Although several examples of front-end components and functions are shown, the front-end system can provide a certain number of functions, including but not limited to amplification of transmit signals, amplification of receive signals, signal filtering, signal attenuation, switching between different bands, switching between different power modes, switching between transmit and receive modes, signal duplexing, signal multiplexing (e.g., diplexing or takeplexing), or any combination thereof.

[0125] In a given implementation example, module 1620 supports carrier aggregation, providing flexibility to increase the peak data rate. Carrier aggregation can be used with both frequency-division duplexing (FDD) and time-division duplexing (TDD), and may be used to aggregate multiple carriers or channels. Carrier aggregation includes continuous aggregation, where continuous carriers are aggregated within the same operating frequency band. Carrier aggregation may be discontinuous and may include carriers whose frequencies are separated within a common band or different bands.

[0126] The multiple antennas 1601a, 1601b, ... 1601n may include antennas used for a wide variety of types of communications. For example, the antennas 1601a, 1601b, ... 1601n may include antennas for transmitting and / or receiving signals associated with a wide variety of frequencies and communication standards.

[0127] In a given implementation example, antennas 1601a, 1601b, ... 1601n support MIMO communication and / or switched diversity communication. For example, MIMO communication uses multiple antennas to communicate multiplexed data streams over a single radio frequency channel. MIMO communication benefits from a high signal-to-noise ratio, improved coding, and / or reduced signal interference due to differences in the spatial multiplexing of the radio environment. Switched diversity refers to communication in which a specific antenna is selected to operate at a particular time. For example, a switch can be used to select a specific antenna from a group of antennas based on various factors such as the observed bit error rate and / or signal strength index.

[0128] Automobiles can operate with beamforming in a given implementation example. For example, module 1620 may include an amplifier with controllable gain and a phase shifter with controllable phase to provide beamforming and directivity for transmitting and / or receiving signals using antennas 1601a, 1601b, ... 1601n. For example, in the context of signal transmission, the amplitude and phase of the transmitted signal given to antennas 1601a, 1601b, ... 1601n are controlled so that the signals radiated from antennas 1601a, 1601b, ... 1601n are coupled using constructive and destructive interference, producing an aggregated transmitted signal exhibiting beam-like quality with strong signal intensity propagating in a given direction. In the context of signal reception, the amplitude and phase are controlled so that more signal energy is received when the signal arrives at antennas 1601a, 1601b, ... 1601n from a particular direction. In a given implementation example, antennas 1601a, 1601b, ... 1601n include one or more arrays of antenna elements to enhance beamforming.

[0129] In conclusion

[0130] Unless the context explicitly requires otherwise, throughout the specification and claims, terms such as “includes,” “equip,” and so on should be interpreted in a comprehensive sense, the opposite of an exclusive or exhaustive sense, i.e., “includes but not limited to.” The term “combined,” as used herein, refers to two or more elements that can be directly connected or connected via one or more intermediate elements. Similarly, the term “connected,” as used herein, refers to two or more elements that can be directly connected or connected via one or more intermediate elements. In addition, where used in this application, the terms “here,” “above,” “below,” and similar terms refer to the entire application and not to any particular part of it. Where contextually permissible, terms in the above detailed description that use singular or plural numbers may also include plural or singular numbers. The terms “or” and “or” referring to a list of two or more items cover all of the following interpretations of the term: any of the items in the list, all of the items in the list, and any combination of the items in the list.

[0131] Furthermore, unless specifically stated or understood otherwise in the context in which they are used, conditional language used herein, in particular, such as “may,” “can,” “perhaps,” “for example,” and “like,” is generally intended to mean that a given embodiment includes a given feature, element, and / or state, while other embodiments do not. That is, such conditional language is generally not intended to imply that the feature, element, and / or state exists in any manner required for one or more embodiments, or that one or more embodiments necessarily include logic that determines, with or without the author’s input or prompt, whether or not these feature, element, and / or state are included, or should be done in any particular embodiment.

[0132] The above description of embodiments of the present invention is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to any specific form of the above disclosure. While specific embodiments and examples of the present invention are described above for illustrative purposes, various equivalent modifications are possible within the scope of the invention, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art. For example, while processes or blocks are presented in a given order, alternative embodiments may employ systems having routines or blocks with steps in a different order, and some processes or blocks may be deleted, moved, added, subdivided, combined, and / or modified. Each of these processes or blocks may be implemented in various different ways. Furthermore, while processes or blocks may be shown to be executed in series, these processes or blocks may instead be executed in parallel or at different times.

[0133] The teachings of the present invention given herein can be applied to other systems, not necessarily those described above. The elements and operations of the various embodiments described above may be combined to provide further embodiments.

[0134] While certain embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented only as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure. In fact, the novel methods and systems described herein may be embodied in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications of the methods and systems described herein may be made without departing from the spirit of this disclosure. The appended claims and their equivalents are intended to cover forms or modifications that fall within the scope and spirit of this disclosure.

Claims

1. A distributed radio frequency communication system for an automobile, comprising: a digital processing circuit; wiring; a first serializer / deserializer circuit electrically connected between the digital processing circuit and the wiring; a first radio frequency module; a second serializer / deserializer circuit electrically connected between the first radio frequency module and the wiring; a second radio frequency module; a third serializer / deserializer circuit electrically connected between the second radio frequency module and the wiring, wherein the first serializer / deserializer circuit and the second serializer / deserializer circuit are configured to communicate digital data via the wiring, the wiring includes a common cable shared by the second serializer / deserializer circuit and the third serializer / deserializer circuit, a distributed radio frequency communication system.

2. The distributed radio frequency communication system according to claim 1, wherein the wiring includes a twisted pair wire.

3. The distributed radio frequency communication system according to claim 1, wherein the digital processing circuit includes a baseband processor.

4. The distributed radio frequency communication system according to claim 1, wherein the first radio frequency module includes at least one transceiver and at least one radio frequency front end.

5. The distributed radio frequency communication system according to claim 4, further comprising at least one antenna coupled to the at least one radio frequency front end.

6. Further comprising a third radio frequency module, wherein the second serializer / deserializer circuit is electrically connected between the third radio frequency module and the wiring, the distributed radio frequency communication system according to claim 1.

7. The distributed radio frequency communication system according to claim 1, further comprising at least one automotive system configured to communicate with the digital processing circuit via the second serializer / deserializer circuit, the wiring, and the first serializer / deserializer circuit.

8. The distributed radio frequency communication system according to claim 7, wherein the at least one automotive system includes a radar or a camera.

9. A distributed radio frequency communication system for an automobile, comprising: a digital processing circuit; wiring; A first serializer / deserializer circuit electrically connected between the digital processing circuit and the wiring; A first radio frequency module; A second serializer / deserializer circuit electrically connected between the first radio frequency module and the wiring; A second radio frequency module; A third serializer / deserializer circuit electrically connected between the second radio frequency module and the wiring comprising; The first serializer / deserializer circuit and the second serializer / deserializer circuit are configured to communicate digital data via the wiring; The wiring is A first cable connected between the second serializer / deserializer circuit and the first serializer / deserializer circuit; A second cable connected between the third serializer / deserializer circuit and the first serializer / deserializer circuit including a distributed radio frequency communication system.

10. The distributed radio frequency communication system according to claim 9, wherein the wiring includes a twisted pair wire.

11. The distributed radio frequency communication system according to claim 9, wherein the digital processing circuit includes a baseband processor.

12. The distributed radio frequency communication system according to claim 9, wherein the first radio frequency module includes at least one transceiver and at least one radio frequency front end.

13. The distributed radio frequency communication system according to claim 4, further including at least one antenna coupled to the at least one radio frequency front end.

14. Further including a third radio frequency module, The distributed radio frequency communication system according to claim 9, wherein the second serializer / deserializer circuit is electrically connected between the third radio frequency module and the wiring.

15. The distributed radio frequency communication system according to claim 9, further including at least one automotive system configured to communicate with the digital processing circuit via the second serializer / deserializer circuit, the wiring, and the first serializer / deserializer circuit.

16. The distributed radio frequency communication system according to claim 15, wherein the at least one automotive system includes a radar.

17. The distributed radio frequency communication system according to claim 15, wherein the at least one automotive system includes a camera.

Images