Antenna Array Subarray Mapping for Full Power Beamforming
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Solution Overview
Problem
In LTE wireless communication networks, beamforming with multiple antenna elements faces challenges in utilizing the full power of antenna arrays, particularly when using differential beamforming, as initial transmissions with wide beams result in low output power due to few antenna elements being mapped to each port, limiting coverage and effective power utilization.
Innovation Solution
The method involves mapping transmission of reference signals across different subarrays of an antenna array, utilizing all elements to transmit signals over multiple Resource Blocks, ensuring that the full power of the array is used for wide beams, and employing signal maps to maintain consistent phase centers and power distribution across antenna elements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If differential beamforming is used with initial wide beam transmissions, then beamforming capability is achieved, but output power is reduced due to fewer antenna elements mapped to each port
Solution Approach 1:
The antenna array is divided into multiple subarrays, and different subarrays are mapped to different antenna ports for different reference signal transmissions. This segmentation allows multiple ports to utilize disjoint sets of antenna elements, enabling each port to achieve full array power while maintaining beamforming capability through differential beamforming.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a new dimension of resource allocation by mapping different spatial subarrays to different frequency resources (Resource Blocks). This multi-dimensional mapping approach allows the system to maintain wide beam coverage across the entire antenna array while distributing power evenly across multiple ports, resolving the power limitation of conventional differential beamforming.
2Adaptability or versatility
If only a subset of antenna elements is mapped to each port for wide beam transmission, then beamforming is enabled, but coverage is limited due to low output power
Solution Approach 1:
The antenna array is segmented into multiple subarrays that are distributed across different Resource Blocks. Each subarray maintains beamforming capability while the collective arrangement of all subarrays across frequency provides full array power and extended coverage area.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent ensures continuous useful action by arranging subarrays in a space-frequency grid pattern where adjacent Resource Blocks carry signals from adjacent subarrays. This continuous spatial-frequency arrangement maintains uninterrupted beam coverage across the entire array, preventing coverage gaps while utilizing full array power.
3Power
If full antenna array power is utilized across all ports, then power gain is achieved, but phase center consistency becomes difficult to maintain
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by ensuring that each subarray maintains consistent phase center characteristics relative to its own spatial position, while the overall system achieves full power utilization through the collective arrangement of locally-optimized subarrays across the frequency domain.
Solution Approach 2:
By arranging subarrays contiguously in the space-frequency domain where adjacent Resource Blocks correspond to adjacent spatial subarrays, the patent maintains continuous phase progression across the entire array. This continuous arrangement preserves phase center consistency while enabling full array power utilization through multi-port transmission.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for operating a transmitting node of a wireless communication network. The transmitting node includes or is connected to an antenna array having multiple antenna elements. A signal indication indicating a first and/or reference signaling is obtained. The first reference signaling includes transmission on a first plurality of disjunct frequency bands, and the second reference signaling includes transmission on a second plurality of disjunct frequency bands. The first reference signaling and the second reference signaling are transmitted based on a signal map of the first and the second reference signaling to antenna elements of the antenna array.