Antenna Configuration for Millimeter Wave Networks
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Solution Overview
Problem
In wireless communications networks using millimeter radiowaves, determining optimal antenna orientation angles for sender and receiver nodes is challenging, especially in high bit-rate data transmission, due to short wavelengths and interference, leading to quality issues and inefficiencies in antenna aiming.
Innovation Solution
A method that dynamically adjusts antenna configuration parameters during transmission cycles, using redundancy modes to determine and reconfigure antenna angles without disrupting point-to-point data transmission, by scanning and selecting optimal orientations based on signal quality and network conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If exhaustive antenna scanning is performed to determine optimal orientation angles, then antenna aiming precision is improved, but data transmission continuity deteriorates due to payload data loss during scanning
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs antenna orientation determination during a preliminary training phase before actual data transmission. The receiver node determines the optimal reception angle and communicates it to the sender node beforehand, so that when data transmission begins, both nodes already have their antennas properly oriented without needing to interrupt transmission for scanning.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent divides the communication process into distinct phases: a training phase for antenna orientation determination, and a data transmission phase for payload communication. This segmentation allows antenna configuration to be completed separately before data transmission begins, eliminating the need to interrupt ongoing transmission for orientation adjustments.
2Reliability
If antenna orientation is frequently adjusted to maintain optimal signal quality, then communication quality is improved, but transmission efficiency deteriorates due to reconfiguration overhead
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the receiver node monitors signal quality metrics and communicates orientation adjustments back to the sender node. The sender node uses this feedback to adjust its antenna orientation, creating a closed-loop system that maintains optimal signal quality while minimizing unnecessary reconfigurations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies antenna reconfiguration selectively rather than continuously. Orientation adjustments are made only when signal quality thresholds are not met, avoiding unnecessary reconfigurations that would reduce transmission efficiency while still maintaining adequate communication quality.
3Power
If directional antennas with narrow beamwidth are used to increase gain, then antenna gain is improved, but coverage area deteriorates making node positioning more critical
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the antenna beamwidth dynamic rather than fixed. The system can adjust the beamwidth of directional antennas based on communication requirements and node positions, allowing the coverage area to expand or contract as needed while maintaining optimal gain when narrow beams are required for point-to-point communication.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods for configuring antennas of first and second nodes of a wireless communications network clocked by transmission cycles, each cycle being divided into time slots, the first node and second nodes having first and second time slots for transmitting data in the first mode, the first node having a third time slot for transmitting data to the second node in a second mode, are proposed. The configuring method, on the second node side, comprises steps of determining a receiving configuration of the antenna of the second node, verifying that the determined receiving configuration is invariant, relative to a receiving configuration previously used for receiving data transmitted from the first node to the second node in the second mode; in the event of negative verification: sending a predetermined signal in the second mode, by using a sending configuration that is determined based on the determined receiving configuration; configuring, during the third time slot, the antenna of the second node by using this determined receiving configuration.