Antenna Panel Subpanel Coherent Beamforming
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Solution Overview
Problem
Time-domain beamforming in communications networks faces limitations due to the constraint of only serving terminal devices associated with the currently selected beamform, leading to reduced coverage and potential loss of beamforming gain when antenna panels are split into subpanels to serve independent frequency resources.
Innovation Solution
The method involves splitting an antenna panel into N>1 subpanels, each with two input ports, and synchronizing them phase-wise to generate beams that add up coherently, allowing for 1 to 2N layers of transmission per symbol interval, thereby maintaining beamforming gain and power budget for both single-layer and multi-layer transmissions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the antenna panel is split into subpanels to serve independent frequency resources, then frequency resource flexibility is improved, but beamforming gain and received power are reduced (6 dB reduction per level of split)
Solution Approach 1:
The antenna panel is divided into multiple subpanels, each capable of independently serving frequency resources. This segmentation allows flexible frequency allocation while maintaining beamforming capability through coordinated operation of subpanels.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple subpanels are combined to serve the same frequency resource with coherent beamforming. By merging the output of subpanels through coherent combining, the system achieves both frequency flexibility and beamforming gain, eliminating the 6 dB power loss that would occur if subpanels operated independently.
2Reliability
If time-domain beamforming is used with a single beamform selected for a terminal device, then communication performance for that terminal is improved, but coverage and ability to serve multiple terminals simultaneously are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The antenna panel is segmented into subpanels that can be independently controlled to serve different spatial regions. This allows multiple terminal devices in different locations to be served simultaneously by directing different subpanels to different beamforms, thereby expanding coverage while maintaining communication performance for each terminal.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach enables efficient multi-layer SU-MIMO communication while preserving beamforming gain and power budget, supporting more transmission layers without the 6 dB reduction in received power experienced in traditional split configurations.
Implementation Method 1
Each subpanel has two input ports and is fed, via the input ports, by signals and configured to generate beams by application of antenna element weights to its antenna elements
Implementation Method 2
When one and the same signal is fed into the input ports of all the subpanels, signals as transmitted from the subpanels add up coherently to represent a 1-layer transmission
Data Source
AI summary
There is provided mechanisms for controlling transmission from an antenna panel. The method is performed by a network apparatus. A method comprises performing time-domain beamformed communication with terminal devices served by the network apparatus using the antenna panel split into N>1 subpanels. Each subpanel has two input ports and is fed, via the input ports, by signals and configured to generate beams by application of antenna element weights to its antenna elements. The subpanels are at least phase-wise synchronized with each other. When one and the same signal is fed into the input ports of all the subpanels, signals as transmitted from the subpanels add up coherently to represent a 1-layer transmission by a time reference being shared between the subpanels. The time-domain beamformed communication is performed by the network apparatus using from 1 to 2N layers per symbol of a transmission time interval according to a mapping between the input ports and the signals as transmitted from the subpanels.