Antenna Selection Using Guard Intervals for Signal Reception

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing methods for receiving and processing data signals with multiple antennas often impair user data processing by selecting antennas based on reception levels during active data reception, leading to suboptimal signal quality and potential dropouts.

Innovation Solution

A method that checks and selects antennas outside of useful data reception intervals, utilizing the guard intervals for quality assessment and switching, ensuring minimal disruption to user data processing by determining the optimal antenna based on reception quality and considering adjacent channel interference.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If antenna selection is performed during active data reception, then real-time signal optimization is achieved, but user data processing is impaired and processing interruptions occur

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesignal reception qualityVSAvoiduser data processing continuity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by performing antenna selection and reception quality assessment during the guard interval period, which occurs before the useful data transmission interval. This allows the system to pre-determine the optimal antenna configuration without interfering with subsequent user data processing, thereby maintaining both signal quality and processing continuity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent segments the reception cycle into distinct time intervals: a guard interval for antenna selection and quality assessment, and a useful interval for user data processing. This temporal segmentation allows antenna optimization to occur independently from data processing, eliminating interruptions and maintaining continuous productivity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Reliability

If frequent antenna quality checks are performed during data frame reception, then optimized antenna selection is achieved, but processing time is consumed and data processing is delayed

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveantenna selection accuracyVSAvoiddata processing time
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs antenna quality assessment in advance during the guard interval before data processing begins. By determining the optimal antenna configuration beforehand, the system eliminates the need for frequent interruptions during data processing to re-assess antenna quality, thereby reducing processing time loss while maintaining high selection accuracy.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Reliability

If all antennas are checked for reception quality, then the optimum antenna is determined, but processing complexity increases and processing time is extended

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveoptimum antenna determinationVSAvoidprocessing complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent performs comprehensive antenna checking during the guard interval as a preliminary action before data processing. By concentrating all antenna assessment operations in this dedicated time window, the system determines the optimum antenna without increasing ongoing processing complexity during data transmission, as the assessment is completed in advance.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP2245759B1Method and device for receiving a data signal using a plurality of antennae
Publication Date: 2016.12.14 ROBERT BOSCH GMBH
  • EP2245759B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2245759B1 patent drawingFigure 2

AI summary

The invention relates to a method for receiving a data signal using a plurality of antennae, wherein the data signal has a data frame comprising at least one protection interval and a subsequent utility interval having a utility datum, wherein reception modalities of at least two antennae are checked and an antenna having better reception quality is selected, wherein the signal of the selected antenna is processed in order to determine an output signal from the utility signal of the selected antenna, wherein the reception quality is checked at least partially during the protection interval.