Antenna Signal Combining for Interference Rejection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current signal combining methods in mobile communication networks, such as IRC and MRC, are inadequate for adapting to varying interference levels across different sectors in multi-point reception, leading to suboptimal performance due to excessive permutations and estimation errors in channel and noise covariance matrices.
Innovation Solution
A method that determines the optimal combination of received signals by evaluating each antenna sector for intra-sector IRC, forming single or separate antenna parts based on interference levels, and deciding on inter-sector IRC for sector groups, reducing permutations while effectively rejecting interference.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If IRC is applied to all antennas in all sectors, then interference rejection performance is improved, but the number of permutations and computational complexity increases to infeasible numbers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the set of all antennas into multiple evaluation sectors, where each sector contains one or more antennas. Instead of evaluating all possible combinations of antennas globally, the method evaluates IRC application separately for each sector. This segmentation reduces the permutation space from exponential in the total number of antennas to exponential in the number of sectors, making the computation feasible while still achieving effective interference rejection through selective inter-sector IRC.
2Adaptability or versatility
If IRC is applied selectively based on interference levels, then adaptability to different interference scenarios is improved, but the complexity of determining optimal combinations increases
Solution Approach 1:
The method divides the antenna set into evaluation sectors to enable selective IRC evaluation per sector, improving adaptability while controlling complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different IRC strategies to different sectors based on local interference conditions. Each sector is evaluated independently to determine whether IRC should be applied, allowing the system to adapt to locally varying interference scenarios rather than applying a uniform strategy globally. This local decision-making improves versatility while keeping the overall complexity manageable.
3Reliability
If the number of antennas is increased, then received signal power and diversity are improved, but the number of permutations for IRC evaluation increases exponentially
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting antennas into evaluation sectors, the patent enables the system to handle a large total number of antennas efficiently. The computational complexity becomes dependent on the number of sectors rather than the total number of antennas, allowing scalable deployment with many antennas while maintaining computational feasibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines antennas from multiple sectors into a unified receiving system while using sector-based evaluation to manage complexity. This merging allows the system to benefit from increased signal power and diversity provided by more antennas, while the sector-based approach prevents the permutation complexity from becoming infeasible.
Data Source
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Figure 4A~4C
Figure 5A~5B
AI summary
It is presented a method for determining how to combine received signals from a plurality of antennas in an antenna set. The method is performed in a network node and comprises the steps of: determining for each evaluation sector whether it is better to perform intra-sector IRC on received signals for all antennas of the evaluation sector than refraining from performing IRC; for each evaluation sector, when it is better to perform intra-sector IRC, forming a single antenna part; for each evaluation sector, when it is better to refrain from performing IRC on any of the received signals for the antennas, forming a separate antenna part for each antenna; determining for a sector group whether it is better to perform inter-sector IRC on all its antennas or to keep the previously formed antenna parts; forming a single combined antenna part for the sector group when it is better to perform IRC on the at least two evaluation sectors of the sector group.