Antenna Switching for RF Fading Mitigation in Wireless Receivers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Wireless communication systems face performance degradation due to RF fading caused by constructive and destructive interference and object motion, which is challenging to mitigate without increasing complexity and cost by adding more antennas and processing chains.
Innovation Solution
A wireless communication apparatus with a receiver that includes multiple receive chains and antennas, where an electronic switch selectively connects each receive chain to the best available antennas based on signal characteristics to reduce fading, allowing for adaptive antenna configuration to improve signal quality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If additional receive chains and antennas are added to mitigate RF fading, then signal quality and reliability improve, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic antenna selection where the receiver adaptively switches between different antenna configurations based on real-time fading conditions. The system transitions from a static fixed-antenna setup to a dynamic reconfigurable system that optimizes signal quality by selecting the best antenna组合 at different time instances, thereby improving reliability without permanently increasing hardware complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent divides the antenna array into multiple selectable groups or configurations. Instead of using all antennas simultaneously in a complex MIMO system, the receiver segments the antenna resources and selects optimal subsets for different receive chains based on current channel conditions. This segmentation approach maintains simplicity while improving signal quality through selective diversity
2Reliability
If additional receive chains and antennas are added to mitigate RF fading, then signal quality and reliability improve, but system cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes existing antenna resources multi-functional by enabling them to serve different receive chains dynamically. The same physical antennas can be assigned to different receive paths based on fading conditions, eliminating the need for dedicated antennas for each receive chain. This universality reduces the total number of antennas required while maintaining signal quality through spatial diversity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates virtual copies of receive paths by dynamically assigning different antenna configurations to identical receive chain hardware. Instead of building multiple physical receive chains, the system uses software-controlled antenna switching to create multiple logical receive paths from a shared antenna pool, reducing hardware cost while maintaining the benefits of multiple receive paths
Data Source
AI summary
In a wireless communication system the receiver includes a first plurality of receive chains and a second plurality of antennas. Each receive chain is selectively connectable to selected antennas. The antennas are selected based on criteria obtained from a received RF signal to produce an antenna configuration connected to the receive chains to reduce RF fading at the receiver. An electronic switch connects the antennas to the receive chains. The receiver is programmed to determine which antenna should be connected to each receive chain by the switch by measuring characteristics of the received signal for each allowed antenna configuration and selecting the best antenna configuration. Transmitters may be similarly configured.