Antenna Arrangement Virtual Port Sectorization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current antenna designs in wireless communication networks lack flexibility in allocating spatial degrees of freedom for sectorization, user-specific beamforming, diversity, and spatial multiplexing, leading to inefficiencies in capacity and performance.
Innovation Solution
A method and antenna arrangement that generates virtual antenna port pairs using physical antenna elements with orthogonal polarizations, allowing for efficient reconfiguration to serve either one sector in an N sector system or two sectors in a 2·N sector system, enabling adaptive power utilization and energy-efficient beam pattern generation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If antenna arrangements are dedicated to specific sectorization configurations (e.g., N-sector or 2·N-sector systems), then the antenna design can be optimized for that specific configuration, but the antenna cannot be flexibly reconfigured to serve different sectorization needs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic reconfigurability by enabling the antenna arrangement to switch between different sectorization configurations (N-sector and 2·N-sector systems) through software-controlled beamforming and signal processing, rather than requiring fixed hardware configurations for each sectorization type
Solution Approach 2:
The antenna arrangement is designed with universal functionality to serve multiple sectorization configurations using the same physical antenna elements, achieving both N-sector and 2·N-sector system support through a single multi-functional antenna design that adapts its behavior through signal processing
2Reliability
If spatial degrees of freedom are allocated to sectorization, then sector coverage is improved, but the available DoF for user-specific beamforming, diversity, and spatial multiplexing is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables dynamic allocation of spatial degrees of freedom that can be adjusted in real-time based on traffic demands and service requirements, allowing the system to optimize the balance between sector coverage and user-specific functions adaptively rather than being fixed
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes operational parameters (beamforming weights, signal processing configurations) to dynamically adjust how spatial degrees of freedom are utilized, enabling the same antenna arrangement to provide different levels of sector coverage and user-specific functionality depending on current network conditions
3Ease of manufacture
If a single antenna product is designed for a specific sectorization system, then the design can be simplified, but the antenna cannot be easily adapted to different sectorization requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs a universal antenna product that can be manufactured once and deployed in multiple sectorization configurations (N-sector and 2·N-sector systems) by utilizing software-defined beamforming and signal processing to adapt the same physical antenna to different operational requirements
Data Source
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AI summary
There is provided mechanisms for selectively serving either one sector in an N sector system or two sectors in a 2-N sector system, where N ≥ 1, using an antenna array comprising at least 4 antenna columns, where each antenna column comprising physical antenna elements. A method comprises generating at least one virtual antenna port pair per sector using the physical antenna elements. Each virtual antenna port in the at least one virtual antenna port pair is obtained by combining physical antenna elements having orthogonal polarization such that two virtual antenna ports in each virtual antenna port pair have identical power radiation patterns and orthogonal polarizations, and at least one antenna element per polarization has a non¬ zero weight. The method comprises transmitting signals using the at least one virtual antenna port pair per sector in one sector in the N sector system or in two sectors in the 2-N sector system.