AoA AoD Calculation Accuracy in Multipath Fading Environments
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for accurately determining Angle of Arrival (AoA) or Angle of Departure (AoD) are compromised by multipath fading, as signals received by antennas can travel along multiple transmission paths, leading to corrupted calculations.
Innovation Solution
A receiver circuit and method that utilize multiple antennas and RF chains to generate digital samples, with a controller determining groups of samples and applying a clustering algorithm to select reliable estimates of AoA or AoD, thereby excluding outliers and improving calculation accuracy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If traditional AoA/AoD calculation methods are used, then the calculation process is simple, but the accuracy is compromised by multipath fading
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the set of all received signals into multiple groups, where each group contains signals that are likely to share the same dominant transmission path. By calculating AoA/AoD separately for each group and then selecting the most consistent results, the method isolates the effect of multipath fading to specific segments rather than corrupting the entire calculation, thereby improving accuracy without requiring completely complex new algorithms
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the controller iteratively evaluates multiple AoA/AoD estimates, compares their consistency, and selects the most reliable ones. This feedback loop allows the system to identify and eliminate estimates corrupted by multipath fading, continuously improving measurement accuracy through self-correction while maintaining manageable computational complexity
2Reliability
If multiple transmission paths are considered, then more signal information is available, but calculation accuracy deteriorates due to signal corruption
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and isolates the dominant transmission path signals from the mixed multipath signals by grouping signals with similar characteristics. This extraction process separates useful information (direct path signals) from harmful information (reflected path signals), allowing accurate AoA/AoD calculation while still utilizing the completeness of multiple transmission path data
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter grouping criteria based on signal characteristics such as amplitude, phase, and time of arrival. By dynamically adjusting how signals are grouped according to these parameters, the system adapts to varying multipath conditions and maintains reliable measurements even when signal conditions change, thus preserving both information completeness and measurement precision
Data Source
AI summary
A receiver is disclosed. The receiver includes one or more antennas receiving signals from a transmitter including one or more antennas, and at least one RF chain generating digital samples based on the received signals. Either A) the signals are transmitted by a single antenna of the transmitter and are received by multiple antennas of the receiver, or B) the signals are transmitted by multiple antennas of the transmitter and are received by a single antenna of the receiver. The receiver also includes a controller determining a plurality of groups of digital samples to use for calculating estimates of an AoA or AoD of the received signals, calculate estimates of AoA or AoD based on the groups of digital samples, select a subset of the estimates, and calculate a measured AoA or AoD based on the selected subset of estimates.