Beamformed Virtual MIMO Channel from a Single Transmit Antenna
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing MIMO network designs require multiple antennas on mobile stations to transmit signals individually, increasing complexity and protocol requirements, as they need to compute beamforming weighting vectors to separate desired and interference signals.
Innovation Solution
A method to create a beamformed MIMO channel using signals from a single transmit antenna on a mobile station, where beamforming weighting vectors are computed to partially null out interference signals, allowing for a virtual MIMO channel formation with balanced power distribution across antennas.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multiple antennas on MS transmit signals individually for beamforming computation, then beamforming weighting vectors can be computed, but device complexity and communication protocol complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines signals from multiple MS antennas into a single composite signal for transmission to BTS. Instead of requiring individual signal transmission from each MS antenna, the signals are merged and processed together, allowing beamforming weighting vector computation while reducing MS design complexity and protocol requirements
Solution Approach 2:
The patent enables a single transmit antenna on MS to serve multiple functions by transmitting composite signals that carry information from multiple antenna elements. This universal approach allows the single antenna to replace multiple individual antenna transmissions, simplifying the MS design while maintaining beamforming capability
2Reliability
If multiple antennas on MS transmit signals individually, then beamforming weighting vectors can be computed, but communication protocol complexity increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple signal streams from different MS antennas into a single composite signal transmission. This combining approach simplifies the communication protocol by eliminating the need for separate protocol handling for each antenna signal, while still enabling accurate beamforming weighting vector computation at the BTS
3Device complexity
If beamforming weighting vectors are computed using signals from single transmit antenna, then device complexity and protocol complexity are reduced, but signal strength may be reduced due to interference nulling
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the harmful effect of interference signals into a beneficial outcome by using interference nulling in the beamforming weighting vectors. The interference that would normally degrade signal quality is instead exploited to enhance the desired signal, allowing complexity reduction while maintaining or improving signal strength through intelligent interference management
Data Source
AI summary
A method is provided for generating a beamformed multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) channel. The method comprises receiving by a first wireless station a first plurality of signals transmitted from a first antenna on a second wireless station, deriving by the first wireless station a second plurality of signals corresponding to a second antenna on the second wireless station from the first plurality of signals, computing first and second beamforming weighting vectors from the first and second plurality of signals, creating a beamformed MIMO channel between the first and second wireless stations using the first and second beamforming weighting vectors, and allocating a predetermined transmitting power to signals beamformed by the first and second beamforming weighting vectors.