Beamforming Receiver Switching to Cut ADC Power and Complexity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Digital beamforming in wireless communications requires a large number of expensive and power-consuming analog to digital converters (ADCs) and digital to analog converters (DACs), which generate significant raw data that needs to be processed, posing challenges in terms of cost and power efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A receiver and transmitter apparatus configured to switch between hybrid beamforming or analog beamforming across a bandwidth and digital beamforming across a subsection of the bandwidth, using multiplexing means and converters to enable dynamic operation, allowing for the reduction of power consumption and component count by controlling the rank of digital beamforming.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If digital beamforming is implemented, then communication reliability is improved, but the number of ADCs and DACs increases leading to higher cost and power consumption
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the beamforming functionality by implementing a hybrid architecture where only a subset of antenna elements (e.g., 4 out of 32) are connected to full digital beamforming ADCs/DACs, while the remaining elements use analog or hybrid beamforming. This segmentation allows digital beamforming to be applied selectively to specific spatial directions or signal types, maintaining reliability where needed while reducing the total number of expensive converters.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies digital beamforming selectively to specific local regions or directions in the spatial domain rather than uniformly across all antenna elements. By identifying which spatial sectors require high-reliability digital processing and which can tolerate analog processing, the system optimizes the distribution of ADCs and DACs to match actual communication needs, reducing overall component count while maintaining reliability in critical areas.
2Reliability
If digital beamforming is implemented, then beamforming performance is improved, but power consumption increases due to high-power ADCs and DACs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the power consumption burden by limiting full digital beamforming processing to only those antenna elements that require it, while other elements operate in lower-power analog or hybrid modes. This segmentation allows the system to achieve digital beamforming performance where necessary while significantly reducing total power consumption by avoiding the high-power ADCs and DACs for elements that don't require digital processing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent dynamically changes the operational parameters of the beamforming system by adjusting the number and configuration of active digital beamforming channels based on traffic conditions, channel quality, and spatial requirements. When digital beamforming is not needed for all directions, the system reduces the number of active ADCs and DACs or switches them to lower-resolution modes, thereby reducing power consumption while maintaining beamforming performance when required.
3Productivity
If digital beamforming is implemented, then processing capability is improved, but data processing burden increases due to large volume of raw data
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and processes only the necessary subset of antenna signals through full digital beamforming, rather than processing all antenna signals digitally. By selecting specific antenna elements or spatial directions that require digital processing and extracting only those signals for ADC conversion, the system maintains adequate processing capability for critical communications while dramatically reducing the total volume of raw data that needs to be processed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies partial digital beamforming processing to a subset of antenna elements rather than performing excessive full digital processing on all elements. This partial action approach provides sufficient processing capability for the required communication quality while avoiding the excessive data generation that would result from digitizing all antenna signals, thus reducing the processing burden on subsequent stages.
Data Source
AI summary
Examples of the disclosure relate to receiver apparatus and corresponding transmitter apparatus that can be configured in different operational states at different times. An example receiver apparatus comprises a plurality of downconverting means for downconverting separate antenna signals, one or more analog to digital converters, and one or more multiplexing means configurable in at least a first configuration and a second configuration. When the multiplexing means is configured in the first configuration the plurality of downconverting means and the one or more analog to digital converters are configured to enable separate antenna signals to be combined to provide hybrid beamforming or analog beamforming. The hybrid beamforming or analog beamforming can be provided across the bandwidth of the apparatus. When the multiplexing means is configured in the second configuration the plurality of downconverting means and the one or more analog to digital converters are configured to enable separate antenna signals to be used to enable digital beamforming. The digital beamforming can be provided across a sub-section of the bandwidth.