Single-Chip Carrier Aggregation Receiver for Non-Cellular Diversity

Solution Overview

Problem

Current wireless communication devices face challenges in maximizing battery life and reducing size and cost while maintaining high performance, particularly in efficiently handling multiple signals and achieving diversity without additional circuitry or antennas.

Innovation Solution

A single-chip carrier aggregation receiver architecture that reuses carrier aggregation receivers for secondary diversity, utilizing multiple antennas and receivers to improve signal quality and reliability across different bands, such as Wi-Fi and GPS, without requiring extra circuitry or antennas.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If additional circuitry and antennas are added to achieve diversity and improve signal quality, then reliability and signal quality improve, but device size, cost, and power consumption increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesignal reliabilityVSAvoidcircuitry complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies multi-functionality by enabling carrier aggregation receivers to serve dual purposes: their primary function for cellular carrier aggregation and a secondary function for non-cellular diversity reception. The receiver circuitry is designed to be reconfigurable, allowing it to process both cellular carrier aggregation signals and non-cellular diversity signals (such as Wi-Fi or GPS) using the same hardware resources. This eliminates the need for separate dedicated circuitry for non-cellular diversity, thereby improving signal reliability without increasing device complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Reliability

If additional circuitry and antennas are added to achieve diversity, then signal quality and reliability improve, but power consumption increases reducing battery life

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesignal reliabilityVSAvoidpower consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies multi-functionality by enabling carrier aggregation receivers to serve dual purposes: their primary function for cellular carrier aggregation and a secondary function for non-cellular diversity reception. The receiver circuitry is designed to be reconfigurable, allowing it to process both cellular carrier aggregation signals and non-cellular diversity signals (such as Wi-Fi or GPS) using the same hardware resources. This eliminates the need for separate dedicated circuitry for non-cellular diversity, thereby improving signal reliability without increasing device complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

3Area of moving object

If device size is reduced to make devices smaller and cheaper, then cost and size decrease, but capability to handle multiple signals and achieve diversity is compromised

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedevice sizeVSAvoidsignal handling capability

Core Design Contradiction:

Area of moving objectVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies multi-functionality by enabling carrier aggregation receivers to serve dual purposes: their primary function for cellular carrier aggregation and a secondary function for non-cellular diversity reception. The receiver circuitry is designed to be reconfigurable, allowing it to process both cellular carrier aggregation signals and non-cellular diversity signals (such as Wi-Fi or GPS) using the same hardware resources. This eliminates the need for separate dedicated circuitry for non-cellular diversity, thereby improving signal reliability without increasing device complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies merging by combining the functionality of cellular carrier aggregation reception and non-cellular diversity reception into a single integrated receiver architecture. Instead of having separate independent receiver chains for cellular and non-cellular diversity functions, the patent merges these functions so that the same receiver circuitry can be dynamically allocated to different tasks. This consolidation reduces the overall hardware footprint and component count, enabling smaller device size while maintaining full signal handling capabilities.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Data Source

PatentEP2974042B1Reusing a single-chip carrier aggregation receiver to support non-cellular diversity

Publication Date: 2020.06.24 QUALCOMM INC

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AI summary

A wireless communication device configured for receiving multiple signals is described. The wireless communication device includes a single-chip carrier aggregation receiver architecture. The single-chip carrier aggregation receiver architecture includes a first antenna, a second antenna, a third antenna, a fourth antenna and a transceiver chip. The transceiver chip includes multiple carrier aggregation receivers. The single-chip carrier aggregation receiver architecture reuses at least one of the carrier aggregation receivers for secondary diversity.