Coarse and Fine Beam Director Configuration for Antenna Arrays
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional antenna systems face complexity, cost, and space issues when configuring beam directions for a large number of ports, especially in Active Antenna Systems (AAS) and Full Dimension Multiple Input Multiple Output (FD-MIMO) systems, due to the complexity of Remote Electrical Tilt (RET) systems.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that combine a coarse beam director, which provides a fixed number of beam directions using analogue phase shifts and time delay elements, with a fine beam director in the digital domain for further adjustments, allowing for a combination of beam directions to achieve the desired beam orientation efficiently.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If Remote Electrical Tilt (RET) systems are applied to a large number of antenna ports, then beam direction configuration capability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the antenna system into multiple antenna columns, each with its own RET system. This segmentation allows each RET system to manage a subset of antenna ports, reducing the complexity of individual RET systems while collectively providing beam direction configuration for all ports. The system configures phase shifts and time delays per column rather than managing all ports centrally.
2Adaptability or versatility
If Remote Electrical Tilt (RET) systems are applied to a large number of antenna ports, then beam direction configuration capability is improved, but space consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the antenna system into multiple columns with shared RET functionality, the patent reduces the space required per antenna port. The RET system components (phase shifters, time delay elements) are distributed across columns rather than requiring dedicated space for each port, achieving space efficiency while maintaining full beam direction configuration capability.
3Adaptability or versatility
If Remote Electrical Tilt (RET) systems are applied to a large number of antenna ports, then beam direction configuration capability is improved, but cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal RET approach where each antenna column uses the same RET mechanism (phase shifters and time delay elements) to configure beam directions. This multi-functional design allows the same hardware components to serve multiple antenna ports across different columns, reducing overall system cost compared to having dedicated RET systems for each port.
4Device complexity
If a coarse beam director with fixed beam directions is used, then device complexity is reduced, but manufacturing precision of beam direction alignment deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a two-stage beam direction configuration: a coarse beam director providing fixed beam directions for large-scale positioning, and a fine beam director providing adjustable phase shifts for precise alignment. This segmentation allows the coarse director to use simple fixed structures while the fine director compensates for precision requirements, achieving both low complexity and high precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The fine beam director acts as an intermediary between the coarse beam director and the antenna elements. It receives the coarse beam direction and applies fine-tuned phase shifts to achieve precise beam alignment, mediating between the simplified coarse structure and the precision requirements of the communication system.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach reduces the complexity and cost of beam configuration while minimizing grating lobes, enabling a wider tilt range with reduced mechanical complexity and maintaining high precision in beam direction alignment.
Implementation Method 1
The coarse beam director may be based on configuring the beam direction for the set of antennas by different phase shifts
Implementation Method 2
The coarse beam director may comprise a set of selectively applied time delay elements
Data Source
AI summary
It is provided a method for configuring abeam direction of a set of antennas of an antenna site for a radio communication system. The method being performed in a beam direction configurer and comprises the steps of: obtaining a desired beam direction; configuring a coarse beam director, being configurable to provide only a fixed number of beam directions for the set of antennas, to provide a beam direction being closest to the desired beam direction; and configuring a fine beam director, being configurable more finely than the coarse beam director, to be in a fine beam direction such that a resulting beam direction for set of antennas, being a combination of the beam direction of the coarse beam director and the fine beam director, corresponds to the desired beam direction.