Dual-Receiver RAT Selection for Faster Cellular Signal Acquisition
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Solution Overview
Problem
Electronic devices with wireless capabilities often take excessively long to acquire a satisfactory signal from a wireless base station, leading to delays in wireless communication due to sequential time-sequential system selection across different radio access technologies (RATs).
Innovation Solution
Concurrent system selection is implemented using two receivers in the electronic device, one configured for a fast (e.g., 5G) RAT and another for a legacy (e.g., 4G, 3G, or 2G) RAT, allowing simultaneous band scans across different frequencies to expedite signal acquisition.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If sequential band scanning across different RATs is performed using a single receiver, then the device can maintain simplicity in receiver configuration, but the time required to acquire a satisfactory signal increases excessively
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the signal acquisition function into multiple independent receivers (first receiver and second receiver), each capable of independently scanning different RATs or bands concurrently. This segmentation allows parallel operation, reducing total acquisition time while maintaining manageable complexity through modular architecture
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from sequential scanning (one-dimensional time progression) to concurrent scanning across multiple receivers (adding a parallel dimension). By operating receivers simultaneously on different RATs or bands, the system explores the frequency-time space in parallel, dramatically reducing signal acquisition time
2Productivity
If concurrent system selection is performed using multiple receivers scanning different RATs, then signal acquisition time is reduced, but the complexity of coordinating multiple receivers increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the control functions of multiple receivers into a unified system managed by shared components (processors, memory, control logic). This consolidation allows coordinated operation of multiple receivers while avoiding the complexity of completely independent systems, enabling efficient resource sharing and centralized decision-making
Solution Approach 2:
The patent designs receivers with multi-functional capabilities, where each receiver can operate on multiple RATs or bands. This universality reduces the need for highly specialized dedicated receivers for each RAT, simplifying the overall coordination while maintaining high productivity through flexible concurrent operation
Data Source
AI summary
An electronic device may include wireless circuitry with first and second receivers. Each receiver may include circuitry for receiving radio-frequency signals using a first radio access technology (RAT) and using second or additional RATs. The wireless circuitry may perform system selection in which the receivers attempt to acquire a signal transmitted by a base station using different RATs. The first receiver and the second receiver may concurrently perform system selection in which the first receiver performs a band scan over the first RAT while the second receiver concurrently performs a band scan over a second or additional RAT. Additional band scans may be performed as needed until a signal is acquired. Once a signal is acquired, the wireless circuitry may establish cellular communications with the wireless base station based on the acquired signal. This may minimize the amount of time required to begin cellular telephone communications in many situations.