First Arrival Path Weighting for Multipath AoA Estimation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Multipath effects in wireless networks degrade the accuracy of angle of arrival (AoA) information, making it challenging to determine the position of devices accurately, especially in environments with multiple signal paths due to reflections from physical obstacles.
Innovation Solution
The proposed solution involves identifying signal components associated with the first arrival path (FAP), determining their phase, and using this phase information to estimate the AoA, with weighting values assigned to emphasize FAP signal components over non-line of sight (NLoS) components to improve accuracy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional AoA estimation methods are used in multipath environments, then the estimation process can be performed without additional signal processing complexity, but the accuracy of AoA estimation degrades due to interference from reflected signal paths
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the received signal into multiple path components based on their arrival times. By dividing the signal processing into discrete time segments corresponding to different propagation paths, the system can identify and process the first arrival path separately from reflected paths, thereby improving AoA estimation accuracy without requiring complex overall processing
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies preliminary signal processing to identify and isolate the first arrival path before performing AoA estimation. By pre-processing the signal to separate direct path components from multipath components based on arrival time characteristics, the system prepares the data in advance for more accurate angle estimation
2Measurement precision
If all received signal components are used for AoA estimation, then more signal energy is utilized, but the accuracy degrades due to inclusion of non-line of sight (NLoS) multipath components
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the first arrival path signal components from the total received signal for AoA estimation. By taking out and isolating the direct path components based on their temporal characteristics, the system excludes NLoS multipath components that would otherwise degrade estimation accuracy, while still utilizing the available signal energy from the direct path
3Measurement precision
If weighting values are applied to emphasize FAP signal components, then AoA estimation accuracy improves, but the processing complexity and computational burden increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies weighting values selectively to specific signal components (first arrival path) rather than uniformly processing all components. By assigning different weights to different path components based on their origin, the system improves accuracy by emphasizing useful signals while minimizing computational effort on less relevant components
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method are disclosed that may provide an accurate estimate of the angle of arrival (AoA) of a wireless signal received by a device. The received wireless signal may include a plurality of signal components associated with a number of different arrival paths. The device may generate a weighted signal, including a plurality of weighted signal components, by multiplying the plurality of signal components of the received wireless signal with a set of weighting values. The device may identify one or more of the weighted signal components associated with a first arrival path to the device, determine phase information of the one or more identified weighted signal components, and then determine the angle of arrival based, at least in part, on the determined phase information.