Lens Antenna Subarray for Hybrid MIMO Beam Steering
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current mm-wave MIMO architectures face challenges in cost and power consumption due to the need for multiple RF chains and ADC/DAC components, limiting their ability to support simultaneous multiple MIMO stream transmissions and achieving optimal spectral efficiency.
Innovation Solution
The introduction of a lens antenna subarray (LAS) architecture that reduces the number of phase shifters and introduces energy-efficient switches, allowing for flexible trade-offs between the number of switches and phase shifters, while maintaining electronic beam-steering and array gain performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If multiple RF chains and ADC/DAC components are used for each antenna element to enable MIMO signal processing, then spectral efficiency and data transmission capability are improved, but cost and power consumption increase prohibitively
Solution Approach 1:
The antenna array is divided into multiple subarrays, with each subarray processed by a separate RF chain. This segmentation allows MIMO processing across multiple subarrays using fewer RF chains than total antenna elements, reducing power consumption while maintaining spectral efficiency through spatial multiplexing across subarrays.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple antenna elements within each subarray are combined and processed by a shared RF chain through beamforming operations. This merging reduces the total number of RF chains and ADC/DAC components needed, directly addressing the power consumption and cost issues while preserving MIMO capabilities through multi-subarray processing.
2Use of energy by stationary object
If the number of RF chains is reduced to lower power consumption, then power efficiency is improved, but the capability to support simultaneous multiple MIMO stream transmissions is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the antenna array into multiple subarrays processed by fewer RF chains. Each RF chain handles one subarray, enabling parallel processing across subarrays that compensates for the reduced number of RF chains, thereby maintaining MIMO stream transmission capability while improving power efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from processing individual antenna elements to processing subarrays as the fundamental unit. This dimensional change from element-level to subarray-level processing enables the use of fewer RF chains while maintaining or enhancing MIMO capabilities through spatial multiplexing across the subarray dimension.
3Device complexity
If lens antenna subarray architecture is introduced to reduce phase shifters and add switches, then hardware complexity and cost are reduced, but beam-steering precision may be affected
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes the beam-steering implementation from continuous phase shifting to discrete switching between predefined beams. This parameter change from continuous to discrete control reduces hardware complexity by replacing numerous phase shifters with simpler switches, while beam-steering precision is maintained through digital signal processing and adaptive beamforming algorithms.
Solution Approach 2:
The system replaces the mechanical/continuous phase-shifting mechanism with an electronic switching mechanism. This substitution reduces hardware complexity by using simple switches instead of complex phase shifter networks, while beam-steering precision is preserved through software-controlled beam selection and combination.
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 results in a low-power, cost-effective, and spectrally-efficient mm-wave network with superior spectrum efficiency under equal power consumption, achieving significant power savings and reduced hardware complexity.
Implementation Method 1
The introduction of a lens antenna subarray (LAS) architecture that reduces the number of phase shifters and introduces energy-efficient switches
Data Source
AI summary
Various examples are provided related to hybrid multiple-input/multiple-output (MIMO) architectures. Beam steering can be provided using lens arrays. In one example, a hybrid antenna system includes a plurality of lens antenna subarrays (LAS), each of the LAS including a plurality of antenna elements configured to selectively receive a radio frequency (RF) transmission signal from RF processing circuitry, and a lens extending across the plurality of antenna elements. The RF transmission signal can be provided to a selected antenna of the plurality of antenna elements via a switching network and a common phase shifter for transmission. The lens can be configured to steer a RF transmission generated by the selected antenna in a defined direction. The selected antenna can be determined by the switching network configuration.