MIMO Channel Extenders Using Phase-Shifting Antenna Combining
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Solution Overview
Problem
Multi-input, multi-output (MIMO) radar systems face challenges in providing a sufficient number of transmitters and receivers for effective antenna arrays, making them cost-prohibitive for self-driving cars and other applications.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of channel extenders that adjustably phase-shift signals for multiple antennas, allowing for increased support of receive and transmit antennas through power combiners and splitters, and internal memory for sequence control, enabling efficient beam steering and code division multiplexing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a sufficient number of transmitters and receivers are provided for an adequately performing antenna array, then the radar system performance is improved, but the cost becomes prohibitive
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple receive antennas are combined using a power combiner to merge their outputs into a single receive signal path. This allows the system to utilize multiple antennas for improved performance while reducing the need for multiple separate receiver channels, thereby lowering system cost and complexity
Solution Approach 2:
A single receiver is designed to process combined signals from multiple antennas through the power combiner. This multi-functional approach allows one receiver to perform the work of multiple receivers would traditionally be needed, reducing the overall number of components required
2Measurement precision
If the number of receive antennas is increased to improve measurement accuracy, then the distance and direction measurement precision is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The power combiner merges signals from multiple receive antennas into a single composite signal that can be processed by one receiver. This maintains the measurement precision benefits of multiple antennas while avoiding the complexity of proportionally increasing the number of receivers
Solution Approach 2:
The power combiner acts as an intermediary device between multiple receive antennas and a single receiver. It enables the system to achieve the functionality of multiple receive channels through a single receiver channel, reducing system complexity while preserving measurement capabilities
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 solution enhances the number of supported antennas, improving the accuracy and efficiency of radar systems in self-driving cars and other applications by enabling more precise distance and direction measurements.
Implementation Method 1
adjustably phase-shifts each of the multiple input signals to produce a set of phase-shifted signals
Implementation Method 2
a power combiner that forms a receive signal by combining outputs of the multiple phase shifters
Implementation Method 3
a radar transceiver to generate a transmit signal and to downconvert at least one receive signal
Data Source
AI summary
Multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) radar systems are equipped with channel extenders to further increase the number of receive and/or transmit antennas that can be supported by a given radar transceiver. One illustrative radar system includes: a radar transceiver to generate a transmit signal and to downconvert at least one receive signal; and a receive-side extender that couples to a set of multiple receive antennas to obtain a set of multiple input signals, that adjustably phase-shifts each of the multiple input signals to produce a set of phase-shifted signals, and that couples to the radar transceiver to provide the at least one receive signal, the at least one receive signal being a sum of the phase-shifted signals. An illustrative receive-side extender includes: multiple phase shifters each providing an adjustable phase shift to a respective input signal; a power combiner that forms a receive signal by combining outputs of the multiple phase shifters.