MIMO Power Amplifier Co-location Reduces Insertion Loss
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current MIMO architectures in wireless devices suffer from significant battery current drain due to large 3 dB post-PA insertion loss caused by routing TX MIMO signals over long transmission lines to antennas located far from the power amplifiers, leading to inefficient power transmission and increased battery consumption.
Innovation Solution
The apparatus includes a first splitter-combiner and a power amplifier coupled directly to the antenna, eliminating the need for long transmission lines by co-locating the power amplifier with the antenna, thereby reducing power loss and increasing transceiver output power, and incorporates shared filtering and tunable RF filters to relax band selectivity requirements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If TX MIMO signals are routed over long transmission lines to antennas located far from power amplifiers, then antenna diversity and MIMO operation are achieved, but post-PA insertion loss increases causing battery current drain
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the MIMO system into separate modules, each containing its own power amplifier and antenna. This segmentation allows each module to operate independently with minimal transmission line length, reducing power loss while maintaining MIMO functionality through spatial separation of the modules within the device housing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a planar layout where all components are concentrated to a three-dimensional distributed architecture. Modules are positioned at different locations within the device housing, utilizing spatial dimensions to reduce transmission line lengths while maintaining signal integrity and MIMO operation.
2Loss of energy
If power amplifiers are co-located with antennas, then post-PA insertion loss is reduced and power efficiency improves, but device complexity increases due to multiple modules
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the power amplifier, transmission line, and antenna into integrated modules. Each module is self-contained with the PA directly connected to its antenna via minimal transmission line, eliminating the need for separate long transmission lines and reducing overall system complexity despite the distributed architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent designs universal modules that can be replicated for multiple antenna elements. Each module serves multiple functions including power amplification, signal transmission, and antenna radiation, reducing the need for separate dedicated components for each function and simplifying the overall system architecture.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple frequency bands are supported, then carrier aggregation and band versatility are improved, but filtering requirements and band selectivity become more stringent
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs dynamically reconfigurable filters that can adjust their frequency response characteristics based on the required operating band. This allows the same filter hardware to serve multiple frequency bands by changing its filtering properties, reducing the need for multiple dedicated filters and relaxing overall filtering requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes filters whose parameters (such as center frequency, bandwidth, and Q-factor) can be changed to accommodate different frequency bands. By adjusting filter parameters rather than using fixed-frequency filters, the system can support multiple bands with relaxed filtering requirements compared to fixed-frequency approaches.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus for a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) architecture is disclosed. The apparatus includes a first splitter-combiner (S-C) having a first transmission line port, a first transmit (TX) port, and a first receive (RX) port. Also included is a first N-plexer having a first power amplifier (PA) input, a first RX output, and a first antenna output for coupling to a first antenna. A first PA is coupled between the first TX port and the PA input, wherein the first RX output is coupled to the first RX port.