Full-Duplex mmWave Repeater With Optical Window Bridge
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current wireless telecommunications face challenges in penetrating high-frequency RF waves through windows and walls due to significant signal losses, especially with glass materials having infrared shielding, which limits the transmission of millimeter wave signals into homes and buildings without the need for physical drilling.
Innovation Solution
A millimeter wave repeater/relay system using a full-duplex transceiver with a patch antenna array, vertically separated to minimize interference, and employing optical bridges and VCSELs to transmit signals through windows and walls, enabling bidirectional communication without physical portals.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If millimeter wave signals are transmitted through glass windows and walls, then signal penetration capability is improved, but signal loss increases due to infrared shielding properties of glass
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an optical bridge as an intermediary device that converts millimeter wave signals to optical signals for transmission through glass. The VCSEL (vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser) acts as the conversion medium, transforming the problematic RF signals into optical signals that can penetrate glass windows without significant loss, thereby resolving the contradiction between penetration capability and signal loss.
2Productivity
If a transceiver uses both transmission and reception functions in the same location, then communication efficiency is improved, but self-interference between transmitted and received signals increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements full-duplex communication by vertically separating the transmit and receive antenna arrays in the spatial dimension. The receive array is positioned at a different vertical height than the transmit array, allowing simultaneous transmission and reception on the same frequency without harmful interference, thus enabling high productivity while eliminating self-interference through dimensional separation.
3Object-generated harmful factors
If the receiver array is vertically separated from the transmitter array, then self-interference is reduced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the antenna system into distinct transmit and receive arrays positioned at different vertical heights. This segmentation allows the system to physically separate the functions of transmission and reception, reducing self-interference while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure that can be integrated into existing transceiver architectures.
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
The system effectively transmits millimeter wave signals across various frequencies, including through low-e glass, increasing the number of buildings that can utilize 5G millimeter wave signals for gigabit Ethernet services by creating an optical or RF tunnel, thus overcoming traditional penetration limitations.
Implementation Method 1
employing optical bridges and VCSELs to transmit signals through windows and walls
Implementation Method 2
A transceiver communicates with a plurality of remote locations over millimeter wave communications links
Data Source
AI summary
A system for transmitting millimeter wave signals includes at least one repeater for communicating with a plurality of remote locations over millimeter wave communications links. The at least one repeater further includes multiple input multiple output (MIMO) transmission circuitry for transmitting signals and receiving signals over the millimeter wave communications links to the plurality of remote locations. The at least one repeater further includes full-duplex transmission circuitry for processing the transmitted signals and the received signals over the millimeter wave communications links using full-duplex communications with the plurality of remote locations. The at least one repeater relays the millimeter wave signals between at least a first millimeter wave transceiver at a first one of the plurality of remote locations and a second millimeter wave transceiver at a second one of the plurality of remote locations.