Phased-Array Wireless Communication With Time-Division Multiplexing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing massive MIMO communication systems face challenges with increased circuit complexity, power consumption, and costs due to the need for extensive circuit configurations with a large number of antennas, particularly in millimeter wave bands, and existing solutions do not adequately address these issues.
Innovation Solution
A wireless communication device employing a phased array antenna with a multiplexer and signal transmitting and receiving units that time-divide and sample communication signals, allowing sharing of antenna sections and simplifying circuit configurations, while enabling simultaneous transmission and reception with multiple mobile stations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a large number of antennas are used in massive MIMO communication to enable high-speed and large-capacity communication, then communication capacity and speed are improved, but circuit configuration complexity, power consumption, and costs significantly increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple antenna functions into a single physical antenna by combining signals from multiple mobile stations through addition or multiplication operations. This allows one antenna to serve multiple communication streams simultaneously, reducing the total number of antennas and their associated circuits while maintaining high communication capacity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent makes a single antenna unit perform multiple functions by enabling it to handle multiple communication streams from different mobile stations. The antenna unit is designed to process multiple signals through mathematical operations (addition/multiplication), making it universal rather than dedicated to a single stream, thus reducing overall system complexity
2Power
If circuits corresponding to the number of MIMO streams are configured for each antenna in phased array antenna systems, then signal transmission capability is improved, but power consumption and costs significantly increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple signal streams into a single antenna unit, reducing the number of independent circuit paths. By processing multiple streams through mathematical operations in a shared antenna unit rather than having separate circuits for each stream, power consumption is reduced while maintaining transmission capability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates virtual copies of antenna functions through signal processing rather than physical copies. By using mathematical operations (addition/multiplication) to generate multiple signal paths from a single physical antenna, the system avoids the power consumption of multiple physical circuits while maintaining the functional equivalent of multiple antennas
3Productivity
If the number of antennas is increased to support more communication streams, then communication performance is improved, but costs significantly increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple communication stream handling capabilities into a single antenna unit, reducing the bill of materials and manufacturing costs associated with multiple antennas. The shared antenna approach eliminates redundant components while supporting the same number of communication streams through signal processing
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses virtual signal copying through mathematical operations rather than physical antenna replication. By generating multiple signal paths through addition or multiplication of base signals, the system achieves multi-stream capability without the cost of manufacturing and deploying multiple physical antennas
Data Source
AI summary
A wireless communication device includes an antenna section configured to be provided with a plurality of antenna units that transmit and receive n communication signals having different directivities, a multiplexer configured to be connected to the antenna section, and n signal transmitting and receiving units configured to be connected to the multiplexer, to generate transmission signals, to demodulate reception signals, and to be provided corresponding to the n communication signals. The multiplexer switches connections between the antenna section and the n signal transmitting and receiving units in a time-division manner in a sampling period shorter than a period of a symbol of each of n reception signals to sequentially sample the n reception signals for each of the directivities at a time of reception. The antenna section sequentially receives divided reception signals obtained by dividing the reception signal corresponding to the directivity in the sampling period. Each of the signal transmitting and receiving units individually demodulates the reception signal corresponding to the divided reception signals that correspond to the directivity of the signal transmitting and receiving unit and have been sequentially acquired at a timing of the connection to the multiplexer.