Polar-Combining Antenna Array Without DPD Beamforming Overhead
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing massive MIMO systems face inefficiencies in power amplifiers below 20-30 Watts, particularly when digital pre-distortion (DPD) is required for beamforming, which is power-hungry and not efficient for lower power applications.
Innovation Solution
Incorporation of polar power amplifiers in an integrated transmitter that enables precise control of phase and amplitude, eliminating the need for DPD, allowing for high-efficiency beamforming and transmission in microcomponent massive MIMO arrays.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If digital pre-distortion (DPD) is used for beamforming in massive MIMO systems, then beamforming capability is improved, but power consumption increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the DPD function from the system architecture. By eliminating the DPD block entirely and replacing it with a simplified path that directly connects the beamformer to the power amplifier, the invention removes the power-hungry digital processing component while preserving beamforming capability through analog/RF-domain techniques.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent substitutes digital signal processing (mechanics in the digital domain) with analog/RF signal processing. Instead of using digital pre-distortion algorithms to linearize the power amplifier, the invention employs analog beamforming techniques and RF-domain signal manipulation, which consume significantly less power while achieving the same beamforming objectives.
2Productivity
If polar power amplifiers are used with precise phase and amplitude control, then beamforming efficiency is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the control of phase and amplitude into a unified polar coordinate system approach. By representing signal components in polar form (magnitude and phase) rather than separate I/Q components, the invention simplifies the control architecture while maintaining precise beamforming capability. The polar power amplifier integrates both control dimensions in a single device rather than requiring separate control paths.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter representation from Cartesian coordinates (I/Q components) to polar coordinates (amplitude/phase). This parameter transformation simplifies the mathematical operations required for beamforming and reduces the complexity of the control circuitry. The polar power amplifier is designed to directly accept amplitude and phase control signals, eliminating the need for complex digital-to-analog conversion and mixing circuits.
Data Source
AI summary
A microcomponent massive MIMO array is presented. The microcomponent massive array includes a general purpose processor and an integrated power amplifier and transmitter device including a software defined radio (SDR) and a plurality of polar power amplifiers (PAs) disposed on a single integrated circuit, wherein the integrated power amplifier and transmitter device is in communication with the general purpose processor. The microcomponent massive MIMO array further includes an antenna array in communication with the integrated power amplifier and transmitter device.