Radio Channel Emulator Using Virtual Antenna Elements
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current radio channel emulators face challenges in efficiently emulating radio channels for antenna arrays with multiple antenna elements due to the complexity of physical couplings and the need for a large number of electrical components and input ports, making it cumbersome and often impractical.
Innovation Solution
The solution involves forming virtual antenna elements by distributing signals to antenna elements in a specific manner, using phase shifters and complex weights to emulate the radiation patterns of a reduced number of antenna elements, which are then used to simulate radio channels through a digital FIR filter, reducing the physical and electrical complexity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a large number of antenna elements are used in the antenna array, then the radiation pattern coverage and signal quality are improved, but the number of input ports and electrical components required in the radio channel emulator increases, making the system complex and cumbersome
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a simplified copy of the antenna array system by modeling the radiation patterns of multiple antenna elements as virtual radiation patterns. Instead of requiring physical connections to each antenna element, the system uses computed radiation pattern data to represent the antenna array behavior, thereby reducing the number of input ports needed in the emulator while maintaining accurate signal quality representation
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical/physical connection system (wires, connectors, and electrical components linking each antenna element to the emulator) with a computational model. The radiation patterns are calculated and stored as data, and the FIR filter processes these computational representations instead of requiring physical signal paths to each antenna element, significantly reducing device complexity
2Measurement precision
If each antenna element signal is separately connected to the radio channel emulator, then accurate channel emulation for each element is achieved, but the number of phase shifting and power control elements increases, making the emulation process cumbersome
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the individual channel emulation functions into a single integrated FIR filter. Instead of having separate phase shifters and attenuators for each antenna element, the system combines all phase shifting, power control, and channel emulation operations into one digital filter that processes the baseband signal and applies all necessary transformations computationally
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the operational parameters from analog phase shifting and power control (requiring multiple physical components) to digital filter coefficients. The FIR filter uses programmable tap coefficients to represent phase and amplitude adjustments, allowing precise channel emulation through parameter modification rather than physical component adjustment
3Adaptability or versatility
If the radio channel emulator has a large number of input ports to accommodate multiple antenna elements, then complete antenna array emulation is possible, but the physical and electrical complexity becomes challenging or even impossible to implement
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a virtual representation of the antenna array where radiation patterns are computed and stored as data models rather than requiring physical signal paths. This computational copy allows the emulator to support any antenna array configuration through software configuration of the radiation pattern data, providing unlimited adaptability without increasing physical input ports
Solution Approach 2:
The patent makes the FIR filter universal by designing it to handle any antenna array configuration through programmable coefficients. The same physical filter can emulate different antenna arrays, element patterns, and channel conditions by loading different coefficient sets, providing multi-functionality that replaces the need for dedicated hardware for each configuration
Data Source
AI summary
Apparatus comprises a radio channel emulator of a radio system and a combiner. The combiner receives antenna data defining a characteristic radiation pattern of each predetermined antenna element of a predetermined antenna array; forms modified antenna data associated with a predetermined number of modified antenna elements by weighting the antenna data with a predetermined coefficient data; forms modified radio channel data by combining a predetermined radio channel data and the modified antenna data; and feed the modified radio channel data to the radio channel emulator; and the emulator receives at least one signal each of which being associated with a modified antenna element and perform emulation with the at least one signal and the modified radio channel data.