Cellular Receiver Adaptive Beam Steering

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current cellular telephone receivers lack the ability to effectively increase operating range with respect to base stations and efficiently mitigate interference, as they do not utilize reference or pilot signals for adaptive beam steering.

Innovation Solution

The method involves receiving a reference signal on an array of antenna elements to determine optimal weighting, steering the beam pattern towards the signal of interest, adjusting the beam width to cover the area of interest, acquiring and tracking interferers, and using reconstructed interference components to adaptively cancel interference, thereby enhancing signal strength and reducing noise.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Length of stationary object

If beam steering is implemented at the base station, then operating range is increased, but reference or pilot signals from the base station are not utilized

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveoperating rangeVSAvoidutilization of reference signals

Core Design Contradiction:

Length of stationary objectVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of implementing beam steering at the base station as in conventional systems, this patent inverts the approach by implementing adaptive beam steering at the cellular telephone receiver using the antenna array and signal processing circuitry. The receiver utilizes reference signals from the base station to adaptively form beams, thereby increasing operating range while making effective use of available reference signals.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

Solution Approach 2:

The cellular telephone receiver performs its own beam steering operations autonomously using its antenna array and signal processing capabilities. The receiver independently acquires reference signals, determines optimal weighting, and forms beams without requiring base station beam steering, making the system self-sufficient in extending operating range.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

2Power

If beam steering is implemented without utilizing reference signals, then directional gain is achieved, but interference mitigation is insufficient

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedirectional gainVSAvoidinterference

Core Design Contradiction:

PowerVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The system uses reference signals from the base station as feedback to adaptively adjust the beamforming weights. The receiver continuously monitors the reference signals and adjusts the antenna element weighting to optimize both directional gain toward the desired signal and attenuation of interference from other directions, creating a closed-loop adaptive system.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The system dynamically changes the weighting parameters of the antenna elements based on the received reference signals. By adjusting the complex weights (amplitude and phase) of each antenna element, the system adapts the beam pattern to maximize signal strength in the desired direction while minimizing interference from other directions, achieving both directional gain and interference mitigation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

3Reliability

If adaptive beam steering with interference cancellation is implemented, then signal-to-noise-plus-interference ratio is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesignal-to-noise-plus-interference ratioVSAvoidprocessing circuitry complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The signal processing circuitry performs multiple functions using the same hardware resources: it processes reference signals for beam forming, tracks interferers, reconstructs interference components, and cancels interference. This multi-functional approach achieves improved signal-to-noise-plus-interference ratio without proportionally increasing device complexity, as the same processing units are utilized for multiple purposes.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary acquisition and tracking of interferers before the main signal reception and decoding processes. By identifying and characterizing interferers in advance using the antenna array and reference signals, the system can pre-compute cancellation weights and remove interference components before they degrade the desired signal, thereby improving reliability without requiring excessively complex real-time processing during critical signal reception.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS8417207B2High-performance cellular telephone receiver

Publication Date: 2013.04.09 NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYSTEMS CORP

AI summary

A method includes: receiving a reference signal on an array of antenna elements; using a received reference signal to find optimal weighting of the antenna elements to point a beam pattern of the antenna elements in the direction of a reference signal, thereby providing gain in the direction of the reference signal and attenuation in all other directions; adjusting a width of the beam pattern to cover an area of interest; acquiring and tracking interferers in the area of interest; reconstructing a component of interference from each of the interferers; and using the reconstructed component of interference to adaptively cancel interference from the interferers.