Simplified Antenna Platform Format for Direction Finding
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current direction finding in wireless local area networks requires large antenna pattern databases for accurate AoD and AoA estimation, leading to high transmission overhead and storage requirements, which complicates the use of conventional algorithms like Bartlett beamformer and MUSIC.
Innovation Solution
A simplified antenna platform format is introduced, providing an antenna platform format indicator, location, orientation, number of elements, phase center, and polarization information, reducing the need for antenna spatial signatures and array responses, thus enabling conventional AoD algorithms for direction finding while minimizing data transmission and storage needs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If antenna pattern database is used for direction finding, then measurement precision is improved, but loss of information increases due to high transmission overhead and large storage requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential antenna platform format information (number of elements, element positions, orientations, polarizations) from the complete antenna pattern database, transmitting only this extracted subset rather than the entire database. This resolves the contradiction by maintaining direction finding capability while dramatically reducing data transmission overhead.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter representation from complete antenna pattern data (spatial signatures, array responses) to simplified format parameters (number of elements, positions, orientations, polarizations). This parameter transformation enables conventional algorithms to function with minimal data, resolving the transmission overhead issue while preserving measurement precision.
2Measurement precision
If antenna pattern database is used for direction finding, then measurement precision is improved, but device storage size increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential antenna platform format information from the complete antenna pattern database, storing only this extracted subset locally in devices. This resolves the storage contradiction by maintaining direction finding accuracy while reducing storage requirements from megabytes to minimal format parameters.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of storing complete antenna patterns and looking them up, the patent inverts the approach by storing only the antenna platform format parameters and generating/conveying spatial signatures as needed. This inversion dramatically reduces storage requirements while maintaining measurement precision.
3Device complexity
If simplified antenna platform format is used, then device complexity is reduced, but measurement precision may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary action by providing the antenna platform format information in advance before actual direction finding measurements. This allows receiving devices to pre-configure conventional algorithms with the correct antenna parameters, ensuring measurement precision is maintained while keeping the data structure simple.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent makes the simplified antenna platform format universal by designing it to work with conventional direction finding algorithms (MUSIC, ESPRIT, beamforming). This multi-functionality ensures that the simple format parameters can support various algorithms and scenarios, maintaining measurement precision without increasing device complexity.
Data Source
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AI summary
A method of direction finding (DF) positioning based on a simplified antenna platform format in a wireless communication network is proposed. A receiver receives antenna platform format information of a transmitter having multiple antenna elements. The antenna platform format information comprises an antenna platform format indicator, antenna platform position and orientation information, a number of antenna elements, and switching delay, phase center, and polarization information for each antenna element. The receiver receives a plurality of direction finding sounding signals transmitted from the transmitter via the multiple antenna elements. The receiver performs a DF algorithm based on the plurality of DF sounding signals and the antenna platform format information and thereby estimating a DF solution. Finally, the receiver determines its own location information based on the estimated DF solution.