Spherical Zoning Map for 60 GHz Beam Tracking
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Solution Overview
Problem
In 60 GHz wireless communications, the high frequency leads to large path loss, requiring high-gain antennas and adaptive beamforming, but the receiver device needs to determine the best beam to connect to as it moves within a room, without knowing the directions of adjacent/overlapping beams.
Innovation Solution
A wireless communications device with a phased antenna array, a transceiver, and a beam controller that uses a spherical zoning map to control antenna weight vectors, allowing the device to select the best available beam by generating and tracking beam direction and width, and refining the beam alignment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If a phased antenna array is used to perform adaptive beamforming, then the antenna gain increases to meet link budget requirement, but the device complexity increases due to the need for beam searching and tracking
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the spherical space into multiple zones, with each zone associated with a specific beam direction. This segmentation allows the receiver to determine beam directions systematically by identifying which zone the transmitter is in, rather than performing exhaustive beam searching across all possible directions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary beam alignment by using the spherical zoning map to predict beam directions before actual communication begins. The receiver pre-determines the zones and associated beam directions, so when communication starts, the beam searching is already narrowed down to specific zones rather than the entire spherical space.
2Reliability
If the receiver needs to determine the best beam direction, then connectivity reliability improves, but the time required for beam selection increases
Solution Approach 1:
The spherical zoning map is prepared in advance, dividing the spherical space into zones and associating each zone with specific beam directions. This preliminary organization allows the receiver to quickly determine beam directions by simply identifying which zone the transmitter falls into, rather than performing time-consuming exhaustive beam searching.
Solution Approach 2:
The spherical zoning map acts as an intermediary between the transmitter and receiver, providing a structured framework that maps spatial zones to beam directions. This intermediary structure enables the receiver to translate transmitter position information into beam direction selections without requiring complex real-time beam searching.
3Measurement precision
If spherical zoning maps are used to manage beam directions, then beam alignment precision improves, but the data processing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The spherical space is segmented into discrete zones with specific geometric boundaries. This segmentation transforms the continuous problem of beam direction determination into a discrete zone identification problem, where the receiver only needs to determine which zone the transmitter is in, rather than calculating precise angular coordinates.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter representation from continuous angular coordinates to discrete zone identifiers. By mapping beam directions to zone numbers rather than continuous angles, the system achieves precise beam alignment through discrete zone selection, simplifying the data processing while maintaining accuracy.
Data Source
AI summary
The disclosure is directed to a wireless communications device. In an embodiment, the wireless communications device comprises a phased antenna array comprising a plurality of antennas, a transceiver operatively coupled to the phased antenna array and configured to control the plurality of antennas and an antenna weight vector (AWV), a memory storing a spherical zoning map, and a beam controller configured to control the transceiver by setting the AWV for each antenna of the plurality of antennas.