Triangular Beam Grid for Wireless Link Acquisition
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Solution Overview
Problem
Establishing initial wireless communication between stations in high-frequency wireless systems is challenging due to the narrowness of beams and adverse atmospheric conditions, such as rain, which introduces additional transmission loss.
Innovation Solution
A method using a grid arrangement of beams with pre-determined antenna weight vectors, where beams are spaced in a triangular pattern to increase gain between beams, allowing for a time-efficient search process to find the best beam for communication, and a secondary set of vectors for refined beam selection based on signal strength.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If beams are made narrow to provide high antenna gain for long-distance communication, then system gain is improved, but the difficulty of establishing initial wireless communication increases due to beam narrowness and sensitivity to atmospheric conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The beam search process is segmented into multiple stages: an initial coarse search using a first subset of antenna weight vectors to identify a rough beam direction, followed by a refined search using a second subset of vectors to precisely align the beam. This segmentation allows the system to maintain narrow high-gain beams while systematically overcoming the difficulty of initial acquisition.
Solution Approach 2:
A predetermined plurality of antenna weight vectors is pre-calculated and stored before communication begins. These vectors correspond to pre-configured beams arranged in a grid pattern, enabling the system to quickly select and switch between beams during the search process without requiring real-time computation, thus facilitating rapid establishment of initial communication.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a comprehensive set of antenna weight vectors is used to cover all possible beam directions, then beam coverage is improved, but the search time to find the best beam increases
Solution Approach 1:
The complete set of antenna weight vectors is divided into multiple subsets. The first subset contains vectors for coarse directional search, while the second subset contains vectors for fine-tuned beam alignment. This segmentation enables the system to perform an efficient two-stage search that maintains comprehensive coverage while significantly reducing the time required to identify the optimal beam.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adapts its search strategy by switching between different subsets of antenna weight vectors based on the search progress. Initially, a broader subset is used for rapid directional identification, then a more focused subset is employed for precise beam alignment, optimizing the balance between coverage and search time.
3Device complexity
If beams are arranged in a conventional rectangular grid, then the structure is simple, but the gain in regions between beams is insufficient to tolerate adverse atmospheric conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a triangular lattice arrangement of beams instead of a conventional rectangular grid. In this asymmetric arrangement, beams are positioned at vertices of equilateral triangles, which provides overlapping coverage areas and ensures that regions between beams receive sufficient gain. This asymmetric configuration enhances tolerance to atmospheric conditions while maintaining structural simplicity.
4Measurement precision
If the amplitude and phase of each antenna element are controlled in real-time to form beams, then beamforming precision is improved, but computational complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
All antenna weight vectors are predetermined and calculated offline before the communication system operates. Each weight vector corresponds to a specific beam direction and contains pre-computed amplitude and phase values for each antenna element. During operation, the system simply selects the appropriate pre-calculated vector from storage, achieving precise beamforming without real-time computation and thereby reducing computational complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
Wireless communication is established between a first station and a second station in a wireless communication system, the first station having a beamforming network configured to form a succession of beams using antenna weight vectors selected from a pre-determined plurality of antenna weight vectors. The orientations of the beams are arranged in a grid comprising a plurality of rows. The beams of each row are spaced in angular position such that at least one beam in a respective row is positioned mid-way between the positions of two beams on an adjacent row. A succession of beams is formed to send first messages using a selected first sub-set of the antenna weight vectors. If a first message in a first beam is received at the second station, a further succession of beams is formed using a second sub-set of the antenna weight vectors selected to form beams adjacent to the first beam.