Virtual Antenna Selection for Wireless Power Efficiency
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Solution Overview
Problem
In wireless communication systems, the use of multiple transmit antennas often results in wasted transmit power due to interference, as not all antennas are utilized simultaneously, leading to inefficient power utilization.
Innovation Solution
The concept of virtual antennas is introduced, where multiple physical antennas are combined using vectors of coefficients to form virtual antennas, allowing for efficient use of transmit power by selecting the best set of virtual antennas based on performance metrics such as signal quality and throughput, and distributing power uniformly or non-uniformly across them.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If multiple transmit antennas are used for data transmission, then throughput and reliability are improved, but transmit power is wasted due to interference and incomplete utilization of all antennas
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the set of T transmit antennas into multiple subsets, where each subset contains a different combination of active antennas. Instead of using all T antennas simultaneously or selecting only one subset, the system divides the antenna resources into multiple groups that can be selectively activated based on channel conditions and performance requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic antenna selection by evaluating the performance of different antenna subsets in real-time based on channel state information. The system dynamically determines which subset of virtual antennas to activate, allowing the configuration of active antennas to change adaptively according to varying channel conditions, thereby optimizing both throughput and power utilization.
2Reliability
If a subset of transmit antennas is selected for transmission, then interference is reduced and performance is improved, but the transmit power of unused antennas is wasted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates virtual antennas that can be formed from different combinations of physical antennas, making each physical antenna serve multiple potential functions. Each physical antenna can contribute to multiple different virtual antenna configurations, allowing the system to universally utilize all physical antennas across different virtual antenna formations rather than leaving some permanently inactive.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the configuration parameters of virtual antennas by adjusting the coefficients in the linear combination of physical antenna signals. By modifying these parameters, the system can transform the same physical antennas into different virtual antenna characteristics, enabling flexible power distribution and optimal signal quality without wasting physical antenna resources.
3Use of energy by moving object
If virtual antennas are formed by combining multiple physical antennas, then power utilization is improved, but system complexity increases due to multiple hypotheses evaluation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary evaluation of multiple virtual antenna hypotheses before actual data transmission. The receiver assesses the performance of different virtual antenna configurations using channel state information and sends feedback to the transmitter about the best performing configuration. This preliminary action allows the system to pre-determine the optimal virtual antenna setup, avoiding the need for complex real-time evaluation during data transmission.
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques for transmitting data from virtual antennas instead of physical antennas are described. Each virtual antenna may be mapped to some or all physical antennas by a different mapping. The performance of different sets of at least one virtual antenna is evaluated based on one or more metrics such as signal quality, throughput, overall rate, and so on. The virtual antenna set with the best performance is selected for use. If the virtual antenna selection is performed by the receiver, then channel state information for the selected virtual antenna set may be sent to the transmitter. The channel state information may convey the selected virtual antenna(s), the signal quality or rate(s) for the selected virtual antenna(s), one or more preceding matrices used to form the selected virtual antenna(s), and so on. The transmitter and/or receiver use the selected virtual antenna(s) for data transmission.