Virtual Receive Antennas via Fast Switching for mmWave Reception
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Solution Overview
Problem
The increasing demand for wireless communication devices to maintain throughput and robustness leads to the need for additional antennas, which increases equipment costs, and existing solutions for switching antenna directions are slow and inefficient, limiting concurrent reception from multiple directions.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a switching device that allows a single physical antenna to operate in multiple directions simultaneously by rapidly switching its direction within each sample processed, effectively creating virtual antennas and improving noise robustness and performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If additional physical antennas are added to maintain throughput and robustness, then wireless communication performance is improved, but equipment cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates virtual copies of physical antennas through rapid switching. A single physical antenna is switched between different spatial configurations to generate multiple virtual antenna patterns, allowing the system to process multiple antenna patterns simultaneously without requiring multiple physical antennas. This copying approach maintains communication robustness while reducing the quantity of physical antennas needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent makes a single physical antenna perform multiple functions by rapidly switching it between different spatial orientations and patterns. The same physical antenna structure serves as multiple virtual antennas, each with different radiation patterns, enabling the system to achieve multi-antenna performance from a single physical component.
2Quantity of substance
If antenna switching is implemented to reduce the number of physical antennas, then equipment cost decreases, but switching speed is slow and concurrent reception from multiple directions is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs periodic switching of the antenna between different patterns at rates synchronized with the signal processing. By switching periodically and rapidly between antenna patterns, the system creates the effect of concurrent reception from multiple directions. The periodic switching occurs fast enough to be processed within each signal sample, effectively achieving simultaneous multi-directional reception without actual mechanical movement.
3Quantity of substance
If traditional antenna switching is used, then the number of physical antennas is reduced, but the ability to receive signals from multiple directions concurrently is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent maintains continuous reception capability across multiple directions by rapidly switching antenna patterns within each processing interval. The switching occurs so quickly that the reception action appears continuous and simultaneous for all virtual antenna patterns. This continuous switching approach preserves the useful action of receiving signals from multiple directions concurrently, despite using a single physical antenna.
Data Source
AI summary
Millimeter-wave (mmWave) and sub-mmWave technology, apparatuses, and methods that relate to receivers for wireless communications are described. The various aspects include an apparatus of a communication device including an antenna array and switching circuitry coupled to each antenna of the antenna array. The switching circuitry is configured to switch at a rate based on the center frequency of incoming communications on each respective antenna to generate at least two antenna patterns and provide the at least two antenna patterns to processing circuitry for decoding.