TW201508997A - Techniques for operating phased array antennas in millimeter-wave radio modules - Google Patents

Abstract

A method and apparatus for operating a plurality of radiating elements are provided. In one aspect, the method includes measuring a phase and a gain of each of the plurality of radiating elements; determining a feed gain and a feed phase for each of the plurality of radiating elements based on the measured phase and the measured gain of a respective radiating element; and setting independently each of the plurality of radiating elements based on the determined feed gain and the feed phase.

Description

Technology for operating phased array antennas in millimeter wave radio modules [Cross-Reference to Related Applications]

The present application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 61/843,741, filed on Jul. 8, 2013.

The present invention is generally directed to millimeter wave radio frequency (RF) systems and, in particular, to phased array antennas that operate in such radio modules to allow for efficient signal propagation.

The 60 GHz band is one of the unlicensed bands characterized by a large amount of bandwidth and a large worldwide overlap. The large bandwidth means that the wireless transmission capacity is extremely high. Therefore, a variety of applications (each requiring transmission of a large amount of data) can be developed to allow wireless communication in the vicinity of the 60 GHz band. Examples of such applications include, but are not limited to, wireless high definition television (HDTV), wireless docking stations, wireless billion bit Ethernet, and many other examples.

To facilitate such applications, it is desirable to develop integrated circuits (ICs) such as amplifiers, mixers, radio frequency (RF) analog circuits, and active antennas that operate in the frequency range of 60 GHz. An RF system typically includes an active module and a passive module. Active modules (eg, a phased array antenna) require control signals and power signals to perform their operations. Passive modules (eg, filters) do not require control signals and power signals. The various modules are fabricated and packaged as a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC) that can be assembled on a printed circuit board (PCB). The size of the RFIC package can range from a few square millimeters to hundreds of square millimeters.

In the consumer electronics market, the design of the electronic device and, therefore, the design of the RF module integrated therein should be consistent with minimum cost, size, power consumption and weight constraints. The design of the RF module should also take into account the current assembly configuration of the electronic devices (and in particular handheld devices such as laptops and tablets) in order to achieve efficient transmission and reception of millimeter wave signals. In addition, the RF module should be designed to take into account the minimum power loss and maximum radio coverage for receiving and transmitting RF signals.

A schematic diagram of one of the RF modules 100 designed for transmission and reception of millimeter wave signals is shown in FIG. The RF module 100 includes an array of active antennas 110-1 through 110-N that are coupled to an RF circuit or IC 120. Each of the active antennas 110-1 through 110-N can operate as a transmit (TX) antenna and/or a receive (RX) antenna. An active antenna can be controlled to receive/transmit radio signals in a particular direction, perform beamforming, and switch from a receive mode to a transmit mode. For example, an active antenna can be a phased array antenna in which each radiating element can be individually and independently controlled for use in beamforming techniques.

In transmit mode, RF circuit 120 typically performs an upconversion to convert an intermediate frequency (IF) signal to a radio frequency (RF) signal using a mixer (not shown in FIG. 1). Next, the RF circuit 120 transmits an RF signal through the TX antenna in accordance with the control signal. In the receive mode, the RF circuit 120 receives the RF signal through the active RX antenna and performs a down conversion to the IF signal using the local oscillator (LO) signal using a mixer and transmits the IF signal to a baseband module ( Not shown in Figure 1).

In the two modes of receiving and transmitting, the operation of the RF circuit 120 is controlled by the baseband module using a control signal. Control signals are used for functions such as gain control, RX/TX switching, power level control, beam steering operations, and the like. In some configurations, the baseband module also generates LO signals and power signals and transmits these signals to the RF circuit 120. The power signal is a DC voltage signal that powers various components of the RF circuit 120. Typically, the IF signal is also transmitted between the baseband module and the RF circuit 120.

In common design techniques, an array of active antennas 110-1 to 110-N is implemented thereon. The substrate of the IC of the RF circuit 120 is mounted. An IC is fabricated on a multilayer substrate and metal vias that connect between the various layers. The multilayer substrate can be a combination of one of a metal and a dielectric layer and can be polymerized by, for example, a laminate (eg, FR4 glass epoxy, bismaleimide-triazine), ceramic (eg, low temperature co-fired ceramic LTCC), polymerization. Materials (eg, polyimide), materials based on PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) (eg, PTFE/ceramic, PTFE/glass fiber fabric) and glass fabric reinforcements (eg, glass fabric reinforced resins), Wafer-level packaging and other packaging, technology and materials. The cost of the multilayer substrate depends on the area of the layer; the larger the area of the layer, the higher the cost of the substrate.

The antenna elements of the array of active antennas 110-1 to 110-N are typically implemented by having a metal pattern in a multi-layer substrate. Several substrate layers can be utilized for each antenna element. In a conventional embodiment for millimeter wave communication, the antenna elements are designed to occupy one side of the multilayer substrate side. This is performed to allow the antenna radiation to propagate properly.

In conventional designs of RF systems, active antennas 110-1 through 110-N are phased arrays. Phased array antennas provide the ability to concentrate the beams of many antenna elements in a particular direction. That is, the phased array antenna acts as if it were a single antenna.

The connection between the phased array antenna elements is typically performed using an adder assembly that combines feeds from all of the antenna elements into a single feed. The adder assembly can operate in various positions along the feed. The feed path from the fundamental frequency to the RF module can be changed from the IF frequency to the RF frequency as the signal frequency along the feed path.

One known implementation of a phased array typically includes an array of one of the same antenna elements. Each antenna element is independently controlled by adjusting the feed of the antenna elements to coordinate control with one of the remaining antenna elements. Thus, all beams are concentrated in a particular direction or produce a particular beam shape.

Since the antenna elements are identical, it is known that the adjustable control is optimal for independent phase control of the respective component feeds.

As shown in Figure 2, conventional phased array antennas use the same components 210-1 through 210- 4 (hereinafter referred to individually as an element 210 or collectively referred to as element 210). The direction of the propagated signal produces approximately the same gain for each element 210, while the phase of element 210 is different.

At very high frequencies (eg, between 3 GHz and 300 GHz), conventional phased array antennas are implemented using the same principles as in low frequencies.

There is a fundamental limitation to UHF to produce an antenna element having a near omnidirectional radiation pattern. This means that the components of a conventional phased array antenna are characterized by a narrow beamwidth. For example, a patch antenna element having more than 4 dBi or a dipole ground element having greater than 2 dBi may not be well concentrated. A conventional phased array antenna having one of the N identical components with a gain of 10 log(N) + 5 dBi is associated with a phased array that can be configured to concentrate well on individual 5dBi component types.

High frequency diffracted waves introduce more losses than low frequency transmission. Therefore, the ability to transmit efficiently in all directions is an important design criterion for one of the antenna arrays operating at high frequencies. Thus, conventional designs of phased array antennas are inefficient for transmitting millimeter wave signals in, for example, the 60 GHz band.

Therefore, it would be advantageous to provide a solution to the operation of an improved phased array antenna.

One of several example aspects of the invention is summarized below. This Summary is provided to provide the reader with a basic understanding of one of these aspects and does not fully define the scope of the invention. This summary is not an extensive overview of all of the expected aspects and is not intended to identify the primary or critical elements of all aspects and is not intended to depict any or all aspects. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of one or more aspects in a For convenience, some aspects of the term may be used herein to refer to a single aspect or aspects of the invention.

The invention is in various aspects related to a method for operating a plurality of radiating elements. In some embodiments, the method includes measuring each of the plurality of radiating elements a phase and a gain; determining a feed gain and a feed phase for each of the plurality of radiating elements based on the measured phase of the respective radiating element and the measured gain; and based on the determined feed The input gain and the feed phase independently set each of the plurality of radiating elements.

The invention further relates in various aspects to an apparatus configured for communication. The apparatus includes: a plurality of radiating elements; and a processing system configured to: measure a phase and a gain of each of the plurality of radiating elements; and measure the phase and gain based on a respective radiating element Determining a feed gain and a feed phase for each of the plurality of radiating elements; and independently setting the feed gain of each of the plurality of radiating elements based on the determined feed gain and the feed phase This feeds in phase.

Various aspects of the invention also provide an apparatus for operating a plurality of radiating elements. The apparatus includes: means for measuring a phase and a gain of each of the plurality of radiating elements; for measuring the phase based on a respective radiating element and the measured gain for the plurality of radiating elements Each of the members determines a feed gain and a feed phase component; and means for independently setting each of the plurality of radiating elements based on the determined feed gain and the feed phase.

Aspects of the present invention further provide an access terminal comprising: a plurality of radiating elements; a processing system configured to: measure a phase and a gain of each of the plurality of radiating elements; The measured phase of the respective radiating element and the measured gain determine a feed gain and a feed phase for each of the plurality of radiating elements; independently of the determined feed gain and the feed phase Each of the plurality of radiating elements is configured; and a transmitter configured to transmit a signal via the set of radiating elements.

Various aspects of the present invention further provide a computer program product comprising: a computer readable medium. The computer readable medium includes instructions operable to measure a phase and a gain of each of the plurality of radiating elements; based on the measured phase of the respective radiating element and the measured gain Each of the plurality of radiating elements determines a feed increase And a feed phase; each of the plurality of radiating elements is independently set based on the determined feed gain and the feed phase.

100‧‧‧RF module

110-1‧‧‧Active antenna

110-2‧‧‧Active antenna

110-3‧‧‧Active antenna

110-N‧‧‧Active antenna

120‧‧‧RF (RF) circuit / integrated circuit (IC)

210-1‧‧‧ components

210-2‧‧‧ components

210-3‧‧‧ components

210-4‧‧‧ components

300‧‧‧RF Modules/Modules

301‧‧‧ side of radio frequency (RF) module

302‧‧‧ side of radio frequency (RF) module

303‧‧‧ side of radio frequency (RF) module

304‧‧‧ side of radio frequency (RF) module

305‧‧‧Upper surface/upward direction

306‧‧‧lower surface/downward direction

310‧‧‧Multilayer substrate/substrate/antenna subarray

320‧‧‧RF (RF) circuits

330‧‧‧Discrete electronic components

411‧‧‧ front layer

412‧‧‧ Middle

413‧‧‧ Middle

414‧‧‧ Middle

415‧‧‧ middle

416‧‧‧Lower

417‧‧‧ Grounding layer

418‧‧‧ Grounding layer

421‧‧‧Antenna subarray

422‧‧‧Antenna subarray

423‧‧‧Antenna subarray

424‧‧‧Antenna subarray

425‧‧‧Antenna subarray

426‧‧‧Antenna subarray

440‧‧‧RF circuit (RFIC)

450‧‧‧Discrete electronic components/RF circuit components

500‧‧‧phased array antenna/antenna

510-1‧‧‧radiation components

510-2‧‧‧radiation components

510-N‧‧‧radiation components

520-1‧‧‧Low Noise Amplifier (LNA)

520-2‧‧‧Low Noise Amplifier (LNA)

520-N‧‧‧Low Noise Amplifier (LNA)

525-1‧‧‧ phase shifter

525-2‧‧‧ phase shifter

525-N‧‧‧ phase shifter

540-1‧‧‧Power Amplifier (PA)

540-2‧‧‧Power Amplifier (PA)

540-N‧‧‧Power Amplifier (PA)

545-1‧‧‧ phase shifter

545-2‧‧‧ phase shifter

545-N‧‧‧ phase shifter

550‧‧‧Adder component

570‧‧‧Processing System/Controller

600‧‧‧ Flowchart

S610‧‧‧Steps

Step S620‧‧‧

S630‧‧ steps

S640‧‧‧Steps

S650‧‧‧Steps

A ₁ ‧‧‧Feed gain

A ₂ ‧‧‧Feed gain

A _N ‧‧‧Feed gain

d‧‧‧Physical direction

θ ₁ ‧‧‧Feed phase

θ ₂ ‧‧‧Feed phase

θ _N ‧‧‧Feed phase

The subject matter disclosed herein is specifically indicated and clearly claimed in the claims of the specification. The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the aspects disclosed herein will be apparent from the Detailed Description.

Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating one of the RF modules having one of the active antenna arrays.

2 is a diagram illustrating one of signal propagation in one of the conventional embodiments of phased array antennas.

Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating one of the radiation patterns of one of the RFICs constructed according to an aspect.

4 is a cross-sectional view of an RFIC illustrating the configuration of an antenna array in accordance with an aspect.

Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of one of the phased array antennas used to describe various disclosed aspects.

Figure 6 is a flow chart illustrating one of the adjustable feedthrough gains using different components according to an aspect.

Various aspects of the invention are described below. It should be understood that the teachings herein may be embodied in a variety of forms and that any particular structure, function, or the like disclosed herein is merely representative. Based on the teachings herein, one skilled in the art will appreciate that one or more of the aspects disclosed herein can be implemented independently of any other aspect and can be combined in various ways. For example, a device or a method can be implemented using any number of aspects set forth herein. In addition, such a device may be implemented or practiced using other structures, functionalities, or structures and functionality in addition to or in place of one or more of the aspects set forth herein. In addition, any of the aspects disclosed herein may be embodied by one or more elements of a technical solution.

As an example of the above, in some aspects, a method for operating a phased array antenna can include measuring a phase and a gain of each of a plurality of radiating elements of the phased array antenna, based on a respective The measured phase and gain of the radiating element determines the feed gain and feed for each of the plurality of radiating elements by determining a feed gain and a feed phase and independently setting a plurality of radiating elements of the phased array antenna Phase. Additionally, in some aspects, the plurality of radiating elements of the phased array antenna are different.

The disclosed aspects are examples of many of the possible advantageous uses and embodiments of the innovative teachings presented herein. In general, statements made in the specification of the application do not necessarily limit any of the various aspects disclosed. Furthermore, some statements may apply to some inventive features but not to other inventive features. In general, singular elements can be plural and vice versa without loss of generality unless otherwise indicated. In the drawings, like numerals refer to like parts throughout.

The proposed aspect avoids the disadvantages of prior art solutions for operating phased array antennas by controlling different antenna elements of an antenna array. This aspect allows for efficient performance of the unequal arrays by further customizing the direction and power applied to the individual components.

According to various aspects disclosed herein, different antenna elements of an antenna array are independently operated to provide good coverage in all directions with various polarizations. The disclosed techniques can be used in an RF module having one of an array of active antennas composed of a plurality of sub-arrays.

FIG. 3 schematically illustrates a radiation pattern that can be used to implement one of the disclosed RF modules 300. The RF module 300 houses at least six antenna sub-arrays (not labeled in FIG. 3), an RF circuit (eg, in the form of an integrated circuit) 320, and discrete electronic components 330, all of which are fabricated in RF mode. One of the sets 300 is on a multi-layer substrate 310. The antenna sub-arrays forming the active antenna array of module 300 are designed to receive and transmit millimeter wave signals propagating from four sides 301, 302, 303, and 304 of RF module 300. Additionally, the signal can propagate up through the upper surface 305 of the RF module 300 and down through the lower surface 306 of the RF module 300.

In one configuration, the RF module 300 is mounted in an electronic device to provide a millimeter wave application having a 60 GHz band. Examples of such applications include, but are not limited to, wireless docking, wireless video transmission, wireless connectivity to storage appliances, and the like. Such electronic devices may include, for example, smart phones, mobile phones, tablets, access points, access terminals, access gateways, electronic kiosks, laptops, and the like.

According to an embodiment, each element in each antenna sub-array 310 can be independently controlled by RF circuitry 320. This control (as discussed in further detail below) is performed to provide good coverage in all directions with various polarizations. Thus, signals can be received and/or transmitted through any combination of the six antenna sub-arrays in the RF module 300. Therefore, these signals can be received in combination from any direction. For example, an antenna sub-array in both the upper and lower layers of the substrate 310 is required to allow reception and transmission of signals and the like through the upward and downward directions. As will be described below, each of the radiating elements in any of the antenna sub-arrays can be independently controlled to further improve and optimize the antenna array in module 300. It should be noted that each antenna sub-array is configured to transmit and receive millimeter wave signals. In one aspect, each antenna sub-array is configured to transmit and receive radio signals in the 60 GHz band.

4 shows a cross-sectional view 400 of one of the RF modules 300 illustrating the configuration of an antenna array in accordance with an aspect. As illustrated in FIG. 4, the multilayer substrate 310 of the RF module 300 includes six antenna sub-arrays 421, 422, 423, 424, 425, and 426, which include the active antenna array of the module and are implemented on the multilayer substrate 310. On different layers. The sample multilayer substrate 310 includes eight layers 411 to 418. Each of the layers includes a sub-layer of dielectric, metal, and semiconductor material that adheres to each other.

In particular, antenna sub-array 421 is implemented (e.g., printed or fabricated) on a front layer 411 of substrate 310 and radiated in an upward direction (305). Antenna sub-array 422 is implemented in one of the back layers 416 of substrate 310 and radiates in a downward direction (306). Antenna sub-arrays 423, 424, 425, and 426 are implemented in any of the intermediate layers 412, 413, 414, and 415 of the substrate 310.

In one aspect, each of the antenna sub-arrays 423, 424, 425, and 426 is implemented in One of the layers 412, 413, 414, and 415 is at a different layer. In another aspect, two or more of the antenna sub-arrays 423, 424, 425, and 426 can share the same layer of the intermediate layers 412, 413, 414, and 415. In the same configuration, antenna sub-arrays 423, 424, 425, and 426 radiate through sides 301, 302, 303, and 304 of RF module 300, respectively.

In the schematic shown in FIG. 4, layers 417 and 418 are the ground planes of RF module 300. In one aspect, all antenna sub-arrays share ground planes 417 and 418. This sharing of the ground plane allows the RF module 300 to maintain a compact stack and shorten vertical signal routing, thereby reducing signal loss throughout the various antenna arrays.

Each of the antenna sub-arrays 421, 422, 423, 424, 425, and 426 can be an active antenna, such as a phased array antenna, wherein each radiating element can be independently controlled for use in beamforming techniques. Additionally, the active antenna can be a phased array antenna in which each radiating element can be individually and independently controlled for use in beamforming techniques. In a particular aspect, each of the antenna sub-arrays 421, 422, 423, 424, 425, and 426 can be used to receive and transmit millimeter wave signals in the 60 GHz band. As will be described in greater detail below, the radiating elements of the "side" antenna sub-arrays 423, 424, 425, and 426 are typically constructed differently from the radiating elements of the antenna sub-arrays 421 and 422 of the front and back layers (411, 416).

As depicted in FIG. 4, an RF circuit (RFIC) 440 and discrete electronic components 450 can also be implemented on the multilayer substrate 310. RF circuit 440 typically performs an upconversion to convert an intermediate frequency (IF) signal to a radio frequency (RF) signal using a mixer (not shown in Figure 1). Next, the RF circuit 440 transmits the RF signal through the TX antenna in accordance with the control of the control signal.

In the receive mode, RF circuit 440 receives the RF signal through the active RX antenna and uses a mixer to perform down-conversion to the IF signal using the local oscillator (LO) signal and to transmit the IF signal to a baseband module. Additionally, RF circuit 440 can control antenna sub-arrays 421, 422, 423, 424, 425, and 426 independently of each other, according to an aspect. This independent control allows for higher antenna diversity and optimal coverage in a particular direction.

As a non-limiting example, RF circuit 440 can turn on antenna sub-array 421 while turning off Other antenna arrays and/or open side antenna arrays, and the like. It should be noted that in addition to independently controlling each antenna sub-array, the radiating elements in each antenna sub-array can also be independently controlled. The RF circuit 440 also controls the phase of each antenna to establish a beamforming operation for the phased array antenna.

Discrete electronic component 450 includes the components described above. In one aspect, RF circuit 440 assembly 450 is packaged in a metal shield (not shown) of one of RF modules 300. The metal shield is adhered to the front layer 411 such that the RF circuit 440 assembly 450 is also mounted on the front layer. It will be appreciated that the arrangement of antenna sub-arrays 421 through 426 maximizes the number of antennas in the RF module and, therefore, the size of the active antenna array without increasing the area of the one millimeter wave RF module. Therefore, in the aspect characterized by this configuration, although the number of antennas is increased, the area of the RF module can be kept to a minimum.

FIG. 5 is a diagram for describing one of the phased array antennas 500 of one of the various disclosed aspects. In one aspect, antenna 500 can be any of antenna sub-arrays 421 through 426 discussed above with respect to FIG. In another aspect, antenna 500 can include one or more of six sub-arrays, thereby acting as one of the active antenna arrays of the RF module.

Phased array antenna 500 includes N number of radiating elements 510-1 through 510-N, each of which is designed to receive and transmit millimeter wave signals, for example, in the 60 GHz band. It should be noted that different sub-arrays 421 to 426 and radiating elements 510-1 to 510-N of antenna 500 may be constructed using different types of antenna elements. For example, a first set of radiating elements can be dipoles and a second set of radiating elements can be Yagi-Uda.

In the receiving direction, each of the radiating elements 510-1 to 510-N is connected to an LNA 520-1 to 520-N (hereinafter collectively referred to as LNA 520 or individually referred to as a low noise amplifier (LNA) 520, This is for the sake of brevity and does not limit the disclosed aspects) and a phase shifter 525-1 to 525-N (hereinafter collectively referred to as phase shifter 525 or individually as a phase shifter 525, this is only The disclosed aspects are concise and not limiting, and are further coupled to an adder component 550 that sums up the received signals.

In the transmitting direction, each of the radiating elements 510-1 to 510-N is connected to a power amplifier (PA) 540-1 to 540-N (hereinafter collectively referred to as a power amplifier 540 or individually referred to as a power amplifier 540, This is for the sake of brevity and does not limit the disclosed aspects) and is coupled to a phase shifters 545-1 through 545-N (hereinafter collectively referred to as phase shifters 545 or individually as a phase shifter 545), and Further connected to a distributor 560 that distributes an incoming RF signal to one of the radiating elements.

According to the disclosed aspect, the phase θi of each phase shifter 525 or 545 is controlled individually or independently during reception or transmission of the signal. In addition, the gain Ai of each of the LNA 520 or PA 540 is independently controlled during reception or transmission of the signal. Therefore, according to the disclosed aspect, the gain and phase ( Ai; θi, i = 1, ... , N ) of the signal feed to the component are individually controlled, thereby optimizing the phased array antenna 500 in all directions. And all the effects of polarization.

In one aspect, the controllable components (i.e., amplifiers 520 and 540 and phase shifters 525 and 545) are controlled by a processing system 570. Processing system 570 is configured to operate antenna 500 by adjusting the feed gain and phase of component 510. Various aspects and other embodiments depending on the direction and polarization control gain and phase (Ai; θi) are discussed in more detail below with reference to FIG.

Processing system 570 can include or can be one of the components of a larger processing system implemented using one or more processors. One or more processors can be implemented using any combination of: a general purpose microprocessor, a microcontroller, a digital signal processor (DSP), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a programmable logic device (PLD), Controller, state machine, gated logic, discrete hardware components, proprietary hardware finite state machines, or any other suitable entity for computation or other manipulation of executable information.

Processing system 570 can also include a machine readable medium for storing software. Software should be interpreted broadly to mean any type of instruction, whether called software, firmware, intermediates, microcode, hardware description language, or others. The instructions may include code (eg, in source code format, binary code format, executable code format, or any other suitable code format). Borrowing When executed by one or more processors, the instructions cause the processing system to perform the various functions described herein.

In one aspect, processing system 570 can be integrated into an RF circuit (e.g., RF circuit 440 of FIG. 4). In another aspect, processing system 570 can be part of a baseband module (not shown).

In some aspects, radiating elements 510-1 through 510-N are based on balanced feed antennas, such as dipole antennas or Yagi-Uda antennas. Typically, a balanced feed antenna is coupled to one of the "balanced-unbalanced" components that produce a balanced (differential) signal from one of the input signals to be transmitted. The receiving operation is reciprocal, i.e., the antenna produces a balanced signal that is combined into a single line via a balanced to unbalanced transition.

In accordance with the disclosed aspects, phase shifters 525 and 545 can be configured to perform a balun function. That is, phase shifters 525 and 545 can be configured to generate a balanced differential signal by setting a 180 degree phase difference between the two feeds of the antenna elements (not shown in FIG. 5). In particular, when a balun function is required, the phase feed of a first feed is set to θi while the phase feed of the other feed is set to θi + 180 °. It should be understood that in this aspect, a well-balanced-unbalanced converter is not required as part of the RF module design.

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram 600 illustrating one method of operating a phased array antenna 500 in accordance with an aspect. The method adjusts the feed gain and phase of different and unbalanced radiating elements.

In S610, the gain Gi and the phase Φi of each radiating element 510 are measured. In one aspect, the measurement is performed during a beamforming procedure. To measure the gain Gi and the phase Φi, a transmitter continuously transmits a (repetitive sequence) signal to a receiver having a phased array antenna (e.g., antenna 500) to be controlled. The gain Gi and the phase Φi can be measured according to the physical direction D and the polarization of the other side of the communication link. The physical direction D and polarization vary due to movement and rotation in the transmitter or receiver.

The receiver turns on a radiating element (eg, element 510-1) and turns off other radiating elements (eg, 510-2 through 510N). This is performed for each radiating element. For each component that is turned on, the receiver measures the phase and amplitude of the received signal. The measured information serves as the gain Gi and phase Φi of the respective components. In one aspect, the gain Gi and phase Φi measured for all components are stored in controller 570. In addition, these measurements can also be sent to the transmitter.

A sample program for measuring gain Gi and phase Φi is also discussed in the PHY/MAC specification of the IEEE 802.11ad standard (also known as WiGi) approved and published on May 20, 2010. In one aspect, the gain Gi and the phase Φi are used to control the feeding of the respective components during reception or transmission of the signal.

In S620, two configurable parameters α and β are selected. The parameters α and β are used to calculate the feed gain and the phases Ai and θi which are proportional to the measured antenna gain Gi and phase Φi. In one aspect, the values of α and β are randomly selected. In another aspect, the values of alpha and beta are determined to minimize phase quantization errors. In general, the accuracy of beam steering and other properties of the radiation pattern depend on the phase feed of the radiating element. Phase quantization errors affect phase feed, and reducing this error allows for improved antenna performance.

In one aspect, the alpha and beta values are set to a series of pre-configured values and the phase quantization error is measured. The set of alpha and beta values that provide the smallest error is selected.

In S630, the feed gain and phase for each radiating element are individually determined based on the parameters and the measured antenna gain and phase (Gi; Φi, i=1, .. , N) (Ai; θi, i=1) , ... , N) . In one aspect, the feed-in gain and phase are determined using configurable parameters α and β.

In one aspect, the individual components feed the gain and phase values Ai; θi can be determined to be proportional to the feed gain and phase for the array. In one aspect, the optimum value of the gain Ai and the phase θi can be fed into the array according to the direction. This determination can be done, for example, using predetermined equations (such as Equations 1 and 2), as shown below: Ai = αGi Equation 1

Θi = - Φi + β Equation 2 Gi , Φi , α and β are as defined above.

For the maximum power efficiency in the transmitter and the minimum noise at the receiver, the feed gain and phase calculated using Equations 1 and 2 shown above provide an optimal assignment. In one aspect, the phase can be observed by the following inequality: Equation 3 is equal when θi = - Φi + β .

Another aspect of setting the values of Ai and θi can be determined using the following equation:

If Ai = αGi , then Equation 4 is equal. In one aspect, Equation 3 or Equation 4 is used to set the array gain to minimize the side lobes. In another aspect, the side lobes of the radiating element can be minimized by, for example, a non-convex optimization algorithm. These algorithms maximize the gain in the desired direction while minimizing other directions or invalidating other specific directions. Because the radiating elements (510) are different and therefore their respective gain Gi values are different, non-convex optimization and similar algorithm operations are effective. In addition, the feed gain Ai is independently controlled.

In another aspect, the values of the feed gain Ai and the phase θi can be determined to be the closest possible value to the optimum value. The closest possible optimal value of θi can be determined based on the following:

The closest possible optimal value of Ai can be determined as follows: In one aspect, a Monte-Carlo method or exhaustive search can be used to solve Equation 5, Equation 6, or both.

In this aspect, if the implemented control is inefficient or the optimum values of the feed gain Ai and the phase θi cannot be achieved, the values of the feed gain Ai and the phase θi can be determined to be the closest possible values. . This can not be achieved due to, for example, controlling quantization, amplifier structure, gain mismatch in a chain, and the like.

In yet another aspect, to conserve power, one or more complete chains in the array can be turned off. Preferably, the closed chain has a chain of lowest gain values Gi . Turning off certain chains with lower gain allows for power savings while minimizing performance degradation. In this aspect, in S640, it is determined which chain or chains will be closed. The chain to be closed may be determined by, but not limited to, a predetermined number of chains having one of the lowest gain values Gi, any number of chains having a total gain value below a threshold, and the like.

In yet another aspect, the feed gain Ai in any or all of the elements can be modified by changing any of the gain constants a of the modified elements. This modification can occur by, for example, changing the magnification of the gain of the component. In this aspect, because the amplifier tends to consume less power for lower gain values, lowering the parameter a will reduce the power consumption in the array.

In S650, the gain and phase of each element are independently set based on the feed gain value Ai and the phase value θi of each element in the array. It should be noted that in all of the above aspects, when a balun function is to be implemented, one of the antenna feeds is set to θi while the other is set to θi + 180 °.

It is important to note that this is an example of many advantageous uses of the innovative teachings herein. In particular, the innovative teachings disclosed herein can be adapted in any type of consumer electronic device in which millimeter wave signals need to be received and transmitted. Furthermore, some statements may apply to some inventive features but not to other inventive features. In general, unless otherwise indicated, it is to be understood that the singular elements may be plural and vice versa without loss of generality.

The various components and functions represented in the description herein can be implemented using any suitable method. These methods are implemented, at least in part, using corresponding structures as taught herein. For example, the components described above in connection with processing system 570 correspond to "methods for functionality" of similar indications. Therefore, use a processor component, an integrated circuit, or one of them as in this article One or more of the other suitable structures taught in these embodiments implement one or more of these methods.

In some embodiments, a communication device structure, such as a transceiver or an RF module, is configured to embody the functionality of one of the components for receiving and transmitting any signal, such as a millimeter wave signal. For example, in some embodiments, the structure is programmed or designed to receive and process any signals received as a result of receiving operations. Additionally, in some embodiments, the structure is programmed or designed to process and transmit any signals transmitted by the transmitting operation. Typically, the communication device architecture includes a wireless based transceiver device.

In some embodiments, a processing system structure, such as an ASIC or a programmable processor, is configured to embody the functionality of one of the components for measuring the gain and phase of each radiating element. In some embodiments, the structure is further programmed or designed to determine the feed gain and phase of each radiating element based on the respective measured gain and phase of each radiating element. In some embodiments, the structure is further programmed or designed to independently set the feed gain and phase of each radiating element.

The method or algorithm steps described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein may be directly embodied in a hardware, a software module executed by a processor, or a combination of both. A software module (eg, containing executable instructions and related materials) and other data may reside in a memory such as RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, scratchpad A hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM or any other form of computer readable storage medium known in the art. A sample storage medium can be coupled to a machine such as, for example, a computer/processor (which may be referred to herein as a "processor" for convenience) such that the processor can read from a storage medium. Information (for example, code) and write information to the storage medium. A sample storage medium can be integrated into the processor. The processor and the storage medium can reside in an ASIC. The ASIC can reside in the user device. In the alternative, the processor and the storage medium may reside as discrete components in the user device. Furthermore, in some aspects, any suitable computer program product may A computer readable medium is included that includes code that can be executed (e.g., executable by at least one computer) to provide functionality for one or more aspects of the present invention. In some aspects, a computer program product can include packaging materials. Moreover, a non-transitory computer readable medium is any computer readable medium other than a transitory signal.

In one or more exemplary aspects, the functions described can be implemented in any combination of hardware, software, firmware, or the like. If implemented in a software, the functions may be stored or transmitted as one or more instructions or code on a computer readable medium. Computer-readable media includes computer storage media and communication media including any media that facilitates the transfer of a computer program from one location to another. A computer readable medium can be any available media that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example and not limitation, such computer-readable media can include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage device, disk storage device or other magnetic storage device or can be used to carry or store instructions or data. Any other medium in the form of a structure that has the desired code and can be accessed by a computer. Moreover, any connection is properly termed a computer-readable medium. For example, if a coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair cable, digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technology such as infrared, radio, and microwave is used to transmit software from a website, server, or other remote source, then the coaxial cable, Fiber optic cables, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave are included in the definition of the media. Disks and optical discs as used herein include optical discs (CDs), laser discs, optical discs, digital versatile discs (DVDs), floppy discs, and Blu-ray discs, where the discs are typically magnetically reproduced. The disc uses lasers to optically reproduce the data. Thus, in some aspects, computer readable media may comprise non-transitory computer readable media (eg, tangible media, computer readable storage media, computer readable storage devices, etc.). The non-transitory computer readable medium (e.g., computer readable storage device) can comprise any of the media described herein or otherwise known in tangible form (e.g., a memory device, a media disk, etc.). Additionally, in some aspects, a computer readable medium can comprise a transitory computer readable medium (eg, including a signal). The above combinations should also be included in computer readable Within the scope of the media. It should be appreciated that a computer readable medium can be implemented in any suitable computer program product. Although a particular aspect is described herein, many variations and permutations of such aspects are within the scope of the invention.

Moreover, it is to be understood that any reference to one of the elements herein, such as "first", "second" or the like, is generally not limiting the number or order of the elements. In fact, such instructions are generally used herein as a convenient method of distinguishing two or more elements or two or more of the elements. Thus, reference to one of the first element and the second element does not mean that only two elements may be employed herein or that the first element must be in some way before the second element. Moreover, unless stated otherwise, a group of elements includes one or more elements. In addition, the terms "at least one of A, B, or C" or "one or more of A, B, or C" or "at least a group of A, B, and C" are used in the description or the scope of the patent application. "A" or "at least one of A, B and C" means "A or B or C or any combination of such elements". For example, the term can include A, or B, or C, or A and B, or A and C, or A and B and C, or 2A, or 2B, or 2C, and the like.

Although some of the benefits and advantages of the preferred aspects are mentioned, the scope of the invention is not intended to be limited to a particular benefit, use or object. In fact, aspects of the present invention are intended to be broadly applicable to different wireless technologies, system configurations, networks, and transmission protocols, some of which are illustrated by way of example in the drawings and description.

The previous description of the disclosed aspects is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the invention. Various modifications to these aspects can be readily understood by those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other aspects without departing from the scope of the invention. Therefore, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the details shown herein, but rather the broadest scope of the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

600‧‧‧ Flowchart

S610‧‧‧Steps

Step S620‧‧‧

S630‧‧ steps

S640‧‧‧Steps

S650‧‧‧Steps

Claims (23)

A method for operating a plurality of radiating elements, comprising: measuring a phase of each of the plurality of radiating elements and a gain; based on the measured phase of a respective radiating element and the measured gain Each of the plurality of radiating elements determines a feed gain and a feed phase; and independently sets each of the plurality of radiating elements based on the determined feed gain and the feed phase. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of radiating elements is different. The method of claim 1, wherein the gain and the phase of each of the plurality of radiating elements are measured in accordance with a particular direction and rotation. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the feed gains is proportional to the measured gain and each of the feed phases has a polarity opposite to the measured phase of each respective radiating element. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining comprises: setting the feed gain (Ai) to Ai=αGi and setting the feed phase (θi) to θi=−Φi+β, wherein the α and β systems are groupable The state parameters and Gi and Φi are the measured gains of the respective radiating elements and the measured phases, respectively. The method of claim 5, further comprising: randomly selecting values of the configurable parameters. The method of claim 5, further comprising: selecting values of the configurable parameters based on a quantization error associated with transmission of the radio signal or reception of the radio signal. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the radiating elements comprises a first feed and a second feed and wherein the determining comprises: setting a phase difference between the first feed and the second feed It is 180 degrees. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the radiating elements is at 60 GHz or higher Transmit and receive signals in the frequency band. The method of claim 1, further comprising: configuring the plurality of radiating elements in at least one of: a front antenna sub-array, a rear antenna sub-array, or one or more intermediate antenna sub-arrays. An apparatus for communication, comprising: a plurality of radiating elements; and a processing system configured to: measure a phase of each of the plurality of radiating elements and a gain; based on a respective radiating element The measured phase and gain determine a feed gain and a feed phase for each of the plurality of radiating elements; and independently set each of the plurality of radiating elements based on the determined feed gain and the feed phase The feed gain and the feed phase. The device of claim 11, wherein each of the plurality of radiating elements is different. The device of claim 11, wherein the gain and the phase of each of the plurality of radiating elements are measured in accordance with a particular direction and rotation. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein each of the feed gains is proportional to the measured gain and each of the feed phases has a polarity opposite to the measured phase of each respective radiating element. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the processing system is further configured to set the feed gain (Ai) to Ai = α * Gi; and set the feed phase (θi) to θi = - Φi + β, wherein The alpha and beta systems are configurable parameters, and Gi and Φi are the measured gains of the respective radiating elements and the measured phases, respectively. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the processing system is further configured to randomly select values of the configurable parameters. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the processing system is further configured to select values of the configurable parameters based on a quantization error associated with any of transmission or reception of the radio signals. The device of claim 11, wherein each of the radiating elements comprises a first feed and a second feed and wherein the processing system is further configured to interface the first feed with the second feed A phase difference is set to 180 degrees. The device of claim 11, wherein each of the radiating elements transmits and receives a signal in a frequency band of 60 GHz or higher. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the plurality of radiating elements are disposed in at least one of: a front antenna sub-array, a rear antenna sub-array, or one or more intermediate antenna sub-arrays. A computer program product comprising a computer readable medium having instructions executable by a device to: measure a phase and a gain of each of the plurality of radiating elements; based on a respective radiating element Measuring a phase and the measured gain determining a feed gain and a feed phase for each of the plurality of radiating elements; and independently setting the plurality of radiating elements based on the determined feed gain and the feed phase Each of them. An apparatus for operating a plurality of radiating elements, comprising: means for measuring a phase and a gain of each of the plurality of radiating elements; for measuring the phase based on a respective radiating element and The measured gain determines a feed gain and a feed phase component for each of the plurality of radiating elements; and is configured to independently set the plurality of radiating elements based on the determined feed gain and the feed phase The components of each. An access terminal comprising: a plurality of radiating elements; a processing system configured to: Measure a phase and a gain of each of the plurality of radiating elements; determining a feed gain and a for each of the plurality of radiating elements based on the measured phase of the respective radiating element and the measured gain Feeding the phase; and independently setting each of the plurality of radiating elements based on the determined feedthrough gain and the feed phase; and a transmitter configured to transmit a signal via the set of radiating elements.