Non-line-of-sight (NLOS) coverage for millimeter wave communication

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11109243-B2
Application number	US-202016866536-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 4, 2020
Priority date	May 30, 2017
Publication date	Aug 31, 2021
Grant date	Aug 31, 2021

Abstract

A system, in an active reflector device, adjusts a first amplification gain of each of a plurality of radio frequency (RF) signals received at a receiver front-end from a first equipment via a first radio path of an NLOS radio path. A first phase shift is performed on each of the plurality of RF signals with the adjusted first amplification gain. A combination of the plurality of first phase-shifted RF signals is split at a transmitter front-end. A second phase shift on each of the split first plurality of first phase-shifted RF signals is performed. A second amplification gain of each of the plurality of second phase-shifted RF signals is adjusted.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system, comprising:
a first plurality of circuits in a receiver front-end of a reflector device,
wherein the reflector device is in a vicinity of a physical obstructing object at a line-of-sight (LOS) radio path between a first equipment and a second equipment, and
wherein the first plurality of circuits are configured to:
adjust a first amplification gain of each of a plurality of radio frequency (RF) signals received from the first equipment via a first radio path of a non-line-of-sight (NLOS) radio path,
perform a first phase shift on each of the plurality of RF signals with the adjusted first amplification gain to generate a plurality of first phase-shifted RF signals, and
communicate a combination of the plurality of first phase-shifted RF signals to a second plurality of circuits, and

wherein the second plurality of circuits is in a transmitter front-end of the reflector device, the second plurality of circuits are configured to:
perform a second phase shift on each of the plurality of first phase-shifted RF signals to generate a plurality of second phase-shifted RF signals; and
adjust a second amplification gain of each of the plurality of second phase-shifted RF signals.

2. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the second plurality of circuits are further configured to transmit the plurality of RF signals with the adjusted second amplification gain as a directed beam to the second equipment via a second radio path of the NLOS radio path.

3. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the first plurality of circuits are further configured to create a baseband signal based on demodulation of the combination of the plurality of first phase-shifted RF signals.

4. The system according to claim 3 , wherein the system further comprises a third plurality of circuits configured to decompose variable amplitude of the baseband signal into constant amplitude decomposed analog signals.

5. The system according to claim 4 , wherein the second plurality of circuits are further configured to create constant amplitude decomposed RF signals based on modulation and mixing of the constant amplitude decomposed analog signals.

6. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the receiver front-end of the reflector device is isolated from the transmitter front-end of the reflector device at a specified distance.

7. A system, comprising:
a radio frequency (RF) transmitter device configured to transmit a plurality of RF signals via a first radio signal path of a non-line-of-sight (NLOS) radio path;
a first equipment communicatively coupled to the RF transmitter device via the first radio signal path,
wherein the first equipment is selected based on a first set of criteria,
wherein the first equipment is configured to:
receive the plurality of RF signals from the RF transmitter device via the first radio signal path; and
transmit the received plurality of RF signals via a second radio path of the NLOS radio path; and

a second equipment communicatively coupled to the first equipment over a second radio signal path,
wherein the second equipment is selected based on a second set of criteria, wherein the second equipment is configured to:
receive the plurality of RF signals transmitted by the first equipment; and
transmit a directed beam of RF signals via a third radio path of the NLOS radio path to an RF receiver device,
wherein the directed beam of RF signals is transmitted based on the received plurality of RF signals.

8. The system according to claim 7 , wherein the first equipment is a passive reflector device at an incident angle with respect to the RF transmitter device, wherein the second equipment is an active reflector device, wherein the first equipment and the second equipment are selected by the RF transmitter device.

9. The system according to claim 8 , wherein a size of the first equipment is based on the incident angle, a scanning angle, and a distance between the first equipment and the RF transmitter device.

10. The system according to claim 7 , wherein the first equipment and the second equipment are in a vicinity of a first physical obstructing object and a second physical obstructing object, respectively, wherein the first physical obstructing object is a completely obstructing object and the second physical obstructing object is a partially obstructing object.

11. The system according to claim 10 , wherein the first set of criteria corresponds to a location of the first equipment, a relative distance of the first equipment with respect to the RF transmitter device, a type of the first physical obstructing object, and a passive reflection of the received plurality of RF signals.

12. The system according to claim 10 , wherein the second set of criteria corresponds to a location of the second equipment, a relative distance of the second equipment with respect to the RF transmitter device, the RF receiver device and the first equipment, a type of the second physical obstructing object, and an active reflection of the received plurality of RF signals.

13. The system according to claim 7 , wherein the second equipment is further configured to adjust an amplitude gain, adjust phase shift, perform beam forming to generate the directed beam, and perform beam steering of the received plurality of RF signals based on a first and a second phase shifting.

14. The system according to claim 7 , wherein the RF transmitter device is further configured to coordinate communication of configuration information to configure or reconfigure the second equipment.

15. A method, comprising:
in a reflector device:
adjusting a first amplification gain of each of a plurality of radio frequency (RF) signals received from a first equipment via a first radio path of a non-line-of-sight radio path;
performing a first phase shift on each of the plurality of RF signals with the adjusted first amplification gain to generate a plurality of first phase-shifted RF signals;
communicating a combination of the plurality of first phase-shifted RF signals;
performing a second phase shift on each of the plurality of first phase-shifted RF signals to generate a plurality of second phase-shifted RF signals; and

adjusting a second amplification gain of each of the plurality of second phase-shifted RF signals.

16. The method according to claim 15 , further comprising transmitting the plurality of RF signals with the adjusted second amplification gain as a directed beam to a second equipment via a second radio path.

17. The method according to claim 15 , further comprising creating a baseband signal based on demodulation of the combination of the plurality of first phase-shifted RF signals.

18. The method according to claim 17 , further comprising decomposing variable amplitude of the baseband signal into constant amplitude decomposed analog signals.

19. The method according to claim 18 , further comprising creating a constant amplitude decomposed RF signals based on modulation and mixing of the constant amplitude decomposed analog signals.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon, computer-executable instruction, which when executed by a computer, cause the computer to execute operations, the operations comprising:
in a reflector device:
adjusting a first amplification gain of each of a plurality of radio frequency (RF) signals received from a first equipment via a first radio path of a non-line-of-sight radio path;
performing a first phase shift on each of the plurality of RF

Assignees

• Movandi Corp
• Silicon Valley Bank

Inventors

• Rofougaran Ahmadreza
• Gharavi Sam
• Sridharan Kartik
• Boers Michael
• Yoon Seunghwan
• Shin Donghyup
• Shirinfar Farid
• Wu Stephen
• Rofougaran Maryam

Classifications

• H04B7/0408 Primary

  using two or more beams, i.e. beam diversity · CPC title

• H04B3/232

  using phase shift, phase roll or frequency offset correction · CPC title

• H01Q1/242

  specially adapted for hand-held use · CPC title

• H03G3/3052

  in bandpass amplifiers (H.F. or I.F.) or in frequency-changers used in a (super)heterodyne receiver (H03G3/32, H03G3/34 take precedence) · CPC title

• H04W24/02

  Arrangements for optimising operational condition · CPC title