MIMO communication system for vehicles

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11146325-B2
Application number	US-201916730457-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 30, 2019
Priority date	Dec 17, 2015
Publication date	Oct 12, 2021
Grant date	Oct 12, 2021

Abstract

A multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) based vehicle-mounted system may include a first plurality of antennas and a second plurality of antennas, with an antenna of the first plurality having different polarization than an antenna of the second plurality, an antenna of the first plurality and an antenna of the second plurality having antenna patterns in a different direction relative to at least another antenna of the first plurality and another antenna of the second plurality, and an antenna pattern of one antenna of the first plurality and an antenna pattern of one antenna of the second plurality being directed at least approximately parallel to the path. A corresponding MIMO-based stationary system may include at least a first plurality of antennas and a second plurality of antennas, with radiation patterns of the first and second pluralities being configured to overlap within an area between the first and second pluralities.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system configured for mounting along or near a path of a vehicle, the system comprising:
a first plurality of antennas; and
a second plurality of antennas; and
one or more circuits configured for handling signals transmitted and/or received via the first plurality of antennas and the second plurality of antennas;
wherein:
the first plurality of antennas is configured for providing a first radiation pattern when first signals are communicated in a direction of the second plurality of antennas;
the second plurality of antennas is configured for providing a second radiation pattern when second signals are communicated in a direction of the first plurality of antennas;
the first radiation pattern and the second radiation pattern are configured to overlap within an area between the first and the second plurality of antennas; and
the first plurality of antennas and the second plurality of antennas are configured such that the first radiation pattern and the second radiation pattern are cross-polarized.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
the first plurality of antennas is configured for providing the first radiation pattern one or more signal channels from a plurality of signals channels are communicated in a direction of the second plurality of antennas; and
the second plurality of antennas is configured for providing the second radiation pattern one or more remaining signal channels from the plurality of signals channels are communicated in a direction of the first plurality of antennas.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein one or both of the first plurality of antennas and the second plurality of antennas is coupled to a distributed antenna system.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the distributed antenna system is configured such that for a vehicle passing a plurality of antennas, signal strength for a signal channel of the communication system remains essentially constant.

5. The system of claim 1 , comprising a third plurality of antennas configured for operation in conjunction with the first plurality of antennas and the second plurality of antennas.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the third plurality of antennas comprises one or more leaky feeder cables configured to provide cross-polarized beams.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the one or more leaky feeder cables comprise at least two parallel leaky feeder cables with pattern diversity.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the at least two parallel leaky feeder cables are arranged on each side of a path a vehicle.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the at least two parallel leaky feeder cables are connected for signal transmission and terminated at opposite ends.

Assignees

• Swisscom Ag

Inventors

• Jamaly Nima

Classifications

• B61L15/0027 Primary

  Radio-based, e.g. using GSM-R · CPC title

• B61L27/70

  Details of trackside communication · CPC title

• H04B7/1555 Primary

  Selecting relay station antenna mode, e.g. selecting omnidirectional -, directional beams, selecting polarizations · CPC title

• H04W84/005

  Moving wireless networks · CPC title

• H04B7/10

  Polarisation diversity; Directional diversity · CPC title