MIMO communication system and data link

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11647339-B2
Application number	US-201716467827-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 27, 2017
Priority date	Dec 8, 2016
Publication date	May 9, 2023
Grant date	May 9, 2023

Abstract

A data link ( 101 ) for a MIMO communication system ( 100 ) comprises a first transceiver device ( 106 A) comprising a body ( 109 A) having a transducer mounting surface near or at which is mounted a plurality of first transducers ( 107 A- 107 D) configured to, in use, receive and convert a plurality of electrical waveforms to a respective plurality of acoustic signals. A first bonding layer ( 120 A) bonds a barrier mounting surface of the body of the first transceiver device to a barrier ( 103 ). The data link further comprises a second transceiver device ( 106 B) comprising a body ( 109 B) and a plurality of second transducers ( 107 ′A- 107 ′D) configured to receive and convert the plurality of acoustic signals transmitted through the barrier to a respective plurality of electrical waveforms. A second bonding layer ( 120 B) bonds a barrier mounting surface of the body of the second transceiver to the barrier.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A data link for a multiple inputs multiple outputs (MIMO) communication system, the data link comprising:
a first transceiver device comprising a body having a transducer mounting surface near or at which is mounted a plurality of first transducers, the first transducers configured to, in use, receive and convert a plurality of electrical waveforms to a respective plurality of acoustic signals;
a first bonding layer configured to, in use, bond a barrier mounting surface of the body of the first transceiver device opposite its transducer mounting surface to a barrier through which the plurality of acoustic signals output by the first transceiver device is transmitted;
a second transceiver device comprising a body having a transducer mounting surface near or at which is mounted a plurality of second transducers, the second transducers configured to, in use, receive and convert the plurality of acoustic signals transmitted through the barrier to a respective plurality of electrical waveforms, and
a second bonding layer configured to, in use, bond a barrier mounting surface of the body of the second transceiver device opposite to its transducer mounting surface to the barrier,
wherein a thickness of the first bonding layer and/or the second bonding layer is such that, in use, periodic transmission maxima occur outside a frequency bandwidth Δf of a channel of the acoustic signal.

2. The data link according to claim 1 , wherein the body of the first transceiver device and the body of the second transceiver device each comprise sapphire or single crystal sapphire.

3. The data link according to claim 1 , where, in use, the body of the first transceiver device and the body of the second transceiver device function as reverberation chambers for the acoustic signals.

4. The data link according to claim 1 , wherein a thickness of the first bonding layer and/or the second bonding layer is within a range of 4.0 μm to 4.30 μm, or within a range of 12.2 μm to 12.5 μm.

5. The data link according to claim 1 , wherein the thickness of the first bonding layer and/or the second bonding layer is determined as a function of a centre frequency of a channel of at least one of the acoustic signals, and as a function of a power averaged angle of incidence of a total ensemble of multipath signals in the channel.

6. The data link according to claim 1 , wherein the first bonding layer and/or the second bonding layer comprises a low acoustic loss layer including one or more of sapphire, single crystal sapphire, yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG), and fused silica.

7. The data link according to claim 1 , wherein the first bonding layer and/or the second bonding layer comprises a resin material doped with spacer material.

8. The data link according to claim 1 , wherein the first bonding layer and/or the second bonding layer comprises an acoustic coupling gel or fluid.

9. The data link according to claim 1 , wherein the body of the first transceiver device and the body of the second transceiver device each comprises a block or is cuboid in shape.

10. The data link according to claim 9 , wherein at least one wall surface extends between the transducer mounting surface and the barrier mounting surface of the body of the first transceiver device, and at least one wall surface extends between the transducer mounting surface and the barrier mounting surface of the body of the second transceiver device.

11. The data link according to claim 10 , wherein at least one dimension of a said transducer mounting surface is relatively smaller than at least one corresponding dimension of a said wall surface.

12. The data link according to claim 1 , wherein an electrode of each of the plurality of first transducers is rectangular or elliptical or diamond in shape, with a shortest dimension of the shape being parallel to a main axis of the plurality of first transducers.

13. The data link according to claim 1 , wherein positions of the plurality of first transducers is non-periodic and non-symmetric with respect to positions of the plurality of second transducers.

14. A MIMO communication system comprising the MIMO data link according to claim 1 , the system further comprising:
a first MIMO modem configured to, in use, receive and convert an input signal to output the plurality of electrical waveforms to the first transceiver device; and
a second MIMO modem configured to, in use, receive and convert the plurality of electrical waveforms output by the second transceiver device to produce an output signal.

15. The data link according to claim 1 , wherein a thickness of the first bonding layer and/or the second bonding layer is 4.15 μm, or is 12.35 μm.

16. The data link according to claim 1 , wherein the first bonding layer and/or the second bonding layer comprises a resin material doped with micro-pearl spheres or polymer spheres.

17. The data link according to claim 1 , wherein the first bonding layer and/or the second bonding layer comprise a solder joint.

18. The data link according to claim 17 , wherein the solder joint comprises spacer particles.

19. The data link according to claim 1 , wherein an electrode of each of the plurality of first transducers has a shape, with a shortest dimension of the shape being parallel to a main axis of the plurality of first transducers.

20. A data link for a multiple inputs multiple outputs (MIMO) communication system, the data link comprising:
a first transceiver device comprising a body having a transducer mounting surface near or at which is mounted a plurality of first transducers, the first transducers configured to, in use, receive and convert a plurality of electrical waveforms to a respective plurality of acoustic signals;
a first bonding layer configured to, in use, bond a barrier mounting surface of the body of the first transceiver device opposite its transducer mounting surface to a barrier through which the plurality of acoustic signals output by the first transceiver device is transmitted;
a second transceiver device comprising a body having a transducer mounting surface near or at which is mounted a plurality of second transducers, the second transducers configured to, in use, receive and convert the plurality of acoustic signals transmitted through the barrier to a respective plurality of electrical waveforms, and
a second bonding layer configured to, in use, bond a barrier mounting surface of the body of the second transceiver device opposite to its transducer mounting surface to the barrier,
wherein a thickness the first bonding layer and/or the second bonding layer is determined, in use, as a function of a centre frequency of a channel of the acoustic signal and as a power averaged angle of incidence of a total ensemble of multipath signals in the channel.

Assignees

• Bae Systems Plc

Inventors

• Kent Lionel William

Classifications

• H04B11/00 Primary

  Transmission systems employing ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves · CPC title

• H04R17/10 Primary

  Resonant transducers, i.e. adapted to produce maximum output at a predetermined frequency · CPC title

• B06B1/0644

  using a single piezoelectric element (B06B1/0688 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H04R17/00

  Piezoelectric transducers; Electrostrictive transducers (piezoelectric or electrostrictive elements in general H10N30/00; details of piezoelectric or electrostrictive motors, generators or positioners {H10N30/00}) · CPC title

• G01N29/28

  providing acoustic coupling {, e.g. water (impedance matching G10K11/02)} · CPC title