AoA/AoD calculation with mirror disambiguation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11656314-B2
Application number	US-202017035557-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 28, 2020
Priority date	Sep 28, 2020
Publication date	May 23, 2023
Grant date	May 23, 2023

Abstract

A receiver circuit is disclosed. The receiver circuit includes a receiver antenna or a receiver antenna arrays oriented at a receiver orientation angle and configured to receive a plurality of RF signals transmitted from a transmitter circuit including a transmit antenna or a transmit antenna array oriented at a transmitter orientation angle. A controller A) calculates first and second AoAs based on a first signal at a first receiver antenna array, and calculates third and fourth AoAs based on a second signal at a second receiver antenna array, and/or B) calculates first and second AoDs based on a third signal from a first transmit antenna array, and calculates third and fourth AoDs based on a fourth signal from a second transmit antenna array. The controller also determines which of the first and second AoAs is correct, and/or determines which of the first and second AoDs is correct.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A receiver circuit, comprising:
a first receiver antenna array of two or more receiver antennas oriented at a first receiver orientation angle, a second receiver antenna array of two or more receiver antennas oriented at a second receiver orientation angle offset from the first receiver orientation angle by a non-zero angular difference, each of the first and second receiver antenna arrays being a linear array, and the first and second receiver antenna arrays configured to receive a plurality of RF signals transmitted from a transmitter circuit comprising one or more transmit antennas; and
a controller configured to:
calculate first and second angles of arrival (AoAs) based on one or more digitized samples of a first RF signal received at the first receiver antenna array, and calculate third and fourth AoAs based on one or more digitized samples of a second RF signal received at the second receiver antenna array, the first and second AoAs being mirrored over the first receiver orientation angle, the third and fourth AoAs being mirrored over the second receiver orientation angle; and
determine which of the first and second AoAs is correct based on at least one of the third AoA or the fourth AOAs and on the angular difference.

2. The receiver circuit of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
subtract the angular difference from each of the third and fourth AoAs to generate fifth and sixth AoA angles,
wherein the controller is configured to determine which of the first and second AoAs is correct by identifying which of the fifth and sixth AoA angles matches one of the first and second AoAs.

3. The receiver circuit of claim 2 , wherein:
which of the fifth and sixth AoA angles matches one of the first and second AoAs is determined based on which of the fifth and sixth AoA angles is equal to one of the first and second AoAs.

4. The receiver circuit of claim 2 , wherein:
which of the fifth and sixth AoA angles matches one of the first and second AoAs is determined based on which of the fifth and sixth AoA angles is less than a threshold angle different from one of the first and second AoAs.

5. The receiver circuit of claim 2 , wherein:
which of the fifth and sixth AoA angles matches one of the first and second AoAs is determined based on which of the fifth and sixth AoA angles is closer to one of the first and second AoAs than the other of the first and second AoAs and is closer to the one of the first and second AoAs than the other of the fifth and sixth AoA angles is to either of the first and second AoAs.

6. The receiver circuit of claim 1 , wherein the angular difference is 90°.

7. The receiver circuit of claim 1 , wherein:
the first RF signal is the same RF signal as the second RF signal;
first RF signal is received at the first receiver antenna array in a first time slot and
the second RF signal is received at the second receiver antenna array in a second timeslot.

8. The receiver circuit of claim 1 , wherein the first receiver antenna array comprises a first receiver antenna and a second receiver antenna, and the second receiver antenna array comprises the first receiver antenna and a third receiver antenna.

9. The receiver circuit of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
calculate first and second angles of departure (AoDs) based on one or more digitized samples of a third RF signal received from a first transmit antenna array, and calculating third and fourth AoDs based on one or more digitized samples of a fourth RF signal received from a second transmit antenna array; and
determine which of the first and second AoDs is correct based on the third and fourth AoDs.

10. The receiver circuit of claim 9 , wherein:
the first transmit antenna array is oriented at a first transmitter orientation angle;
the second transmit antenna array is oriented at a second transmitter orientation angle, such that there is a second angular difference between the first transmitter orientation angle and the second transmitter orientation angle; and
the controller is configured to determine which of the first and second AoDs is correct further based on the second angular difference.

11. The receiver circuit of claim 10 , wherein:
the controller is further configured to subtract the second angular difference from each of the third and fourth AoDs to generate fifth and sixth AoD angles; and
the controller is configured to determine which of the first and second AoDs is correct based on at least one of:
identifying which of the fifth and sixth AoD angles is equal to one of the first and second AoDs to determine the correct AoD;
identifying which of the fifth and sixth AoD angles is less than a threshold angle different from one of the first and second AoDs to determine the correct AoD; or identifying which of the fifth and sixth AoD angles is closer to one of the first and second AoDs than the other of the first and second AoDs and is closer to the one of the first and second AoDs than the other of the fifth and sixth AoD angles is to either of the first and second AoDs.

12. A method of using a receiver circuit, the method comprising:
with at least a first receiver antenna array oriented at a first receiver orientation angle and a second receiver antenna array oriented at a second receiver orientation angle offset from the first receiver orientation angle by a non-zero angular difference, each of the first and second receiver antenna arrays being a linear array, receiving a plurality of RF signals transmitted from a transmitter circuit comprising one or more transmit antennas; and
with a controller of the receiver circuit:
calculating first and second angles of arrival (AoAs) based on one or more digitized samples of a first RF signal received at the first receiver antenna array, and calculating third and fourth AoAs based on one or more digitized samples of a second RF signal received at the second receiver antenna array, the first and second AoAs being mirrored over the first receiver orientation angle, the third and fourth AoAs being mirrored over the second receiver orientation angle; and
determining which of the first and second AoAs is correct based on at least one of the third AoA or the fourth AOAs and on the angular difference.

13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:
with the controller, subtracting the angular difference from each of the third and fourth AoAs to generate fifth and sixth AoA angles,
wherein the determining which of the first and second AoAs is correct comprises identifying which of the fifth and sixth AoA angles matches one of the first and second AoAs to determine the correct AoA.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein:
which of the fifth and sixth AoA angles matches one of the first and second AoAs is determined based on which of the fifth and sixth AoA angles is equal to one of the first and second AoAs.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein:
which of the fifth and sixth AoA angles matches one of the first and second AoAs is determined based on which of the fifth and sixth AoA angles is less than a threshold angle different from one of the first and second AoAs.

16. The method of claim 13 , wherein:
which of the fifth and sixth AoA angles matches one of the first and second AoAs is determined based on which of the fifth and sixth AoA angles is closer to one of the first and second AoAs than the other of the first and second AoAs and is closer to the one of the first and second AoAs than the other of the fifth and sixth AoA angles is to either of the first and second AoAs.

Assignees

• Shenzhen Goodix Tech Co Ltd

Inventors

• Ranjbar Mohammad
• Dezfooliyan Amir
• Younis Waleed

Classifications

• G01S3/04

  Details · CPC title

• H01Q21/29

  Combinations of different interacting antenna units for giving a desired directional characteristic (H01Q25/00 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G01S3/38 Primary

  using adjustment of real or effective orientation of directivity characteristic of an antenna or an antenna system to give a desired condition of signal derived from that antenna or antenna system, e.g. to give a maximum or minimum signal (G01S3/16, G01S3/28 take precedence) · CPC title

• G01S5/02

  using radio waves (using satellite radio beacon systems for determining position G01S19/00) · CPC title

• G01S3/465

  the waves arriving at the aerials being frequency modulated and the frequency difference of signals therefrom being measured · CPC title