Antenna array with selectable horizontal, vertical or circular polarization

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12113288-B2
Application number	US-202117356766-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 24, 2021
Priority date	Jun 24, 2021
Publication date	Oct 8, 2024
Grant date	Oct 8, 2024

Abstract

A system and method for selecting a polarization for a particular antenna in an antenna array is disclosed. The system comprises an antenna array, wherein each antenna is adapted to receive and transmit horizontally and vertically polarized signals. The system also includes a switching network that is adapted to select the vertical or horizontal polarized signal for each antenna in the antenna array. The switching network also allows selection of a circular polarized signal from one or more of the antenna elements in the antenna array. This allows the AoX to be more accurate, as it is able to receive horizontally and vertically polarized signals, rather than just circular polarized signals, thereby improving its accuracy. The ability to receive circular polarized signals may be beneficial during reference periods to acquire the proper gain and frequency.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A wireless network device, comprising:
an antenna array, comprising a plurality of antenna elements, each having a vertical polarized signal and a horizontal polarized signal;
a wireless network interface, wherein the wireless network interface receives an incoming signal from one of the antenna elements in the antenna array;
a processing unit; and
a switching network disposed in an electrical path between the antenna array and the wireless network interface to select an antenna element from the antenna array, wherein the switching network comprises one or more selection switches that act as multiplexers and demultiplexers, depending on a direction of activity, the one or more selection switches in communication with the vertical polarized signal and the horizontal polarized signal from each of the plurality of antenna elements and configured to couple the horizontal polarized signal or the vertical polarized signal from any of the plurality of antenna elements to the wireless network interface and is also configured to couple at least one circular polarized signal to the wireless network interface, wherein each circular polarized signal is created by combining the vertical polarized signal and the horizontal polarized signal from a single antenna element.

2. The wireless network device of claim 1 , wherein the wireless network device receives a signal comprising a constant tone extension (CTE) with a plurality of switching slots and sample slots.

3. The wireless network device of claim 2 , wherein the processing unit comprises a plurality of output signals in communication with the switching network; and wherein the processing unit selects one of the plurality of antenna elements during each switching slot by modifying the plurality of output signals.

4. The wireless network device of claim 3 , wherein the CTE further comprises a guard period and a reference period, and wherein the processing unit modifies the plurality of output signals so as to receive the circular polarized signal during at least a portion of the guard period and/or the reference period.

5. The wireless network device of claim 4 , wherein the wireless network interface comprises a programmable gain amplifier (PGA) and the processing unit sets a gain of the PGA based on an amplitude of the circular polarized signal received during the at least a portion of the guard period and/or the reference period.

6. The wireless network device of claim 4 , wherein the wireless network interface comprises a low noise amplifier (LNA) and the processing unit sets a gain of the LNA based on an amplitude of the circular polarized signal received during the reference period.

7. The wireless network device of claim 1 , wherein the antenna array comprises a N×M array wherein N and M are greater than one, and an antenna element disposed along an outer edge of the N×M array is used to provide the circular polarized signal.

8. The wireless network device of claim 1 , wherein the antenna array comprises a N×M array wherein N and M are greater than one, and an inner antenna element is used to provide the circular polarized signal.

9. A switching network in communication with an antenna array, wherein each antenna element in the antenna array comprises a horizontal polarized signal and a vertical polarized signal, comprising:
an upper antenna selection switch and a lower antenna selection switch, each having a multiplexed signal and a plurality of demultiplexed signals, wherein the horizontal polarized signal and the vertical polarized signal of each antenna element is in communication with a demultiplexed signal on one of the upper and the lower antenna selection switches; and
wherein the vertical polarized signal and the horizontal polarized signal of at least one antenna element are in communication with demultiplexed signals on different antenna selection switches, wherein control signals, referred to as ANTENNA SELECT, are used to select one of the demultiplexed signals to be in communication with the multiplexed signal;
an upper polarization switch having a multiplexed signal in communication with the multiplexed signal from the upper antenna selection switch, and having a first and a second demultiplexed signal, wherein a control signal, referred to as CIRCULAR, is used to select one of the demultiplexed signals to be in communication with the multiplexed signal;
a lower polarization switch having a multiplexed signal in communication with the multiplexed signal from the lower antenna selection switch, and having a first and a second demultiplexed signal, wherein a control signal, referred to as CIRCULAR, is used to select one of the demultiplexed signals to be in communication with the multiplexed signal;

a 90° hybrid in communication with the second demultiplexed signal from the upper polarization switch and the second demultiplexed signal from the lower polarization switch;
a bank s switch having a multiplexed signal, a first demultiplexed signal in communication with the first demultiplexed signal from the upper polarization switch, and a second demultiplexed signal in communication with the first demultiplexed signal from the lower polarization switch, wherein a control signal, referred to as UPPER/LOWER, is used to select one of the demultiplexed signals to be in communication with the multiplexed signal; and
a main polarization switch having a multiplexed signal, a first demultiplexed signal in communication with the multiplexed signal from the bank selection switch and a second demultiplexed signal in communication with the 90° hybrid, wherein a control signal, referred to as CIRCULAR, is used to select one of the demultiplexed signals to be in communication with the multiplexed signal.

10. The switching network of claim 9 , wherein the vertical polarized signal and the horizontal polarized signal f least at two antenna elements are in communication with demultiplexed signals on different antenna selection switches.

11. The switching network of claim 9 , wherein the upper antenna selection switch and the lower antenna selection switch each comprise 16 demultiplexed signals, and wherein the antenna array comprises 16 antenna elements.

12. The switching network of claim 9 , further comprising a third antenna selection switch and fourth antenna selection switch; and wherein the bank selection switch comprises:
a third demultiplexed signal in communication with a multiplexed signal from the third antenna selection switch;
a fourth demultiplexed signal in communication with a multiplexed signal from the fourth antenna selection switch; and
an additional control signal to select among the four demultiplexed signals.

13. The switching network of claim 9 , wherein the antenna array comprises a N×M array wherein N and M are greater than one, and wherein one of the at least one antenna elements is an inner antenna element.

14. The switching network of claim 9 , wherein the antenna array comprises a N×M array wherein N and M are greater than one, and wherein one of the at least one antenna elements is disposed along an outer edge of the antenna array.

15. The switching network of claim 9 , wherein the switching network is adapted to transmit t signals to the antenna array or receive signals from the antenna array.

16. A method of calculating an angle of arrival comprising:
receiving, at a wireless network device, a signal comprising a constant tone extension, having a guard period, a reference period, and a plurality of switching slots and sample slots, wherein the wireless network device comprises an antenna array comprisin

Assignees

• Silicon Lab Inc
• Silicom Laboratories Inc

Inventors

• Dickey Terry Lee
• Zólomy Attila
• Süle Adám
• Lehtimaki Sauli
• Lörincz Szabolcs

Classifications

• H01Q21/245 Primary

  provided with means for varying the polarisation  (polarising devices H01Q15/24; tracking by comparing linear polarisation compounds G01S3/146; reducing depolarisation effects H04B7/00; polarisation diversity H04B7/10) · CPC title

• G01S3/08 Primary

  Means for reducing polarisation errors, e.g. by use of Adcock or spaced loop antenna systems · CPC title

• H01Q15/244

  converting a linear polarised wave into a circular polarised wave (guided wave H01P1/17) · CPC title

• H01Q15/246

  rotating the plane of polarisation of a linear polarised wave (guided wave H01P1/165) · CPC title

• H04B7/0802

  using antenna selection (H04B7/0868 takes precedence; antenna beam directivity switching H01Q3/24) · CPC title