Transmitter

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9294176-B2
Application number	US-201414446363-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 30, 2014
Priority date	Jan 31, 2012
Publication date	Mar 22, 2016
Grant date	Mar 22, 2016

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention provide a transmitter including a plurality of amplifier circuits, a plurality of antennas adapted to have different main transmit directions and a transformation unit. The transformation unit includes a plurality of inputs connected to the plurality of amplifier circuits and a plurality of outputs connected to the plurality of antennas. The transformation unit is configured to transform a plurality of amplified transmit signals present at the plurality of inputs into a combined power transmit signal and to provide the combined power transmit signal at one of the plurality of outputs.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. Transmitter, comprising:
a plurality of amplifier circuits;
a plurality of antennas adapted to comprise different main transmit directions; and
a transformation unit comprising a plurality of inputs connected to the plurality of amplifier circuits and a plurality of outputs connected to the plurality of antennas, wherein the transformation unit is configured to transform a plurality of amplified transmit signals present at the plurality of inputs into a combined power transmit signal and to provide the combined power transmit signal at only a single output of the plurality of outputs;
wherein the transformation unit is configured to transform the plurality of amplified transmit signals into the combined power transmit signal such that the single output at which the combined power transmit signal is provided is defined by amplitudes and/or phases of the plurality of amplified transmit signals; and
wherein the plurality of amplifier circuits are configured to amplify a transmit signal with controllable gains and/or controllable phase shifts in order to acquire the plurality of amplified transmit signals, wherein the transmitter is configured to control the gains and/or phase shifts such that the plurality of amplifier circuits provide the plurality of amplified transmit signals with predefined amplitudes and/or phases, wherein the transformation unit is configured to provide the combined power transmit signal at the single output defined by the amplitudes and/or phases of the plurality of amplified transmit signals.

2. Transmitter according to claim 1 , wherein the transformation unit is configured to transform the plurality of amplified transmit signals into the combined power transmit signal by means of an orthogonal transformation or a discrete Fourier transformation.

3. Transmitter according to claim 1 , wherein the transformation unit is a high frequency lens, a Rotman lens or a Butler matrix.

4. Transmitter according to claim 1 , wherein the transmitter further comprises:
a local oscillator configured to provide a local oscillator signal; and
a local oscillator transformation unit comprising a plurality of inputs and a plurality of outputs, wherein the local oscillator transformation unit is configured to transform the local oscillator signal present at one of the plurality of inputs into a plurality of phase shifted local oscillator signals such that the input at which the local oscillator signal is present defines the phases of the plurality of phase shifted local oscillator signals and to provide the plurality of phase shifted local oscillator signals at the plurality of outputs;
wherein the plurality of amplifier circuits comprise control inputs connected to the plurality of outputs of the local oscillator transformation unit, wherein the plurality of amplifier circuits are configured to acquire the plurality of amplified transmit signals based on mixing a baseband or intermediate frequency transmit signal or amplified versions thereof with the plurality of phase shifted local oscillator signals present at the control inputs, thereby applying the phases of the plurality of phases shifted local oscillator signals to the plurality of amplified transmit signals.

5. Transmitter according to claim 1 , wherein the transmitter further comprises:
a local oscillator configured to provide a local oscillator signal; and
a plurality of controllable phase shifters connected to the local oscillator and configured to provide a plurality of phase shifted local oscillator signals comprising predefined phases;
wherein the plurality of amplifier circuits comprise control inputs connected to the plurality of controllable phase shifters, wherein the plurality of amplifier circuits are configured to acquire the plurality of amplified transmit signals based on mixing a baseband or intermediate frequency transmit signal or amplified versions thereof with the plurality of phase shifted local oscillator signals present at the control inputs, thereby applying the phases of the plurality of phases shifted local oscillator signals to the plurality of amplified transmit signals.

6. Transceiver, comprising:
a transmitter according to claim 1 ; and
a receive path, wherein the receive path comprises:
an output of the receive path; and
a plurality of receive path amplifiers connected in series between the output of the receive path and the plurality of antennas, wherein the plurality of antennas are adapted to comprise different main receive directions in order to receive a plurality of receive signals from the different main receive directions.

7. Transceiver according to claim 6 , wherein the plurality of receive path amplifiers are switchable between a switch on state and a switch off state, wherein each receive path amplifier of the plurality of receive path amplifiers is configured to provide at its output an impedance that is in the switch on state adapted to a specific impedance of the receive path and that is in the switch-off state at least by a factor of 10 higher than the characteristic impedance of the receive path.

8. Transceiver according to claim 6 , wherein the receive path further comprises:
a receive path local oscillator configured to provide a receive path local oscillator signal;
a plurality of receive path mixers connected in series between the plurality of receive path amplifiers and the output of the receive path; and
a switching element;
wherein the receive path switching element comprises an input connected to the receive path local oscillator and a plurality of outputs connected to the plurality of receive path mixers; or
wherein the plurality of receive path mixers are connected in series between the plurality of receive path amplifiers and the output of the receive path by means of the receive path switching element such that a plurality of inputs of the receive path switching element are connected to the plurality of receive path mixers and an output of the receive path switching element is connected to the output of the receive path.

9. System, comprising:
a first and a second transceiver according to claim 6 ;
wherein the first transceiver is configured to transmit a transmit signal comprising a spreading code subsequently with each antenna of the plurality of its antennas in order to establish a connection between the first and second transceiver; and
wherein the second transceiver is configured to receive simultaneously a plurality of receive signals with the plurality of its antennas, to derive a direction from which the transmit signal is received based on the plurality of receive signals, and to select the antenna of the plurality of antennas comprising the main receive directions that corresponds to the direction from which the transmit signal is received, in order to establish the connection between the first and second transceiver.

10. Method for operating a transmitter, wherein the transmitter comprises a plurality of amplifier circuits, a plurality of antennas adapted to comprise different main transmit directions, and a transformation unit comprising a plurality of inputs connected to the plurality of amplifier circuits and a plurality of outputs connected to the plurality of antennas, wherein the method comprises:
amplifying a transmit signal with controllable gains and/or controllable phase shifts in order to acquire the plurality of amplified transmit signals;
controlling the gains and/or phase shifts such that the plurality of amplifier circuits provide the plurality of amplified transmit signals with predefined amplitudes and/or phases;
transforming the plurality of amplified transmit signals present at the plurality of inputs of the transform

Assignees

• Fraunhofer Ges Forschung

Inventors

• Weiler Richard
• Keusgen Wilhelm

Classifications

• H04B7/0608 Primary

  Antenna selection according to transmission parameters · CPC title

• H04W76/02

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04B7/0678

  using different spreading codes between antennas (code allocation H04J13/16) · CPC title

• H04B1/44

  Transmit/receive switching · CPC title

• H01Q3/40

  with phasing matrix · CPC title