Transceiver array

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9768852-B2
Application number	US-201514931103-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 3, 2015
Priority date	Nov 3, 2014
Publication date	Sep 19, 2017
Grant date	Sep 19, 2017

Abstract

Each of a plurality of modules comprises a respective one of a plurality of antenna elements, and each of a subset of the plurality of modules comprising a respective one of a plurality of transceivers, wherein the plurality of modules are interconnected via one or more communication links. The circuitry may be operable to receive a calibration signal via the plurality of antenna elements, determine, for each one of the antenna elements, a time and/or phase of arrival of the calibration signal, calculate, based on the time and/or phase of arrival of the calibration signal at each of the plurality of antenna elements, electrical distances between the plurality of antenna elements on the one or more communication links, and calculate beamforming coefficients for use with the plurality of antenna elements based on the electrical distances.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system comprising:
a plurality of modules, each of said modules comprising a respective one of a plurality of antenna elements, and each of a subset of said plurality of modules comprising a respective one of a plurality of transceivers, wherein:
said plurality of modules are communicatively coupled via one or more communication links; and
one or more of said plurality of transceivers are operable to:
receive a calibration signal via said plurality of antenna elements;
determine, for each one of said antenna elements, a time and/or phase of arrival of said calibration signal;
calculate, based on said time and/or phase of arrival of said calibration signal at each of said plurality of antenna elements, electrical distances between said plurality of antenna elements on said one or more communication links; and
calculate beamforming coefficients for use with said plurality of antenna elements based on said electrical distances.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein said calibration signal is a signal from a mobile terminal in a coverage area served by said plurality of modules.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
each of said transceivers is configurable into a transmit mode and a receive mode; and
said calibration signal is transmitted by a first one of said transceivers configured in said transmit mode while one or more others of said transceivers is configured in said receive mode.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
each of said transceivers comprises a switch which, in a transmit configuration, couples a transmitter of said transceiver to a respective one of said plurality of antenna elements and, in a receive configuration, couples a receiver of said transceiver to said respective one of said plurality of antenna elements;
said switch allows a certain amount of leakage from said antenna element to the receiver of said transceiver even when said switch is configured in said transmit configuration;
for one or more of said receivers, said reception of said calibration signal is via a respective one of said switches configured in said transmit configuration.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
said calibration signal comprises a plurality of carriers;
each of said carriers has a center frequency that is different than the center frequency of each other of said carriers; and
each of said carriers is transmitted with the same phase.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
a phase-lock signal is distributed among said plurality of transceivers via said one or more communication links; and

each of said transceivers is operable to lock a phase of its local oscillator to said phase-lock signal.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein one or more of said transceivers is operable to:
receive, via a first one or more of said plurality of antenna elements, a respective first one or more versions of a signal incident on said plurality of antennas;
perform beamforming processing on said first one or more versions of said signal to generate a first beamformed signal;
compress said first beamformed signal to generate a first compressed signal; and
transmit said first compressed signal onto said one or more communication links.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein one or more of said transceivers is operable to:
receive, via a second one or more of said plurality of antenna elements, a respective second one or more versions of said signal incident on said plurality of antennas;
perform beamforming processing on said second one or more versions of said signal to generate a second beamformed signal;
compress said second beamformed signal to generate a second compressed signal;
receive said first compressed signal via said one or more communication links;
compress said first compressed signal and said second compressed signal to generate a third compressed signal; and
transmit said third compressed signal onto said one or more communication links.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein each one of said transceivers is operable to:
receive, via said one or more communication links, a datastream to be transmitted;
receive, via said one or more communication links, a plurality of beamforming coefficients to be used for transmission of said datastream;
select one or more of said plurality of beamforming coefficients corresponding to said each one of said transceivers;
apply said selected one or more beamforming coefficients.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein each one of said transceivers is operable to:
receive, via said one or more communication links, a plurality of beamforming coefficients to be used for reception of a signals via a corresponding one or more said plurality of antenna elements;
select one or more of said plurality of beamforming coefficients corresponding to said one of said transceivers;
apply said selected one or more beamforming coefficients to signals received via said corresponding one or more of said plurality of antenna elements.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein said one or more communication links are fiber optic cables.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein each of said transceivers is an integrated circuit on a single semiconductor die and comprises circuitry operable to interface to an external laser diode for transmission onto said one or more communication links and to an external laser detector for reception of signals via said one or more fiber optic cables.

13. The system of claim 1 , wherein each of said transceivers comprises a modulator and a demodulator.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein each of said transceivers comprises a forward error correction encoder and a forward error correction decoder.

15. The system of claim 1 , wherein each one of said transceivers is operable to:
receive, via said one or more communication links, a compressed signal to be transmitted;
decompress said signal to be transmitted to generate a decompressed signal;
transmit said decompressed signal via a corresponding one or more of said plurality of antennas.

16. The system of claim 1 , wherein each of said plurality of modules is configured to be wall-mounted.

17. The system of claim 1 , comprising a baseband unit coupled to said plurality of transceivers via said one or more communication links.

18. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
each of said transceivers comprises a demodulator and a baseband unit comprises a forward error correction decoder; and
soft decisions of said demodulator are communicated over said one or more communication links for decoding in said baseband unit.

19. The system of claim 1 , wherein said one or more communication links are wireless links.

20. The system of claim 1 , wherein said calibration signal is a spread spectrum signal.

Assignees

• Maxlinear Inc

Inventors

• Ling Curtis
• Ye Sheng

Classifications

• H04B10/25752

  Optical arrangements for wireless networks · CPC title

• H04B7/086 Primary

  using weights depending on external parameters, e.g. direction of arrival [DOA], predetermined weights or beamforming · CPC title

• H04B17/0085

  using test signal generators · CPC title

• H01Q3/247

  by switching different parts of a primary active element · CPC title

• H04B10/43

  using a single component as both light source and receiver, e.g. using a photoemitter as a photoreceiver · CPC title