Patent ID: 9577729
Date: 2017-02-21
CPC Classifications: H04B,H04L,H04W

Claim:
1. A large antenna count (LAC) system, comprising: a master device; a plurality of slave radios communicatively coupled to the master device and to respective antennas in the large antenna count system, wherein each slave radio includes a local clock; a clock and trigger distribution system, coupled to the master device and the plurality of slave radios, wherein the clock and trigger distribution system comprises a hierarchy of clock and trigger distribution modules; wherein the plurality of slave radios are configured to establish and maintain a fixed relationship between a reference clock and their respective local clocks, wherein the reference clock is distributed via the clock and trigger distribution system; wherein the master device and the plurality of slave radios are configured to generate and align respective common periodic time reference signals that have a lower frequency than the respective local clocks; wherein the master device is configured to transmit, based on an edge of its common periodic time reference signal, a trigger signal via the clock and trigger distribution system to the plurality of slave radios; and wherein the plurality of slave radios are configured to perform an action based on the trigger signal at a subsequent edge of their common periodic time reference signals.