Patent ID: 12212071

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

The following detailed description of certain embodiments presents various descriptions of specific embodiments. However, the innovations described herein can be embodied in a multitude of different ways, for example, as defined and covered by the claims. In this description, reference is made to the drawings where like reference numerals can indicate identical or functionally similar elements. It will be understood that elements illustrated in the figures are not necessarily drawn to scale. Moreover, it will be understood that certain embodiments can include more elements than illustrated in a drawing and/or a subset of the elements illustrated in a drawing. Further, some embodiments can incorporate any suitable combination of features from two or more drawings.

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) responsible for global issues concerning information and communication technologies, including the shared global use of radio spectrum.

The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) is a collaboration between groups of telecommunications standard bodies across the world, such as the Association of Radio Industries and Businesses (ARIB), the Telecommunications Technology Committee (TTC), the China Communications Standards Association (CCSA), the Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions (ATIS), the Telecommunications Technology Association (TTA), the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI), and the Telecommunications Standards Development Society, India (TSDSI).

Working within the scope of the ITU, 3GPP develops and maintains technical specifications for a variety of mobile communication technologies, including, for example, second generation (2G) technology (for instance, Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) and Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE)), third generation (3G) technology (for instance, Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) and High Speed Packet Access (HSPA)), and fourth generation (4G) technology (for instance, Long Term Evolution (LTE) and LTE-Advanced).

The technical specifications controlled by 3GPP can be expanded and revised by specification releases, which can span multiple years and specify a breadth of new features and evolutions.

In one example, 3GPP introduced carrier aggregation (CA) for LTE in Release 10. Although initially introduced with two downlink carriers, 3GPP expanded carrier aggregation in Release 14 to include up to five downlink carriers and up to three uplink carriers. Other examples of new features and evolutions provided by 3GPP releases include, but are not limited to, License Assisted Access (LAA), enhanced LAA (eLAA), Narrowband Internet of things (NB-IOT), Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X), and High Power User Equipment (HPUE).

3GPP introduced Phase 1 of fifth generation (5G) technology in Release 15, and introduced Phase 2 of 5G technology in Release 16. Subsequent 3GPP releases will further evolve and expand 5G technology. 5G technology is also referred to herein as 5G New Radio (NR).

5G NR supports or plans to support a variety of features, such as communications over millimeter wave spectrum, beamforming capability, high spectral efficiency waveforms, low latency communications, multiple radio numerology, and/or non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA). Although such RF functionalities offer flexibility to networks and enhance user data rates, supporting such features can pose a number of technical challenges.

The teachings herein are applicable to a wide variety of communication systems, including, but not limited to, communication systems using advanced cellular technologies, such as LTE-Advanced, LTE-Advanced Pro, and/or 5G NR.

FIG.1is a schematic diagram of one example of a communication network10. The communication network10includes a macro cell base station1, a small cell base station3, and various examples of user equipment (UE), including a first mobile device2a, a wireless-connected car2b, a laptop2c, a stationary wireless device2d, a wireless-connected train2e, a second mobile device2f, and a third mobile device2g.

Although specific examples of base stations and user equipment are illustrated inFIG.1, a communication network can include base stations and user equipment of a wide variety of types and/or numbers.

For instance, in the example shown, the communication network10includes the macro cell base station1and the small cell base station3. The small cell base station3can operate with relatively lower power, shorter range, and/or with fewer concurrent users relative to the macro cell base station1. The small cell base station3can also be referred to as a femtocell, a picocell, or a microcell. Although the communication network10is illustrated as including two base stations, the communication network10can be implemented to include more or fewer base stations and/or base stations of other types.

Although various examples of user equipment are shown, the teachings herein are applicable to a wide variety of user equipment, including, but not limited to, mobile phones, tablets, laptops, IoT devices, wearable electronics, customer premises equipment (CPE), wireless-connected vehicles, wireless relays, and/or a wide variety of other communication devices. Furthermore, user equipment includes not only currently available communication devices that operate in a cellular network, but also subsequently developed communication devices that will be readily implementable with the inventive systems, processes, methods, and devices as described and claimed herein.

The illustrated communication network10ofFIG.1supports communications using a variety of cellular technologies, including, for example, 4G LTE and 5G NR. In certain implementations, the communication network10is further adapted to provide a wireless local area network (WLAN), such as WiFi. Although various examples of communication technologies have been provided, the communication network10can be adapted to support a wide variety of communication technologies.

Various communication links of the communication network10have been depicted inFIG.1. The communication links can be duplexed in a wide variety of ways, including, for example, using frequency-division duplexing (FDD) and/or time-division duplexing (TDD). FDD is a type of radio frequency communications that uses different frequencies for transmitting and receiving signals. FDD can provide a number of advantages, such as high data rates and low latency. In contrast, TDD is a type of radio frequency communications that uses about the same frequency for transmitting and receiving signals, and in which transmit and receive communications are switched in time. TDD can provide a number of advantages, such as efficient use of spectrum and variable allocation of throughput between transmit and receive directions.

In certain implementations, user equipment can communicate with a base station using one or more of 4G LTE, 5G NR, and WiFi technologies. In certain implementations, enhanced license assisted access (eLAA) is used to aggregate one or more licensed frequency carriers (for instance, licensed 4G LTE and/or 5G NR frequencies), with one or more unlicensed carriers (for instance, unlicensed WiFi frequencies).

As shown inFIG.1, the communication links include not only communication links between UE and base stations, but also UE to UE communications and base station to base station communications. For example, the communication network10can be implemented to support self-fronthaul and/or self-backhaul (for instance, as between mobile device2gand mobile device2f).

The communication links can operate over a wide variety of frequencies. In certain implementations, communications are supported using 5G NR technology over one or more frequency bands that are less than 6 Gigahertz (GHz) and/or over one or more frequency bands that are greater than 6 GHz. For example, the communication links can serve Frequency Range 1 (FR1), Frequency Range 2 (FR2), or a combination thereof. In one embodiment, one or more of the mobile devices support a HPUE power class specification.

In certain implementations, a base station and/or user equipment communicates using beamforming. For example, beamforming can be used to focus signal strength to overcome path losses, such as high loss associated with communicating over high signal frequencies. In certain embodiments, user equipment, such as one or more mobile phones, communicate using beamforming on millimeter wave frequency bands in the range of 30 GHz to 300 GHz and/or upper centimeter wave frequencies in the range of 6 GHz to 30 GHz, or more particularly, 24 GHz to 30 GHz. Cellular user equipment can communicate using beamforming and/or other techniques over a wide range of frequencies, including, for example, FR2-1 (24 GHz to 52 GHz), FR2-2 (52 GHz to 71 GHz), and/or FR1 (400 MHz to 7125 MHz).

Different users of the communication network10can share available network resources, such as available frequency spectrum, in a wide variety of ways.

In one example, frequency division multiple access (FDMA) is used to divide a frequency band into multiple frequency carriers. Additionally, one or more carriers are allocated to a particular user. Examples of FDMA include, but are not limited to, single carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA) and orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA). OFDMA is a multicarrier technology that subdivides the available bandwidth into multiple mutually orthogonal narrowband subcarriers, which can be separately assigned to different users.

Other examples of shared access include, but are not limited to, time division multiple access (TDMA) in which a user is allocated particular time slots for using a frequency resource, code division multiple access (CDMA) in which a frequency resource is shared amongst different users by assigning each user a unique code, space-divisional multiple access (SDMA) in which beamforming is used to provide shared access by spatial division, and non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) in which the power domain is used for multiple access. For example, NOMA can be used to serve multiple users at the same frequency, time, and/or code, but with different power levels.

Enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) refers to technology for growing system capacity of LTE networks. For example, eMBB can refer to communications with a peak data rate of at least 10 Gbps and a minimum of 100 Mbps for each user. Ultra-reliable low latency communications (uRLLC) refers to technology for communication with very low latency, for instance, less than 2 milliseconds. uRLLC can be used for mission-critical communications such as for autonomous driving and/or remote surgery applications. Massive machine-type communications (mMTC) refers to low cost and low data rate communications associated with wireless connections to everyday objects, such as those associated with Internet of Things (IoT) applications.

The communication network10ofFIG.1can be used to support a wide variety of advanced communication features, including, but not limited to, eMBB, uRLLC, and/or mMTC.

FIG.2Ais a schematic diagram of one example of a communication link using carrier aggregation. Carrier aggregation can be used to widen bandwidth of the communication link by supporting communications over multiple frequency carriers, thereby increasing user data rates and enhancing network capacity by utilizing fragmented spectrum allocations.

In the illustrated example, the communication link is provided between a base station21and a mobile device22. As shown inFIG.2A, the communications link includes a downlink channel used for RF communications from the base station21to the mobile device22, and an uplink channel used for RF communications from the mobile device22to the base station21.

AlthoughFIG.2Aillustrates carrier aggregation in the context of FDD communications, carrier aggregation can also be used for TDD communications.

In certain implementations, a communication link can provide asymmetrical data rates for a downlink channel and an uplink channel. For example, a communication link can be used to support a relatively high downlink data rate to enable high speed streaming of multimedia content to a mobile device, while providing a relatively slower data rate for uploading data from the mobile device to the cloud.

In the illustrated example, the base station21and the mobile device22communicate via carrier aggregation, which can be used to selectively increase bandwidth of the communication link. Carrier aggregation includes contiguous aggregation, in which contiguous carriers within the same operating frequency band are aggregated. Carrier aggregation can also be non-contiguous, and can include carriers separated in frequency within a common band or in different bands.

In the example shown inFIG.2A, the uplink channel includes three aggregated component carriers fUL1, fUL2, and fUL3. Additionally, the downlink channel includes five aggregated component carriers fDL1, fDL2, fDL3, fDL4, and fDL5. Although one example of component carrier aggregation is shown, more or fewer carriers can be aggregated for uplink and/or downlink. Moreover, a number of aggregated carriers can be varied over time to achieve desired uplink and downlink data rates.

For example, a number of aggregated carriers for uplink and/or downlink communications with respect to a particular mobile device can change over time. For example, the number of aggregated carriers can change as the device moves through the communication network and/or as network usage changes over time.

FIG.2Billustrates various examples of uplink carrier aggregation for the communication link ofFIG.2A.FIG.2Bincludes a first carrier aggregation scenario31, a second carrier aggregation scenario32, and a third carrier aggregation scenario33, which schematically depict three types of carrier aggregation.

The carrier aggregation scenarios31-33illustrate different spectrum allocations for a first component carrier fUL1, a second component carrier fUL2, and a third component carrier fUL3. AlthoughFIG.2Bis illustrated in the context of aggregating three component carriers, carrier aggregation can be used to aggregate more or fewer carriers. Moreover, although illustrated in the context of uplink, the aggregation scenarios are also applicable to downlink.

The first carrier aggregation scenario31illustrates intra-band contiguous carrier aggregation, in which component carriers that are adjacent in frequency and in a common frequency band are aggregated. For example, the first carrier aggregation scenario31depicts aggregation of component carriers fUL1, fUL2, and fUL3that are contiguous and located within a first frequency band BAND1.

With continuing reference toFIG.2B, the second carrier aggregation scenario32illustrates intra-band non-continuous carrier aggregation, in which two or more components carriers that are non-adjacent in frequency and within a common frequency band are aggregated. For example, the second carrier aggregation scenario32depicts aggregation of component carriers fUL1, fUL2, and fUL3that are non-contiguous, but located within a first frequency band BAND1.

The third carrier aggregation scenario33illustrates inter-band non-contiguous carrier aggregation, in which component carriers that are non-adjacent in frequency and in multiple frequency bands are aggregated. For example, the third carrier aggregation scenario33depicts aggregation of component carriers fUL1and fU21of a first frequency band BAND1 with component carrier fUL3of a second frequency band BAND2.

FIG.2Cillustrates various examples of downlink carrier aggregation for the communication link ofFIG.2A. The examples depict various carrier aggregation scenarios34-38for different spectrum allocations of a first component carrier fDL1, a second component carrier fDL2, a third component carrier fDL3, a fourth component carrier fDL4, and a fifth component carrier fDL5. AlthoughFIG.2Cis illustrated in the context of aggregating five component carriers, carrier aggregation can be used to aggregate more or fewer carriers. Moreover, although illustrated in the context of downlink, the aggregation scenarios are also applicable to uplink.

The first carrier aggregation scenario34depicts aggregation of component carriers that are contiguous and located within the same frequency band. Additionally, the second carrier aggregation scenario35and the third carrier aggregation scenario36illustrates two examples of aggregation that are non-contiguous, but located within the same frequency band. Furthermore, the fourth carrier aggregation scenario37and the fifth carrier aggregation scenario38illustrates two examples of aggregation in which component carriers that are non-adjacent in frequency and in multiple frequency bands are aggregated. As a number of aggregated component carriers increases, a complexity of possible carrier aggregation scenarios also increases.

With reference toFIGS.2A-2C, the individual component carriers used in carrier aggregation can be of a variety of frequencies, including, for example, frequency carriers in the same band or in multiple bands. Additionally, carrier aggregation is applicable to implementations in which the individual component carriers are of about the same bandwidth as well as to implementations in which the individual component carriers have different bandwidths.

Certain communication networks allocate a particular user device with a primary component carrier (PCC) or anchor carrier for uplink and a PCC for downlink. Additionally, when the mobile device communicates using a single frequency carrier for uplink or downlink, the user device communicates using the PCC. To enhance bandwidth for uplink communications, the uplink PCC can be aggregated with one or more uplink secondary component carriers (SCCs). Additionally, to enhance bandwidth for downlink communications, the downlink PCC can be aggregated with one or more downlink SCCs.

In certain implementations, a communication network provides a network cell for each component carrier. Additionally, a primary cell can operate using a PCC, while a secondary cell can operate using a SCC. The primary and secondary cells may have different coverage areas, for instance, due to differences in frequencies of carriers and/or network environment.

License assisted access (LAA) refers to downlink carrier aggregation in which a licensed frequency carrier associated with a mobile operator is aggregated with a frequency carrier in unlicensed spectrum, such as WiFi. LAA employs a downlink PCC in the licensed spectrum that carries control and signaling information associated with the communication link, while unlicensed spectrum is aggregated for wider downlink bandwidth when available. LAA can operate with dynamic adjustment of secondary carriers to avoid WiFi users and/or to coexist with WiFi users. Enhanced license assisted access (eLAA) refers to an evolution of LAA that aggregates licensed and unlicensed spectrum for both downlink and uplink. Furthermore, NR-U can operate on top of LAA/eLAA over a 5 GHz band (5150 to 5925 MHz) and/or a 6 GHz band (5925 MHz to 7125 MHz).

FIG.3Ais a schematic diagram of one example of a downlink channel using multi-input and multi-output (MIMO) communications.FIG.3Bis schematic diagram of one example of an uplink channel using MIMO communications.

MIMO communications use multiple antennas for simultaneously communicating multiple data streams over common frequency spectrum. In certain implementations, the data streams operate with different reference signals to enhance data reception at the receiver. MIMO communications benefit from higher SNR, improved coding, and/or reduced signal interference due to spatial multiplexing differences of the radio environment.

MIMO order refers to a number of separate data streams sent or received. For instance, MIMO order for downlink communications can be described by a number of transmit antennas of a base station and a number of receive antennas for UE, such as a mobile device. For example, two-by-two (2×2) DL MIMO refers to MIMO downlink communications using two base station antennas and two UE antennas. Additionally, four-by-four (4×4) DL MIMO refers to MIMO downlink communications using four base station antennas and four UE antennas.

In the example shown inFIG.3A, downlink MIMO communications are provided by transmitting using M antennas43a,43b,43c, . . .43mof the base station41and receiving using N antennas44a,44b,44c, . . .44nof the mobile device42. Accordingly,FIG.3Aillustrates an example of m×n DL MIMO.

Likewise, MIMO order for uplink communications can be described by a number of transmit antennas of UE, such as a mobile device, and a number of receive antennas of a base station. For example, 2×2 UL MIMO refers to MIMO uplink communications using two UE antennas and two base station antennas. Additionally, 4×4 UL MIMO refers to MIMO uplink communications using four UE antennas and four base station antennas.

In the example shown inFIG.3B, uplink MIMO communications are provided by transmitting using N antennas44a,44b,44c, . . .44nof the mobile device42and receiving using M antennas43a,43b,43c, . . .43mof the base station41. Accordingly,FIG.3Billustrates an example of n×m UL MIMO.

By increasing the level or order of MIMO, bandwidth of an uplink channel and/or a downlink channel can be increased.

MIMO communications are applicable to communication links of a variety of types, such as FDD communication links and TDD communication links.

FIG.3Cis schematic diagram of another example of an uplink channel using MIMO communications. In the example shown inFIG.3C, uplink MIMO communications are provided by transmitting using N antennas44a,44b,44c, . . .44nof the mobile device42. Additional a first portion of the uplink transmissions are received using M antennas43a1,43b1,43c1, . . .43m1of a first base station41a, while a second portion of the uplink transmissions are received using M antennas43a2,43b2,43c2, . . .43m2of a second base station41b. Additionally, the first base station41aand the second base station41bcommunication with one another over wired, optical, and/or wireless links.

The MIMO scenario ofFIG.3Cillustrates an example in which multiple base stations cooperate to facilitate MIMO communications.

FIG.4Ais a schematic diagram of one example of a communication system110that operates with beamforming. The communication system110includes a transceiver105, signal conditioning circuits104a1,104a2. . .104an,104b1,104b2. . .104bn,104m1,104m2. . .104mn, and an antenna array102that includes antenna elements103a1,103a2. . .103an,103b1,103b2. . .103bn,103m1,103m2. . .103mn.

Communications systems that communicate using millimeter wave carriers (for instance, 30 GHz to 300 GHz), centimeter wave carriers (for instance, 3 GHz to 30 GHz), and/or other frequency carriers can employ an antenna array to provide beam formation and directivity for transmission and/or reception of signals.

For example, in the illustrated embodiment, the communication system110includes an array102of m×n antenna elements, which are each controlled by a separate signal conditioning circuit, in this embodiment. As indicated by the ellipses, the communication system110can be implemented with any suitable number of antenna elements and signal conditioning circuits.

With respect to signal transmission, the signal conditioning circuits can provide transmit signals to the antenna array102such that signals radiated from the antenna elements combine using constructive and destructive interference to generate an aggregate transmit signal exhibiting beam-like qualities with more signal strength propagating in a given direction away from the antenna array102.

In the context of signal reception, the signal conditioning circuits process the received signals (for instance, by separately controlling received signal phases) such that more signal energy is received when the signal is arriving at the antenna array102from a particular direction. Accordingly, the communication system110also provides directivity for reception of signals.

The relative concentration of signal energy into a transmit beam or a receive beam can be enhanced by increasing the size of the array. For example, with more signal energy focused into a transmit beam, the signal is able to propagate for a longer range while providing sufficient signal level for RF communications. For instance, a signal with a large proportion of signal energy focused into the transmit beam can exhibit high effective isotropic radiated power (EIRP).

In the illustrated embodiment, the transceiver105provides transmit signals to the signal conditioning circuits and processes signals received from the signal conditioning circuits. As shown inFIG.4A, the transceiver105generates control signals for the signal conditioning circuits. The control signals can be used for a variety of functions, such as controlling the gain and phase of transmitted and/or received signals to control beamforming.

FIG.4Bis a schematic diagram of one example of beamforming to provide a transmit beam.FIG.4Billustrates a portion of a communication system including a first signal conditioning circuit114a, a second signal conditioning circuit114b, a first antenna element113a, and a second antenna element113b.

Although illustrated as included two antenna elements and two signal conditioning circuits, a communication system can include additional antenna elements and/or signal conditioning circuits. For example,FIG.4Billustrates one embodiment of a portion of the communication system110ofFIG.4A.

The first signal conditioning circuit114aincludes a first phase shifter130a, a first power amplifier131a, a first low noise amplifier (LNA)132a, and switches for controlling selection of the power amplifier131aor LNA132a. Additionally, the second signal conditioning circuit114bincludes a second phase shifter130b, a second power amplifier131b, a second LNA132b, and switches for controlling selection of the power amplifier131bor LNA132b.

Although one embodiment of signal conditioning circuits is shown, other implementations of signal conditioning circuits are possible. For instance, in one example, a signal conditioning circuit includes one or more band filters, duplexers, and/or other components.

In the illustrated embodiment, the first antenna element113aand the second antenna element113bare separated by a distance d. Additionally,FIG.4Bhas been annotated with an angle Θ, which in this example has a value of about 90° when the transmit beam direction is substantially perpendicular to a plane of the antenna array and a value of about 0° when the transmit beam direction is substantially parallel to the plane of the antenna array.

By controlling the relative phase of the transmit signals provided to the antenna elements113a,113b, a desired transmit beam angle Θ can be achieved. For example, when the first phase shifter130ahas a reference value of 0°, the second phase shifter130bcan be controlled to provide a phase shift of about −2πf(d/ν)cos Θ radians, where f is the fundamental frequency of the transmit signal, d is the distance between the antenna elements, ν is the velocity of the radiated wave, and π is the mathematic constant pi.

In certain implementations, the distance d is implemented to be about ½λ, where λ is the wavelength of the fundamental component of the transmit signal. In such implementations, the second phase shifter130bcan be controlled to provide a phase shift of about −π cos Θ radians to achieve a transmit beam angle Θ.

Accordingly, the relative phase of the phase shifters130a,130bcan be controlled to provide transmit beamforming. In certain implementations, a baseband processor and/or a transceiver (for example, the transceiver105ofFIG.4A) controls phase values of one or more phase shifters and gain values of one or more controllable amplifiers to control beamforming.

FIG.4Cis a schematic diagram of one example of beamforming to provide a receive beam.FIG.4Cis similar toFIG.4B, except thatFIG.4Cillustrates beamforming in the context of a receive beam rather than a transmit beam.

As shown inFIG.4C, a relative phase difference between the first phase shifter130aand the second phase shifter130bcan be selected to about equal to −2 πf(d/ν)cos Θ radians to achieve a desired receive beam angle Θ. In implementations in which the distance d corresponds to about ½λ, the phase difference can be selected to about equal to −π cos Θ radians to achieve a receive beam angle Θ.

Although various equations for phase values to provide beamforming have been provided, other phase selection values are possible, such as phase values selected based on implementation of an antenna array, implementation of signal conditioning circuits, and/or a radio environment.

FIG.5Ais a schematic diagram of a patch antenna system129according to one embodiment. The patch antenna system129includes a vertically polarized patch antenna121, a horizontally polarized patch antenna122, a control circuit123, a first group of switches124, and a second group of switches128.

As shown inFIG.5A, the vertically polarized patch antenna121is coupled to a vertical RF signal feed RFV, while the horizontally polarized patch antenna122is coupled to a horizontal RF signal feed RFH. The vertical RF signal feed RFVand the horizontal RF signal feed RhHcan be coupled to any suitable RF circuitry for processing RF signals for transmit and/or receive.

In the illustrated embodiment, the vertically polarized patch antenna121includes antenna segments125(also referred to herein as antenna strips) that are selectable by the switches124. The control circuit123generates a control signal CTLV for individually turning on or off the switches127to control the combination of segments125that are connected to the vertical RF signal feed RFV.

With continuing reference toFIG.5A, the horizontally polarized patch antenna122includes antenna segments126that are selectable by the switches128. The control circuit123generates a control signal CTLH for individually turning on or off the switches128to control the combination of segments126that are connected to the horizontal RF signal feed RFH.

In the illustrated embodiment, the antenna segments126of the horizontally polarized patch antenna122are substantially orthogonal to the antenna segments125of the vertically polarized patch antenna121. In certain implementations, the segments are implemented as parallel metal strips extending in the depicted directions.

By controlling the selected combination of antenna segments (to control various antenna parameters such as width), frequency adjustment can be achieved. Moreover, such frequency adjustment can be separately controllable for horizontal and vertical polarizations.

The patch antenna system129can be used to handle a wide variety of RF signals including, but not limited to, FR2 signals such as those in the 24 GHz and/or 39 GHz bands.

For example, Table 1 below depicts various examples of 5G FR2 frequency bands that can be transmitted and/or received using a patch antenna system implemented in accordance with the teachings herein.

TABLE 15G FrequencyBand DuplexUL/DL LowUL/DL HighBandType[MHz][MHz]n257TDD2650029500n258TDD2425027500n259TDD3950043500n260TDD3700040000n261TDD2750028350n262TDD4720048200n263TDD5700071000

In certain embodiments, frequency adjustment is used to change the selected frequency band for operation at a given time. Additionally or alternatively, frequency adjustment can be used to compensate for variation arising from operating conditions and/or manufacturing.

The patch antenna system129is depicted as including one horizontally polarized patch antenna and one vertically polarized patch antenna. However, a patch antenna system can include additional antennas for various applications, such as beamforming and/or MIMO.

FIG.5Bis a schematic diagram of a patch antenna system129′ according to another embodiment. The patch antenna system129′ includes a vertically polarized patch antenna121, a horizontally polarized patch antenna122, a control circuit123, a first group of switches124, and a second group of switches128.

The patch antenna system129′ ofFIG.5Bis similar to the patch antenna system129ofFIG.5A, except that in the patch antenna system129′ the segments of the patch antennas121and122are driven from a center rather than an end. For example, the vertically polarized patch antenna121is driven at a center line133, while the horizontally polarized patch antenna122is driven at a center line134.

By driving any selected segments from a center point, an improved voltage distribution is achieved as compared to driving from an end point. For example, a voltage distribution133of the vertically polarized patch antenna121is depicted. Since the selection of segments125changes the patch's height, enhanced performance can be realized by driving the vertically polarized patch antenna121from the top (or bottom) such that a resonant height and a resulting vertical voltage/current distribution is affected by the varying patch height.

A voltage distribution136of the horizontally polarized patch antenna122is also depicted. Since the selection of segments126changes the patch's width, enhanced performance can be realized by driving the horizontally polarized patch antenna122from the left (or right) such that a resonant length and the resulting horizontal voltage/current distribution is affected by the varying patch width.

FIG.5Cis a schematic diagram of a patch antenna system129″ according to another embodiment. The patch antenna system129″ includes a vertically polarized patch antenna121′, a horizontally polarized patch antenna122′, a control circuit123, a first group of switches124′, and a second group of switches128′.

The patch antenna system129″ ofFIG.5Cis similar to the patch antenna system129′ ofFIG.5B, except that in the patch antenna system129″ ofFIG.5Cthe switches are placed down the center line of each patch antenna, with the segments implemented as a pair of segment portions (or half segments) each selectable be a corresponding switch implemented as a single-pole double throw (SPDT) switch. The SPDT can select either segment portion (a left segment portion or a right segment portion), no segment portions, or both segment portions.

Thus, the switches124′ are placed down a middle or center line of the segments125′ of the vertically polarized patch antenna121′, with a given SPDT switch driving a corresponding pair of half segments. Additionally, the switches128′ are placed down a middle or center line of the segments126′ of the horizontally polarized patch antenna122′, with a given SPDT switch driving a corresponding pair of half segments.

By implementing the switches in this way, a distance from any switch to the edges of the strip that it is switching in is short. Thus, enhanced RF performance is achieved.

FIG.5Dis a schematic diagram of a communication system135according to another embodiment. The communication system135includes a transceiver106, a front-end system107, and a reconfigurable patch antenna108including segments116.

In the illustrated embodiment, the front-end system107includes a power amplifier111for amplifying an RF transmit signal from the transceiver106to generate an amplified RF transmit signal provided to a signal feed115. The front-end system107further includes switches109for selectively connecting any desired combination of the segments116to the signal feed115. Although not shown inFIG.5D, the front-end system107can also include a control circuit for individually opening or closing each of the switches107based on a state of a control signal.

The communication system135ofFIG.5Dis implemented for transmit only.

FIG.5Eis a schematic diagram of a communication system135′ according to another embodiment. The communication system135′ includes a transceiver106′, a front-end system107′, and a reconfigurable patch antenna108.

In the illustrated embodiment, the front-end system107′ includes a low noise amplifier112for amplifying an RF receive signal received from a signal feed115to generate an amplified RF receive signal provided to the transceiver106′. The front-end system107′ further includes switches109for selectively connecting any desired combination of the segments116to the signal feed115. Although not shown inFIG.5E, the front-end system107′ can also include a control circuit for individually opening or closing each of the switches107′ based on a state of a control signal.

The communication system135′ ofFIG.5Eis implemented for receive only.

FIG.5Fis a schematic diagram of a communication system135″ according to another embodiment. The communication system135″ includes a transceiver106″, a front-end system107″, and an array of reconfigurable patch antennas108a,108b, . . .108n. The reconfigurable patch antennas108a,108b, . . .108ninclude segments116a,116b, . . .116n, respectively. The number of antennas n can be any desired number, and the array can be arranged in any way (for example, as a one-dimensional array or row or as a two-dimensional array or grid).

In the illustrated embodiment, the front-end system107″ includes signal conditioning circuits144a,144b, . . .144nconnected to the reconfigurable patch antennas108a,108b, . . .108n, respectively, by way of corresponding signal feeds115a,115b, . . .115nand switches109a,109b, . . .109n. The signal conditioning circuits144a,144b, . . .144ninclude power amplifiers111a,111b, . . .111n, low noise amplifiers112a,112b, . . .112n, transmit/receive (T/R) switches117a,117b, . . .117n, controllable gain circuits118a,118b, . . .118n, and controllable phase adjustment circuits119a,119b, . . .119n, respectively.

Each signal conditioning circuit includes a power amplifier, a low noise amplifier, and a T/R switch for selectively connected an output of the power amplifier or an input of the low noise amplifier to a corresponding signal feed. The signal conditioning circuits also each include a controllable gain circuit and a controllable phase circuit for providing channel-specific gain and phase adjustments for beamforming.

The communication system135″ is implemented for transmit and receive, as well as for beamforming. Any of the embodiments herein can include multiple RF channels for beamforming a transmit beam and/or a receive beam.

AlthoughFIGS.5D,5E, and5Fare depicted for one antenna polarization, the depicted circuitry can be replicated for horizontal and vertical polarizations in applications in which the reconfigurable patch antennas include multiple polarizations.

FIG.6Ais a perspective view of one embodiment of a module140that operates with beamforming.FIG.6Bis a cross-section of the module140ofFIG.6Ataken along the lines6B-6B.

The module140includes a laminated substrate or laminate141, a semiconductor die or IC142, surface mount components143, and an antenna array including patch antenna elements151-166. Any of the antenna elements can be implemented as a reconfigurable patch antenna in accordance with the teachings herein.

Although one embodiment of a module is shown inFIGS.6A and6B, the teachings herein are applicable to modules implemented in a wide variety of ways. For example, a module can include a different arrangement of and/or number of antenna elements, dies, and/or surface mount components. Additionally, the module140can include additional structures and components including, but not limited to, encapsulation structures, shielding structures, and/or wirebonds.

In the illustrated embodiment, the antenna elements151-166are formed on a first surface of the laminate141, and can be used to transmit and/or receive signals. Although the illustrated antenna elements151-166are rectangular, the antenna elements151-166can be shaped in other ways. Additionally, although a 4×4 array of antenna elements is shown, more or fewer antenna elements can be provided. Moreover, antenna elements can be arrayed in other patterns or configurations. Furthermore, in another embodiment, multiple antenna arrays are provided, such as separate antenna arrays for transmit and receive and/or multiple antenna arrays for MIMO and/or switched diversity.

In certain implementations, the antenna elements151-166are implemented as patch antennas. A patch antenna can include a planar antenna element positioned over a ground plane. A patch antenna can have a relatively thin profile and exhibit robust mechanical strength. In certain configurations, the antenna elements151-166are implemented as patch antennas with planar antenna elements formed on the first surface of the laminate141and the ground plane formed using an internal conductive layer of the laminate141.

In the illustrated embodiment, the IC142and the surface mount components143are on a second surface of the laminate141opposite the first surface.

In certain implementations, the IC142includes signal conditioning circuits associated with the antenna elements151-166. In one embodiment, the IC142includes a serial interface, such as a mobile industry processor interface radio frequency front-end (MIPI RFFE) bus and/or inter-integrated circuit (I2C) bus that receives data for controlling the signal conditioning circuits, such as the amount of phase shifting provided by phase shifters. In another embodiment, the IC142includes signal conditioning circuits associated with the antenna elements151-166and an integrated transceiver. The IC142can further includes switches for connecting the segments of a particular patch antenna to a signal feed, and a

The laminate141can be implemented in a variety of ways, and can include for example, conductive layers, dielectric layers, solder masks, and/or other structures. The number of layers, layer thicknesses, and materials used to form the layers can be selected based on a wide variety of factors, which can vary with application. The laminate141can include vias for providing electrical connections to signal feeds and/or ground feeds of the antenna elements151-166. For example, in certain implementations, vias can aid in providing electrical connections between signaling conditioning circuits of the IC142and corresponding antenna elements.

The module140can be included in a communication system, such as a mobile phone or base station. In one example, the module140is attached to a phone board of a mobile phone.

FIG.7is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of a mobile device800. The mobile device800includes a baseband system801, a transceiver802, a front end system803, antennas804, a power management system805, a memory806, a user interface807, and a battery808.

The mobile device800can be used communicate using a wide variety of communications technologies, including, but not limited to, 2G, 3G, 4G (including LTE, LTE-Advanced, and LTE-Advanced Pro), 5G NR, WLAN (for instance, WiFi), WPAN (for instance, Bluetooth and ZigBee), WMAN (for instance, WiMax), and/or GPS technologies.

The transceiver802generates RF signals for transmission and processes incoming RF signals received from the antennas804. It will be understood that various functionalities associated with the transmission and receiving of RF signals can be achieved by one or more components that are collectively represented inFIG.7as the transceiver802. In one example, separate components (for instance, separate circuits or dies) can be provided for handling certain types of RF signals.

The front end system803aids in conditioning signals transmitted to and/or received from the antennas804. In the illustrated embodiment, the front end system803includes antenna tuning circuitry810, power amplifiers (PAs)811, low noise amplifiers (LNAs)812, filters813, switches814, and signal splitting/combining circuitry815. However, other implementations are possible.

For example, the front end system803can provide a number of functionalities, including, but not limited to, amplifying signals for transmission, amplifying received signals, filtering signals, switching between different bands, switching between different power modes, switching between transmission and receiving modes, duplexing of signals, multiplexing of signals (for instance, diplexing or triplexing), or some combination thereof.

In certain implementations, the mobile device800supports carrier aggregation, thereby providing flexibility to increase peak data rates. Carrier aggregation can be used for both Frequency Division Duplexing (FDD) and Time Division Duplexing (TDD), and may be used to aggregate a plurality of carriers or channels. Carrier aggregation includes contiguous aggregation, in which contiguous carriers within the same operating frequency band are aggregated. Carrier aggregation can also be non-contiguous, and can include carriers separated in frequency within a common band or in different bands.

The antennas804can include antennas used for a wide variety of types of communications. For example, the antennas804can include antennas for transmitting and/or receiving signals associated with a wide variety of frequencies and communications standards.

In certain implementations, the antennas804support MIMO communications and/or switched diversity communications. For example, MIMO communications use multiple antennas for communicating multiple data streams over a single radio frequency channel. MIMO communications benefit from higher signal to noise ratio, improved coding, and/or reduced signal interference due to spatial multiplexing differences of the radio environment. Switched diversity refers to communications in which a particular antenna is selected for operation at a particular time. For example, a switch can be used to select a particular antenna from a group of antennas based on a variety of factors, such as an observed bit error rate and/or a signal strength indicator.

The mobile device800can operate with beamforming in certain implementations. For example, the front end system803can include amplifiers having controllable gain and phase shifters having controllable phase to provide beam formation and directivity for transmission and/or reception of signals using the antennas804. For example, in the context of signal transmission, the amplitude and phases of the transmit signals provided to the antennas804are controlled such that radiated signals from the antennas804combine using constructive and destructive interference to generate an aggregate transmit signal exhibiting beam-like qualities with more signal strength propagating in a given direction. In the context of signal reception, the amplitude and phases are controlled such that more signal energy is received when the signal is arriving to the antennas804from a particular direction. In certain implementations, the antennas804include one or more arrays of antenna elements to enhance beamforming.

The baseband system801is coupled to the user interface807to facilitate processing of various user input and output (I/O), such as voice and data. The baseband system801provides the transceiver802with digital representations of transmit signals, which the transceiver802processes to generate RF signals for transmission. The baseband system801also processes digital representations of received signals provided by the transceiver802. As shown inFIG.7, the baseband system801is coupled to the memory806of facilitate operation of the mobile device800.

The memory806can be used for a wide variety of purposes, such as storing data and/or instructions to facilitate the operation of the mobile device800and/or to provide storage of user information.

The power management system805provides a number of power management functions of the mobile device800. In certain implementations, the power management system805includes a PA supply control circuit that controls the supply voltages of the power amplifiers811. For example, the power management system805can be configured to change the supply voltage(s) provided to one or more of the power amplifiers811to improve efficiency, such as power added efficiency (PAE).

As shown inFIG.7, the power management system805receives a battery voltage from the battery808. The battery808can be any suitable battery for use in the mobile device800, including, for example, a lithium-ion battery.

FIG.8is a schematic diagram of a power amplifier system860according to another embodiment. The illustrated power amplifier system860includes a baseband processor841, a transmitter/observation receiver842, a power amplifier (PA)843, a directional coupler844, front-end circuitry845, an antenna846, a PA bias control circuit847, and a PA supply control circuit848. The illustrated transmitter/observation receiver842includes an I/Q modulator857, a mixer858, and an analog-to-digital converter (ADC)859. In certain implementations, the transmitter/observation receiver842is incorporated into a transceiver.

The baseband processor841can be used to generate an in-phase (I) signal and a quadrature-phase (Q) signal, which can be used to represent a sinusoidal wave or signal of a desired amplitude, frequency, and phase. For example, the I signal can be used to represent an in-phase component of the sinusoidal wave and the Q signal can be used to represent a quadrature-phase component of the sinusoidal wave, which can be an equivalent representation of the sinusoidal wave. In certain implementations, the I and Q signals can be provided to the I/Q modulator857in a digital format. The baseband processor841can be any suitable processor configured to process a baseband signal. For instance, the baseband processor841can include a digital signal processor, a microprocessor, a programmable core, or any combination thereof. Moreover, in some implementations, two or more baseband processors841can be included in the power amplifier system860.

The I/Q modulator857can be configured to receive the I and Q signals from the baseband processor841and to process the I and Q signals to generate an RF signal. For example, the I/Q modulator857can include digital-to-analog converters (DACs) configured to convert the I and Q signals into an analog format, mixers for upconverting the I and Q signals to RF, and a signal combiner for combining the upconverted I and Q signals into an RF signal suitable for amplification by the power amplifier843. In certain implementations, the I/Q modulator857can include one or more filters configured to filter frequency content of signals processed therein.

The power amplifier843can receive the RF signal from the I/Q modulator857, and when enabled can provide an amplified RF signal to the antenna846via the front-end circuitry845.

The front-end circuitry845can be implemented in a wide variety of ways. In one example, the front-end circuitry845includes one or more switches, filters, duplexers, multiplexers, and/or other components. In another example, the front-end circuitry845is omitted in favor of the power amplifier843providing the amplified RF signal directly to the antenna846.

The directional coupler844senses an output signal of the power amplifier823. Additionally, the sensed output signal from the directional coupler844is provided to the mixer858, which multiplies the sensed output signal by a reference signal of a controlled frequency. The mixer858operates to generate a downshifted signal by downshifting the sensed output signal's frequency content. The downshifted signal can be provided to the ADC859, which can convert the downshifted signal to a digital format suitable for processing by the baseband processor841. Including a feedback path from the output of the power amplifier843to the baseband processor841can provide a number of advantages. For example, implementing the baseband processor841in this manner can aid in providing power control, compensating for transmitter impairments, and/or in performing digital pre-distortion (DPD). Although one example of a sensing path for a power amplifier is shown, other implementations are possible.

The PA supply control circuit848receives a power control signal from the baseband processor841, and controls supply voltages of the power amplifier843. In the illustrated configuration, the PA supply control circuit848generates a first supply voltage VCC1for powering an input stage of the power amplifier843and a second supply voltage VCC2for powering an output stage of the power amplifier843. The PA supply control circuit848can control the voltage level of the first supply voltage VCC1and/or the second supply voltage VCC2to enhance the power amplifier system's PAE.

The PA supply control circuit848can employ various power management techniques to change the voltage level of one or more of the supply voltages over time to improve the power amplifier's power added efficiency (PAE), thereby reducing power dissipation.

One technique for improving efficiency of a power amplifier is average power tracking (APT), in which a DC-to-DC converter is used to generate a supply voltage for a power amplifier based on the power amplifier's average output power. Another technique for improving efficiency of a power amplifier is envelope tracking (ET), in which a supply voltage of the power amplifier is controlled in relation to the envelope of the RF signal. Thus, when a voltage level of the envelope of the RF signal increases the voltage level of the power amplifier's supply voltage can be increased. Likewise, when the voltage level of the envelope of the RF signal decreases the voltage level of the power amplifier's supply voltage can be decreased to reduce power consumption.

In certain configurations, the PA supply control circuit848is a multi-mode supply control circuit that can operate in multiple supply control modes including an APT mode and an ET mode. For example, the power control signal from the baseband processor841can instruct the PA supply control circuit848to operate in a particular supply control mode.

As shown inFIG.8, the PA bias control circuit847receives a bias control signal from the baseband processor841, and generates bias control signals for the power amplifier843. In the illustrated configuration, the bias control circuit847generates bias control signals for both an input stage of the power amplifier843and an output stage of the power amplifier843. However, other implementations are possible.

Applications

Some of the embodiments described above have provided examples in connection with wireless devices or mobile phones. However, the principles and advantages of the embodiments can be used for any other systems or apparatus that have needs for antenna systems.

Such antenna systems can be implemented in various electronic devices. Examples of the electronic devices can include, but are not limited to, consumer electronic products, parts of the consumer electronic products, electronic test equipment, etc. Examples of the electronic devices can also include, but are not limited to, memory chips, memory modules, circuits of optical networks or other communication networks, and disk driver circuits. The consumer electronic products can include, but are not limited to, a mobile phone, a telephone, a television, a computer monitor, a computer, a hand-held computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a microwave, a refrigerator, an automobile, a stereo system, a cassette recorder or player, a DVD player, a CD player, a VCR, an MP3 player, a radio, a camcorder, a camera, a digital camera, a portable memory chip, a washer, a dryer, a washer/dryer, a copier, a facsimile machine, a scanner, a multi-functional peripheral device, a wrist watch, a clock, etc. Further, the electronic devices can include unfinished products.

CONCLUSION

Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, throughout the description and the claims, the words “comprise,” “comprising,” and the like are to be construed in an inclusive sense, as opposed to an exclusive or exhaustive sense; that is to say, in the sense of “including, but not limited to.” The word “coupled”, as generally used herein, refers to two or more elements that may be either directly connected, or connected by way of one or more intermediate elements. Likewise, the word “connected”, as generally used herein, refers to two or more elements that may be either directly connected, or connected by way of one or more intermediate elements. Additionally, the words “herein,” “above,” “below,” and words of similar import, when used in this application, shall refer to this application as a whole and not to any particular portions of this application. Where the context permits, words in the above Detailed Description using the singular or plural number may also include the plural or singular number respectively. The word “or” in reference to a list of two or more items, that word covers all of the following interpretations of the word: any of the items in the list, all of the items in the list, and any combination of the items in the list.

Moreover, conditional language used herein, such as, among others, “may,” “could,” “might,” “can,” “e.g.,” “for example,” “such as” and the like, unless specifically stated otherwise, or otherwise understood within the context as used, is generally intended to convey that certain embodiments include, while other embodiments do not include, certain features, elements and/or states. Thus, such conditional language is not generally intended to imply that features, elements and/or states are in any way required for one or more embodiments or that one or more embodiments necessarily include logic for deciding, with or without author input or prompting, whether these features, elements and/or states are included or are to be performed in any particular embodiment.

The above detailed description of embodiments of the invention is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed above. While specific embodiments of, and examples for, the invention are described above for illustrative purposes, various equivalent modifications are possible within the scope of the invention, as those skilled in the relevant art will recognize. For example, while processes or blocks are presented in a given order, alternative embodiments may perform routines having steps, or employ systems having blocks, in a different order, and some processes or blocks may be deleted, moved, added, subdivided, combined, and/or modified. Each of these processes or blocks may be implemented in a variety of different ways. Also, while processes or blocks are at times shown as being performed in series, these processes or blocks may instead be performed in parallel, or may be performed at different times.

The teachings of the invention provided herein can be applied to other systems, not necessarily the system described above. The elements and acts of the various embodiments described above can be combined to provide further embodiments.

While certain embodiments of the inventions have been described, these embodiments have been presented by way of example only, and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure. Indeed, the novel methods and systems described herein may be embodied in a variety of other forms; furthermore, various omissions, substitutions and changes in the form of the methods and systems described herein may be made without departing from the spirit of the disclosure. The accompanying claims and their equivalents are intended to cover such forms or modifications as would fall within the scope and spirit of the disclosure.