Dual polarized antenna array

• US 10,057,796 B2
• Filed: 11/25/2014
• Issued: 08/21/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Elsherbini, Adel A., Kamgaing, Telesphor, Herrero, Pablo, Raaf, Bernhard
• Primary Examiner(s): Chen, Junpeng
• Application Number:
  US14/552,587
• Publication Number:
  US 20160149315A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,365 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/245 with means for shaping the antenna pattern, e.g. in order to protect user against rf exposure
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/245 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 Class Codes: H01Q 3/24 varying the orientation by switching energy from one active radiating element to another, e.g. for beam switching
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/04 using two or more spaced independent antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic

Abstract

Described herein are architectures, platforms and methods for implementing an antenna array with a dynamic polarization adjustment in a portable device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

selecting an antenna polarization to select between a plurality of interleaved horizontally and vertically polarized antenna elements of an antenna array based on wireless signal strengths between the plurality of interleaved horizontally and vertically polarized antenna elements, the selection of the antenna polarization providing a selected plurality of horizontally polarized antenna elements or a selected plurality of vertically polarized antenna elements;

selecting, based on the selected antenna polarization, at least one antenna element with a predetermined wireless signal strength from the provided selected plurality of horizontally or vertically polarized antenna elements to provide a sub-selected at least one antenna element;

transmitting or receiving the wireless signal through the sub-selected at least one antenna element of the selected plurality of horizontally or vertically polarized antenna elements; and

dynamically adjusting the antenna polarization and the selected at least one antenna element during the transmitting or receiving of the wireless signal based on the wireless signal strength.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of interleaved horizontally and vertically polarized antenna elements forms a polarization-configuration that is based on a relationship between physical location of at least one horizontally polarized antenna element and at least one vertically polarized antenna element.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless communication link signal utilizes an mm-wave signal.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining and comparing periodically the wireless signal strengths, wherein the determining and comparing includes determining and comparing of a first wireless signal strength of the horizontally polarized antenna element to a second wireless signal strength of the vertically polarized antenna element.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the selecting an antenna polarization based on the wireless signal strengths utilizes a gradient optimization algorithm to derive a desired antenna polarization.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the selecting includes deactivating non-selected antenna elements for power savings.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising comparing the wireless signal strength of the selected at least one antenna element to a power threshold, wherein the selection of the antenna polarization is repeated in response to the wireless signal strength of the selected at least one antenna element that is below the power threshold.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the repeating includes turning ON of previously non-selected and deactivated antenna elements.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the antenna array comprises alternative columns of horizontally polarized antenna elements and vertically polarized antenna elements, wherein each column includes at least two antenna elements.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the antenna array comprises a plurality of columns and rows of antenna elements, wherein each column includes alternating horizontally polarized antenna elements and vertically polarized antenna elements, and each row includes alternating horizontally polarized antenna elements and vertically polarized antenna elements.

11. A device comprising:

an antenna array comprising a plurality of horizontally and vertically polarized antenna elements;

a radio-frequency (RF) circuitry configured to transmit or receive wireless signals via the antenna array, the RF circuitry further comprising;

a detector configured to;

determine and compare periodically wireless signal strength between the plurality of horizontally and vertically polarized antenna elements,

select an antenna polarization to select the plurality of horizontally polarized antenna elements or select the plurality of vertically polarized antenna elements based on a comparison of wireless signal strength between the plurality of horizontally and vertically polarized antenna elements,

dynamically identify, based on the selected antenna polarization, at least one antenna element with a predetermined wireless signal strength from the selected plurality of horizontally or vertically polarized antenna elements to provide a dynamically identified at least one antenna element,

select the at least one antenna element with the predetermined wireless signal strength from the selected plurality of horizontally or vertically polarized antenna elements for transmission or reception of the wireless signals, and

dynamically adjust the antenna polarization and the selected at least one antenna element during the transmission or reception of the wireless signals based on the wireless signal strength.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the transmission or reception of the wireless signals utilizes a millimeter-wave (mm-wave) signal.

13. The device of claim 11, wherein the comparing of the wireless signal strengths include comparing of a first wireless signal strength of at least one horizontally polarized antenna element to a second wireless signal strength of at least one vertically polarized antenna element.

14. The device of claim 11, wherein the antenna array includes at least one horizontally polarized element that is surrounded by vertically polarized elements, or at least one vertically polarized element that is surrounded by the horizontally polarized elements.

15. The device of claim 11, further comprising a switch configured to deactivate non-selected antenna elements for power savings.

16. The device of claim 11, wherein the polarization detector utilizes a gradient optimization algorithm to derive a desired antenna polarization.

17. The device of claim 11, wherein the polarization detector is further configured to compare the wireless signal strength of the selected antenna to a power threshold, wherein the polarization detector repeats the determining and comparing wireless signal strengths in response to the compared wireless signal strength of the selected antenna that is below the power threshold.

18. The device of claim 11, wherein the horizontally and vertically polarized antenna elements are interleaved.

19. An antenna array comprising:

a plurality of interleaved horizontally and vertically polarized antenna elements, wherein at least one antenna element is selected and utilized during a signal reception or transmission in the antenna array, wherein the selection of the at least one antenna element includes;

a comparison of a wireless signal strengths between the horizontally and vertically polarized antenna elements;

selection of an antenna polarization to select either the plurality of horizontally or vertically polarized antenna elements based on the periodic comparison;

a dynamic sub-selection, based on the selected antenna polarization, of the at least one antenna element with a predetermined wireless signal strength from the selected plurality of horizontally or vertically polarized antenna elements to provide a dynamically sub-selected at least one antenna element; and

dynamically adjusting the antenna polarization and the selected at least one antenna element, during the signal reception or transmission, based on the wireless signal strength.

20. The antenna array of claim 19, wherein the interleaved plurality of horizontally and vertically polarized antenna elements form a polarization-configuration that is based on a relationship between physical locations of the at least one horizontally polarized antenna element and the at least one vertically polarized antenna element.

21. The antenna array of claim 19, wherein the signal reception or transmission utilizes an mm-wave signal.

22. The antenna array of claim 19, wherein the comparison of the wireless signal strength is repeated when the wireless signal strength of a selected at least one antenna element falls below a power value.