Transmutable MIMO wireless transceiver

• US 10,298,299 B1
• Filed: 05/31/2018
• Issued: 05/21/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Maxlinear Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Quantenna Communications, Inc. (ON Semiconductor Corporation)
• Inventors: Duxbury, Simon, Agrawal, Abhishek, Ansari, Saied, Margairaz, Didier, Liu, Hongping
• Primary Examiner(s): Scheibel, Robert C
• Application Number:
  US15/995,104
• Time in Patent Office: 355 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/005 adapting radio receivers, transmitters andtransceivers for operation on two or more bands, i.e. frequency ranges
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/0057 using diplexing or multiplexing filters for selecting the desired band
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/006 using switches for selecting the desired band H04B1/0057 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/0064 with separate antennas for the more than one band H04B1/0053 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/0483 Transmitters with multiple parallel paths
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/525 with means for reducing leakage of transmitter signal into the receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0452 Multi-user MIMO systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0689 using different transmission schemes, at least one of them being a diversity transmission scheme
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0691 using subgroups of transmit antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0871 using different reception schemes, at least one of them being a diversity reception scheme
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0874 using subgroups of receive antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2025/03426 transmission using multiple-input and multiple-output channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 25/03057 with a recursive structure H04L25/03031 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 25/03159 operating in the frequency domain H04L25/03165, H04L25/03178 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/26 Systems using multi-frequency codes H04L27/32 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2626 Arrangements specific to the transmitter only
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2647 Arrangements specific to the receiver only equalisation H04L27/01
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0023 Time-frequency-space
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/541 using the level of interference
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

A multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) wireless transceiver with “N” transmit and receive chains and a bandwidth evaluation circuit, a chain partitioning circuit and a switchable radio frequency ‘RF’ filter bank. The bandwidth evaluation circuit evaluates both the utilization of the WLAN(s) and any remaining communications channels and determines whether to operate the MIMO chains synchronously as a single radio or asynchronously as multiple radios. The chain partitioning circuit either partitions subsets of the MIMO chains for asynchronous operation as distinct radios or combines all MIMO chains for synchronous operation as a single radio. The switchable RF filter bank is responsive to a partitioning of subsets of the chains into distinct radios to add RF filters to a RF portion of the chains to isolate each radio from one another, and responsive to a combining of all MIMO chains into a single radio to remove all RF filters.

Claims

1. A wireless transceiver comprising:

a plurality of components coupled to one another to form N multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) transmit and receive chains supporting wireless communications with associated stations on at least one wireless local area network (WLAN);

a bandwidth evaluation circuit to evaluate both the utilization of the at least one WLAN together with any remaining communications channels not utilized by the at least one WLAN and to determine based on the evaluation whether to operate the MIMO chains synchronously as a single radio or asynchronously as multiple radios;

a chain partitioning circuit to either partition subsets of the MIMO chains for asynchronous operation as distinct radios each supporting their own WLAN or combine all MIMO chains for synchronous operation as a single radio supporting communications on a single WLAN based on the determination by the bandwidth evaluation circuit;

a switchable radio frequency (RF) filter bank responsive to a partitioning of subsets of the chains into distinct radios by the chain partitioning circuit to switchably add RF filters to a RF portion of the transmit and receive chains to isolate the asynchronous transmit and receive communications on each radio from one another, and further responsive to a combining of all MIMO chains into a single radio by the chain partitioning circuit to remove all RF filters from the RF portion of the transmit and receive chains to allow synchronous operation thereof; and

a partitionable equalizer responsive to the partitioning of the MIMO chains by the chain partitioning circuit to equalize received communications on the chains of each radio independently from one another and further responsive to the combining of all MIMO chains to equalize received communications on all the MIMO chains of the single radio together with one another.

2. The wireless transceiver of claim 1, further comprising:

the switchable RF filter bank including a 1st set of RF bandpass filters each spanning a 1st set of communication channels and a 2nd set of RF bandpass filters each spanning a 2nd set of communication channels distinct from the 1st set, and the switchable RF filter bank responsive to the partitioning of subsets of the chains into two distinct radios by the chain partitioning circuit to switchably add one of the 1st set of RF bandpass filters to an RF portion of each chain in the subset of chains of one of the two radios and to switchably add one of the 2nd set of RF bandpass filters to each chain in the subset of chains of the other of the two radios, to isolate the asynchronous transmit and receive communications on each radio from one another; and

the switchable RF filter bank further responsive to the combining of all MIMO chains into a single radio by the chain partitioning circuit to remove the 1st and 2nd sets of RF bandpass filters from the RF portion of all the MIMO transmit and receive chains to allow synchronous operation thereof.

3. The wireless transceiver of claim 1, further comprising:

the switchable RF filter bank including sets of RF bandpass filters with each RF bandpass filter in a set spanning the same communication channels, and with each set spanning distinct communication channels from one another, and the switchable RF filter bank responsive to the partitioning of subsets of the chains into distinct radios by the chain partitioning circuit to switchably add the RF bandpass filters in each set to the RF portion of the chains of each radio, to isolate the asynchronous transmit and receive communications on each radio from one another; and

the switchable RF filter bank further responsive to the combining of all MIMO chains into a single radio by the chain partitioning circuit to remove the RF bandpass filters from the RF portion of all the MIMO transmit and receive chains to allow synchronous operation thereof.

4. The wireless transceiver of claim 1, further comprising:

the chain partitioning circuit further to determine a number of MIMO chains in the subset of MIMO chains of each distinct radio, based at least on capabilities of the associated stations.

5. The wireless transceiver of claim 1, further comprising:

the bandwidth evaluation circuit to evaluate the utilization of the at least one WLAN including per station throughput and capabilities of each associated station.

6. The wireless transceiver of claim 1, further comprising:

the bandwidth evaluation circuit to evaluate the utilization of any remaining communication channels including interference on said remaining channels resulting from either radar or from other wireless transceivers.

7. The wireless transceiver of claim 1, operative as one of:

a wireless access point (WAP) transceiver or a MESH transceiver.

8. A method for operating a wireless transceiver comprising:

providing a plurality of components coupled to one another to form N multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) transmit and receive chains supporting wireless communications with associated stations on at least one wireless local area network (WLAN);

providing a partitionable equalizer;

determining whether to operate the MIMO chains synchronously as a single radio or asynchronously as multiple distinct radios each having a distinct subset of the N MIMO transmit and receive chains;

equalizing received communications on the receive chains of each radio independently from one another, in a corresponding partition of the partitionable equalizer, responsive to the determining act;

switchably adding radio frequency (RF) filters to a RF portion of each transmit and receive chain allocated to a given radio to isolate the asynchronous transmit and receive communications on each radio from one another, responsive to a determination in the determining act to operate subsets of the MIMO chains as distinct radios; and

switchably removing the RF filters from the RF portion of each transmit and receive chain responsive to a determination in the determining act, to operate the MIMO chains synchronously as a single radio.

9. The method for operating the wireless transceiver of claim 8, wherein the determining and switchably adding acts further comprise:

determining to operate the MIMO chains asynchronously as two distinct radios each having a distinct subset of the N transmit and receive chains;

switchably adding one of a 1st set of RF bandpass filters each spanning a 1st set of communication channels to an RF portion of each chain in the subset of chains of one of the two radios and one of a 2nd set of RF bandpass filters each spanning a 2nd set of communication channels to the RF portion of each chain in the subset of chains of the other of the two radios, responsive to the determination to operate the MIMO chains as two distinct radios.

10. The method for operating the wireless transceiver of claim 8, wherein the determining and switchably adding acts further comprise:

determining to operate the MIMO chains asynchronously as integer M radios each having a distinct subset of the N transmit and receive chains;

switchably adding RF bandpass filters to the RF portions of the MIMO transmit and receive chains of each of the M radios wherein the RF bandpass filters of each radio span distinct communication channels from one another, to isolate the asynchronous transmit and receive communications of each of the M radios from one another.

11. The method for operating the wireless transceiver of claim 8, wherein the determining act further comprises:

determining a number of MIMO chains in the subset of MIMO chains of each distinct radio, based at least on capabilities of the associated stations.

12. The method for operating the wireless transceiver of claim 8, wherein the determining act further comprises:

evaluating a utilization of the at least one WLAN including per station throughput and capabilities of each associated station.

13. The method for operating the wireless transceiver of claim 8, wherein the determining act further comprises:

evaluating a utilization of any remaining communication channels including interference on said remaining channels resulting from either radar or from other wireless transceivers.

14. The method for operating the wireless transceiver of claim 8, further comprising one of the acts of:

operating the wireless transceiver as a wireless access point (WAP) transceiver;

or

operating the wireless transceiver as a MESH transceiver.

15. A wireless transceiver comprising:

a plurality of components coupled to one another to form N multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) transmit and receive chains supporting wireless communications with associated stations on at least one wireless local area network (WLAN);

a bandwidth evaluation circuit to evaluate both the utilization of the at least one WLAN together with any remaining communications channels not utilized by the at least one WLAN and to determine based on the evaluation whether to operate the MIMO chains synchronously as a single radio or asynchronously as multiple radios;

a chain partitioning circuit to either partition subsets of the MIMO chains for asynchronous operation as distinct radios each supporting their own WLAN or combine all MIMO chains for synchronous operation as a single radio supporting communications on a single WLAN based on the determination by the bandwidth evaluation circuit;

a switchable radio frequency (RF) filter bank responsive to a partitioning of subsets of the chains into distinct radios by the chain partitioning circuit to switchably add RF filters to a RF portion of the transmit and receive chains to isolate the asynchronous transmit and receive communications on each radio from one another, and further responsive to a combining of all MIMO chains into a single radio by the chain partitioning circuit to remove all RF filters from the RF portion of the transmit and receive chains to allow synchronous operation thereof; and

a partitionable spatial mapper responsive to the partitioning of the MIMO chains by the chain partitioning circuit to spatially map transmitted communications on the chains of each radio independently from one another and further responsive to the combining of all MIMO chains to spatially map transmitted communications on all the MIMO chains of the single radio together with one another.

16. The wireless transceiver of claim 15, further comprising:

the switchable RF filter bank including a 1st set of RF bandpass filters each spanning a 1st set of communication channels and a 2nd set of RF bandpass filters each spanning a 2nd set of communication channels distinct from the 1st set, and the switchable RF filter bank responsive to the partitioning of subsets of the chains into two distinct radios by the chain partitioning circuit to switchably add one of the 1st set of RF bandpass filters to an RF portion of each chain in the subset of chains of one of the two radios and to switchably add one of the 2nd set of RF bandpass filters to each chain in the subset of chains of the other of the two radios, to isolate the asynchronous transmit and receive communications on each radio from one another; and

the switchable RF filter bank further responsive to the combining of all MIMO chains into a single radio by the chain partitioning circuit to remove the 1st and 2nd sets of RF bandpass filters from the RF portion of all the MIMO transmit and receive chains to allow synchronous operation thereof.

17. The wireless transceiver of claim 15, further comprising:

the switchable RF filter bank including sets of RF bandpass filters with each RF bandpass filter in a set spanning the same communication channels, and with each set spanning distinct communication channels from one another, and the switchable RF filter bank responsive to the partitioning of subsets of the chains into distinct radios by the chain partitioning circuit to switchably add the RF bandpass filters in each set to the RF portion of the chains of each radio, to isolate the asynchronous transmit and receive communications on each radio from one another; and

the switchable RF filter bank further responsive to the combining of all MIMO chains into a single radio by the chain partitioning circuit to remove the RF bandpass filters from the RF portion of all the MIMO transmit and receive chains to allow synchronous operation thereof.

18. The wireless transceiver of claim 15, further comprising:

the chain partitioning circuit further to determine a number of MIMO chains in the subset of MIMO chains of each distinct radio, based at least on capabilities of the associated stations.

19. The wireless transceiver of claim 15, further comprising:

the bandwidth evaluation circuit to evaluate the utilization of the at least one WLAN including per station throughput and capabilities of each associated station.

20. The wireless transceiver of claim 15, further comprising:

the bandwidth evaluation circuit to evaluate the utilization of any remaining communication channels including interference on said remaining channels resulting from either radar or from other wireless transceivers.

21. A wireless transceiver comprising:

a plurality of components coupled to one another to form N multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) transmit and receive chains supporting wireless communications with associated stations on at least one wireless local area network (WLAN);

a bandwidth evaluation circuit to evaluate both the utilization of the at least one WLAN together with any remaining communications channels not utilized by the at least one WLAN and to determine based on the evaluation whether to operate the MIMO chains synchronously as a single radio or asynchronously as multiple radios;

a chain partitioning circuit to either partition subsets of the MIMO chains for asynchronous operation as distinct radios each supporting their own WLAN or combine all MIMO chains for synchronous operation as a single radio supporting communications on a single WLAN based on the determination by the bandwidth evaluation circuit;

a switchable radio frequency (RF) filter bank responsive to a partitioning of subsets of the chains into distinct radios by the chain partitioning circuit to switchably add RF filters to a RF portion of the transmit and receive chains to isolate the asynchronous transmit and receive communications on each radio from one another, and further responsive to a combining of all MIMO chains into a single radio by the chain partitioning circuit to remove all RF filters from the RF portion of the transmit and receive chains to allow synchronous operation thereof;

a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) bank containing independently tunable VCOs switchably connectable to the transmit and receive chains for selecting a center frequency therefore, and the VCO bank responsive to the partitioning of the MIMO chains by the chain partitioning circuit to switchably connect an independently tunable VCO to the transmit and receive chains of each radio and further responsive to the combining of all MIMO chains to switchably connect a single VCO to all the MIMO chains of the single radio.

22. The wireless transceiver of claim 21, further comprising:

the switchable RF filter bank including a 1st set of RF bandpass filters each spanning a 1st set of communication channels and a 2nd set of RF bandpass filters each spanning a 2nd set of communication channels distinct from the 1st set, and the switchable RF filter bank responsive to the partitioning of subsets of the chains into two distinct radios by the chain partitioning circuit to switchably add one of the 1st set of RF bandpass filters to an RF portion of each chain in the subset of chains of one of the two radios and to switchably add one of the 2nd set of RF bandpass filters to each chain in the subset of chains of the other of the two radios, to isolate the asynchronous transmit and receive communications on each radio from one another; and

the switchable RF filter bank further responsive to the combining of all MIMO chains into a single radio by the chain partitioning circuit to remove the 1st and 2nd sets of RF bandpass filters from the RF portion of all the MIMO transmit and receive chains to allow synchronous operation thereof.

23. The wireless transceiver of claim 21, further comprising:

the switchable RF filter bank including sets of RF bandpass filters with each RF bandpass filter in a set spanning the same communication channels, and with each set spanning distinct communication channels from one another, and the switchable RF filter bank responsive to the partitioning of subsets of the chains into distinct radios by the chain partitioning circuit to switchably add the RF bandpass filters in each set to the RF portion of the chains of each radio, to isolate the asynchronous transmit and receive communications on each radio from one another; and

the switchable RF filter bank further responsive to the combining of all MIMO chains into a single radio by the chain partitioning circuit to remove the RF bandpass filters from the RF portion of all the MIMO transmit and receive chains to allow synchronous operation thereof.

24. A method for operating a wireless transceiver, and the method comprising:

providing a plurality of components coupled to one another to form N multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) transmit and receive chains supporting wireless communications with associated stations on at least one wireless local area network (WLAN);

providing a partitionable spatial mapper;

determining whether to operate the MIMO chains synchronously as a single radio or asynchronously as multiple distinct radios each having a distinct subset of the N MIMO transmit and receive chains;

spatially mapping transmitted communications on the transmit chains of each radio independently from one another, in a corresponding partition of the partitionable spatial mapper, responsive to the determining act;

switchably adding radio frequency (RF) filters to a RF portion of each transmit and receive chain allocated to a given radio to isolate the asynchronous transmit and receive communications on each radio from one another, responsive to a determination in the determining act to operate subsets of the MIMO chains as distinct radios; and

switchably removing the RF filters from the RF portion of each transmit and receive chain responsive to a determination in the determining act, to operate the MIMO chains synchronously as a single radio.

25. The method for operating the wireless transceiver of claim 24, wherein the determining and switchably adding acts further comprise:

determining to operate the MIMO chains asynchronously as two distinct radios each having a distinct subset of the N transmit and receive chains;

switchably adding one of a 1st set of RF bandpass filters each spanning a 1st set of communication channels to an RF portion of each chain in the subset of chains of one of the two radios and one of a 2nd set of RF bandpass filters each spanning a 2nd set of communication channels to the RF portion of each chain in the subset of chains of the other of the two radios, responsive to the determination to operate the MIMO chains as two distinct radios.

26. The method for operating the wireless transceiver of claim 24, wherein the determining and switchably adding acts further comprise:

determining to operate the MIMO chains asynchronously as integer M radios each having a distinct subset of the N transmit and receive chains;

switchably adding RF bandpass filters to the RF portions of the MIMO transmit and receive chains of each of the M radios wherein the RF bandpass filters of each radio span distinct communication channels from one another, to isolate the asynchronous transmit and receive communications of each of the M radios from one another.

27. The method for operating the wireless transceiver of claim 24, wherein the determining act further comprises:

determining a number of MIMO chains in the subset of MIMO chains of each distinct radio, based at least on capabilities of the associated stations.

28. The method for operating the wireless transceiver of claim 24, wherein the determining act further comprises:

evaluating a utilization of the at least one WLAN including per station throughput and capabilities of each associated station.

29. The method for operating the wireless transceiver of claim 24, wherein the determining act further comprises:

evaluating a utilization of any remaining communication channels including interference on said remaining channels resulting from either radar or from other wireless transceivers.

30. A method for operating a wireless transceiver, and the method comprising:

providing a plurality of components coupled to one another to form N multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) transmit and receive chains supporting wireless communications with associated stations on at least one wireless local area network (WLAN);

providing a voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) bank containing independently tunable VCOs switchably connectable to the transmit and receive chains for selecting a center frequency therefore;

determining whether to operate the MIMO chains synchronously as a single radio or asynchronously as multiple distinct radios each having a distinct subset of the N MIMO transmit and receive chains;

switchably connecting an independently tunable VCO to the transmit and receive chains of each radio responsive to the determining act;

switchably adding radio frequency (RF) filters to a RF portion of each transmit and receive chain allocated to a given radio to isolate the asynchronous transmit and receive communications on each radio from one another, responsive to a determination in the determining act to operate subsets of the MIMO chains as distinct radios; and

switchably removing the RF filters from the RF portion of each transmit and receive chain responsive to a determination in the determining act, to operate the MIMO chains synchronously as a single radio.

31. The method for operating the wireless transceiver of claim 30, wherein the determining and switchably adding acts further comprise:

determining to operate the MIMO chains asynchronously as two distinct radios each having a distinct subset of the N transmit and receive chains;

switchably adding one of a 1st set of RF bandpass filters each spanning a 1st set of communication channels to an RF portion of each chain in the subset of chains of one of the two radios and one of a 2nd set of RF bandpass filters each spanning a 2nd set of communication channels to the RF portion of each chain in the subset of chains of the other of the two radios, responsive to the determination to operate the MIMO chains as two distinct radios.

32. The method for operating the wireless transceiver of claim 30, wherein the determining and switchably adding acts further comprise:

determining to operate the MIMO chains asynchronously as integer M radios each having a distinct subset of the N transmit and receive chains;

switchably adding RF bandpass filters to the RF portions of the MIMO transmit and receive chains of each of the M radios wherein the RF bandpass filters of each radio span distinct communication channels from one another, to isolate the asynchronous transmit and receive communications of each of the M radios from one another.