Beamforming using passive time-delay structures

• US 10,382,112 B2
• Filed: 06/16/2018
• Issued: 08/13/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Inventors: Coutts, Gordon Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Trinh, Tan H
• Application Number:
  US16/010,414
• Publication Number:
  US 20190020399A1
• Time in Patent Office: 423 Days
• Field of Search: 455 631, 455 634, 455 133, 4555621, 4555757, 375299, 342 90, 342754, 342371, 342373, 342375, 342368
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/246 specially adapted for base stations
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 15/08 formed of solid dielectric material
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/0031 Parallel-plate fed arrays; Lens-fed arrays multibeam arrays H01Q25/008
• 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 25/00 Antennas or antenna systems providing at least two radiating patterns arrangements for changing or varying the orientation or the shape of the directional pattern H01Q3/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/2605 Array of radiating elements provided with a feedback control over the element weights, e.g. adaptive arrays
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/2682 Time delay steered arrays
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/40 with phasing matrix
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0617 for beam forming
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0667 of delayed versions of same signal using space-time coding H04L1/0618
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0673 using feedback from receiving side
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/10 Polarisation diversity; Directional diversity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/28 using beam steering
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0446 Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames

Abstract

Apparatuses, methods, and systems for beamforming to multiple users using switched passive time-delay structures are disclosed. One method includes an input switch that receives a plurality of input signals for transmission. Further, the apparatus includes a plurality of passive time-delay structures, wherein the input switch selectively connects the plurality of input signals to at least one of the plurality of passive time-delay structures, and wherein each of the passive time-delay structures is preconfigured to provide a plurality of delayed signals wherein each of the plurality of delayed signals is a delayed version of a one of the plurality of input signals. The apparatus further includes an antenna array, wherein the antenna array receives the plurality of delayed signals of the passive time-delay structures, and generates a beamforming pattern corresponding with a selected one of the passive time-delay structures.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a plurality of passive time-delay structures, wherein each of the plurality of passive time-delay structures is operative to generate a plurality of delayed signals, wherein the plurality of delayed signals is a delayed version of a plurality of communication signals;

an antenna array, wherein the antenna array generates a beamforming pattern corresponding with a selected one of the plurality of passive time-delay structures; and

a switch, wherein the switch operates to selectively connect the plurality of communication signals through the selected one of the plurality of passive time-delay structures to the antenna array.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of time-delay structures delay the plurality of communication signals to create a corresponding beamforming pattern by the antenna array.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the corresponding beamforming pattern formed by selection of each of the plurality of passive time-delay structures is different than a beamforming pattern formed by selection of each other of the plurality of passive time-delay structures.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of passive time-delay structures comprises a Rotman lens that receives the plurality of communication signals and generates the plurality of delayed signals.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein each of the Rotman lenses includes a dielectric constant that influences delays of communication signals propagating through the Rotman lens.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the dielectric of at least one Roman lens is adaptively adjusted to change the delays of the communication signals propagating through the Rotman lens.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein a value of the dielectric of at least one Rotman lens is varied across Rotman lens.

8. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein each Rotman lens includes lumped capacitances distributed across the Rotman lens, and wherein adjusting the antenna pattern formed by the antenna array comprises adjusting values of the lumped capacitances.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of passive time-delay structures is connected to a one of a plurality of arrays of antennas to form a beam having a different polarization than a beam formed by a different one of the plurality of passive time-delay structures.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of passive time-delay structures is connected to a corresponding antenna array to form a beamforming pattern having a corresponding polarization.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus forms a portion of a transceiver, and selection of which of the plurality of passive time-delay structures that the plurality of communication signals are connected to is based at least in part on feedback from one or more other transceivers.

12. A method, comprising:

generating, by a selected one of a plurality of passive time-delay structures, a plurality of delayed signals, wherein the plurality of delayed signals is a delayed version of a plurality of communication signals;

generating, by an antenna array, a beamforming pattern corresponding with the selected one of the plurality of passive time-delay structures; and

selectively connecting, by a switch, the plurality of communication signals through the selected one of the plurality of passive time-delay structures to the antenna array.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein at least one of the plurality of passive time-delay structures comprises a Rotman lens that receives the plurality of communication signals and generates the plurality of delayed signals.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein each of the Rotman lenses includes a dielectric constant that influences delays of communication signals propagating through the Rotman lens.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising adaptively adjusting the dielectric of at least one Roman lens to change the delays of the communication signals propagating through the Rotman lens.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising varying a value of the dielectric of at least one Rotman lens across Rotman lens.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein each Rotman lens includes lumped capacitances distributed across the Rotman lens, and further comprising adjusting the antenna pattern formed by the antenna array by adjusting values of the lumped capacitances.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein at least one of the plurality of passive time-delay structures is connected to a one of a plurality of arrays of antennas to form a beam having a different polarization than a beam formed by a different one of the plurality of passive time-delay structures.

19. The method of claim 12, further comprising selecting which of the plurality of passive time-delay structures that the plurality of communication signals are connected to based at least in part on feedback from one or more receivers.

20. A method, comprising:

generating, by an antenna array, a beamforming pattern corresponding with a selected one of a plurality of passive time-delay structures;

receiving, by the antenna array, a plurality of received signals through the beamforming pattern;

connecting the plurality of received signals through at least one of the plurality of passive time-delay structures, wherein each of the passive time-delay structures is preconfigured to receive the plurality of received signals and generate a plurality of delayed received signals, and wherein each of a plurality of delayed received signals is a delayed version of the received signals; and

processing the plurality of delayed received signals corresponding with the selected one of the plurality of passive time-delay structures.