Digital broadcasting service receiver for improving reception ability by switched beam-forming

• US 20040061645A1
• Filed: 07/31/2003
• Published: 04/01/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Inventors: Ahn, Chieteuk, Seo, Jae Hyun, Kim, Seung Won, Bae, Jae Hwui
• Granted Patent: US 6,946,993 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/383
• 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: H01Q 3/2611 Means for null steering; Adaptive interference nulling
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0408 using two or more beams, i.e. beam diversity
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/086 using weights depending on external parameters, e.g. direction of arrival [DOA], predetermined weights or beamforming
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/088 using beam selection

Abstract

A receiver for improving reception ability of digital broadcasting service by switched beam-forming is disclosed. The receiver includes: an array antenna having a plurality of antenna elements for receiving signals of the digital broadcasting service; a demodulation unit for demodulating the receiving signals corresponding to each of antenna elements in the array antenna; beam-forming unit for generating a predetermined number of beam-forming signal by applying a beam-forming weights in order to direct to a predetermined direction according to the modulated signal from the modulation unit; and beam selection unit for selectively receiving signals of desired direction according to the beam forming signal. The present invention effectively eliminates multipath based on space filtering by utilizing beam-forming method with an array antenna for improving receiving performance of digital television broadcasting with VSB.

Claims

1. An apparatus for receiving a signal of digital broadcasting service, comprising:

an array antenna having a plurality of antenna elements for receiving signals of the digital broadcasting service;

demodulation means for demodulating the receiving signals corresponding to each of antenna elements in the array antenna;

beam-forming means for generating a predetermined number of beamformed signal by applying a beam-forming weights in order to steer the beam to a predetermined direction according to the modulated signal from the modulation means; and

beam selection means for selectively receiving signals of desired direction according to the beam forming signal.

2. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the array antenna is a second predetermined number of axis linear array having a first predetermined number of antenna elements.

3. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the array antenna is a circular array antenna having a third predetermined number of antenna elements.

4. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the array antenna is a planar array antenna having a third predetermined number of antenna elements.

5. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the demodulation means includes a plurality of demodulators as many as the number of antenna elements in the array antenna.

6. An apparatus for receiving a signal of digital broadcasting service, comprising:

switched beamforming means for generating a beamformed signal in order to direct a predetermined number of angle by applying a beam-forming weight to received signal of digital broadcasting service and selectively receiving a signal of desired direction.

7. The apparatus as recited in claim 6, wherein the switched beamforming means includes:

beam-forming means for generating a predetermined number of beamformed signals by applying beam-forming weights in order to steer the beam to a predetermined direction to receive a digital broadcasting signal; and

beam selection means for selectively receiving signal of desired direction according to a predetermined number of beam forming signals generated by the beam forming means.

8. The apparatus as recited in claim 7. wherein the beam-forming means outputs signal by eliminating receiving signals of multipath to a channel equalizer in order to improve equalization performance of the channel equalizer.