APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR LOW POWER AMPLIFICATION IN A WIRELESS COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

• US 20080268797A1
• Filed: 04/25/2008
• Published: 10/30/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Ahn, Cheol-Woo, Sun, Kae-Oh, Na, Kweon
• Granted Patent: US 8,942,653 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/127.1
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/0025 Modular arrays
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/30 varying the relative phase between the radiating elements of an array H01Q3/2605, H01Q3/2658, H01Q3/2682, H01Q3/44 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0617 for beam forming
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

An apparatus and a method for beamforming with less heat in a wireless communication system including multiple antennas are provided. The apparatus includes a digital signal processor for processing at least one baseband digital signal, and at least one Radio Frequency (RF) signal processor for converting a respective baseband digital signal of the at least one baseband digital signal into an RF analog signal and for amplifying a power of the RF analog signal for one or more antenna elements constituting a respective antenna of the at least one antenna.

Claims

1. A transmitter of a wireless communication system which comprises at least one antenna, comprising:

a digital signal processor for processing at least one baseband digital signal; and

at least one Radio Frequency (RF) signal processor for converting a respective baseband digital signal of the at least one baseband digital signal into an RF analog signal and for amplifying a power of the RF analog signal for one or more antenna elements constituting a respective antenna of the at least one antenna.

2. The transmitter of claim 1, wherein the at least one RF signal processor comprises:

a digital interface for converting the respective baseband digital signal into a baseband analog signal;

an RF processor for converting the baseband analog signal into an RF analog signal;

a divider for dividing the RF analog signal on the basis of antenna elements; and

the one or more antenna elements for constituting the respective at least one antenna which corresponds to the RF processor.

3. The transmitter of claim 2, wherein each of the one or more antenna elements comprises:

a beamformer for changing a phase and a gain of a corresponding divided signal to form a beam;

a power amplifier for amplifying a power of a signal output from the beamformer; and

an antenna part for radiating the power-amplified signal.

4. The transmitter of claim 3, wherein the beamformer changes the phase of the signal sent over the antenna part into a phase for a horizontal beamforming, and

the beamformer changes the phase of the signal sent over the one or more antenna elements constituting the antenna, into a phase for a vertical beamforming.

5. The transmitter of claim 1, wherein the digital signal processor changes the phase of the signal sent over the at least one antenna into a phase for a horizontal beamforming, and

the at least one RF signal processor changes the phase of the signal sent over the one or more antenna elements constituting the respective at least one antenna, into a phase for a vertical beamforming.

6. The transmitter of claim 1, further comprising:

a calibrator for calibrating transmission paths of the one or more antenna elements of the respective at least one antenna.

7. The transmitter of claim 6, wherein the calibrator comprises:

a controller for providing a compensation signal generated to calibrate the transmission path, to the at least one RF signal processor, and for generating a phase and a gain for compensating for the transmission path by comparing a compensation signal provided through a calibration receiver with the generated compensation signal;

a combiner for combining one or more compensation signals coupled at the one or more antenna elements of the at least one RF signal processor; and

the calibration receiver for converting the combined signal into a baseband digital signal.

8. The transmitter of claim 7, wherein the combiner comprises:

one or more combining parts for combining compensation signals coupled at the one or more antenna elements of the respective at least one antenna as a single signal for the respective at least one antenna.

9. The transmitter of claim 8, wherein the calibrator further comprises:

a switch for connecting a signal provided from a combining part connected to the calibrated antenna among the combining parts, to the calibration receiver.

10. The transmitter of claim 6, wherein the beamformer changes a phase and a gain of a transmission signal using the phase and the gain generated at the calibrator.

11. A receiver of a wireless communication system which comprises at least one antenna, comprising:

at least one Radio Frequency (RF) signal processor for converting an RF analog signal received on a respective antenna of the at least one antenna into a baseband digital signal by low noise amplifying the RF analog signal based on one or more antenna elements constituting the respective at least one antenna; and

a digital signal processor for processing the baseband digital signal output from the at least one RF signal processor.

12. The receiver of claim 11, wherein each of the at least one RF signal processor comprises:

the one or more antenna elements constituting the respective at least one antenna which corresponds to the RF signal processor, for low noise amplifying a signal received on the respective at least one antenna;

a combiner for combining signals provided from the one or more antenna elements;

an RF processor for converting an RF analog signal output from the combiner into a baseband analog signal; and

a digital interface for converting the baseband analog signal to a digital signal.

13. The receiver of claim 12, wherein each of the one or more antenna elements comprise:

an antenna part for receiving a signal;

a Low Noise Amplifier (LNA) for low noise amplifying the received signal; and

a phase and magnitude controller for changing a phase and a gain of the amplified signal.

14. The receiver of claim 11, further comprising:

a calibrator for calibrating a reception path for each of the one or more antenna elements constituting the respective at least one antenna.

15. The receiver of claim 14, wherein the calibrator comprises:

a controller for providing a compensation signal generated to calibrate the reception path, to a calibration transmitter, and for generating a phase and a gain for compensating for the reception path by comparing a compensation signal provided through the at least one RF signal processor with the generated compensation signal;

the calibration transmitter for converting the compensation signal into an RF analog signal; and

a divider for dividing the compensation signal provided from the calibration transmitter to the one or more antenna elements of the RF signal processor.

16. The receiver of claim 15, wherein the divider comprises one or more dividing parts which divide the compensation signal provided from the calibration transmitter to the one or more antenna elements constituting the respective at least one antenna.

17. The receiver of claim 15, wherein the calibrator further comprises:

a switch for connecting the calibration transmitter to the dividing part connected to an antenna for compensating for the reception path.

18. A method for forming a beam in a wireless communication system which comprises at least one antenna, the method comprising:

generating a phase for the beamforming by calibrating a transmission signal;

changing a phase of a signal to be transmitted over one or more antenna elements constituting the at least one antenna using the generated phase; and

amplifying a power of the phase-changed signal.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the phase changing comprises:

changing a phase for forming a horizontal beam of a signal to be transmitted over the at least one antenna using the generated phase; and

changing a phase for forming a vertical beam of a signal for the one or more antenna elements constituting the antenna using the generated phase.

20. The receiver of claim 18, wherein the vertical beam forming comprises:

dividing the phase-changed transmission signal for the horizontal beamforming to the one or more antenna elements; and

changing the phase for the vertical beamforming of the signal on the basis of the one or more antenna elements.

21. The receiver of claim 18, wherein the power amplifying comprises:

amplifying the phase-changed signal for each of the one or more antenna elements.

22. The receiver of claim 18, wherein the calibrating comprises:

calibrating a transmission path and a reception path with respect to the one or more antenna elements constituting the at least one antenna.