COMPENSATING FOR FREQUENCY FLUCTUATION IN DIRECTIONAL SYSTEMS

• US 20100161286A1
• Filed: 12/18/2008
• Published: 06/24/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: RANKI, Ville Valtteri, KAINULAINEN, Antti Paavo Tapani
• Granted Patent: US 8,165,850 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/199
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0617 for beam forming
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0695 using beam selection

Abstract

A system for measuring signals received by an apparatus. An antenna system in the apparatus may include two or more antennas. A receiver in the apparatus may be configured to measure signal response induced in the antenna system in accordance with a pattern. After the signal response for the antenna system is measured at least once, the pattern may be altered and the signal response for the antenna system may be measured again in accordance with the altered pattern. The signal response in the antenna system measured for the pattern may then be averaged with the signal response in the antenna system measured for the altered pattern, and the average may be utilized as input to, for example, a directional determination process.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

activating a signal measurement operation in an apparatus;

measuring signal response in an antenna system comprising two or more antennas, wherein the signal response is measured in accordance with a pattern;

after completing at least one measurement of the antenna system, altering the pattern to change the manner in which the antenna system is measured;

measuring signal response in the antenna system in accordance with the altered pattern;

averaging the signal response measured for the antenna system in the pattern with the signal response measured for the antenna system in the altered pattern; and

providing the results of the averaging to another system in the apparatus.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein measuring the signal response in the antenna system comprises measuring the signal response in some or all of the two or more antennas in an order defined by the pattern.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein measuring some or all of the two or more antennas is performed by a receiver in the apparatus configured in accordance with the pattern.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the pattern depends upon at least one of the strength of the measured signal response, the number of antennas or environmental conditions.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the pattern comprises at least one of all of the two or more antennas being ordered sequentially, or some or all of the two or more antennas being ordered in at least one sequence of looping subsets.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein altering the pattern comprises reversing the order in which signal response is measured in some or all of the two or more antennas.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein averaging the signal response comprises averaging the antenna response measured for each of the two or more antennas measured in the pattern with the signal response measured for the same antenna in the altered pattern.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the other system performs a directional determination comprising weighting the average signal response of at least some of the two or more antennas in the antenna array and estimating a signal direction based on the weighting.

10. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein measuring the signal response in the antenna system comprises measuring the signal response in some or all of the two or more antennas in an order defined by the pattern.

11. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein measuring some or all of the two or more antennas is performed by a receiver in the apparatus configured in accordance with the pattern.

12. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the pattern depends upon at least one of the strength of the measured signal response, the number of antennas or environmental conditions.

13. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the pattern comprises at least one of all of the two or more antennas being ordered sequentially, or some or all of the two or more antennas being ordered in at least one sequence of looping subsets.

14. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein altering the pattern comprises reversing the order in which signal response is measured in some or all of the two or more antennas.

15. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein averaging the signal response comprises averaging the antenna response measured for each of the two or more antennas measured in the pattern with the signal response measured for the same antenna in the altered pattern.

16. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the other system performs a directional determination comprising weighting the average signal response of at least some of the two or more antennas in the antenna array and estimating a signal direction based on the weighting.

9. A computer program product comprising computer executable program code recorded on a computer readable medium, comprising:

computer program code configured to activate a signal measurement operation in an apparatus;

computer program code configured to measure signal response in an antenna system comprising two or more antennas, wherein the signal response is measured in accordance with a pattern;

computer program code configured to, after completing at least one measurement of the antenna system, alter the pattern to change the manner in which the antenna system is measured;

computer program code configured to measure signal response in the antenna system in accordance with the altered pattern;

computer program code configured to average the signal response measured for the antenna system in the pattern with the signal response measured for the antenna system in the altered pattern; and

computer program code configured to provide the results of the averaging to another system in the apparatus.

17. An apparatus, comprising:

a processor, the processor being configured to;

activate a signal measurement operation;

measure signal response in an antenna system comprising two or more antennas, wherein the signal response is measured in accordance with a pattern;

after completing at least one measurement of the antenna system, alter the pattern to change the manner in which the antenna system is measured;

measure signal response in the antenna system in accordance with the altered pattern;

average the signal response measured for the antenna system in the pattern with the signal response measured for the antenna system in the altered pattern; and

provide the results of the averaging to another system in the apparatus.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein measuring the signal response in the antenna system comprises measuring the signal response in some or all of the two or more antennas in an order defined by the pattern.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein measuring some or all of the two or more antennas is performed by a receiver in the apparatus configured in accordance with the pattern.

20. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the pattern depends upon at least one of the strength of the measured signal response, the number of antennas or environmental conditions.

21. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the pattern comprises at least one of all of the two or more antennas being ordered sequentially, or some or all of the two or more antennas being ordered in at least one sequence of looping subsets.

22. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein altering the pattern comprises reversing the order in which signal response is measured in some or all of the two or more antennas.

23. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein averaging the signal response comprises averaging the antenna response measured for each of the two or more antennas measured in the pattern with the signal response measured for the same antenna in the altered pattern.

24. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the other system performs a directional determination comprising weighting the average signal response of at least some of the two or more antennas in the antenna array and estimating a signal direction based on the weighting.

25. An apparatus, comprising:

means for activating a signal measurement operation in the apparatus;

means for measuring signal response in an antenna system comprising two or more antennas, wherein the signal response is measured in accordance with a pattern;

means for, after completing at least one measurement of the antenna system, altering the pattern to change the manner in which the antenna system is measured;

means for measuring signal response in the antenna system in accordance with the altered pattern;

means for averaging the signal response measured for the antenna system in the pattern with the signal response measured for the antenna system in the altered pattern; and

means for providing the results of the averaging to another system in the apparatus.

26. A system, comprising:

an apparatus; and

a signal source;

the apparatus activating a signal measurement operation that measures the response in an antenna system comprising two or more antennas to a signal emitted by the signal source, wherein the signal response is measured in accordance with a pattern;

after completing at least one measurement of the antenna system, the apparatus further altering the pattern to change the manner in which the antenna system is measured and measuring the response in the antenna system to the signal emitted by the signal source in accordance with the altered pattern; and

the apparatus further averaging the signal response measured for the antenna system in the pattern with the signal response measured for the antenna system in the altered pattern and determining the direction of the signal source based on the average.