OPTIMIZATION FOR FINDING DIRECTION OF ARRIVAL IN SMART ANTENNAS

• US 20100309048A1
• Filed: 06/05/2009
• Published: 12/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Polisetty, Chandra Mouli, Mullu, Venu Gopal Rao
• Granted Patent: US 8,154,450 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/359
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 3/74 Multi-channel systems specially adapted for direction-finding, i.e. having a single antenna system capable of giving simultaneous indications of the directions of different signals systems in which the directions of different signals are determined sequentially and displayed simultaneously G01S3/04, G01S3/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/046 the resource being in the space domain, e.g. beams

Abstract

A smart antenna system may exploit space diversity by employing an array of antennas whose radiation pattern can be aligned in a direction of arrival (DoA) of a specific signal to be decoded. Smart antennas can be installed on a base station side and/or on a user terminal side. Certain embodiments of the present disclosure provide methods for computationally efficient and accurate searching of the DoA of a specific transmitted signal. The proposed methods utilize Assisted Global Positioning System (A-GPS) coordinates to determine the DoA.

Claims

1. A method for a wireless device, comprising:

receiving an Assisted Global Positioning System (A-GPS) estimate of global coordinates of an another wireless device;

using the received A-GPS estimate of global coordinates to determine a direction of arrival (DoA) of a signal transmitted from the other wireless device;

aligning an antenna radiation pattern at the wireless device based on the determined DoA; and

communicating with the other wireless device using the aligned antenna radiation pattern.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the A-GPS estimate of global coordinates of the other wireless device comprises receiving the A-GPS estimate of global coordinates via a logical channel.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein using the received A-GPS estimate of global coordinates comprises:

using the received A-GPS estimate of global coordinates as a starting point of a sub-space search algorithm to determine a direction of arrival (DoA) of a signal transmitted from the other wireless device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless device is a base station, and wherein the other wireless device is a user terminal.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless device is a user terminal and the other wireless device is a base station.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein a plurality of antennas is used at the wireless device and at the other wireless device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the antenna radiation pattern is a beam pattern.

8. An apparatus for a wireless device, comprising:

logic for receiving an Assisted Global Positioning System (A-GPS) estimate of global coordinates of an another wireless device;

logic for using the received A-GPS estimate of global coordinates to determine a direction of arrival (DoA) of a signal transmitted from the other wireless device;

logic for aligning an antenna radiation pattern at the wireless device based on the determined DoA; and

logic for communicating with the other wireless device using the aligned antenna radiation pattern.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the logic for receiving the A-GPS estimate of global coordinates of the other wireless device comprises logic for receiving the A-GPS estimate of global coordinates via a logical channel.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the logic for using the received A-GPS estimate of global coordinates comprises:

logic for using the received A-GPS estimate of global coordinates as a starting point of a sub-space search algorithm to determine a direction of arrival (DoA) of a signal transmitted from the other wireless device.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the wireless device is a base station, and wherein the other wireless device is a user terminal.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the wireless device is a user terminal and the other wireless device is a base station.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein a plurality of antennas is used at the wireless device and at the other wireless device.

14. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the antenna radiation pattern is a beam pattern.

15. An apparatus for a wireless device, comprising:

means for receiving an Assisted Global Positioning System (A-GPS) estimate of global coordinates of an another wireless device;

means for using the received A-GPS estimate of global coordinates to determine a direction of arrival (DoA) of a signal transmitted from the other wireless device;

means for aligning an antenna radiation pattern at the wireless device based on the determined DoA; and

means for communicating with the other wireless device using the aligned antenna radiation pattern.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the means for receiving the A-GPS estimate of global coordinates of the other wireless device comprises means for receiving the A-GPS estimate of global coordinates via a logical channel.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the means for using the received A-GPS estimate of global coordinates comprises:

means for using the received A-GPS estimate of global coordinates as a starting point of a sub-space search algorithm to determine a direction of arrival (DoA) of a signal transmitted from the other wireless device.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the wireless device is a base station, and wherein the other wireless device is a user terminal.

19. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the wireless device is a user terminal and the other wireless device is a base station.

20. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein a plurality of antennas is used at the wireless device and at the other wireless device.

21. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the antenna radiation pattern is a beam pattern.

22. A computer-program product for a wireless device, comprising a computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon, the instructions being executable by one or more processors and the instructions comprising:

instructions for receiving an Assisted Global Positioning System (A-GPS) estimate of global coordinates of an another wireless device;

instructions for using the received A-GPS estimate of global coordinates to determine a direction of arrival (DoA) of a signal transmitted from the other wireless device;

instructions for aligning an antenna radiation pattern at the wireless device based on the determined DoA; and

instructions for communicating with the other wireless device using the aligned antenna radiation pattern.

23. The computer-program product of claim 22, wherein the instructions for receiving the A-GPS estimate of global coordinates of the other wireless device comprise instructions for receiving the A-GPS estimate of global coordinates via a logical channel.

24. The computer-program product of claim 22, wherein the instructions for using the received A-GPS estimate of global coordinates comprise:

instructions for using the received A-GPS estimate of global coordinates as a starting point of a sub-space search algorithm to determine a direction of arrival (DoA) of a signal transmitted from the other wireless device.

25. The computer-program product of claim 22, wherein the wireless device is a base station, and wherein the other wireless device is a user terminal.

26. The computer-program product of claim 22, wherein the wireless device is a user terminal and the other wireless device is a base station.

27. The computer-program product of claim 22, wherein a plurality of antennas is used at the wireless device and at the other wireless device.

28. The computer-program product of claim 22, wherein the antenna radiation pattern is a beam pattern.