SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR PROVIDING SIGNALS OF MULTIPLE ACTIVE WIRELESS TRANSMITTERS

• US 20120082264A1
• Filed: 09/29/2011
• Published: 04/05/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aviat U.S., Inc. (Aviat Networks Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Aviat U.S., Inc. (Aviat Networks Incorporated)
• Inventors: SHEN, Ying
• Granted Patent: US 8,867,651 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 375/299
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/0483 Transmitters with multiple parallel paths
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0682 using phase diversity (e.g. phase sweeping)
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/36 Modulator circuits; Transmitter circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/362 Modulation using more than one carrier, e.g. with quadrature carriers, separately amplitude modulated H04L27/366 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/366 Arrangements for compensating undesirable properties of the transmission path between the modulator and the demodulator
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/368 adaptive predistortion

Abstract

Systems and methods for combining signals from multiple active wireless transmitters are discussed herein. An exemplary system comprises a radio enclosure, a first transmitting RFU, a second transmitting RFU, and a combiner. The first transmitting RFU may be configured to receive a signal, upconvert the signal, compare a phase of the upconverted signal to a predetermined phase value, and adjust the phase of the signal based on the comparison to provide a first phase-adjusted upconverted signal. The second transmitting RFU may be configured to receive the signal, upconvert the signal, compare a phase of the upconverted signal to the predetermined phase value, and adjust the phase of the signal based on the comparison to provide a second phase-adjusted upconverted signal. The coupler may be configured to combine the first and second phase-adjusted upconverted signals to create an output signal and provide the output signal to an antenna for transmission.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a radio enclosure;

a first transmitting radio frequency unit within the radio enclosure, the first transmitting radio frequency unit configured to receive a signal to be transmitted, upconvert the signal to be transmitted, compare a phase of the upconverted signal to be transmitted to a predetermined phase value, and adjust the phase of the signal to be transmitted based on the comparison to provide a first phase-adjusted upconverted signal;

a second transmitting radio frequency unit within the radio enclosure, the second transmitting radio frequency unit configured to receive the signal to be transmitted, upconvert the signal to be transmitted, compare a phase of the upconverted signal to be transmitted to the predetermined phase value, and adjust the phase of the signal to be transmitted based on the comparison to provide a second phase-adjusted unconverted signal; and

a coupler configured to combine the first and second phase-adjusted upconverted signals to create an output signal and provide the output signal to an antenna for transmission.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the phase of the first phase-adjusted upconverted signal is substantially similar to the phase of the second phase-adjusted upconverted signal.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the first transmitting radio frequency unit is further configured to compare a gain of the upconverted signal to be transmitted to a predetermined gain value and adjust the gain of the signal to be transmitted.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the second transmitting radio frequency unit is further configured to compare a gain of the upconverted signal to be transmitted to the predetermined gain value and adjust the gain of the signal to be transmitted.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the gain of the first phase-adjusted upconverted signal is substantially similar to the gain of the second phase-adjusted upconverted signal.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein if the first transmitting radio frequency unit fails, the second transmitting radio frequency unit performs hitless protection by providing the second phase-adjusted signal to the antenna for transmission.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the first transmitting radio frequency unit further comprises a modem configured to provide the signal to be transmitted based on an in-phase component of a baseband signal and a quadrature component of the baseband signal.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the first transmitting radio frequency unit configured to adjust the phase of the signal to be transmitted comprises the first transmitting radio frequency unit configured to adjust a phase of the in-phase component and adjust a phase of the quadrature component.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the first and second transmitting radio frequency units are coherent.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the coupler provides the output signal to the antenna via a waveguide filter and a waveguide for point-to-point microwave transmission.

11. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a first transmitting radio frequency unit within a radio enclosure, a signal to be transmitted;

upconverting, by the first transmitting radio frequency unit, the signal to be transmitted;

comparing, by the first transmitting radio frequency unit, a phase of the upconverted signal to be transmitted to a predetermined phase value;

adjusting, by the first transmitting radio frequency unit, the phase of the signal to be transmitted based on the comparison to provide a first phase-adjusted upconverted signal;

receiving, by a second transmitting radio frequency unit within the radio enclosure, the signal to be transmitted;

upconverting, by the second transmitting radio frequency unit, the signal to be transmitted;

comparing, by the second transmitting radio frequency unit, a phase of the upconverted signal to be transmitted to the predetermined phase value;

adjusting, by the second transmitting radio frequency unit, the phase of the signal to be transmitted based on the comparison to provide a second phase-adjusted upconverted signal;

combining the first and second phase-adjusted upconverted signal to create an output signal; and

providing the output signal to an antenna for transmission.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the phase of the first phase-adjusted upconverted signal is substantially similar to the phase of the second phase-adjusted upconverted signal.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising comparing, by the first transmitting radio frequency unit, a gain of the upconverted signal to be transmitted to a predetermined gain value and adjusting, by the first transmitting radio frequency unit, the gain of the signal to be transmitted.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising comparing, by the first second transmitting radio frequency unit, a gain of the upconverted signal to be transmitted to the predetermined gain value and adjusting, by the second transmitting radio frequency unit, the gain of the signal to be transmitted.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the gain of the first phase-adjusted upconverted signal is substantially similar to the gain of the second phase-adjusted upconverted signal.

16. The method of claim 11, performing, by the second transmitting radio frequency unit, hitless protection by providing the second phase-adjusted signal to the antenna for transmission if the first transmitting radio frequency unit fails.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein receiving, by the first transmitting radio frequency unit, the signal to be transmitted comprises receiving an in-phase signal and a quadrature signal to be transmitted.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein adjusting, by the first transmitting radio frequency unit, the phase of the signal to be transmitted comprises adjusting by the first transmitting radio frequency unit, the phase of the in-phase and the phase of the quadrature signals.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the first and second transmitting radio frequency units are coherent.

20. The method of claim 11, further comprising filtering the output signal with a waveguide filter and propagating electromagnetic waves of the output signal with a waveguide.

21. A method comprising:

providing a radio enclosure;

installing, within the radio enclosure, a first transmitting radio frequency unit, the first transmitting radio frequency unit configured to receive a signal to be transmitted, upconvert the signal to be transmitted, compare a phase of the upconverted signal to be transmitted to a predetermined phase value, and adjust the phase of the signal to be transmitted based on the comparison to provide a first phase-adjusted upconverted signal;

installing, within the radio enclosure, a second transmitting radio frequency unit, the second transmitting radio frequency unit configured to receive the signal to be transmitted, upconvert the signal to be transmitted, compare a phase of the upconverted signal to be transmitted to the predetermined phase value, and adjust the phase of the signal to be transmitted based on the comparison to provide a second phase-adjusted upconverted signal; and

providing a coupler configured to combine the first and second phase-adjusted upconverted signals to create an output signal;

filtering the output signal with a waveguide filter; and

providing the filtered output signal to an antenna for transmission.