METHOD AND APPARATUS TO GENERATE VIRTUAL SECTOR WIDE STATIC BEAMS USING PHASE SHIFT TRANSMIT DIVERSITY

• US 20150244442A9
• Filed: 09/19/2012
• Published: 08/27/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent USA, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: RUDRAPATNA, Ashok N.
• Granted Patent: US 9,450,659 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/26 Turnstile or like antennas comprising arrangements of three or more elongated elements disposed radially and symmetrically in a horizontal plane about a common centre
• 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: H01Q 3/40 with phasing matrix
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0617 for beam forming
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0682 using phase diversity (e.g. phase sweeping)

Abstract

In one embodiment, the method includes receiving a signal, and generating first and second transmission signals from the received signal. The first signal has a fixed phase, and the second signal has a phase that changes over time. The first and second signals are sent from first and second antennas, respectively.

Claims

1. A method of generating tranmission signals, comprising:

receiving a signal;

generating first and second transmission signals from the received signal, the first signal having a fixed phase, the second signal having a phase that changes over time; and

sending the first and second signals from first and second antennas, respectively.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating comprises:

applying a first gain to the received signal to generate the first signal; and

applying a second gain and a phase shift to the received signal to generate the second signal, the applied phase shift changing over time.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second gains are equal.

4. A method for generating transmission signals, comprising:

receiving a signal;

phase shifting the signal at a plurality of transformers to produce a plurality of phase shifted signals, each of the plurality of phase shifted signals having a phase that changes over time; and

sending each of the plurality of phase shifted signals from a different antenna.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the phase shifting produces the phase shifted signals such that at least some of the phase shifted signals have phases that change at different phase change rates.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the phase change rate of each of the plurality of phase shifted signals is an integer multiple of a reference phase change rate.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein one of the plurality of phase shifted signals has a phase that changes at the reference phase change rate.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

setting gains of the plurality of phase shifted signals.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the setting sets a same gain for the plurality of phase shifted signals.

10. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

setting gains of the plurality of phase shifted signals.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the setting sets a same gain for the plurality of phase shifted signals.

12. A transmitter, comprising:

a plurality of transformers, each transformer configured to receive a same signal, at least one of the transformers being configured to phase shift the signal to produce a phase shifted signal having a phase that changes over time; and

an antenna corresponding to each of the plurality of transformers, each antenna configured to send output produced by the corresponding one of the plurality of transformers.

13. The transmitter of claim 12, wherein the plurality of transformers are configured to produce more than one phase shifted signal such that at least some of the phase shifted signals have phases that change at different phase change rates.

14. The transmitter of claim 13, wherein the phase change rate of each of the phase shifted signals is an integer multiple of a reference phase change rate.

15. The transmitter of claim 14, wherein one of the phase shifted signals has the reference phase change rate.

16. The transmitter of claim 15, wherein the transformers are configured to apply respective gains to the signal.

17. The transmitter of claim 16, wherein the transformers are configured to apply a same gain to the signal.

18. The transmitter of claim 12, wherein the transformers are configured to apply respective gains to the signal.

19. The transmitter of claim 18, wherein the transformers are configured to apply a same gain to the signal.

20. A method of generating transmission signals, comprising:

receiving first and second signals;

generating first and second transmission signals from the first received signal such that the second transmission signal changes phase at a first rate greater than a rate of the first transmission signal;

generating third and fourth signals from the second received signal such that the fourth transmission signal changes phase at a second rate greater than a rate of the third transmission signal, the second rate being one of opposite and same as the first rate; and

sending the first, second, third and fourth transmission signals from first, second, third and fourth antennas, respectively.