Delay line antenna array system and method thereof
First Claim
1. An antenna array system, said system comprising:
- a first antenna receives communication signals and corresponds to a first path for said communication signals;
a second antenna receives communication signals and corresponds to a second path for said communication signals, said second path having a delay for said communication signals;
a switch is connected in said second path which turns said second path off and on;
a combiner coupled to said first path and said second path, receives said communication signals from said first path and said second path when said switch is on and combines said communication signals from both said first and second paths when said switch is on to produce a composite communication signal; and
processing circuitry measures said communication signals from said first path when said switch is off and measures at least one composite communication signal when said switch is on to determine if said switch on said second path is to be turned off, wherein the composite communication signal is compared to the communication signal from said first path and said processing circuitry determines whether said switch should be turned off or kept on based upon said comparison.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An antenna array system combines the antenna signals from separate antennas using at least one delay in the RF path of an antenna. In certain embodiments, the antenna array system combines the antenna signals in the Radio Frequency (RF) domain before analog-to-digital (A/D) conversion, thereby reducing the amount of hardware required when compared to antenna array systems where the antenna signals are combined digitally. In doing so, signals from antennas are combined with signals from a plurality of antennas to determine if they improve signal quality. Only signals determined to improve signal quality are maintained as active. In accordance with other aspects, the antenna system selects parameter settings for the antenna array to provide enhanced performance.
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Citations
27 Claims
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1. An antenna array system, said system comprising:
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a first antenna receives communication signals and corresponds to a first path for said communication signals; a second antenna receives communication signals and corresponds to a second path for said communication signals, said second path having a delay for said communication signals; a switch is connected in said second path which turns said second path off and on; a combiner coupled to said first path and said second path, receives said communication signals from said first path and said second path when said switch is on and combines said communication signals from both said first and second paths when said switch is on to produce a composite communication signal; and processing circuitry measures said communication signals from said first path when said switch is off and measures at least one composite communication signal when said switch is on to determine if said switch on said second path is to be turned off, wherein the composite communication signal is compared to the communication signal from said first path and said processing circuitry determines whether said switch should be turned off or kept on based upon said comparison. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 17)
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14. An antenna array system, said system comprising:
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a plurality of antennas receiving communication signals, each antenna corresponds to a separate path for said communication signals; a delay in at least one of the separate paths; a switch connected to said at least one of said separate paths, said switch turns said at least one of said separate paths off and on; a combiner coupled to said at least one of said separate paths, configured to receive said communication signals from said at least one of said separate paths having said switch on and configured to combine said communication signals from said at least one of said separate paths having said switch on and communication signals from another of said separate paths to produce a composite communication signal; and processing circuitry configured to compare a signal quality of said composite communication signal when said switch is on to a signal quality for a communication signal when said switch is off, and to determine whether said switch is to be turned off or on based upon the comparison. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. A method of receiving communication signals, said method comprising the steps of:
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receiving communication signals on a plurality of separate antennas with each antenna corresponding to a separate path for said communication signals; measuring communication signals from at least two separate paths; applying a delay value to one of said separate paths; activating said one of said separate paths; combining said communication signals on said one of said separate paths when said one path is activated with said communication signals from another of said at least two separate paths to produce a current composite signal; and determining whether said one path is to be maintained as active or deactivated based on a comparison of measurements of relative signal quality between said current composite signal and said communication signals from said another of said at least two separate paths. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27)
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Specification