Calibration method and arrangement

• US 6,255,986 B1
• Filed: 06/18/1999
• Issued: 07/03/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ericsson AB (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Hauk, Waldemar, Alberty, Thomas, Hagmanns, Franz-Josef, Hespelt, Volker
• Primary Examiner(s): Gregory, Bernarr E.
• Application Number:
  US09/297,299
• Time in Patent Office: 746 Days
• Field of Search: 342/165-174, 342/368-377, 342/192-197, 342/82, 342/89, 370/203, 370/319
• US Class Current: 342/174
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/267 Phased-array testing or checking devices
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/44 varying the electric or magnetic characteristics of reflecting, refracting, or diffracting devices associated with the radiating element
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/12 of transmit antennas, e.g. of the amplitude or phase
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/21 for calibration; for correcting measurements
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0617 for beam forming
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/086 using weights depending on external parameters, e.g. direction of arrival [DOA], predetermined weights or beamforming

Abstract

To calibrate a transmitter and/or sender for controlling a beam forming network, each of the control signals is divided into a plurality of frequency segments. The control signal of each frequency segment is multiplied by complex coefficients so that the transmitter output signals, after passing through a reference receiver, are identical to the respective control signals. A similar adjustment is performed for the receive direction. The method and the device allow the same beam characteristic.

Claims

1. A method for calibrating at least one of a first transmitter and a first receiver for controlling a beam-forming network, comprising the steps of:

dividing each control signal of a plurality of control signals for the beam-forming network into a plurality of frequency segments;

multiplying the divided control signals for each frequency segment by a plurality of complex coefficients; and

weighting the complex coefficients such that, after passing through at least one of a reference receiver and a reference transmitter, the divided control signals for each frequency segment are identical to at least one of a first plurality of output signals from the first transmitter and a second plurality of output signals from the first receiver.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of dividing includes the step of dividing each control signal into the frequency segments such that a transmission function is constant in each frequency segment.

3. An arrangement for calibrating at least one of a first transmitter and a first receiver for controlling a beam-forming network, comprising:

a generating device for generating a plurality of control signals, each control signal being divided into a plurality of frequency segments; and

a calibration network including a multiplication device, the calibration network being coupled to the generating device, the multiplication device being coupled into at least one of a transmission link and a reception link between the beam forming network and an antenna array, the calibration network having a plurality of inputs and a plurality of outputs corresponding to respective control signals, the calibration network being adjusted so that the divided control signals for each frequency segment are at least one of;

identical to a first plurality of output signals from the first transmitter after the divided control signals for each frequency segment have been passed through a reference receiver; and

identical to a second plurality of output signals from the first receiver after the divided control signals for each frequency segment have been passed through a reference transmitter.

4. The arrangement of claim 3, wherein the multiplication device includes a plurality of multipliers, the multipliers being supplied with adjustable complex coefficients, the complex coefficients being adjusted such that the divided control signals for each frequency segment are at least one of:

identical to the first plurality of output signals from the first transmitter after the divided control signals for each frequency segment have been passed through the reference receiver; and

identical to the second plurality of output signals from the first receiver after the divided control signals for each frequency segment have been passed through the reference transmitter.

5. The arrangement of claim 3, wherein the reference receiver includes only one reference receiver provided for a calibration to which the corresponding first transmitter is connected individually for each frequency segment.

6. The arrangement of claim 5, wherein the first transmitter is coupled to the reference receiver and to the antenna array via a calibration coupler, and wherein the first receiver is coupled to the reference transmitter and to the antenna array via the calibration coupler.

7. The arrangement of claim 3, wherein the reference transmitter includes only one reference transmitter provided for a calibration to which the corresponding first receiver is connected individually for each frequency segment.

8. The arrangement of claim 7, wherein the first transmitter is coupled to the reference receiver and to the antenna array via a calibration coupler, and wherein the first receiver is coupled to the reference transmitter and to the antenna array via the calibration coupler.