AGC control for MIMO systems
First Claim
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1. A method for providing automatic gain control (AGC) in a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) receiver block including multiple receive chains, the method comprising:
- providing coordination of gain changes in the multiple receive chains of the MIMO receive block, the coordination providing only two data generation modes;
a first data generation mode in which all receive chains in the MIMO receiver block simultaneously produce valid data; and
a second data generation mode in which all receive chains in the MIMO receiver block simultaneously produce invalid data.
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Abstract
An AGC control unit coordinates AGC gain changes between individual receive chains included within a MIMO receiver block. Coordinated AGC gain changes reduce time periods of unaligned MIMO data produced by the receive chains. Reducing the unaligned data periods advantageously increases the time that the output data may be combined to improve overall performance of the receiver block. Coordinated AGC control also enables a faster response to saturated signals since the gain of multiple receive chains may be changed contemporaneously.
4 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method for providing automatic gain control (AGC) in a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) receiver block including multiple receive chains, the method comprising:
providing coordination of gain changes in the multiple receive chains of the MIMO receive block, the coordination providing only two data generation modes; a first data generation mode in which all receive chains in the MIMO receiver block simultaneously produce valid data; and a second data generation mode in which all receive chains in the MIMO receiver block simultaneously produce invalid data.
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2. A method for providing automatic gain control (AGC) in a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) receiver block including multiple receive chains, the method comprising:
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determining a specific gain change for each receive chain; and when a non-zero gain change is determined for one receive chain, triggering simultaneous gain changes in the multiple receive chains using the specific gain changes, wherein the determining and the triggering are repeated during receipt of MIMO data, wherein invalid data are produced at substantially a same time on all receive chains during a settling time associated with the simultaneous gain changes. - View Dependent Claims (3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A method for providing automatic gain control (AGC) in a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) receiver block including multiple receive chains, the method comprising:
when a predetermined gain change is indicated for one receive chain in the MIMO receiver block, triggering a gain change simultaneously in all receive chains in the MIMO receiver block, wherein each receive chain is provided an individually-determined gain change, wherein the triggering is repeated during receipt of MIMO data, and wherein invalid data are produced at substantially a same time during a settling time associated with the gain change in all receive chains. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) receiver block comprising:
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multiple receive chains, each receive chain including; an analog front end (AFE) for transforming a received RF signal into a baseband signal, the AFE including a variable gain amplifier (VGA); an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) for converting the baseband signal into a digital signal; a digital signal processing (DSP) block for performing signal processing of the digital signal; an automatic gain controller (AGC) for monitoring the digital signal, determining a gain change in response to the monitoring, and providing the gain change to the VGA; and an AGC control unit for providing coordination of gain changes in the multiple receive chains, the coordination providing only two data generation modes;
a first data generation mode in which the multiple receive chains simultaneously produce valid data and a second data generation mode in which the multiple receive chains simultaneously produce invalid data. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14)
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15. A multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) receiver block comprising:
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multiple receive chains, each receive chain including; an analog front end (AFE) for transforming a received RF signal into a baseband signal, the AFE including a variable gain amplifier (VGA); an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) for converting the baseband signal into a digital signal; a digital signal processing (DSP) block for performing signal processing of the digital signal; an automatic gain controller (AGC) for monitoring the digital signal, determining a gain change in response to the monitoring, and providing the gain change to the VGA; and an AGC control unit for determining a specific gain change for each receive chain, and when a non-zero gain change is determined for one receive chain, triggering simultaneous gain changes in the multiple receive chains using the specific gain changes, wherein the triggering is repeated during receipt of MIMO data, and wherein invalid data are produced at substantially a same time on all receive chains during a settling time associated with the simultaneous gain changes. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification