Omni-directional sensing of radio spectra
First Claim
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1. A method of operating a user equipment comprising a receiver coupled to a plurality of antennas, the method comprising:
- receiving a radiofrequency signal at each one of the antennas;
converting the radiofrequency signal supplied by each of the antennas into a sequence of baseband signal samples to thereby produce a plurality of baseband signal sample sequences, wherein each of the baseband signal sample sequences is associated with a respective one of the antennas;
storing each of the baseband signal sample sequences; and
performing the following for each one of a plurality of spatial directions having a same point of origin;
retrieving from storage each of the baseband signal sample sequences;
weighting each of the retrieved baseband signal sample sequences by a respective one of a plurality of complex weights, and combining the weighted baseband signal sample sequences to produce a combined signal sample sequence representing a received beam pointed in the spatial direction;
processing the combined signal sample sequence to arrive at a result for the spatial direction; and
using the result for the spatial direction to control a further action performed by the user equipment,wherein the result for the spatial direction indicates whether a signal from a transmitter has been detected.
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Abstract
Multiple antennas used for data transmission and/or reception are also used to achieve omni-directional antenna functionality. Signals from the antennas are converted to baseband and stored. Phase shifts are applied to the stored signals to steer the effective reception beam in one of a number of directions. A process of interest (e.g., white space sensing) is applied to the beam to produce a result for the given beam direction. By scanning the beam over a number of representative directions, a spatial receiver range equivalent to that of an omni-directional antenna is achieved.
21 Citations
16 Claims
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1. A method of operating a user equipment comprising a receiver coupled to a plurality of antennas, the method comprising:
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receiving a radiofrequency signal at each one of the antennas; converting the radiofrequency signal supplied by each of the antennas into a sequence of baseband signal samples to thereby produce a plurality of baseband signal sample sequences, wherein each of the baseband signal sample sequences is associated with a respective one of the antennas; storing each of the baseband signal sample sequences; and performing the following for each one of a plurality of spatial directions having a same point of origin; retrieving from storage each of the baseband signal sample sequences; weighting each of the retrieved baseband signal sample sequences by a respective one of a plurality of complex weights, and combining the weighted baseband signal sample sequences to produce a combined signal sample sequence representing a received beam pointed in the spatial direction; processing the combined signal sample sequence to arrive at a result for the spatial direction; and using the result for the spatial direction to control a further action performed by the user equipment, wherein the result for the spatial direction indicates whether a signal from a transmitter has been detected. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. An apparatus for operating a user equipment that comprises a receiver coupled to a plurality of antennas, the apparatus comprising:
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circuitry configured to receive a radiofrequency signal at each one of the antennas; circuitry configured to convert the radiofrequency signal supplied by each of the antennas into a sequence of baseband signal samples to thereby produce a plurality of baseband signal sample sequences, wherein each of the baseband signal sample sequences is associated with a respective one of the antennas; circuitry configured to store each of the baseband signal sample sequences; and circuitry configured to perform the following for each one of a plurality of spatial directions having a same point of origin; retrieving from storage each of the baseband signal sample sequences; weighting each of the retrieved baseband signal sample sequences by a respective one of a plurality of complex weights, and combining the weighted baseband signal sample sequences to produce a combined signal sample sequence representing a received beam pointed in the spatial direction; processing the combined signal sample sequence to arrive at a result for the spatial direction; and using the result for the spatial direction to control a further action performed by the user equipment, wherein the result for the spatial direction indicates whether a signal from a transmitter has been detected. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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Specification