Multi-antenna beam-forming system for transmitting constant envelope signals decomposed from a variable envelope signal

• US 8,482,462 B2
• Filed: 10/05/2009
• Issued: 07/09/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Rambus Inc.
• Inventors: Komijani, Abbas, Abbasfar, Aliazam
• Primary Examiner(s): GALT, CASSI J
• Application Number:
  US12/573,492
• Publication Number:
  US 20100149039A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,373 Days
• Field of Search: 342/372, 342/375, 455/562.1, 375295-297
• US Class Current: 342/372
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0617 for beam forming
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0671 using different delays between antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/42 in systems with time, space, frequency or polarisation diversity

Abstract

Embodiments in the present disclosure pertain to a multi-antenna beam-forming system for transmitting constant envelope signals decomposed from a variable envelope signal. The variable envelope signal is decomposed into two constant envelope signals. Each of the constant envelope signals are separately amplified by power amplifiers and transmitted over separate antennas. Beam steering delays can be added to the transmit paths of the constant envelope signals to direct the beam to the location of a receiver. The transmitted constant envelope signals combine through spatial out-phasing such that a receiving antenna receives a variable envelope signal.

Claims

1. A phased-array antenna system, comprising:

a decomposition circuit for decomposing a variable envelope signal into at least a first constant envelope signal x_c1 and a second constant envelope signal x_c2;

an interconnection network which splits x_c1 into a first set of N signals, and splits x_c2 into a second set of N signals, and alternates the first and second sets of signals to form a third set of 2N signals;

a set of delay circuits coupled to the third set of 2N signals, wherein the set of delay circuits applies incrementally increasing or decreasing beam-steering delays to the third set of 2N signals;

a set of 2N amplifiers to amplify the delayed third set of signals; and

a set of 2N antennas to transmit the delayed and amplified third set of signals.

2. The phased-array antenna system of claim 1, wherein each delay circuit in the set of delay circuits comprises at least one mixer which adds a phase delay to a transmit path of one of the first constant envelope signal and the second constant envelope signal.

3. The phased-array antenna system of claim 1, wherein the first constant envelope signal and the second constant envelope signal have phases that when transmitted as RF signals combine at a receiving antenna to form the variable envelope signal.

4. The phased-array antenna system of claim 1, wherein each amplifier in the set of amplifiers comprises a power amplifier operating in saturation.

5. A method for transmitting signals through a phased-array antenna system, comprising:

decomposing a variable envelope signal into a first constant envelope signal x_c1 and a second constant envelope signal x_c2;

splitting x_c1 into a first set of N signals;

splitting x_c2 into a second set of N signals;

alternating the first and second set of signals to form a third set of 2N signals;

applying incrementally increasing or decreasing beam-steering delays to the third set of signals;

amplifying the delayed third set of signals through a set of 2N amplifiers; and

transmitting the delayed and amplified third set of signals through a set of 2N antennas.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein applying the incrementally increasing or decreasing delays to the third set of signals comprises adding beam steering delays to the third set of signals to direct a beam from the set of antennas to a location of a receiver antenna.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein decomposing the variable envelope signal comprises spatially out-phasing the variable envelope signal to produce the first constant envelope signal x_c1 and the second constant envelope signal x_c2, wherein x_c1 and x_c2 combine through superposition as RF signals to produce an RF signal at a receiver antenna corresponding to the variable envelope signal.

8. A phased-array antenna system for transmitting constant envelope signals decomposed from a variable envelope signal, comprising:

a processor for generating the variable envelope signal having varying amplitudes and varying phases;

an out-phasing decomposition circuit coupled to the processor that generates at least a first constant envelope signal x_c1 and a second constant envelope signal x_c2, wherein x_c1 and x_c2 have constant amplitudes and varying phases which together represent the variable envelope signal;

an interconnection network which splits x_c1 into a first set of N signals, and splits x_c2 into a second set of N signals, and alternates the first and second set of signals to form a third set of 2N signals;

a set of delay circuits coupled to the third set of 2N signals, wherein the set of delay circuits applies incrementally increasing or decreasing beam-steering delays to the third set of 2N signals;

a set of 2N amplifiers to amplify the delayed third set of signals; and

a set of 2N antennas to wirelessly transmit the delayed third set of signals.

9. The phased-array antenna system of claim 8, wherein the offset of delay circuits include a plurality of adders for adding the delays to the first constant envelope signals and the second constant envelope signals.

10. The phased-array antenna system of claim 8, wherein the set of delay circuits, set of amplifiers, and the set of antennas comprise a phased-array antenna system that electronically steers a beam to a location of a receiver.

11. The phased-array antenna system of claim 8, wherein the wireless transmission of the first constant envelope signal and the wireless transmission of the second constant envelope signal combine as RF signals.

12. The phased-array antenna system of claim 8, wherein the wireless transmission of the first constant envelope signal and the wireless transmission of the second constant envelope signal is capable of being received by a variable envelope signal receiver.

13. The phased-array antenna system of claim 8, wherein the wireless transmission of the first constant envelope signal and the wireless transmission of the second constant envelope signal establishes point-to-point communications with a receiver.