Enhancement of the channel propagation matrix order and rank for a wireless channel

• US 8,897,340 B2
• Filed: 01/03/2014
• Issued: 11/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/08/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: COMS IP Holdings LLC
• Original Assignee: CBF Networks, Inc. (COMSovereign Holding Corp.)
• Inventors: Negus, Kevin J., Proctor, James A. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Khai
• Application Number:
  US14/146,891
• Publication Number:
  US 20140226698A1
• Time in Patent Office: 326 Days
• Field of Search: 375/211
• US Class Current: 375/211
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0413 MIMO systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0486 taking channel rank into account
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/08 at the receiving station
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/10 Polarisation diversity; Directional diversity
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/15 Active relay systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/15592 Adapting at the relay station communication parameters for supporting cooperative relaying, i.e. transmission of the same data via direct - and relayed path cooperative diversity H04B7/024
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/38 Demodulator circuits; Receiver circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0453 Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA

Abstract

Enhancement of wireless Channel Order and rank (ECHO) systems and ECHO repeater devices for enhancement of a wireless propagation channel for point to point or point to multipoint radio configurations are disclosed. The enhancement may be used for MIMO communications channels. Aspects support a richer multipath environment to increase the rank of the channel propagation matrix and/or to increase the magnitude of the coefficients of the propagation matrix between two or more radios. Such enhancement is applicable to backhaul radios in terms of increased range or in the number of supportable information streams. The installation, provisioning, optimization, control, monitoring, and adaptation of such devices within a network of backhaul radios is also disclosed. Wireless links and control between IBR and ECHO devices, and between ECHO devices and other ECHO devices, are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A wireless communication repeater device for the enhancement of a multiple input multiple output (MIMO) communication channel between a first and a second radio comprising:

a receiver for receiving a plurality of first information streams from a first radio, the plurality of first information streams each having one or more embedded first control signals;

a transmitter for transmitting a composite signal to the second radio, wherein the composite signal comprises at least one of the plurality of first information streams and one or more embedded second control signals, the one or more embedded second control signals respectively associated with one or more of the plurality of first information streams;

a channel filter for channel filtering a signal comprising the at least one of the plurality of first information streams and at least one of the one or more embedded first control signals;

a detector for performing detection of at least one of the one or more embedded first control signals;

a repeater device controller for enabling the transmitter based upon said detection;

a demodulator for demodulating at least one of the one or more embedded first control signals to determine first control information;

a modulator for generating one or more second control signals; and

a coupler for combining the one or more second control signals respectively with a signal comprising the at least one of the plurality of first information streams to produce the composite signal that comprises the at least one of the plurality of first information streams and the one or more second embedded control signals, wherein the one or more second embedded control signals are usable by the second radio to determine second control information and to determine information within said second control information for forwarding to the first radio;

wherein the wireless communication repeater device is for enhancing the performance of the MIMO wireless communication channel between the first radio and the second radio based upon an adjustment of parameters associated with one or more of;

i) the wireless communication repeater device based upon information within the first control information; and

,

ii) the first radio based upon information within the second control information and,

wherein the adjustment of parameters is configured to set a signal level of one of the plurality of the first information streams at the wireless communication repeater device relative to signal levels of one or more of the other first information streams of the plurality of first information streams based on a predetermined ratio.

2. The wireless communication repeater device of claim 1 wherein each of said one or more embedded first control signals comprises a signature signal.

3. The wireless communication repeater device of claim 2 wherein one of the one or more signature signals is a particular signature signal that is unique to one of the one or more first information streams.

4. The wireless communication repeater device of claim 3 wherein the particular signature signal is orthogonal to at least one other signature signal associated with another first information stream of the plurality of first information streams.

5. The wireless communication repeater device of claim 1 wherein said repeater device adjusts said parameters associated with said wireless communication repeater device based on said information within the first control information.

6. The wireless communication repeater device of claim 1 wherein said transmitter transmits the composite signal only following detection of at least one of the one or more associated embedded first control signals.

7. The wireless communication repeater device of claim 1, wherein said wireless communication repeater device is for reducing a signal level difference between a receive signal of at least two of said plurality of said first information streams at said second radio to enhance the performance of the MIMO wireless channel.

8. The wireless communication repeater device of claim 7 wherein said receive signal comprises at least one of the following:

i. an LNA output receive signal;

ii. a receive chain output receive signal;

iii. an IF coupler output receive signal; and

iv. IF coupler Modem receive signal.

9. The wireless communication repeater device of claim 1 wherein said parameters are radio frequency (RF) parameters associated with one or more of a phased array weight and a phased array setting of the wireless communication repeater device and wherein said RF parameters are related to at least two of the following:

i) a first receiver signal associated with said wireless communication repeater device,

ii) a second receiver signal associated with said wireless communication repeater device,

iii) a first transmitter signal associated with said wireless communication repeater device, and

iv) a second transmitter signal associated with said wireless communication repeater device.

10. The wireless communication repeater device of claim 1 wherein said parameters are associated with one or more of a digital transmit beam former weight and a digital transmit beam former setting of the first radio.

11. The wireless communication repeater device of claim 1 wherein the adjustment of parameters associated with the first radio sets the signal level of one of the plurality of the first information streams at the wireless communication repeater device.

12. The wireless communication repeater device of claim 1 wherein the adjustment of parameters associated with the wireless communication repeater device sets the signal level of one of the plurality of the first information streams detected at the second radio device.

13. The wireless communication repeater device of claim 1,

wherein the receiver further comprises:

a plurality of receive antenna structures coupled to a respective plurality of low noise amplifiers (LNAs) to provide a respective plurality of LNA output receive signals;

a plurality of receive chains respectively coupled to said plurality of LNAs to receive said respective plurality of LNA output receive signals and to provide a respective plurality of receive chain output receive signals;

and wherein the wireless communication repeater device further comprises;

a plurality of intermediate frequency (IF) couplers, each of the plurality of IF couplers comprising one or more of said couplers, the plurality of IF couplers respectively coupled to said plurality of receive chains to receive said respective receive chain output receive signals and to provide a respective plurality of IF coupler output receive signals and a respective plurality of IF coupler Modem receive signals;

a plurality of frequency translating feedback cancellers respectively coupled to said plurality of IF couplers to respectively receive the IF coupler output receive signals and to provide one or more frequency translating feedback canceller RF output signals;

a plurality of repeater transmitters, each of the plurality of repeater transmitters comprising said transmitter, the plurality of repeater transmitters each respectively coupled to the plurality of frequency translating feedback cancellers to receive a respective frequency translating feedback canceller RF output signal and to transmit said composite signal;

one or more repeater device modems, wherein one or more of said one or more repeater device modems further comprise at least one embedded link processor, one or more of said one or more repeater device modems coupled to one or more of said plurality of IF couplers to receive one or more IF modem receive signals, and one or more of said one or more repeater device modems further comprises said detector for performing detection of at least one of the one or more embedded first control signals;

wherein said repeater device controller is coupled to said one or more repeater device modems to exchange information with and provide control to the one or more repeater device modems and to further provide control associated with said parameters associated with the wireless communication repeater device.

14. The wireless communication repeater device of claim 13, wherein one or more of the outputs of one or more of said plurality of frequency translating feedback cancellers are further coupled to an RF combiner, the RF combiner interposed between at least one of said plurality of LNAs and said respective plurality of receive chains.

15. The wireless communication repeater device of claim 13, wherein one of said one or more channel filters are respectively interposed between said plurality of receive chains and said plurality of IF couplers.

16. The wireless communication repeater device of claim 13, wherein the one or more of said one or more repeater device modems further comprises a second detector for performing detection of at least one of the associated second embedded control signals to determine the second control information.

17. A wireless communication repeater device for the enhancement of a multiple input multiple output (MIMO) communication channel between a first radio and a second radio comprising:

a receiver for receiving, from the first radio, a plurality of first information streams each having one or more embedded first control signals;

a channel filter for channel filtering a signal comprising at least one of the plurality of first information streams and at least one of the one or more embedded first control signals;

a demodulator for demodulating at least one of the one or more embedded first control signals to determine associated first control information;

a modulator for generating one or more second control signals;

wherein said receiver comprises;

a plurality of receive antenna structures coupled to a respective plurality of low noise amplifiers (LNAs) to provide a respective plurality of LNA output receive signals;

a plurality of receive chains respectively coupled to said plurality of LNAs to receive said respective plurality of LNA output receive signals and to provide a respective plurality of receive chain output receive signals;

a plurality of intermediate frequency (IF) couplers, the plurality of IF couplers respectively coupled to said plurality of receive chains to receive said respective receive chain output receive signals and to provide a respective plurality of IF coupler output receive signals and a respective plurality of IF coupler modem receive signals, wherein at least one of the plurality of IF couplers is further for combining the one or more second control signals respectively with a signal comprising the one or more first information streams to produce a composite signal that comprises said one or more second control signals respectively associated with at least one of the one or more first information streams, wherein the one or more second control signals are usable by the second radio to determine the second control information and to determine information within said second control information for forwarding to the first radio, the one or more embedded second control signals respectively associated with one or more of the plurality of first information streams, wherein the wireless communication repeater device is for enhancing the performance of the MIMO wireless communication channel between the first and the second radios based upon adjustment of parameters associated with one or more of;

i) the repeater device, based upon information within the first control information; and

, ii) the first radio, based upon information within the second control information;

a plurality of frequency translating feedback cancellers respectively coupled to said plurality of IF couplers to respectively receive the IF coupler output receive signals and to provide one or more frequency translating feedback canceller RF output signals;

a plurality of repeater transmitters, the plurality of repeater transmitters each respectively coupled to the plurality of frequency translating feedback cancellers to receive a respective frequency translating feedback canceller RF output signal, wherein one or more of the plurality of repeater transmitters transmit said composite signal;

one or more repeater device modems, wherein one or more of said one or more repeater device modems further comprise at least one embedded link processor, one or more of said one or more repeater device modems coupled to one or more of said plurality of IF couplers to receive one or more IF Modem receive signals, and wherein one or more of said one or more repeater device modems further comprises a detector for performing detection of at least one of the one or more embedded first control signals;

a repeater device controller for enabling one or more of the repeater transmitters based upon said detection, wherein said repeater device controller is coupled to the said one or more repeater device modems to exchange information with and provide control to the one or more repeater device modems and to further provide control associated with said parameters associated with the repeater device.

18. The wireless communication repeater device of claim 17, further comprising an RF combiner interposed between at least one of said plurality of LNAs and said respective plurality of receive chains, wherein one or more outputs of one or more of said plurality of frequency translating feedback cancellers are further coupled to the RF combiner.

19. The wireless communication repeater device of claim 17, wherein one of said one or more channel filters are respectively interposed between said plurality of receive chains and said plurality of IF couplers.