Apparatus, system and method of steering an antenna array

• US 9,768,501 B2
• Filed: 04/08/2013
• Issued: 09/19/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Maltsev, Alexander, Sadri, Ali S., Davydov, Alexei, Sergeyev, Vadim, Pudeyev, Andrey
• Primary Examiner(s): Adams, Tashiana
• Assistant Examiner(s): SERAYDARYAN, HELENA H
• Application Number:
  US13/858,211
• Publication Number:
  US 20140203969A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,625 Days
• Field of Search: 342375
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/0025 Modular arrays
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/00 Arrangements for changing or varying the orientation or the shape of the directional pattern of the waves radiated from an antenna or antenna system means for positioning H01Q1/125
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/2694 using also variable phase-shifters H01Q3/2688 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/36 with variable phase-shifters
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0617 for beam forming
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0671 using different delays between antennas

Abstract

Some demonstrative embodiments include apparatuses, devices systems and/or methods of steering an antenna array. For example, an apparatus may include a baseband processor including a plurality of baseband processing chains to process signals to be communicated via a plurality of antenna modules of an antenna array, wherein the baseband processing chains include a plurality of frequency domain delay modules, a frequency domain delay module of the delay modules is to apply a time delay to a signal to be communicated via an antenna module of the plurality of antenna modules.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a baseband processor including a plurality of baseband processing chains to process signals to be communicated via a plurality of antenna modules of an antenna array, wherein said plurality of baseband processing chains include a respective plurality of frequency domain delay modules, a frequency domain delay module of said plurality of frequency domain delay modules is to apply a time delay to a signal to be communicated via an antenna module of said plurality of antenna modules, said frequency domain delay module is configured to shift a plurality of frequency components of the signal by a respective plurality of different phase shifts, the baseband processor comprising a controller that is to determine a phase shift of said plurality of phase shifts based on a multiple of a phase shift value, the phase shift value is based on said time delay.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said antenna module comprises an array of antenna elements coupled to a radio frequency (RF) beamforming circuit, said RF beamforming circuit is to adjust phase shifts to be applied to said antenna elements for forming a directional antenna beam.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 comprising a beamforming controller to control said plurality of antenna modules to operate as a composite antenna beamforming array to steer a composite beam.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein said beamforming controller is to control a plurality of time delays applied by said plurality of frequency domain delay modules, said plurality of time delays configured for generating said composite beam.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said frequency domain delay module is to apply a cyclic delay to said signal in a frequency domain, said cyclic delay configured to result in said time delay in a time domain.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said phase shift value is based on a size of a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) to convert between a frequency domain and a time domain.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said plurality of frequency components comprises a plurality of samples or a plurality of modulation symbols.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said phase shift value is based on a baseband sampling rate of said baseband processor and a number of said plurality of frequency components.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said baseband processor is to process said signals received via said plurality of antenna modules.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said baseband processor is to process said signals to be transmitted via said plurality of antenna modules.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said signals comprise Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiplexing (OFDM) signals.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said signals comprise Single Carrier with Frequency Domain Equalization (SC-FDE) signals.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said plurality of antenna modules is to communicate said signals over a millimeter wave (mmWave) frequency band or a Directional Multi-Gigabit (DMG) frequency band.

14. A system comprising:

a wireless communication device including;

an antenna array including a plurality of antenna modules; and

a baseband processor including a plurality of baseband processing chains to process signals to be communicated via said plurality of antenna modules, wherein said plurality of baseband processing chains include a respective plurality of frequency domain delay modules, a frequency domain delay module of said plurality of frequency domain delay modules is to apply a time delay to a signal to be communicated via an antenna module of said plurality of antenna modules, said frequency domain delay module is configured to shift a plurality of frequency components of the signal by a respective plurality of different phase shifts, the baseband processor comprising a controller that is to determine a phase shift of said plurality of phase shifts based on a multiple of a phase shift value, the phase shift value is based on said time delay.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein said antenna module comprises an array of antenna elements coupled to a radio frequency (RF) beamforming circuit, said RF beamforming circuit is to adjust phase shifts to be applied to said antenna elements for forming a directional antenna beam.

16. The system of claim 14 comprising a beamforming controller to control said plurality of antenna modules to operate as a composite antenna beamforming array to steer a composite beam.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein said beamforming controller is to control a plurality of time delays applied by said plurality of frequency domain delay modules, said plurality of time delays configured for generating said composite beam.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein said frequency domain delay module is to apply a cyclic delay to said signal in a frequency domain, said cyclic delay configured to result in said time delay in a time domain.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein said phase shift value is based on a size of a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) to convert between a frequency domain and a time domain.

20. The system of claim 14, wherein said plurality of frequency components comprises a plurality of samples or a plurality of modulation symbols.

21. The system of claim 14, wherein said phase shift value is based on a baseband sampling rate of said baseband processor and a number of said plurality of frequency components.

22. A method of wireless communication, the method comprising:

processing a plurality of baseband signals, said processing including applying, in a frequency domain, a plurality of time delays to said plurality of a baseband signals to generate a plurality of delayed baseband signals in a time domain, applying said plurality of time delays comprises applying a time delay of said plurality of time delays to a signal to be communicated via an antenna module of a plurality of Radio Frequency (RF) beamforming antenna modules by shifting a plurality of frequency components of the signal by a respective plurality of different phase shifts, a phase shift of said plurality of phase shifts is based on a multiple of a phase shift value, the phase shift value is based on said time delay; and

communicating a beamformed communication via said plurality of RF beamforming antenna modules based on the plurality of delayed baseband signals.

23. The method of claim 22 including converting said delayed baseband signals into a plurality of RF signals, and communicating the beamformed communication by communicating the plurality of RF signals via said plurality of RF beamforming antenna modules.

24. The method of claim 22 comprising controlling said plurality of RF beamforming antenna modules to operate as a composite antenna beamforming array to steer a composite beam.

25. The method of claim 22, wherein said phase shift value is based on a size of a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) to convert between a frequency domain and a time domain.

26. A product including a non-transitory storage medium having stored thereon instructions that, when executed by a machine, result in:

processing a plurality of baseband signals, said processing including applying, in a frequency domain, a plurality of time delays to said plurality of a baseband signals to generate a plurality of delayed baseband signals in a time domain, applying said plurality of time delays comprises applying a time delay of said plurality of time delays to a signal to be communicated via an antenna module of a plurality of Radio Frequency (RF) beamforming antenna modules by shifting a plurality of frequency components of the signal by a respective plurality of different phase shifts, a phase shift of said plurality of phase shifts is based on a multiple of a phase shift value, the phase shift value is based on said time delay; and

communicating a beamformed communication via the plurality of RF beamforming antenna modules based on the plurality of delayed baseband signals.

27. The product of claim 26, wherein said instructions result in converting said delayed baseband signals into a plurality of RF signals, and communicating the beamformed communication by communicating the plurality of RF signals via said plurality of RF beamforming antenna modules.

28. The product of claim 26, wherein said instructions result in controlling said plurality of RF beamforming antenna modules to operate as a composite antenna beamforming array to steer a composite beam.

29. The product of claim 26, wherein said phase shift value is based on a size of a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) to convert between a frequency domain and a time domain.

30. The product of claim 26, wherein said plurality of frequency components comprises a plurality of samples or a plurality of modulation symbols.