Low-resolution, low-power, radio frequency receiver

A multiple input multiple output (MIMO) radio, comprising:

• a local oscillator (LO) adapted to provide an LO signal that includes an LO frequency that approximates a carrier frequency of a received wireless MIMO signal, the received MIMO signal having a carrier wave component operating at the carrier frequency within a millimeter wave spectrum and an information component, wherein the information component is based on a phase shift keying (PSK) modulation of the carrier wave component;
• a plurality of radio modules, each adapted to provide a respective low-resolution output signal responsive to the received wireless MIMO signal, each radio module comprising:
• a respective radio frequency (RF) signal combiner comprising:
• a RF input port adapted to accept a respective received RF signal responsive to the received wireless MIMO signal received via a wireless channel;
• a second RF input port coupled to the LO;
• and
• an output port, wherein the RF signal combiner is adapted to combine, without multiplication, the received RF signal and the LO signal to obtain a respective combined output signal;
• a respective envelope detector communicatively coupled to the output port, wherein the respective envelope detector is adapted to detect information modulated onto the received wireless MIMO signal prior to transmission via the wireless channel, to obtain a respective detected baseband signal, wherein an amplitude of the respective detected baseband signal corresponds to an in-phase portion of the received RF signal;
• and
• a digital processor communicatively coupled to the plurality of radio modules and adapted to determine an estimate of the information modulated onto the received wireless MIMO signal prior to transmission according to the respective detected baseband signal of each of the plurality of radio modules.

A method, comprising:

• receiving a radio frequency (RF) signal to obtain a received RF signal having a carrier wave component operating at a carrier frequency within a millimeter wave spectrum and an information component based on a phase shift keying (PSK) modulation of the carrier wave component;
• obtaining a local oscillator (LO) signal comprising an LO frequency, wherein the LO frequency approximates the carrier frequency;
• combining, without multiplication, the received RF signal and the LO signal to obtain a first combined output signal;
• and
• detecting, via a non-linear energy detector, an in-phase portion of the first combined output signal to obtain a first detected signal, wherein an amplitude of the first detected signal corresponds to an in-phase portion of the received RF signal, and wherein the first combined output signal comprises information of the information component.