Ultra-low-power millimeter-wave to baseband receiver module for scalable massive mimo

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

• a plurality of radio modules, each adapted to provide a respective 1-bit output signal responsive to a wireless MIMO signal received by the plurality of radio modules via a wireless channel, each radio module comprising:
• a respective antenna element comprising a respective antenna terminal, wherein the respective antenna element is adapted to provide a respective received RF signal at the respective antenna terminal responsive to the wireless MIMO signal received via the wireless channel;
• a respective envelope detector communicatively coupled to the respective antenna terminal, wherein the respective envelope detector is adapted to detect information modulated onto the wireless MIMO signal prior to transmission via the wireless channel, to obtain a respective detected baseband signal;
• and
• a respective analog-to-digital converter (ADC) communicatively coupled to the respective envelope detector, wherein the respective ADC is adapted to generate a respective digital signal according to the respective detected baseband 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 wireless MIMO signal prior to transmission according to the respective digital signal of each of the plurality of radio modules.

A method, comprising:

• receiving, by a first radio module and at a first location, a wireless multiple input multiple output (MIMO) signal, to obtain a first received radio frequency (RF) signal, the wireless MIMO signal comprising information originating at a remote MIMO transmitter and conveyed to the first radio module via a wireless channel;
• detecting, by the first radio module and without requiring a local oscillator, an envelope of the first received RF signal to obtain a first detected baseband signal;
• and
• comparing, by the first radio module, the first detected baseband signal to a reference value to obtain a first digital signal according to the first detected baseband signal;
• and
• providing, by the first radio module, the first digital signal to a digital processor, the digital processor also obtaining a second digital signal from a second radio module receiving the wireless MIMO signal at a second location, the digital processor determining an estimate of the information originating at the remote MIMO transmitter according to the first and second digital signals.