Method for near 100% duty-cycle retrodirective beamforming

A virtual antenna array comprising:

• an orchestrator node;
• and
• a plurality of participating nodes, wherein the orchestrator node and the plurality of participating nodes each comprise a radio system, wherein the radio system comprises:
• an antenna;
• and
• a software-defined radio, wherein the software-defined radio comprises:
• a transmitter, wherein the transmitter is configured to receive signal data and metadata as frequency-domain signals from the software-defined radio, wherein the transmitter is configured to transmit the signal data and the metadata as a time-domain signal over M-number of subcarriers, wherein the transmitter comprises:
• a complex precoder, wherein the complex precoder is configured to make a gain adjustment (Gs) and a phase adjustment (Hs) to the signal data, wherein the phase adjustment (Hs) is based on a phase offset;
• a filter bank multi-carrier modulator, wherein the filter bank multi-carrier modulator is configured to receive the signal data from the complex precoder, wherein the filter bank multi-carrier modulator is configured to channelize the signal data and the metadata into the time-domain signal including the M-number of subcarriers;
• and
• a digital mixer, wherein the digital mixer is configured to shift the M-number of subcarriers by a carrier frequency offset;
• wherein the software-defined radio is configured to update the phase offset and the carrier frequency offset using the metadata during a hybrid-TDMA/FDMA frame, wherein the hybrid-TDMA/FDMA frame includes a virtual antenna array synchronization slot and a virtual antenna array receive slot, wherein the software-defined radio is configured to transmit the signal data and the metadata and receive the metadata as the time-domain signal during the virtual antenna array synchronization slot, wherein the software-defined radio is configured to receive the signal data as the time-domain signal during the virtual antenna array receive slot.

A retrodirective beamforming system comprising:

• a target node;
• and
• a virtual antenna array, wherein the target node and the virtual antenna array are configured to communicate via a communication link formed via radio frequency signals, wherein the radio frequency signals from the virtual antenna array arrive coherently at the target node, wherein the virtual antenna array comprises:
• an orchestrator node;
• and
• a plurality of participating nodes, wherein the orchestrator node and the plurality of participating nodes each comprise a radio system, wherein the radio system comprises:
• an antenna;
• and
• a software-defined radio, wherein the software-defined radio comprises:
• a transmitter, wherein the transmitter is configured to receive signal data and metadata as frequency-domain signals from the software-defined radio, wherein the transmitter is configured to transmit the signal data and the metadata as a time-domain signal over M-number of subcarriers, wherein the transmitter comprises:
• a complex precoder, wherein the complex precoder is configured to make a gain adjustment (Gs) and a phase adjustment (Hs) to the signal data, wherein the phase adjustment (Hs) is based on a phase offset;
• a filter bank multi-carrier modulator, wherein the filter bank multi-carrier modulator is configured to receive the signal data from the complex precoder, wherein the filter bank multi-carrier modulator is configured to channelize the signal data and the metadata into the time-domain signal including the M-number of subcarriers;
• and
• a digital mixer, wherein the digital mixer is configured to shift the M-number of subcarriers by a carrier frequency offset;
• wherein the software-defined radio is configured to update the phase offset and the carrier frequency offset using the metadata during a hybrid-TDMA/FDMA frame, wherein the hybrid-TDMA/FDMA frame includes a virtual antenna array synchronization slot and a virtual antenna array receive slot, wherein the software-defined radio is configured to transmit the signal data and the metadata and receive the metadata as the time-domain signal during the virtual antenna array synchronization slot, wherein the software-defined radio is configured to receive the signal data as the time-domain signal during the virtual antenna array receive slot.