Switched beam antenna with digitally controlled weighted radio frequency combining
AssigneesTelecom Italia S.p.A., Pirelli & C. S.p.A.
InventorsValeria D'Amico, Maurizio Fodrini, Bruno Melis, Alfredo Ruscitto
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Abstract
A wireless communication system, wherein a sub-set of radio frequency signals received from corresponding antenna elements is selected and combined into a single radio frequency signal, the single radio frequency signal being processed and demodulated in a single processing chain, includes a radio frequency phasing network for co-phasing the selected radio frequency signals before combining and a processor for controlling combining and phasing in order to obtain a single radio frequency signal having a radio performance indicator which satisfies predetermined conditions.
Claims24
A wireless communication system comprising:
- a plurality of antenna elements;
- a selector for selecting a sub-set of received radio frequency signals from said antenna elements;
- a combiner for combining said sub-set of received radio frequency signals into a single radio frequency signal;
- a processing chain for processing and demodulating said single radio frequency signal and for generating at least a radio performance indicator representative of the quality of said single radio frequency signal;
- a processor detecting said radio performance indicator for generating a selection signal(s) for said selector and a phase shift signal for said radio frequency phasing network in order to obtain a single radio frequency signal having a radio performance indicator within a predetermined range;
- and
- a radio frequency phasing network for co-phasing said selected radio frequency signals before combining in said combiner by applying a phase shift to at least one signal in said sub-set.
A method of processing a radio frequency signal in a radio communication system, said signal being received by a plurality of antenna elements, comprising the steps of:
- selecting a sub-set of received radio frequency signals from said antenna elements;
- combining said sub-set of received radio frequency signals into a single radio frequency signal;
- processing and demodulating said single radio frequency signal for generating at least a radio performance indicator representative of the quality of said single radio frequency signal;
- subjecting signals in said sub-set of received radio frequency signals to co-phasing, by applying a phase shift to at least one signal in said sub-set;
- detecting said radio performance indicator;
- and
- selecting a combination of sub-set of received radio frequency signals and a phase shift for said co-phasing step, in order to obtain a single radio frequency signal having a radio performance indicator within a predetermined range.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.