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EP-4094373-B1 - ACTIVE DISTRIBUTED ANTENNA SYSTEM WITH FREQUENCY TRANSLATION AND SWITCH MATRIX

EP4094373B1EP 4094373 B1EP4094373 B1EP 4094373B1EP-4094373-B1

Inventors

  • CARDONA, Sergio, E.. Jr.
  • PATRICK, KEVIN, W.
  • BLUMKE, JOEL
  • CARDERO, SILVIO

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20200806

Claims (9)

  1. A three-dimensional, 3D, multiple-input multiple-output wireless system, MIMO, (4000) comprising: a plurality of radios (4400); a plurality of mutually uniquely oriented active antennas (4120); an interconnect fabric (5100); wherein the narrow beam of each oriented antenna (4121) primarily addresses a respective solid-angular region; wherein the interconnect fabric (5100) and the gain level of each oriented antenna (4121) are configured independently and dynamically so as to connect electrically each oriented antenna (4121) to any or none of the plurality of radios (4400) at any given time, so as to provide efficient radio coverage of a totality of solid-angular regions addressed wirelessly by the MIMO (4000); wherein the plurality of mutually uniquely oriented active antennas (4120) comprises N antennas, each comprising a transceiver block (4111), wherein N is a first fixed, positive integer; wherein the interconnect fabric (5100) comprises a radio-frequency fanning network (4180), configured to connect electrically at most one radio (4401) with each oriented antenna (4121) at any given instant; wherein the plurality of radios (4400) comprises R radios, wherein R is a second fixed, positive, integer; wherein the MIMO (4000) additionally comprises a digital control logic (4800), having a control port (4801) by which to receive commands, the digital control logic (4800) configured to control the coordinated operation of the radios (4400), the radio-frequency fanning network (4180), and the transceiver blocks (4110); wherein the control of radiated power and received sensitivity to each oriented antenna (4121) is about orthogonal, such that the radiated power and received sensitivity of each oriented antenna (4121) is controlled independently of the control of radiated power and received sensitivity of the other antennas in the plurality of mutually uniquely oriented active antennas (4120); and a plurality of M planar stacks (4100), wherein M is a fixed positive integer, and wherein each of the M planar stacks (4100) comprises a plurality of the plurality of mutually uniquely oriented active antennas (4120).
  2. The MIMO (4000) of Claim 1, wherein the interconnect fabric (5100) is a routing network capable of electrically connecting any given oriented antenna (4121) with at most any single radio at any given time, wherein the electrical connection is bi-directional.
  3. The MIMO (4000) of Claim 1, wherein a first given radio is configured to address any given subset of the totality of solid-angular regions, wherein a second given radio is configured to address any subset of remaining solid-angular regions not yet addressed, and wherein a pattern established for the first given radio and the second given radio is continued such that each remaining radio in turn is configured to address any subset of the remaining solid-angular regions not yet addressed, until either no solid-angular regions remain unaddressed, or the entire plurality of radios (4400) require no further solid-angular regions of address.
  4. The MIMO (4000) of Claim 1, wherein each of the oriented antennas in each planar stack (4101) is offset in angular orientation from each adjacent oriented antenna (4121) in the same planar stack by about a constant inter-plane angular offset (4312), such that the plurality of planar stacks (4100) forms a fanned arrangement about an array axis of symmetry (4300), wherein the constant inter-plane angular offset (4312) is about 360/M degrees.
  5. The MIMO (4000) of Claim 1, wherein any first given radio, from among the R radios, is configured to address any given subset of an entirety of solid-angular sub-regions, wherein then any second given radio is configured to address any subset of remaining solid-angular sub-regions not yet addressed, wherein a pattern established for the first given radio and the second given radio is continued such that each of the remaining radios in turn is configured to address any subset of the remaining solid-angular sub-regions not yet addressed, until either no solid-angular sub-regions remain unaddressed, or all R radios require no further solid-angular sub-regions of address; so as to provide efficient radio coverage of the entire solid-angular region addressed wirelessly by the MIMO (4000), with respect to a location of the MIMO (4000).
  6. The MIMO (4000) of Claim 1, wherein each transceiver block (4111) employs variable levels of radio-frequency power amplification, and wherein each transceiver block (4111) is configured to accept a transmit/receive mode control signal from the digital control logic (4800).
  7. The MIMO (4000) of Claim 1, wherein the radio-frequency fanning network (4180) comprises a plurality of 1-pole R-throw radio selectors (4130), wherein each transceiver block (4111) connects electrically to a radio selector common port (4132) of the respective 1-pole R-throw radio selector (4131) via a transceiver block second port (4113), wherein a function of each given 1-pole R-throw radio selector (4131) is that of a matched 1-pole R-throw switch between a plurality of switch ports (4133) and the common port of the given 1-pole R-throw radio selector (4131), wherein the radio selector plurality of switch ports (4133) comprises R radio selector switch ports.
  8. The MIMO (4000) of Claim 7, wherein the radio-frequency fanning network (4180) comprises a plurality of stack radio feed ports (4140), comprising R stack radio feed ports wherein the plurality of stack radio feed ports (4140) connects respectively, electrically, to the plurality of radio selector switch ports (4133) of every 1-pole R-throw radio selector (4131), wherein every plurality of stack radio feed ports (4140) connects respectively, electrically to a plurality of radio feeds (4200), comprising R radio feeds.
  9. The MIMO (4000) of Claim 1, wherein the MIMO (4000) is configured to effect independent control of up-converted, radiated, electromagnetic wave power, and down-converted, incident, electromagnetic power sensitivity, for each oriented antenna (4121).

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to active distributed antenna systems (DAS), in particular, to multi-input, multi-output re-configurable DAS with frequency translation. Background Art An antenna is a device for efficiently radiating electromagnetic energy into free space, from a system that otherwise confines its electromagnetic energy. An antenna that radiates electromagnetic energy equally in all spatial directions in three-dimensional space may be deemed an isotropic radiator. By contrast, in certain applications it is advantageous to create an anisotropic radiator, one which largely confines the radiation to within a narrow beam in a specific desired direction. Common methods to direct the radiation pattern of an antenna (radiating structure) from one orientation in three-dimensional space to another may involve either physically reorienting the antenna mechanism, or employing precise phase control among a collection of fixed antenna elements. Both of these methods must overcome the inertia of either the mechanism, or of the phase control actuating element, an inertia which in turn limits the agility with which the beam may be redirected. The documents US 2017/318589 A1, US 2019/392694 A1, and US 2019/348759 A1 describe respective multi-input, multi-output re-configurable distributed antenna systems. BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an objective of the present invention to provide a system that allows for efficient radio coverage of a wide angular region, as specified in the independent claim. Embodiments of the invention are given in the dependent claims. Wireless networking infrastructure meeting standards that may be deployed in the near future, such as for 5G networking, may drive demand for far more precise control of the direction, polarization, and level of over-the-air electromagnetic radiation than may have been the case for prior wireless networking standards. This demand may apply equally to radiated electromagnetic power as well as to received electromagnetic power. Accordingly, sophisticated radiating structures may be necessary, structures whose pattern of radiation may be highly configurable in direction, polarization, and power level, structures which may interface with several radios simultaneously in a dynamically assigned manner. Accordingly, the present invention may integrate the features of both a sophisticated radiating structure capable of addressing 360 degrees of azimuth and 60 degrees of elevation, together with a utility for up-conversion and down-conversion that may correspond with multiple external radios simultaneously, all into a single multiple-input, multiple-output wireless system. The present invention quantizes the orientation of a sophisticated radiating structure's beam into a finite set of solid-angular sub-regions that may be rapidly re-selected, such that the inertia to direct the beam from one solid-angular sub-region to another is almost infinitesimal. Moreover, in the present invention, because multiple radios may access a shared sophisticated radiating structure, each solid-angular sub-regional antenna element may deploy its own independent beam that may be distinguished from neighboring beams by any to all of: its carrier frequency; its polarization of radiation; and its power level. Further, the present invention may hide the complexity of a radiating structure operating at a comparatively high frequency of radiation by presenting it as having an interface that may appear as one at a comparatively low frequency of radiation, which is more readily accommodated. Once such a system has been realized, the system may find further application in dual-use technologies suitable for electronic warfare. Additional advantages and aspects of the present invention are apparent in the following detailed description and claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS The features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following detailed description presented in connection with the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 1A shows a diagram of a planar stack (4101) of N oriented antennas (4121), a plurality of radios (4400) R in number, and a digital control logic (4800). (N and R are some positive integers.)Fig. 1B shows an extension of the multiple-input multiple-output wireless system (MIMO) (4000) diagrammed in Fig. 1A. A plurality of planar stacks (4100) M in number accesses a plurality of radio feeds (4200) from the plurality of radios (4400). (M is some positive integer.) Each planar stack (4101) is individually controllable by the digital control logic (4800).Fig. 1C shows in more detail the physical orientation of the various planar stacks (4101) among the plurality of planar stacks (4100) M in number. Each planar stack (4101), among the plurality of planar stacks (4100) M in number, is offset in its angular orientation from its nearest neighbor by a