US-20260128494-A1 - COMMUNICATION APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR ADAPTIVE COOLING OF ANTENNA ELEMENTS

US20260128494A1US 20260128494 A1US20260128494 A1US 20260128494A1US-20260128494-A1

Abstract

A communication apparatus comprising an array of temperature sensors, an antenna array comprising a plurality of chips in a specific arrangement to form a plurality of antenna elements, and a plurality of thermoelectric devices distributed across the plurality of antenna elements. Each thermoelectric device covers a different subset of the plurality of antenna elements. A processor coupled to the antenna array and the plurality of thermoelectric devices measures, by the array of temperature sensors, a temperature of each chip of the plurality of chips of the antenna array, and controls each of the plurality of thermoelectric devices. The control comprises a change in a voltage input to thermoelectric devices to cause a corresponding change in temperature of the plurality of thermoelectric devices. The corresponding change is caused to apply adaptive cooling on different subsets of the plurality of antenna elements based on the measured temperature.

Inventors

Mehdi Hatamian
Venkat Kalkunte

Assignees

PELTBEAM INC.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260507
Application Date: 20260105

Claims (17)

1 . A communication apparatus, comprising: an array of temperature sensors; an antenna array comprising a plurality of chips in a specific arrangement to form a plurality of antenna elements; a plurality of thermoelectric devices distributed across the plurality of antenna elements, wherein each thermoelectric device of the plurality of thermoelectric devices covers a different subset of a plurality of subsets of the plurality of antenna elements; and a processor coupled to the antenna array and the plurality of thermoelectric devices, wherein the processor is configured to: measure, by the array of temperature sensors, a temperature of each chip of the plurality of chips of the antenna array; and control each of the plurality of thermoelectric devices, wherein the control of each of the plurality of thermoelectric devices comprises a change in a voltage input to one or more thermoelectric devices of the plurality of thermoelectric devices to cause a corresponding change in a temperature of the plurality of thermoelectric devices, and the corresponding change is caused to apply adaptive cooling on different subsets of the plurality of subsets of the plurality of antenna elements based on the measured temperature from the array of temperature sensors.
2 . The communication apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the adaptive cooling is applied on the different subsets of the plurality of subsets of the plurality of antenna elements to maintain a temperature of the plurality of antenna elements in a specified temperature range.
3 . The communication apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of thermoelectric devices has a cooling side and a heat dissipation side, the antenna array has a first side that represents radio frequency (RF) circuitry and chip side and a second side that represents a radiating side of the plurality of antenna elements, and the cooling side of each of the plurality of thermoelectric devices is on the first side of the antenna array.
4 . The communication apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of thermoelectric devices is a Peltier device.
5 . The communication apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of thermoelectric devices lacks moving parts and circulating liquid.
6 . The communication apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein each subset of the plurality of subsets of the plurality of antenna elements corresponds to four transmitter-receiver (Tx/Rx) chips and one mixer chip, and wherein each thermoelectric device of the plurality of thermoelectric devices covers the four Tx/Rx chips and the one mixer chip.
7 . The communication apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein each subset of the plurality of subsets of the plurality of antenna elements corresponds to eight to ten transmitter-receiver (Tx/Rx) chips including one or more mixer chips, and wherein each thermoelectric device of the plurality of thermoelectric devices covers the eight to ten Tx/Rx chips including the one or more mixer chips.
8 . The communication apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein a distribution of the plurality of thermoelectric devices on the plurality of antenna elements is based on one or more radiation surplus regions and one or more radiation deficient regions in the antenna array.
9 . The communication apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein one or more first thermoelectric devices of the plurality of thermoelectric devices are on the one or more radiation surplus regions, and either none or one or more second thermoelectric devices of the plurality of thermoelectric devices are on the one or more radiation deficient regions, and wherein a count of the one or more second thermoelectric devices is less than that of the one or more first thermoelectric devices.
10 . The communication apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to determine an operational state of the plurality of antenna elements, wherein the operational state indicates a power state or a performance state of the plurality of antenna elements.
11 . The communication apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to execute an activation or a deactivation of each of the plurality of thermoelectric devices in synchronization with an activated state or a deactivated state of the different subsets of antenna elements of the plurality of antenna elements.
12 . The communication apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to obtain traffic information of a geographical area surrounding a deployed location of the communication apparatus, wherein the control of each of the plurality of thermoelectric devices further comprises an increase or decrease in cooling from each of the plurality of thermoelectric devices based on the obtained traffic information, and wherein the obtained traffic information indicates a number of user equipment (UEs) to be served in the geographical area.
13 . The communication apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to obtain one or more of: a weather condition, a position information of one or more user equipment (UEs) to be served by the antenna array, a two-dimensional (2D) or three-dimensional (3D) position information of the communication apparatus, and wherein the control of each of the plurality of thermoelectric devices further comprises an increase or decrease in the adaptive cooling based on one or more of: the obtained weather condition, the position information of one or more UEs to be served by the antenna array, and the 2D or 3D position information of the communication apparatus.
14 . The communication apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the antenna array is a service side antenna array that faces a plurality of user equipment (UEs).
15 . The communication apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the communication apparatus is one of: a 5G or 6G-enabled repeater device, a 5G or 6G-enabled cell, or a 5G or 6G-enabled customer premise equipment (CPE).
16 . The communication apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the antenna array is one of: a 5G or 6G phased-array antenna panel, a 5G or 6G-enabled antenna chipset, or a 5G or 6G-enabled patch antenna array.
17 . A method, comprising: in a communication apparatus comprising an array of temperature sensors, an antenna array comprising a plurality of chips in a specific arrangement to form a plurality of antenna elements, and a plurality of thermoelectric devices distributed across the plurality of antenna elements of the antenna array, wherein each thermoelectric device of the plurality of thermoelectric devices covers a different subset of a plurality of subsets of the plurality of antenna elements: measuring, by the array of temperature sensors, a temperature of each chip of the plurality of chips of the antenna array; and controlling each of the plurality of thermoelectric devices, wherein the control of each of the plurality of thermoelectric devices comprises changing a voltage input to one or more thermoelectric devices of the plurality of thermoelectric devices to cause a corresponding change in a temperature of the plurality of thermoelectric devices, and the corresponding change is caused to apply adaptive cooling on different subsets of the plurality of subsets of the plurality of antenna elements based on the measured temperature from the array of temperature sensors.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS/INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE This Patent Application makes reference to, claims priority to, claims the benefit of, and is a Continuation Application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 19/198,197 filed on May 5, 2025, which is a Divisional Application of U.S. Pat. No. 12,322,854, granted on Jun. 3, 2025, which is a Continuation Application of U.S. Pat. No. 12,021,293, granted on Jun. 25, 2024, which is a Continuation Application of U.S. Pat. No. 11,936,093, granted on Mar. 19, 2024, which is a Continuation Application of U.S. Pat. No. 11,742,561, granted on Aug. 29, 2023, which is a Continuation Application of U.S. Pat. No. 11,527,809, granted on Dec. 13, 2022, which is a Continuation Application of U.S. Pat. No. 11,211,682, granted on Dec. 28, 2021. Each of the above-referenced applications is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. FIELD OF TECHNOLOGY Certain embodiments of the disclosure relate to a communication apparatus. More specifically, certain embodiments of the disclosure relate to a communication apparatus and method for adaptive cooling of antenna elements. BACKGROUND Wireless telecommunication in modern times has witnessed advent of various signal transmission techniques and methods, such as use of beam forming and beam steering techniques, for enhancing capacity of radio channels. In accordance with such techniques, when in operation, an antenna array radiates or receives radio waves in form of beams of radio frequency (RF) signals, which generates significant amount of heat in underlying electronic components. For example, circuits and chips of the antenna array generate significant amount of heat that needs to be removed to keep the circuits and chips at a desired operating temperature range for consistent performance and for avoiding loss of gain due to high temperatures. As electronic components have become faster and more powerful, thermal management in a conventional communication apparatuses and systems, has become a technically challenging issue. For example, for millimeter wave communication capable apparatus, thermal management is a prominent technical challenge for desired performance. Moreover, communication apparatuses, such as a repeater device, a small cell, etc., are mostly deployed outdoors, and thus are subjected to extreme heat, which further aggravates the problem of heating. The conventional approach of using heatsinks and/or fans for cooling such communication systems may result in bulky modules and increase the maintenance cost in the long run, which is not desirable. Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditional approaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art, through comparison of such systems with some aspects of the present disclosure as set forth in the remainder of the present application with reference to the drawings. BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE A communication apparatus and method for adaptive cooling of antenna elements, substantially as shown in and/or described in connection with at least one of the figures, as set forth more completely in the claims. These and other advantages, aspects and novel features of the present disclosure, as well as details of an illustrated embodiment thereof, will be more fully understood from the following description and drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating various components of an exemplary communication apparatus, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the disclosure. FIG. 2 is an illustration of an arrangement of a plurality of thermoelectric devices on an antenna array, in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure. FIG. 3 is an illustration of an arrangement of a plurality of thermoelectric devices on an antenna array, in accordance with another embodiment of the disclosure. FIGS. 4A, 4B, and 4C collectively, is a flowchart that illustrate a method for adaptive cooling of antenna elements, in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE Certain embodiments of the disclosure may be found in a communication apparatus and method for adaptive cooling of antenna elements. The communication apparatus and method of the present disclosure not only improves performance of the communication apparatus by maintaining a temperature of the antenna arrays in the communication apparatus in a specified temperature range but also optimizes power consumption by providing a capability of adaptive cooling of antenna elements. The solution provided in the present disclosure reduces the overall maintenance cost of the communication apparatus and provides an intelligent and practical cooling mechanism to ensure operational reliability of the communication apparatus for consistent high-performance communication. In the following description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, and in which is shown, by way of illustration