Distributed control system for beam steering applications

Abstract

A technique is described where the switch and/or tunable control circuit for use with an active multi-mode antenna is positioned remote from the antenna structure itself for integration into host communication systems. Electrical delay and impedance characteristics are compensated for in the design and configuration of transmission lines or parasitic elements as the active multi-mode antenna structure is positioned in optimal locations such that significant electrical delay is introduced between the RF front-end circuit and multi-mode antenna. This technique can be implemented in designs where it is convenient to locate switches in a front-end module (FEM) and the FEM is located in vicinity to the transceiver.

Claims

1. An antenna system, comprising: an active multi-mode antenna comprising: an antenna radiating element positioned above a ground plane and forming an antenna volume therebetween; a parasitic element positioned outside of the antenna volume and adjacent to the antenna radiating element, wherein the parasitic element is configured to provide electromagnetic coupling between the antenna radiating element and the parasitic element; and an active tuning component or circuit configured to vary a reactance associated with the parasitic element to actively change a radiation pattern of the active multi-mode antenna; characterized in that the antenna system further comprises: a conductor positioned above the ground plane, the conductor coupled between the parasitic element and the active tuning component or circuit; and a transmission line coupled between the antenna radiating element and the active tuning component or circuit; wherein the active tuning component or circuit is integrated within a front-end module or other circuit associated with a communication system.

2. The antenna system of claim 1, wherein the transmission line is selected from the group consisting of: a coaxial transmission line, a microstrip transmission line, a stripline transmission line, a co-planar waveguide configuration, and a parallel wire transmission line.

3. The antenna system of claim 1, wherein the transmission line comprises a single conductive trace or wire, or one of a plurality of traces or wires in a digital control cable assembly.

4. The antenna system of claim 1, further comprising: a transformer circuit coupled at a junction of the active tuning component or circuit and the transmission line, the transformer circuit being configured to alter radiation mode performance of the active multi-mode antenna.

5. The antenna system of claim 4, wherein the transformer circuit comprises: one or more fixed inductors, one or more fixed capacitors, one or more fixed resistors, and/or one or more active tuning components.

6. The antenna system of claim 1, wherein the active tuning component or circuit is configured to: vary a reactance associated with the parasitic element, short circuit the parasitic element, open circuit the parasitic element, or any combination thereof.

7. An antenna system, comprising: a first active multi-mode antenna, the first active multi-mode antenna including: a first antenna radiating element positioned above a ground plane and forming an antenna volume therebetween; a first parasitic element positioned outside of the antenna volume and adjacent to the first antenna radiating element, wherein said first parasitic element is configured to provide a first electromagnetic coupling between the first antenna radiating element and the first parasitic element; a second parasitic element positioned in proximity to the first parasitic element, the second parasitic element configured to provide a second electromagnetic coupling between the first and second parasitic elements; and a first active tuning component or circuit configured to vary a reactance associated with the second parasitic element for altering a current mode associated with the first parasitic element; wherein the current mode of the first parasitic element is further adapted to alter a current mode of the first antenna radiating element; characterized in that the antenna system further comprises: a conductor positioned above the ground plane; the conductor coupled between the second parasitic element and the first active tuning component or circuit; and a first transmission line coupled between the first antenna radiating element and the first active tuning component or circuit; wherein the first active tuning component or circuit is integrated within a front-end module or other circuit associated with a communication system.

8. The antenna system of claim 7, wherein the first active tuning component or circuit is configured to: vary a reactance associated with the second parasitic element, short circuit the second parasitic element, open circuit the second parasitic element, or any combination thereof.

9. The antenna system of claim 7, said first active multi-mode antenna further comprising: a third parasitic element positioned between the first parasitic element and the second parasitic element; wherein: a change in the reactance associated with the second parasitic element is adapted to vary a current mode associated with the third parasitic element, a change of the current mode associated with the third parasitic element is adapted to vary a current mode associated with the first parasitic element, and a change of the current mode associated with the first parasitic element is adapted to alter a radiation pattern associated with the first antenna radiating element.

10. The antenna system of claim 7, wherein the first transmission line is selected from the group consisting of: a coaxial transmission line, a microstrip transmission line, a stripline transmission line, a co-planar waveguide configuration, and a parallel wire transmission line.

11. The antenna system of claim 7, wherein the first transmission line comprises a single conductive trace or wire, or one of a plurality of traces or wires in a digital control cable assembly.

12. The antenna system of claim 7 further comprising a transformer circuit coupled at a junction of the first active tuning component or circuit and the first transmission line, the transformer circuit being configured to alter radiation mode performance of the first active multi-mode antenna.

13. The antenna system of claim 12, wherein the transformer circuit comprises: one or more fixed inductors, one or more fixed capacitors, one or more fixed resistors, and/or one or more active tuning components.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 shows a communication system with two multi-mode antennas and two front-end modules (FEMs) integrated with transceiver and baseband circuits.

(2) FIG. 2(a) illustrates a multi-mode antenna configuration wherein two parasitic elements are used to generate the radiation modes and to maintain a constant frequency response.

(3) FIG. 2(b) illustrates a multi-mode antenna configuration wherein one parasitic element is used to generate the radiation modes while keeping the frequency response of the antenna constant.

(4) FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a multi-mode antenna where the switch used to generate the modes is integrated in the FEM.

(5) FIG. 4(a) illustrates an example of a multi-mode antenna where the switch used to generate the modes is integrated in the FEM.

(6) FIG. 4(b) illustrates an example of a multi-mode antenna where the switch used to generate the modes is integrated in the FEM.

(7) FIG. 5 illustrates an example of a multi-mode antenna system where a first parasitic element is connected to the switch located in a FEM, with this switch dedicated for use in generating modes of the multi-mode antenna.

(8) FIG. 6 illustrates an example as described in FIG. 5 where two parasitic elements are used to couple to the multi-mode antenna.

(9) FIG. 7(a) illustrates an example of the multi-mode antenna system where three parasitic elements are used to couple a switch to the multi-mode antenna element, with the first parasitic element coupling to the second parasitic element and this second parasitic element coupled to the third parasitic element, which in turn couples to the multi-mode antenna element.

(10) FIG. 7(b) illustrates an example of the multi-mode antenna system where three parasitic elements are used to couple a switch to the multi-mode antenna element, with the first parasitic element coupling to the second parasitic element and this second parasitic element coupled to the third parasitic element, which in turn couples to the multi-mode antenna element.

(11) FIG. 8 shows a multi-mode antenna system where a switch located in a FEM is connected to a conductor that is elevated above a ground plane, with this elevated conductor attached to a parasitic element.

(12) FIG. 9 illustrates a two multi-mode antenna system where two multi-mode antennas are connected to two FEMs.

(13) FIG. 10 illustrates a block diagram of a communication system consisting of two multi-mode antennas, two FEMs, a transceiver, and a baseband processor.

(14) FIG. 11 illustrates a block diagram of a communication system consisting of two multi-mode antennas, two FEMs, a transceiver, and a baseband processor.

(15) FIG. 12 illustrates a two multi-mode antenna system where two multi-mode antennas are connected to two FEMs.

(16) FIG. 13 illustrates an N multi-mode antenna system where N multi-mode antennas and FEMs are implemented to provide a multi-antenna communication system.

(17) FIG. 14 illustrates a front-end module and multi-mode antenna configuration.

(18) FIG. 15 illustrates a front-end module and multi-mode antenna configuration.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(19) An antenna system and related technique is described where a switch and/or tunable control circuit for a multi-mode antenna system is positioned remote from the antenna structure and integrated into a host communication system. Electrical delay and impedance characteristics are compensated for in the design and configuration of transmission lines or parasitic elements as the multi-mode antenna structure is positioned remote from the RF front-end circuit and transceiver. This technique can be implemented in designs where it is required to locate switches in a front-end module (FEM) for size or cost considerations and the FEM is located at a distance from the multi-mode antenna. This technique will allow for integration of the switch function into another RFIC such as the FEM found in most radios.

(20) In one embodiment of the present invention, a multi-mode antenna is positioned on the circuit board of a host communication device with the switch used to alter the reactive loading on the coupled parasitic element associated with the multi-mode antenna located at a distance from the parasitic element. A transmission line is used to connect the switch to the parasitic element and the characteristic impedance of the transmission line is adjusted to optimize the correlation coefficient between modes generated by the multi-mode antenna, the frequency bandwidth of the multi-mode antenna, and/or the return loss of the various modes generated by the multi-mode antenna. The transmission line used to connect the switch to the parasitic element can take the form of a coaxial transmission line, a microstrip transmission line, a co-planar transmission line, a stripline structure, or a parallel wire configuration.

(21) In another embodiment of the present invention, the switch used to alter the reactive loading on the coupled parasitic element associated with the multi-mode antenna located at a distance from the parasitic element is connected to the parasitic element using a control line etched or fabricated into the circuit board of the host communication device. This control line can be a control line typically used for GPIO (general purpose input output), SPI (serial peripheral interface), MIPI (mobile industry processor interface), or other types of digital control interfaces. A single conductive trace is used for the connection between switch and parasitic element, with the trace connected to the end of the parasitic element closest to the ground layer of the circuit board. An impedance transformer or matching circuit can be implemented at the switch/control line junction or at the control line/parasitic element junction, with this transformer or matching circuit used to optimize the operation of the mode generation of the multi-mode antenna.

(22) In another embodiment of the present invention, the switched used as part of the multi-mode antenna is located within a front-end module (FEM) of a communication system. Locating the switch in the FEM provides cost and size reduction benefits when compared to the switch being located at the parasitic element of the multi-mode antenna. In addition, area or volume savings are realized since traces for power and control signals to the switch are no longer required to be etched into the host circuit board at the multi-mode antenna. Embedding the switch into an existing RFIC such as a FEM provides substantial cost savings and coincides with the trend in the communications industry to develop and implement “systems on a chip” where higher orders of integration occur to reduce the component count in a system.

(23) In yet another embodiment of the present invention, two or more multi-mode antennas can be integrated into a communication system for MIMO capability where these two or more antennas transmit and receive signals. For these situations where multiple multi-mode antennas are integrated into a single communication device all of the switches required to implement the multi-mode antenna technique can be integrated in the FEMs to optimize the radio system layout. The multiple FEMs can be located in proximity to the single multi-port transceiver to reduce transmission line length between the transceiver and FEMs, which will reduce losses and electrical delay. The multiple multi-mode antennas can be positioned in locations to optimize isolation and correlation in the antenna system without regards to routing control and power signals to switches located at the multi-mode antennas.

(24) In another embodiment of the present invention, a multi-mode antenna can be configured where an antenna element is positioned in close proximity to a first parasitic element. A second parasitic element is positioned in proximity to the first parasitic element with this second parasitic element coupled to a switch. This switch is used to generate the various modes of the multi-mode antenna by changing the reactive loading on the second parasitic element which couples to the first parasitic element, and where the first parasitic element couples to the antenna element. This configuration provides a method of coupling a switch positioned at a distance to an antenna element and parasitic element pair to form a multi-mode antenna capable of generating multiple modes. The coupling mechanism between the pair of parasitic elements can be controlled by the spacing and orientation between parasitic elements. The two parasitic elements can be positioned parallel to each other or the second parasitic element can be positioned such that it is non-parallel to the first parasitic element. As previously described the switch can be connected to the second parasitic element using a control line or transmission line to further extend the distance between the multi-mode antenna and switch. The switch can be integrated within the FEM or transceiver to simplify the design and layout of the radio system.

(25) In another embodiment of the present invention, a multi-mode antenna connected to a FEM will have a plurality of parasitic elements coupled to the multi-mode antenna, with each parasitic element connected to a switch within the FEM to provide a capability to alter the radiation mode of the multi-mode antenna.

(26) Now turning to the drawings, FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a communication system where two multi-mode antennas and two front-end modules (FEMs) are integrated with transceiver and baseband circuits. The switch required to generate the radiation modes of each multi-mode antenna is integrated into the FEM. A high impedance line is used to connect each switch to the parasitic element of each multi-mode antenna.

(27) FIG. 2(a) illustrates a multi-mode antenna configuration wherein two parasitic elements are used to generate the radiation modes and to maintain a constant frequency response.

(28) FIG. 2(b) illustrates a multi-mode antenna configuration wherein one parasitic element is used to generate the radiation modes while keeping the frequency response of the antenna constant.

(29) FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a multi-mode antenna where the switch used to generate the modes is integrated in the FEM. A transmission line is used to connect the switch to the multi-mode antenna element. A high impedance line is used to connect the switch to the offset parasitic element.

(30) FIG. 4(a) illustrates an example of a multi-mode antenna where the switch used to generate the modes is integrated in the FEM. A transmission line is used to connect the switch to the multi-mode antenna element. A high impedance line is used to connect the switch to the offset parasitic antenna. A transformer circuit is positioned at the junction of the FEM and the high impedance line, with this transformer used to optimize the multi-mode antenna system.

(31) FIG. 4(b) illustrates an example of a multi-mode antenna where the switch used to generate the modes is integrated in the FEM. A transmission line is used to connect the switch to the multi-mode antenna element. A high impedance line is used to connect the switch to the offset parasitic antenna. A transformer circuit is positioned at the junction of the high impedance line and the parasitic element, with this transformer used to optimize the multi-mode antenna system.

(32) FIG. 5 illustrates an example of a multi-mode antenna system where a first parasitic element is connected to the switch located in a FEM, with this switch dedicated for use in generating modes of the multi-mode antenna. The first parasitic element couples to a second parasitic element which is positioned next to it, with this second parasitic element used to couple to the multi-mode antenna element.

(33) FIG. 6 illustrates an example as described in FIG. 5 where two parasitic elements are used to couple to the multi-mode antenna. In this configuration the parasitic elements are positioned such that the parasitic elements are not parallel to each other.

(34) FIG. 7(a) illustrates an example of the multi-mode antenna system where three parasitic elements are used to couple a switch to the multi-mode antenna element, with the first parasitic element coupling to the second parasitic element and this second parasitic element coupled to the third parasitic element, which in turn couples to the multi-mode antenna element.

(35) FIG. 7(b) illustrates an example of the multi-mode antenna system where three parasitic elements are used to couple a switch to the multi-mode antenna element, with the first parasitic element coupling to the second parasitic element and this second parasitic element coupled to the third parasitic element, which in turn couples to the multi-mode antenna element. In this configuration the parasitic elements are positioned such that they are not parallel to each other.

(36) FIG. 8 is a multi-mode antenna system where a switch located in a FEM is connected to a conductor that is elevated above a ground plane, with this elevated conductor attached to a parasitic element. The parasitic element couples to the multi-mode antenna element. The purpose of the elevated conductor is to couple the switch to the parasitic element.

(37) FIG. 9 illustrates a two multi-mode antenna system where two multi-mode antennas are connected to two FEMs.

(38) FIG. 10 illustrates a block diagram of a communication system consisting of two multi-mode antennas, two FEMs, a transceiver, and a baseband processor. The algorithm used to control the two multi-mode antennas is located in a microprocessor of the first FEM, and a control line connects the first FEM to the second FEM to provide control of the second multi-mode antenna.

(39) FIG. 11 illustrates a block diagram of a communication system consisting of two multi-mode antennas, two FEMs, a transceiver, and a baseband processor. The algorithm used to control the two multi-mode antennas is located in the baseband processor and a control lines connect the baseband processor to the first and second FEMs.

(40) FIG. 12 illustrates a two multi-mode antenna system where two multi-mode antennas are connected to two FEMs. There are three parasitic elements coupled to each multi-mode antenna. Each FEM contains three switches, with one switch associated with each parasitic element. Each parasitic element is configured to operate at a specific frequency band.

(41) FIG. 13 illustrates an N multi-mode antenna system where N multi-mode antennas and FEMs are implemented to provide a multi-antenna communication system.

(42) FIG. 14 illustrates a front-end module and multi-mode antenna configuration. Switch 1 is used to control the mode selection of the multi-mode antenna while the T/R switch is used to couple the duplexer to the multi-mode antenna. The duplexer couples the PA (power amplifier) and LNA (low noise amplifier) to the T/R switch.

(43) FIG. 15 illustrates a front-end module and multi-mode antenna configuration. Switch 1 is used to control the mode selection of the multi-mode antenna while the T/R switch is used to couple the multi-mode antenna to the power amplifier (PA) and low noise amplifier (LNA).