US5917447A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Method and system for digital beam forming
Assignee: Motorola Solutions Inc
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Filing: 1996-05-29
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Granted: 1999-06-29
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Expires: 2016-05-29
Abstract
Abstract A digital beam forming system includes an array of computing units (60-76) for weighting incoming signals and a plurality of summing processors (80-84) for generating output signals that represent weighted sums corresponding to rows within the array. The digital beam forming system can be incorporated in either a transmitter or receiver used in a radio frequency communications system.
Inventors
- 👤 Shay-Ping T. Wang
- 👤 Stephen Chih-Hung Ma
- 👤 James M. Richey
- 👤 Shao Wei Pan
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-05 09:30
CPC Classifications
H; H01; H01Q; H01Q3/00; H01Q3/26
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 11
Claim 1
Independent Claim
172 words
An apparatus for beam forming a plurality of channels in a communications system, the processor being operatively coupled to an array-antenna and responsive to a plurality of digital signals representing the plurality of channels, comprising: a plurality of computing units forming an array having a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns, each of the plurality of columns weighting one of the digital signals to generate a plurality of weighted signals, wherein at least one of the plurality of computing units comprises a log converter for converting one of the plurality of digital signals into a log signal, an adder for summing the log signal and a log-converted weight value to generate a sum signal, and an inverse-log converter for converting the sum signal into one of the plurality of weighted signals; and a summing processor for generating a plurality of output signals, each of the plurality of output signals being produced by summing ones of the plurality of weighted signals generated by a respective one of the plurality of rows.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
172 words
An apparatus for beam forming a plurality of channels in a communications system, the processor being operatively coupled to an array-antenna and responsive to a plurality of digital signals representing the plurality of channels, comprising: a plurality of computing units forming an array having a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns, each of the plurality of columns weighting one of the digital signals to generate a plurality of weighted signals, wherein at least one of the plurality of computing units comprises a log converter for converting one of the plurality of digital signals into a log signal, an adder for summing the log signal and a log-converted weight value to generate a sum signal, and an inverse-log converter for converting the sum signal into one of the plurality of weighted signals; and a summing processor for generating a plurality of output signals, each of the plurality of output signals being produced by summing ones of the plurality of weighted signals generated by a respective one of the plurality of rows.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
43 words
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the summing processor comprises: a plurality of adder trees for generating the plurality of output signals, each of the adder trees being operatively coupled to a corresponding row in order to generate one of the output signals.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
38 words
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one of the plurality of computing units comprises: a memory circuit for storing the log-converted weight value; and means for retrieving from the memory circuit the log-converted weight value.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
64 words
The apparatus of claim 1, for use in a receiver, further comprising: a plurality of receiver modules, operatively coupled to a corresponding plurality of elements included in the array-antenna, for down-converting a plurality of radiated signals into a plurality of analog signals; and a plurality of analog-to-digital converters for sampling and digitizing the plurality of analog signals to produce the plurality of digital signals.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
97 words
The apparatus of claim 1, for use in a transmitter, further comprising: a plurality of digital-to-analog converters for generating a plurality of analog signals, each of the plurality of digital-to-analog converters converting a corresponding one of the plurality of output signals into an analog signal, thereby producing a plurality of analog signals; and a plurality of transmitter modules, each being operatively coupled to a corresponding one of the plurality of digital-to-analog converters, for up-converting the plurality of analog signals into a plurality of radiatable signals that are transmittable through a plurality of elements included in the array-antenna.
Claim 7
Independent Claim
124 words
A method of beam forming a plurality of channels in a communications system, comprising the steps of: distributing a plurality of digital signals representing the plurality of channels to a plurality of computing units forming an array having a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns; converting the plurality of digital signals into a plurality of log signals; summing the plurality of log signals and a corresponding plurality of log-converted weight values to generate a plurality of sum signals; performing an inverse-log conversion on the plurality of sum signals to generate a plurality of weighted signals; and generating a plurality of output signals, each of the output signals being generated by summing the weighted signals corresponding to a respective one of the rows.
Claim 8
Independent Claim
124 words
A method of beam forming a plurality of channels in a communications system, comprising the steps of: distributing a plurality of digital signals representing the plurality of channels to a plurality of computing units forming an array having a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns; converting the plurality of digital signals into a plurality of log signals; summing the plurality of log signals and a corresponding plurality of log-converted weight values to generate a plurality of sum signals; performing an inverse-log conversion on the plurality of sum signals to generate a plurality of weighted signals; and generating a plurality of output signals, each of the output signals being generated by summing the weighted signals corresponding to a respective one of the rows.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
22 words
The method of claim 6, further including the step of retrieving from at least one memory the plurality of log-converted weight values.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
43 words
The method of claim 6, for use in a receiver, further comprising the following steps: down-converting a plurality of radiated signals into a plurality of analog signals; and sampling and digitizing the plurality of analog signals to produce the plurality of digital signals.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
33 words
The method of claim 6, for use in a transmitter, further comprising: converting the output signals into a plurality of analog signals; and up-converting the analog signals into a plurality of radiatable signals.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2002-06-28 | 2002-12-28 | 2003-06-29 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2006-06-28 | 2006-12-28 | 2007-06-29 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2010-06-28 | 2010-12-28 | 2011-06-29 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |