U.S. patent application number 14/144043 was filed with the patent office on 2015-07-02 for configurable receiver architecture for carrier aggregation with multiple-input multiple-output.
This patent application is currently assigned to Broadcom Corporation. The applicant listed for this patent is Broadcom Corporation. Invention is credited to Masoud KAHRIZI, Alireza Tarighat MEHRABANI.
Application Number | 20150188582 14/144043 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 53483098 |
Filed Date | 2015-07-02 |
United States Patent
Application |
20150188582 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
KAHRIZI; Masoud ; et
al. |
July 2, 2015 |
CONFIGURABLE RECEIVER ARCHITECTURE FOR CARRIER AGGREGATION WITH
MULTIPLE-INPUT MULTIPLE-OUTPUT
Abstract
A wireless communication system and method that includes
configurable Carrier Aggregation (CA) and/or Multiple-input
Multiple-output (MIMO) operational modes. In CA, multiple carriers
(i.e., channel bundling) are aggregated and jointly used for
transmission to/from a single terminal. Downlink inter-band carrier
aggregation increases the downlink data rates by routing two
signals, received in different frequency bands, simultaneously to
two active receivers in the RF transceiver. MIMO utilizes two
additional receivers as diversity paths and the frequency
generation can be shared between main and diversity path for each
carriers.
Inventors: |
KAHRIZI; Masoud; (Irvine,
CA) ; MEHRABANI; Alireza Tarighat; (Laguna Beach,
CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Broadcom Corporation |
Irvine |
CA |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
Broadcom Corporation
Irvine
CA
|
Family ID: |
53483098 |
Appl. No.: |
14/144043 |
Filed: |
December 30, 2013 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
455/77 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04B 7/0689 20130101;
H04W 88/06 20130101; H04B 7/0413 20130101; H04B 1/0067
20130101 |
International
Class: |
H04B 1/00 20060101
H04B001/00; H04B 7/04 20060101 H04B007/04 |
Claims
1. A communication device, comprising: a communication module
configured to selectively operate in a first Multiple-input
Multiple-output (MIMO) communication mode or a second MIMO
communication mode, the second MIMO communication mode including a
Carrier Aggregation (CA) configuration; and a processor configured
to control the communication module to select between the first
MIMO communication mode and the second MIMO communication mode.
2. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the processor is
configured to select between the first MIMO communication mode and
the second MIMO communication mode based on network conditions of a
first communication environment associated with the first MIMO
communication mode and a second communication environment
associated with the second MIMO communication mode.
3. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the communication
module is further configured to selectively operate in a third MIMO
communication mode.
4. The communication device of claim 3, wherein the first and third
MIMO communication modes utilize first and second frequency bands,
respectively.
5. The communication device of claim 4, wherein the second MIMO
communication mode utilizes both the first and second frequency
bands.
6. The communication device of claim 3, wherein the processor is
configured to select between the first, second and third MIMO
communication modes based on network conditions of a first
communication environment, a second communication environment, and
a third communication environment respectively associated with the
first, second and third MIMO communication modes.
7. A communication device, comprising: a first multiplexer
configured to select between first and second oscillator signals to
provide a first output signal; a first mixer configured to mix one
of a first amplified signal associated with a first antenna and a
second amplified signal associated with a second antenna with the
first output signal; a second multiplexer configured to select
between the first and second oscillator signals to provide a second
output signal; and a first mixer configured to mix one of a third
amplified signal associated with the first antenna and a fourth
amplified signal associated with the second antenna with the second
output signal.
8. The communication device of claim 7, wherein the first and
second multiplexers are configured to selectively output the first
and second oscillator signals based on an operating mode of the
communication device, and wherein the first and second mixers are
configured to perform the mixing based on the operating mode of the
communication device.
9. The communication device of claim 8, wherein the operating mode
includes: a first Multiple-input Multiple-output (MIMO)
communication mode utilizing the first oscillator signal for a
first frequency band, a second MIMO communication mode utilizing
the second oscillator signal for a second frequency band, and a
third MIMO communication mode including a Carrier Aggregation (CA)
configuration, the third MIMO communication mode utilizing the
first and second oscillator signal for the first and second
frequency bands.
10. The communication device of claim 7, further comprising a
processor, wherein: during a first Multiple-input Multiple-output
(MIMO) communication mode utilizing a first frequency band, the
processor is configured to: control the first and second
multiplexers to output the first oscillator signal as the first
output signal and the second output signal, respectively; control
inputs of the first mixer to mix the first amplified signal with
the first output signal; and control inputs of the second mixer to
mix the fourth amplified signal with the second output signal;
during a second MIMO communication mode utilizing a second
frequency band, the processor is configured to: control the first
and second multiplexers to output the second oscillator signal as
the first output signal and the second output signal, respectively;
control the inputs of the first mixer to mix the second amplified
signal with the first output signal; and control the inputs of the
second mixer to mix the third amplified signal with the second
output signal; and during a third MIMO communication mode including
a Carrier Aggregation (CA) configuration that utilizes both the
first and second frequency bands, the processor is configured to:
control the first multiplexer to output the first oscillator signal
as the first output signal; control the second multiplexer to
output the second oscillator signal as the second output signal;
control the inputs of the first mixer to mix the first amplified
signal with the first output signal; and control the inputs of the
second mixer to mix the third amplified signal with the second
output signal.
11. The communication device of claim 7, further comprising: a
first low-noise amplifier (LNA) configured to generate the first
amplified signal based on a first signal associated with the first
antenna; a second LNA configured to generate the second amplified
signal based on a second signal associated with the second antenna;
a third LNA configured to generate the third amplified signal based
on a third signal associated with the first antenna; and a fourth
LNA configured to generate the fourth amplified signal based on a
fourth signal associated with the second antenna.
12. The communication device of claim 11, comprising: a diplexer
configured to connect the first antenna to the first LNA via a
first signal path and to the third LNA via a third signal path, and
to generate the first and third signals based on a first input
signal received via the first antenna; and a switching module
configured to selectively connect the second antenna to the second
LNA via a second signal path and to the fourth LNA via a fourth
signal path based on an operating mode of the communication
device.
13. The communication device of claim 12, comprising: a first
duplexer in the first signal path configured to filter the first
signal and provide the filtered first signal to the first LNA, and
to filter a transmit signal and provide the filtered transmit
signal to the first antenna, wherein the first duplexer is
associated with a first frequency band; a first surface acoustic
wave (SAW) filter module configured to filter the second signal and
provide the filtered second signal to the second LNA, the first SAW
filter module being associated with a second frequency band; a
second duplexer in the third signal path configured to filter the
third signal and provide the filtered third signal to the third
LNA, and to filter the transmit signal and provide the filtered
transmit signal to the first antenna, wherein the second duplexer
is associated with the second frequency band; and a second SAW
filter module configured to filter the fourth signal and provide
the filtered fourth signal to the fourth LNA, the second SAW filter
module being associated with the first frequency band.
14. The communication device of claim 12, wherein the operating
mode includes: a first Multiple-input Multiple-output (MIMO)
communication mode utilizing a first frequency band, a second MIMO
communication mode utilizing a second frequency band, and a third
MIMO communication mode including a Carrier Aggregation (CA)
configuration, the third MIMO communication mode utilizing the
first and second frequency bands.
15. The communication device of claim 11, wherein the communication
device is configured to selectively activate the first, second,
third, and fourth LNAs based on an operating mode of the
communication device.
16. The communication device of claim 15, wherein the operating
mode includes: a first Multiple-input Multiple-output (MIMO)
communication mode utilizing a first frequency band, a second MIMO
communication mode utilizing a second frequency band, and a third
MIMO communication mode including a Carrier Aggregation (CA)
configuration, the third MIMO communication mode utilizing the
first and second frequency bands.
17. The communication device of claim 13, wherein the first and
second multiplexers are configured to selectively output the first
and second oscillator signals based an operating mode of the
communication device; wherein the switching module is configured to
selectively connect the second antenna to the second LNA via the
second signal path and to the fourth LNA via a fourth signal path
based on the operating mode of the communication device; and
wherein the communication device is configured to selectively
activate the first, second, third, and fourth LNAs based on the
operating mode of the communication device.
18. The communication device of claim 17, wherein the operating
mode of the communication device includes: a first Multiple-input
Multiple-output (MIMO) communication mode utilizing a first
frequency band, a second MIMO communication mode utilizing a second
frequency band, and a third MIMO communication mode including a
Carrier Aggregation (CA) configuration, the third MIMO
communication mode utilizing the first and second frequency
bands.
19. A communication device, comprising: first and second low-noise
amplifiers (LNA) configured to generate first and second amplified
signals based on first and second signals received utilizing a
first antenna, respectively; third and fourth LNAs configured to
generate third and fourth amplified signals based on third and
fourth signals received utilizing a second antenna, respectively,
wherein the first, second, third, and fourth LNAs are activated
based on an operating mode of the communication device; a first
multiplexer configured to select between first and second
oscillator signals to provide a first output signal, the selection
being based on the operating mode of the communication device; a
first mixer configured to mix one of the first amplified signal and
the third amplified signal with the first output signal, the mixing
being based on the activations of the first and third LNAs; a
second multiplexer configured to select between the first and
second oscillator signals to provide a second output signal, the
selection being based on the operating mode of the communication
device; a second mixer configured to mix one of the second
amplified signal and the fourth amplified signal with the second
output signal, the mixing being based on the activations of the
second and fourth LNAs.
20. The communication device of claim 19, further comprising a
processor, wherein: during a first Multiple-input Multiple-output
(MIMO) communication mode utilizing a first frequency band, the
processor is configured to: activate the first and fourth LNAs,
control the first and second multiplexers to output the first
oscillator signal as the first output signal and the second output
signal, respectively; control inputs of the first mixer to mix the
first amplified signal from the first LNA with the first output
signal; and control inputs of the second mixer to mix the fourth
amplified signal from the fourth LNA with the second output signal;
during a second MIMO communication mode utilizing a second
frequency band, the processor is configured to: activate the second
and third LNAs, control the first and second multiplexers to output
the second oscillator signal as the first output signal and the
second output signal, respectively; control the inputs of the first
mixer to mix the third amplified signal from the third LNA with the
first output signal; and control the inputs of the second mixer to
mix the second amplified signal from the second LNA with the second
output signal; and during a third MIMO communication mode including
a Carrier Aggregation (CA) configuration that utilizes both the
first and second frequency bands, the processor is configured to:
activate the first and second LNAs, control the first multiplexer
to output the first oscillator signal as the first output signal;
control the second multiplexer to output the second oscillator
signal as the second output signal; control the inputs of the first
mixer to mix the first amplified signal from the first LNA with the
first output signal; and control the inputs of the second mixer to
mix the second amplified signal from the second LNA with the second
output signal.
Description
FIELD
[0001] This application relates generally to wireless
communication, and more particularly to configurable multiple-input
multiple-output (MIMO) systems.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Wireless communication devices communicate with one or more
other wireless communication devices or wireless access points to
send and receive data. Typically, a first wireless communication
device generates and transmits a radio frequency signal modulated
with encoded information. This radio frequency signal is
transmitted into a wireless environment and is received by a second
wireless communication device. The second wireless communication
device demodulates and decodes the received signal to obtain the
information. The second wireless communication device may then
respond in a similar manner. The wireless communication devices can
communicate with each other or with access points using any
well-known modulation scheme, including: amplitude modulation (AM),
frequency modulation (FM), quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM),
phase shift keying (PSK), quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK),
and/or orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM), as well
as any other communication scheme that is now, or will be,
known.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS/FIGURES
[0003] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein and
form a part of the specification, illustrate the embodiments of the
present disclosure and, together with the description, further
serve to explain the principles of the embodiments and to enable a
person skilled in the pertinent art to make and use the
embodiments.
[0004] FIG. 1 illustrates a communication environment in accordance
with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0005] FIG. 2 illustrates a communication transceiver in accordance
with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0006] FIG. 3 illustrates a communication transceiver in accordance
with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0007] FIG. 4 illustrates a communication transceiver in accordance
with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0008] FIG. 5 illustrates a flowchart of a data transfer method in
accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present
disclosure.
[0009] FIG. 6 illustrates a flowchart of a data transfer method in
accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present
disclosure.
[0010] FIG. 7 illustrates a communication device in accordance with
an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0011] The embodiments of the present disclosure will be described
with reference to the accompanying drawings. The drawing in which
an element first appears is typically indicated by the leftmost
digit(s) in the corresponding reference number.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0012] In the following description, numerous specific details are
set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the
embodiments of the present disclosure. However, it will be apparent
to those skilled in the art that the embodiments, including
structures, systems, and methods, may be practiced without these
specific details. The description and representation herein are the
common means used by those experienced or skilled in the art to
most effectively convey the substance of their work to others
skilled in the art. In other instances, well-known methods,
procedures, components, and circuitry have not been described in
detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring aspects of the
disclosure.
[0013] The exemplary wireless communication environments described
below provide wireless communication of information, such as one or
more commands and/or data, between two or more wireless
communication devices. The wireless communication devices may each
be implemented as a standalone or a discrete device, such as a
mobile telephone or mobile telephone peripheral device (e.g.,
Bluetooth headset), or may be incorporated within or coupled to
another electrical device or host device, such as a portable
computing device, a camera, or a Global Positioning System (GPS)
unit or another computing device such as a personal digital
assistant, a video gaming device, a laptop, a desktop computer, or
a tablet, a computer peripheral such as a printer or a portable
audio and/or video player to provide some examples and/or any other
suitable electronic device that will be apparent to those skilled
in the relevant art(s) without departing from the spirit and scope
of the present disclosure.
[0014] The wireless communication devices are capable of both
wireless transmission and wireless reception utilizing one or more
various cellular protocols specified in the International Mobile
Telecomunnications-2000 (IMT-2000) standard, developed by the 3rd
Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) and/or the 3.sup.rd
Generation Partnership Project 2 (3GPP2), including, for example,
the Long-Term Evolution (LTE) standard and/or the LTE-Advanced
standard, and/or one or more various wireless communication
protocols, such as Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11), Bluetooth, Near-field
Communication (NFC) (ISO/IEC 18092), WiMax (IEEE 802.16), ZigBee
(IEEE 802.15.4) to provide some examples. Each of these various
protocols/standards is incorporated herein by reference in its
entirety.
[0015] The exemplary wireless communication environments can use
multi-antenna techniques that include multiple antennas at the
transmitter, receiver, and/or transceiver. The multi-antenna
techniques can be grouped into three different categories:
diversity, interference suppression, and spatial multiplexing.
These three categories are often collectively referred to as
Multiple-input Multiple-output (MIMO) communication even though not
all of the multi-antenna techniques that fall within these
categories require at least two antennas at both the transmitter
and receiver.
[0016] In exemplary embodiments, the multi-antenna configurations
can also implement Carrier Aggregation (CA). CA is a feature of
Release-10 of the 3GPP LTE-Advanced standard, which allows multiple
resource blocks from/to multiple respective serving cells to be
logically grouped together (aggregated) and allocated to the same
wireless communication device. The aggregated resource blocks are
known as component carriers (CCs) in the LTE-Advanced standard.
Each of the wireless communication devices may receive/transmit
multiple component carriers simultaneously from/to the multiple
respective serving cells, thereby effectively increasing the
downlink/uplink bandwidth of the wireless communication device(s).
The term "component carriers (CCs)" is used to refer to groups of
resource blocks (defined in terms or frequency and/or time) of two
or more RF carriers that are aggregated (logically grouped)
together.
[0017] There are various forms of Carrier Aggregation (CA) as
defined by Release-10 of the LTE-Advanced standard, including
intra-band adjacent CA, intra-band non-adjacent CA, and inter-band
CA. In intra-band adjacent CA, aggregated component carriers (CCs)
are within the same frequency band and adjacent to each other
forming a contiguous frequency block. In intra-band non-adjacent
CA, aggregated CCs are within the same frequency band but are not
adjacent to each other. In inter-band CA, aggregated CCs are in
different frequency bands.
[0018] Release-10 of the LTE-Advanced standard allows a maximum of
five CCs to be allocated to a wireless communication device at any
given time. CCs can vary in size from 1.4 to 20 MHz, resulting in a
maximum bandwidth of 100 MHz that can be allocated to the wireless
communication device in the downlink/uplink. The allocation of CCs
to the wireless communication device is performed by the network
and is communicated to the wireless communication device.
[0019] Although the exemplary embodiments are described with
respect to the LTE standard, a person of ordinary skill in the
relevant art(s) will understand that the exemplary embodiments are
not limited to the LTE standard and can be applied to other
wireless or wired communication standards, including, for example,
one or more of the wireless protocols/standards described above,
and/or one or more cable networks (e.g., DOCSIS) and/or one or more
optical networks (e.g., EPON, EPoC, GPON).
[0020] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary communication environment
100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.
The communication environment 100 includes a communication
transceiver 102 to transmit/receive one or more data streams
to/from a communication transceiver 106 via a communication channel
104 utilizing Multiple-input Multiple-output (MIMO) and/or Carrier
Aggregation (CA) configurations. For the purposes of this
discussion, the operation of the communication transceivers 102 and
106 will be described with the communication transceiver 102
transmitting one or more data streams to the communication
transceiver 106. However, as will be appreciated by those skilled
in the relevant art(s), the communication transceiver 106 can also
be configured to transmit one or more data streams to the
communication transceiver 102.
[0021] The communication transceiver 102 provides multiple parallel
data streams by operating upon the one or more data streams to
provide multiple parallel data streams. The communication
transceiver 102 provides the multiple parallel data streams to
multiple transmit antennas 108.1 through 108.m for transmission
over the communication channel 104 to the communication transceiver
106. The communication transceiver 102 can represent a transmitter
of a base station (BS), a femotcell, or user equipment (UE).
Similarly, the communication transceiver 106 can represent a
receiver of a base station, a femtocell, or user equipment. It some
situations, multiple MIMO communication environments 100 can be
used within a communications network. For example, a first MIMO
communication environment 100 can represent a downlink (DL) between
a base station and a user equipment of a wireless communication
network and a second MIMO communication environment 100 can
represent an uplink (UL) between the user equipment and the base
station of the wireless communication network. Alternatively, or in
addition to, the MIMO communication environment 100 can be
implemented in conjunction with various non-MIMO communication
environments, such as legacy LTE 3-4G to provide an example, to
facilitate communication between communication devices.
[0022] The communication transceiver 106 observes the multiple
parallel data streams using the multiple receive antennas 110.1
through 110.n as the multiple parallel data streams traverse
through various communication pathways of the communication channel
104 to provide multiple observed parallel data streams. The
communication transceiver 106 can operate upon the multiple
observed parallel data streams to provide one or more recovered
data streams.
[0023] The various communication pathways of the communication
channel 104 represent various communication pathways between each
of the multiple transmit antennas 108.1 through 108.m and a
corresponding one of the multiple receive antennas 110.1 through
110.n. For example, the receive antenna 110.1 observes the multiple
parallel data streams over communication pathways h.sub.11,
h.sub.21, and h.sub.m1. The communication pathway h.sub.11
represents a communication pathway from the transmit antenna 108.1
to the receive antenna 110.1, the communication pathway h.sub.21
represents a communication pathway from the transmit antenna 108.2
to the receive antenna 110.1, and the communication pathway
h.sub.m1 represents a communication pathway from the transmit
antenna 108.m to the receive antenna 110.1. As another example, the
receive antenna 110.2 observes the multiple parallel data streams
over communication pathways h.sub.12, h.sub.22, and h.sub.m2. The
communication pathway h.sub.12 represents a communication pathway
from the transmit antenna 108.1 to the receive antenna 110.2, the
communication pathway h.sub.22 represents a communication pathway
from the transmit antenna 108.2 to the receive antenna 110.2, and
the communication pathway h.sub.m2 represents a communication
pathway from the transmit antenna 108.m to the receive antenna
110.2. As a further example, the receive antenna 110.n observes the
multiple parallel data streams over communication pathways
h.sub.1n, h.sub.2n, and h.sub.mn. The communication pathway
h.sub.1n represents a communication pathway from the transmit
antenna 108.1 to the receive antenna 110.n, the communication
pathway h.sub.2n represents a communication pathway from the
transmit antenna 108.2 to the receive antenna 110.n, and the
communication pathway h.sub.mn represents a communication pathway
from the transmit antenna 108.m to the receive antenna 110.n.
[0024] In some situations, a number of the multiple transmit
antennas 108.1 through 108.m can be similar to a number of the
multiple receive antennas 110.1 through 110.n. In other situations,
the number of the multiple transmit antennas 108.1 through 108.m
can differ from the number of the multiple receive antennas 110.1
through 110.n.
[0025] Often times, the multiple transmit antennas 108.1 through
108.m and/or the multiple receive antennas 110.1 through 110.n
represent elements of one or more transmitting arrays and/or one or
more receiving arrays, respectively. Each of the one or more
transmitting arrays and/or the one or more receiving arrays can
include one or more of the multiple transmit antennas 108.1 through
108.m and/or the multiple receive antennas 110.1 through 110.n.
[0026] FIG. 2 illustrates a communication transceiver 106 according
to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. In an
exemplary embodiment, the communication transceiver 106 includes a
plurality of antennas 110.1 through 110.4, where antennas 110.1 and
110.2 form a main path section and antennas 110.3 and 110.4 form a
diversity path section. Communication transceiver 106 further
includes diplexers 212.1 and 212.2, switching modules 214.1 and
214.2, duplexers 220.1 and 220.2, surface acoustic wave (SAW)
filter modules 222.1 to 222.6, low-noise amplifiers (LNA) 230.1 to
230.8, mixers 232.1 to 231.4, multiplexers 234.1 to 234.4, local
oscillators (LO) 236.1 and 236.2, and baseband modules 238.1 to
238.4. The quantities of each of these components is not limited to
the example quantities of the exemplary embodiments of this
disclosure, as one of ordinary skill in the relevant arts would
understand that the quantities can be adjusted accordingly based on
the scale and implementation of the communication transceiver
106.
[0027] For the purpose of this disclosure, the main path section of
the communication transceiver 106 will be described in more detail
below. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the corresponding diversity path
shares many common elements and features with the main path of the
communication transceiver 106, and therefore the discussion of
these common elements is omitted for brevity.
[0028] In the main path section, antenna 110.1 is communicatively
and electrically coupled to a diplexer 212.1 and antenna 110.2 is
communicatively and electrically coupled to switching module 214.1.
The diplexer 212.1 includes suitable logic, circuitry, and/or code
that is configured to perform frequency domain multiplexing (e.g.,
two ports onto a single port) so as to allow two different devices
to share a common communications channel (i.e., antenna 110.1). In
particular, the diplexer 212.1 is connected to antenna 110.1 and to
first and second duplexers 220.1 and 220.2. In operation, the
diplexer 212.1 splits a data stream received by the antenna 110.1
into a first communication signal having a first frequency band and
a second communication signal having a second frequency band. For
example, the diplexer 212.1 can split the received data stream into
a first portion that is within the first frequency band (e.g., Band
A) and a second portion that is within the second frequency band
(e.g., Band B), and provide the first and second portions to the
duplexer 220.1 and 220.2, respectively. In an exemplary embodiment,
frequency Band A is, for example, 1.5 to 2.7 GHz and frequency Band
B is, for example, less than or equal to 1 GHz. The frequencies
and/or frequency band ranges are not limited to these exemplary
frequencies, as the frequencies can be any frequency or frequency
band range that would be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the
relevant arts without departing from the spirit or scope of the
present disclosure.
[0029] The duplexers 220.1 to 220.4 include suitable logic,
circuitry, and/or code that is configured to allow bi-directional
(duplex) communication over a single path to/from two devices
(e.g., transmitter and receiver). That is, the duplexers 220
isolate the two devices while permitting them to share a path
(e.g., common antenna 110.1). In an exemplary embodiment, the
duplexers 220 are configured to allow two different devices (e.g.,
an LNA 230 and the output of power amplifier (PA) configured to
transmit the output data stream of the communication transceiver
106) to share a common communications channel (e.g., antenna
110.1). That is, the duplexer 220.1 is connected to the LNA. 230.1,
the output of the PA, and diplexer 212.1, and the duplexer 220.2 is
connected to LNA 230.3, the output of the PA, and the diplexer
212.1.
[0030] The low-noise amplifiers (LNA) 230.1 to 230.8 include
suitable logic, circuitry, and/or code that is configured to
amplify a received input signal and to output the amplified input
signal that has been amplified by a predetermined gain value. In an
exemplary embodiment, the input of each LNA 230 is connected to an
antenna 110 (with one or more intermediate components), and the
output of the connected to a baseband module 238 via a mixer 232 at
the LNA's output. That is, the LNA 230 receives an input signal
from an antenna 110 and outputs an amplified output signal to a
mixer 232. In an exemplary embodiment, the LNAs 230 can be
configured to operate on specific frequencies and/or frequency
bands. In operation, the transceiver 10.6 is then configured to
utilize a predetermined number of LNAs 230 corresponding to one or
more desired frequencies and/or frequency bands. These LNAs 230 are
then connected to respective antenna 110 while unused LNAs can be
left disconnected. This allows for the communication transceiver
106 to be customizable so as to be operable on one or more
frequencies and/or frequency bands.
[0031] Mixers 232 each include suitable logic, circuitry, and/or
code that is configured to mix two input signals and to generate an
output signal based on the two input signals. As illustrated in
FIG. 2, each mixer 232 can be configured to mix the output of an
LNA 230 with the output of a multiplexer 234 to generate an output
signal that is provided to a corresponding the baseband module 238.
Each multiplexer 234 includes suitable logic, circuitry, and/or
code that is configured to selectively output the signals generated
by the local oscillators 236.1 and 236.2 based on the mode of
operation of the communication transceiver 106 (e.g., Band A
4.times. MIMO, Band B 4.times. MIMO, Carrier Aggregation mode).
Each oscillator 236 includes suitable logic, circuitry, and/or code
that is configured to generate an output signal at a specific
frequency or specific frequency band (e.g., Band A or Band B),
which may be predetermined or controlled based on an input signal
(e.g., the oscillators 236 may he voltage-controlled oscillators in
a frequency synthesizer). For example, local oscillator 236.1 can
be configured to generate an output signal at frequency Band A, and
local oscillator 236.2 can be configured to generate an output
signal at frequency Band B. The mixer 232, multiplexer 234 and
oscillators 236 cooperatively operate to mix a received signal
(e.g., output signal from a corresponding LNA 230) with an
oscillator signal to down-convert a desired carrier in the received
signal to baseband or some non-zero intermediate frequency (IF) for
further processing.
[0032] Each of the baseband modules 236 include suitable logic,
circuitry, and/or code that is configured to perform digital signal
processing on signals received from respective mixers 232. The
digital signal processing can include, for example, demodulation,
modulation, interpolation, frequency shifting, encoding, decoding,
filtering, analog-to-digital conversion (ADC), digital-to-analog
conversion (DAC), in-phase and quadrature-phase (I/Q) signal
processing, and/or any other suitable digital signal processing
that will be apparent to those skilled in the relevant art(s)
without departing from the spirit and scope of the present
invention.
[0033] The second antenna (e.g., antenna 110.2) of the main path is
communicatively and electrically coupled to switching module 214.1.
The switching module 214.1 includes suitable logic, circuitry,
and/or code that is configured to selectively connect the antenna
110.2 to the surface acoustic wave (SAW) filter module 222.1 and
the SAW filter module 222.2. The SAW filter modules 222 include
suitable logic, circuitry, and/or code that is configured to
perform surface acoustic wave (SAW) filtering on signals received
from the switching module 214.1 to generate and output a SAW
filtered signal. The outputs of the SAW filter modules 222.1 and
222.2 are connected to inputs of LNAs 230.2 and 230.4,
respectively. The outputs of LNAs 230.2 and 230.4 are connected to
the inputs of mixers 232.1 and 232.2, respectively. As illustrated
in FIG. 2, the mixers 232 are each connected to two LNAs 230 and a
multiplexer 234. In operation, as discussed in more detail below,
only a single LNA of each pair is activated at any particular time;
therefore, each mixer 232 receives two inputs at any particular
time the output of a multiplexer 234 and the output of a single LNA
230.
[0034] As discussed above, the components and their
interconnections within the diversity path section of the
communication transceiver 106 share many common elements and
features with the components of the main path section. Therefore
the discussion of these common elements has been omitted for
brevity. It should also be appreciated that the discussion of
operation of the various components of the main path section is
similar to the corresponding components of the diversity path
section. The discussion of these similar components and their
corresponding operations has also been omitted for brevity.
[0035] In an exemplary embodiment, the communication transceiver
106 is configured to operate in multiple communication modes,
including, for example, a 4.times. Multiple-input Multiple-output
(MIMO) mode at a first frequency band, a 4.times. Multiple-input
Multiple-output (MIMO) mode at a second frequency band, and a
2.times. MIMO with downlink Carrier Aggregation (CA) mode utilizing
both the first and second frequency bands. This exemplary
embodiment provides an implementation having the flexibility and
benefits of a single device that is configured to operate in three
communication modes, including a 4.times. Multiple-input
Multiple-output (MIMO) mode at a first frequency band, a 4.times.
Multiple-input Multiple-output (MIMO) mode at a second frequency
band, and a 2.times. MIMO with downlink Carrier Aggregation (CA)
mode utilizing both the first and second frequency bands.
[0036] FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary configuration of the
communication transceiver 106 in the 4.times. Multiple-input
Multiple-output (MIMO) mode at a first frequency band (e.g., Band
A). In the 4.times. MIMO mode, the communication transceiver 106 is
configured to utilize four antennas 110.1 to 110.4, where antennas
110.1 and 110.2 are configured as main path antennas and
corresponding antennas 110.3 and 110.4 are configured as diversity
path antennas. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the communication
transceiver 106 is configured to operate on the first frequency
band (e.g. Band A) that is associated with the local oscillator
236.1. In this configuration, the multiplexers 234.1 to 234.4 are
configured to output the signal generated by the local oscillator
236.1 (e.g., LO1) to corresponding mixers 232.1 to 232.4. LNAs
230.1, 230.4, 230.5 and 230.8 are activated while LNAs 230.2,
230.3, 230.6, and 230.7 are deactivated. Further, switching modules
214.1 and 214.2 are configured to connect antennas 110.2 and 110.4
to SAW filter modules 222.2 and 222.4, respectively. That is, the
communication transceiver is configured such that: (1) antenna
110.1 is connected to the baseband module 238.1 via diplexer 212.1,
duplexer 220.1, LNA 230.1 and mixer 232.1; (2) antenna 110.2 is
connected to the baseband module 238.2 via switching module 214.1,
SAW filter module 222.2, LNA 230.4 and mixer 232.2; (3) antenna
110.3 is connected to the baseband module 238.3 via diplexer 212.2,
SAW filter module 222.5, LNA 230.5 and mixer 232.3; and (4) antenna
110.4 is connected to the baseband module 238.4 via switching
module 214.2, SAW filter module 222.4, LNA 230.8 and mixer
232.4.
[0037] FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary configuration of the
communication transceiver 106 in the 4.times. Multiple-input
Multiple-output (MIMO) mode at a second frequency band (e.g., Band
B). Similar to the configuration of the communication transceiver
106 in FIG. 2, the communication transceiver 106 is configured to
utilize four antennas 110.1 to 110.4, where antennas 110.1 and
110.2 are configured as main path antennas and corresponding
antennas 110.3 and 110.4 are configured as diversity path
antennas.
[0038] As illustrated in FIG. 3, the communication transceiver 106
is configured to operate on the second frequency band (e.g. Band B)
that is associated with the local oscillator 236.2. In this
configuration, the multiplexers 234.1 to 234.4 are configured to
output the signal generated by the local oscillator 236.2 (e.g.,
LO2) to corresponding mixers 232.1 to 232.4. LNAs 230.2, 230.3,
230.6, and 230.7 are activated while LNAs 230.1, 230.4, 230.5 and
230.8 are deactivated. Further, switching modules 214.1 and 214.2
are configured to connect antennas 110.2 and 110.4 to SAW filter
modules 222.1 and 222.3, respectively. That is, the communication
transceiver is configured such that: (1) antenna 110.1 is connected
to the baseband module 238.2 via diplexer 212.1, duplexer 220.2,
LNA 230.3 and mixer 232.2; (2) antenna 110.2 is connected to the
baseband module 238.1 via switching module 214.1, SAW filter module
222.1, LNA 230.2 and mixer 232.1; (3) antenna 110.3 is connected to
the baseband module 238.4 via diplexer 212.2, SAW filter module
222.6, LNA 230.7 and mixer 232.4; and (4) antenna 110.4 is
connected to the baseband module 238.3 via switching module 214.2,
SAW filter module 222.3, LNA 230.6 and mixer 232.3.
[0039] FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary configuration of the
communication transceiver 106 in the 2.times. Multiple-input
Multiple-output (MIMO) with downlink Carrier Aggregation (CA) mode
utilizing both the first and second frequency bands (e.g., Bands A
and B). In the 2.times. MIMO with downlink CA mode, the
communication transceiver 106 is configured to utilize two antennas
110.1 and 110.3, where antenna 110.1 is configured as main path
antenna and corresponding antennas 110.3 is configured as diversity
path antenna.
[0040] As illustrated in FIG. 4, the communication transceiver 106
is configured to operate on both the first and second frequency
bands (e.g., Bands A and B) that are associated with the local
oscillators 236.1 and 236.2, respectively. In this configuration,
the multiplexers 234.1 and 234.3 are configured to output the
signal generated by the local oscillator 236.1 (e.g., LO1) to
corresponding mixers 232.1 and 232.3 while multiplexers 234.2 and
234.4 are configured to output the signal generated by the local
oscillator 236.2 (e.g., LO2) to corresponding mixers 232.2 and
232.4. LNAs 230.1, 230.3, 230.5, and 230.7 are activated while LNAs
230.2, 230.4, 230.6 and 230.8 are deactivated. Switching modules
214.1 and 214.2 are also deactivated as antennas 110.2 and 110.4
are not utilized in the 2.times. MIMO with downlink CA
configuration.
[0041] In the 2.times. MIMO with downlink CA configuration mode,
the communication transceiver 106 is configured such that: (1)
antenna 110.1 is connected to the baseband module 238.1 via
diplexer 212.1, duplexer 220.1, LNA 230.1 and mixer 232.1: (2)
antenna 110.1 is also connected to the baseband module 238.2 via
diplexer 212.1, duplexer 220.2, LNA 230.3 and mixer 232.2; (3)
antenna 110,3 is connected to the baseband module 238.3 via
diplexer 212.2, SAW filter module 222.5, LNA 230.5 and mixer 232.3;
and (4) antenna 110.3 is also connected to the baseband module
238.4 via diplexer 212.2, SAW filter module 222.6, LNA 230.7 and
mixer 232.4. That is, the baseband modules 238.1 and 238.3 process
signals that utilize the first frequency band and that are received
via antennas 110.1 and 110.3, while the baseband modules 238.2 and
238.4 process signals that utilize the second frequency band and
that are received via antennas 110.1 and 110.3.
[0042] In operation, the communication transceiver 106 can be
configured to switch between various communication modes. The mode
selection can be controlled by one or more processors (e.g.,
processor 704 in FIG. 7) implemented with or within the
communication transceiver 106 and/or the communication transceiver
102. The one or more processers can be configured to monitor the
available operating modes, network conditions, quality of service
(QOS), and/or user and/or service provider mode selection and/or
preference, to provide some examples, and to instruct the various
components of the communication transceiver 106 (e.g., switching
modules 214, multiplexers 234, LNAs 230, etc.) to select between
the various antenna and/or frequency configurations. The
operational mode selection can be governed by the communication
network service provider (e.g., communication transceiver 102)
and/or the communication transceiver 106.
[0043] In an exemplary embodiment, the communication transceiver
106 can be configured to operate in the 4.times. MIMO mode or the
2.times. MIMO with CA mode based on the network conditions and/or
quality of service (QOS) of the 4.times. MIMO connection and/or
2.times. MIMO with CA connection. For example, the communication
transceiver 106 can be configured so as to prefer to operate in the
4.times. MIMO mode, and to switch to the 2.times. MIMO with CA mode
if the network conditions and/or QOS of the 4.times. MIMO
connection falls below a predetermined threshold. Once the network
conditions and/or QOS allow, the communication transceiver 106 can
return to the 4.times. MIMO mode. In this configuration, the
communication transceiver 106 can provide the desired communication
network environment, network accessibility and/or QOS, while only
using the additional frequency spectrum allocated for the 2.times.
MIMO with CA mode when necessary to maintain the desired
communication network environment, network accessibility and/or
QOS. For example, the communication transceiver 106 can be
configured to switch from the 4.times. MIMO mode to the 2.times.
MIMO with CA mode if the 4.times. MIMO mode cannot provide
sufficient bandwidth, data throughput and/or QOS to provide some
examples, and return to the 4.times. MIMO mode once sufficient
bandwidth, data throughput and/or QOS can be provided by the
4.times. MIMO communication environment. It should be appreciated
that the communication transceiver 106 can alternatively be
configured to operate with preference to the 2.times. MIMO with CA
mode so as to switch to the 4.times. MIMO mode when necessary to
achieve a desired communication environment. Similarly, the
communication transceiver 106 can be configured to initially
operate in any of the various modes, to switch to an alternative
mode when necessary, and to remaining in the current operating mode
until network conditions, QOS, etc. necessitate a switch to an
alternative operating mode.
[0044] When operating in the 4.times. MIMO mode, the communication
transceiver 106 can also be configured to monitor the network
conditions and/or QOS of the various available frequency bands
(e.g., Bands A and B), and selectively choose between the available
frequency bands based on the network conditions and/or QOS. Here,
the communication transceiver 106 can then be configured to switch
to the 2.times. MIMO with CA mode when the desired communication
network environment, network accessibility and/or QOS cannot be
achieved while operating in one or more of the available .times.
MIMO modes.
[0045] In an exemplary embodiment, the communication transceiver
106 can be configured with a user override function that allows for
selection of an operating mode regardless of the network conditions
and/or QOS associated with the selected mode. Here, the
communication transceiver 106 is limited to the one or more
designated operational modes. For example, the communication
transceiver 106 can be configured to receive a user input
corresponding to one or more designated operational modes in which
the communication transceiver 106 is to operate.
[0046] Similarly, the service provider (e.g., communication
transceiver 102) can be configured to designate one or more
operational modes in which the communication transceiver 106 is
permitted to operate in. Here, the designation can be communicated
to the communication transceiver 106 by the service provider.
[0047] In an exemplary embodiment, the communication transceiver
106 and/or the service provider can be configured to select the
operational mode based on one or more geographical and/or temporal
factors. The geographical and/or temporal factors can include
orientation, compass coordinates (e.g., longitude and/or latitude,
azimuth, altitude, pitch, roll, yaw, etc.), velocity, acceleration,
time, and/or any other geographical and/or temporal factor to
provide some examples. For example, the communication transceiver
106 and/or service provider can be configured to select a specific
operational mode based on the location of the communication
transceiver 106, time of day, and/or the current date to provide
some examples.
[0048] In an exemplary embodiment, the communication transceiver
106 and/or the service provider can be configured to select the
operational mode based on the available power source(s) of the
communication transceiver 106. For example, if the communication
transceiver 106 is operating on battery power, the operational mode
selection can be made based on the remaining battery life (e.g.,
the remaining ampere-hours of the battery). Typically, the 4.times.
MIMO mode can offer a more efficient operation (e.g., consumes less
power) as the radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC) will
consume less power when operating in the 4.times. MIMO mode as
compared to the 2.times. MIMO with CA mode. That is, because the
4.times. MIMO mode utilizes only one of the local oscillators 236,
so that only the phase lock loop (PLL) corresponding to the active
oscillator 236 is consuming power. Conversely, when operating in
the 2.times. MIMO with CA mode, respective PLLs of both local
oscillators 236 are actively operating, which can increase the
overall power consumption of the communication transceiver 106.
[0049] The communication transceiver 106 and/or the service
provider can also be configured to operate in a power saving mode
that designates one or more available modes of operation in which
the communication transceiver 106 is allowed to operate in. Here,
the modes of operation can be limited to conserve power regardless
of the available power sources. For example, if the power saving
mode is enabled, the communication transceiver 106 can be limited
to operating in, for example, the 4.times. MIMO mode because the
4.times. MIMO mode typically consumes less power than the 2.times.
MIMO with CA mode.
[0050] In exemplary embodiment, the communication transceiver 106
and/or the service provide can be configured to select the
operational mode based on one or more active applications being
performed by the communication transceiver 106. In particular, the
communication transceiver 106 can perform applications that have
bandwidth and/or data throughput requirements that vary based on
the application. For example, the communication transceiver 106 can
receive data corresponding to live video streaming which typically
requires high bandwidth and/or data throughput requirements, or
data corresponding to internet browsing which typically requires
low bandwidth and/or data throughput requirements to provide some
examples. Therefore, if the communication transceiver 106 is
executing an application that requires high bandwidth and/or data
throughput requirements, the communication transceiver 106 can
select to operate in, for example, the 2.times. MIMO with CA mode
as this mode generally provides higher data throughput.
[0051] The communication transceiver 106 and/or the service
provider can also be configured to select the operational mode
based on a user account associated with the communication
transceiver 106. For example, the service provider may offer
premium services that include the availability of the 2.times. MIMO
with CA mode in addition to the standard 4.times. MIMO modes in a
service agreement. Here, the communication transceiver 106 and/or
the service provider can select a premium network mode (e.g.,
.times. MIMO with CA) based on whether the user account associated
with the communication transceiver 106 includes the premium network
functionality (e.g., whether the user pays for the premium
service).
[0052] FIG. 5 illustrates a flowchart 500 of a communication
network mode selection method in accordance with an exemplary
embodiment of the present disclosure. The method of flowchart 500
is described with continued reference to FIGS. 1-4 and 7. The steps
of the method of flowchart 500 are not limited to the order
described below, and the various steps may be performed in a
different order. Further, two or more steps of the method of
flowchart 500 may be performed simultaneously with each other.
[0053] The method of flowchart 500 begins at step 505, where the
communication transceiver 106 is configured to operate in the
4.times. MIMO mode. For example, one or more processors (e.g.,
processor 704 in FIG. 7) implemented with the communication
transceiver 106 can be configured to instruct the various
components of the communication transceiver 106 (e.g., switching
modules 214, multiplexers 234, LNAs 230 etc.) to select the antenna
and/or frequency configuration associated with the 4.times. MIMO
mode. In an exemplary embodiment, the selection of the 4.times.
MIMO mode can include determining available frequency bands in
which the communication transceiver 106 is configured to operate in
the 4.times. MIMO mode, and monitoring network conditions and/or
QOS of the available frequency bands (e.g., Bands A and B). Based
on this monitoring, the communication transceiver 106 can be
configured to selectively choose an available frequency band that
provides a better communication environment (e.g., has better
network conditions and/or provides a better QOS).
[0054] After step 505, the flowchart 500 transitions to step 510,
where the communication transceiver 106 is configured to analyze,
for example, the network conditions, QOS bandwidth and/or data
throughput to determine if the 4.times. MIMO mode provides the
desired communication environment. If the communication transceiver
106 determines that the current 4.times. MIMO mode provides the
desired communication environment (YES at step 510), the flowchart
500 returns to step 510. Otherwise (NO at step 510), the flowchart
500 transitions to step 515.
[0055] At step 515, the communication transceiver 106 determines if
the 2.times. MIMO with CA mode is available. For example, the
communication transceiver 106 and/or the service provider can
determine if the additional frequency spectrum is available at the
location of the communication transceiver 106 and if the
communication transceiver 106 can be configured to operate in the
2.times. MIMO with CA mode. This determination can also include,
for example, determining if the communication transceiver 106 is
operating in a power saving mode (e.g., battery saving mode),
and/or if the service agreement (user account) associated with
communication transceiver 106 includes premium network services
(i.e., the user is a premium user) to provide some examples.
[0056] If the communication transceiver 106 determines that the
2.times. MIMO with CA mode is available (YES at step 515), the
flowchart 500 transitions to step 520. Otherwise (NO at step 515),
the flowchart 500 returns to step 510.
[0057] At step 520, the communication transceiver 106 is configured
to analyze, for example, the network conditions, QOS bandwidth
and/or data throughput to determine if the 2.times. MIMO with CA
mode provides the desired communication environment. If the
communication transceiver 106 determines that the current 2.times.
MIMO with CA mode provides the desired communication environment
(YES at step 520), the flowchart 500 transitions to step 525.
Otherwise (NO at step 520), the flowchart 500 returns to step
510.
[0058] At step 525, the communication transceiver 106 is configured
to operate in the 2.times. MIMO with CA mode. For example, one or
more processors (e.g., processor 704 in FIG. 7) implemented with
the communication transceiver 106 can be configured to instruct the
various components of the communication transceiver 106 (e.g.,
switching modules 214, multiplexers 234, LNAs 230 etc.) to select
the antenna and/or frequency configuration associated with the
2.times. MIMO with CA.
[0059] After step 525, the flowchart 500 transitions to step 530,
where the communication transceiver 106 is configured to analyze,
for example, the network conditions, QOS bandwidth and/or data
throughput to determine if the 4.times. MIMO mode provides the
desired communication environment. If so (YES at step 530), the
flowchart 500 transitions to step 505, where the communication
transceiver 106 is configured operate in the 4.times. MIMO mode.
Otherwise (NO at step 530), the flowchart 500 returns to step 530
so as to recheck the status of the 4.times. MIMO communication
environment.
[0060] FIG. 6 illustrates a flowchart 600 of a communication
network mode selection method in accordance with an exemplary
embodiment of the present disclosure. The method of flowchart 600
is described with continued reference to FIGS. 1-5 and 7. The steps
of the method of flowchart 600 are not limited to the order
described below, and the various steps may be performed in a
different order. Further, two or more steps of the method of
flowchart 600 may be performed simultaneously with each other.
[0061] The method of flowchart 600 begins at step 605, where the
communication transceiver 106 is configured to operate in the
4.times. MIMO mode. For example, one or more processors (e.g.,
processor 704 in FIG. 7) implemented with the communication
transceiver 106 can be configured to instruct the various
components of the communication transceiver 106 (e.g., switching
modules 214, multiplexers 234, LNAs 230 etc.) to select the antenna
and/or frequency configuration associated with the 4.times. MIMO
mode. In an exemplary embodiment, the selection of the 4.times.
MIMO mode can include determining available frequency bands in
which the communication transceiver 106 is configured to operate in
the 4.times. MIMO mode, and monitoring network conditions and/or
QOS of the available frequency bands (e.g., Bands A and B). Based
on this monitoring, the communication transceiver 106 can be
configured to selectively choose an available frequency band that
provides a better communication environment (e.g., has better
network conditions and/or provides a better QOS).
[0062] After step 605, the flowchart 600 transitions to step 610,
where, the communication transceiver 106 determines if the 2.times.
MIMO with CA mode is available. For example, the communication
transceiver 106 and/or the service provider can determine if the
additional frequency spectrum is available at the location of the
communication transceiver 106 and if the communication transceiver
106 can be configured to operate in the 2.times. MIMO with CA mode.
This determination can also include, for example, the communication
transceiver 106 sending a message to the service provider inquiring
as to the availability of the available frequency spectrum, the
service provider sending a message to the communication transceiver
106 notifying the communication transceiver 106 of the available
frequency spectrum, determining if the communication transceiver
106 is operating a Battery saving (e.g., power saving) mode, and/or
if the service agreement (user account) associated with
communication transceiver 106 includes premium network services
(i.e., the user is a premium user) to provide some examples.
[0063] If the communication transceiver 106 determines that the
2.times. MIMO with CA mode is available (YES at step 610), the
flowchart 600 transitions to step 615. Otherwise (NO at step 610),
the flowchart 600 returns to step 610.
[0064] At step 615, the communication transceiver 106 is configured
to determine if a network override function has been enabled. The
network override function allows the communication transceiver 106
and/or the service provider to select or restrict one or more
network modes regardless of the communication environments of the
various communication networks. For example, the communication
transceiver 106 can be configured to receive a user input
corresponding to one or more designated operational modes in which
the communication transceiver 106 is to operate.
[0065] Here, for example, the network override function can be
enabled so that the communication transceiver 106 is forced to
operate in the 2.times. MIMO with CA mode. That is, if the network
override function is enabled (YES at step 615), the flowchart 600
transitions to step 620, where the communication transceiver 106 is
configured to operate in the 2.times. MIMO with CA mode. Otherwise
(NO at step 615), the flowchart 600 transitions to step 630.
[0066] After step 620, the flowchart 600 transitions to step 625,
where the communication transceiver 106 is configured to determine
if a network override function has remained enabled. If so, the
flowchart 600 returns to step 625 to re-check if the network
override has remained enabled. If the network override function has
been disabled (NO at step 625), the flowchart 600 returns to step
605.
[0067] At step 630, the communication transceiver 106 is configured
to analyze, for example, the network conditions, QOS bandwidth
and/or data throughput to determine if the 4.times. MIMO mode
provides the desired communication environment. If the
communication transceiver 106 determines that the current .times.
MIMO mode provides the desired communication environment (YES at
step 630), the flowchart 600 transitions to step 635. Otherwise (NO
at step 630), the flowchart 600 transitions to step 640.
[0068] At step 635, the communication transceiver 106 and/or the
service provider can be configured to select the operational mode
based on the bandwidth and/or data throughput requirements of one
or more active applications being performed by the communication
transceiver 106. For example, the communication transceiver 106 can
determine if one or more active applications prefers to operate in,
for example, the 2.times. MIMO with CA mode as this mode generally
provides higher data throughput. If the communication transceiver
and/or the service provider determine that one or more active
applications prefers that the communication transceiver 106 operate
in the 2.times. MIMO with CA mode (YES at step 635), the flowchart
600 transitions to step 640. Otherwise (NO at step 635), the
flowchart 600 returns to step 630 and the communication transceiver
106 continues to operate in the 4.times. MIMO mode for the time
being.
[0069] At step 640, the communication transceiver 106 is configured
to analyze, for example, the network conditions, QOS bandwidth
and/or data throughput to determine if the 2.times. MIMO with CA
mode provides the desired communication environment. If the
communication transceiver 106 determines that the current .times.
MIMO with CA mode provides the desired communication environment
(YES at step 640), the flowchart 600 transitions to step 645.
Otherwise (NO at step 640), the flowchart 600 returns to step 630
and the communication transceiver 106 continues to operate in the
4.times. MIMO mode for the time being.
[0070] At step 645, the communication transceiver 106 is configured
to determine if the communication transceiver 106 is operating in a
power saving mode. If the power saving mode is enabled (YES at step
645), the flowchart returns to step 630 and the communication
transceiver 106 continues to operate in the 4.times. MIMO mode for
the time being. If the power saving mode is disabled (NO at step
645), the flowchart 600 transitions to step 650.
[0071] At step 650, communication transceiver is configured to
operate in the 2.times. MIMO with CA mode. For example, one or more
processors (e.g., processor 704 in FIG. 7) implemented with the
communication transceiver 106 can be configured to instruct the
various components of the communication transceiver 106 (e.g.,
switching modules 214, multiplexers 234, LNAs 230 etc.) to select
the antenna and/or frequency configuration associated with the
2.times. MIMO with CA.
[0072] After step 650, the flowchart 600 transitions to step 655,
where the communication transceiver 106 is configured to analyze,
for example, the network conditions, QOS bandwidth and/or data
throughput to determine if the 4.times. MIMO mode provides the
desired communication environment. If so (YES at step 655), the
flowchart returns to step 605, where the communication transceiver
106 is configured operate in the 4.times. MIMO mode. Otherwise (NO
at step 655), the flowchart 600 returns to step 655 so as to
recheck the status of the 4.times. MIMO communication
environment.
[0073] FIG. 7 illustrates a communication device 700 according to
an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. In an exemplary
embodiment, the communication device 700 includes a communication
module 702, processor 704, and a memory 706.
[0074] The communication module 702 includes suitable logic,
circuitry, and/or code that is configured to transmit/receive one
or more data streams to/from one or more communication transceivers
via a communication channel utilizing Multiple-input
Multiple-output (MIMO) and/or Carrier Aggregation (CA)
configurations. In an exemplary embodiment, the communication
transceiver 106 described with reference to FIGS. 1-6 can be
implemented as the communication module 702. More specifically, the
communication transceivers 102 or 106, and their respective
antennas 108/110, can be implemented in the communication module
702.
[0075] The processor 704 includes suitable logic, circuitry, and/or
code that is configured to control the overall operation of the
communication system 700, including controlling the selection
between one or more 4.times. MIMO modes and 2.times. MIMO with CA
modes in the communication module 702. Further, the processor 704
can be configured to monitor the available operating modes, network
conditions, quality of service (QOS), and/or user and/or service
provider mode selection and/or preference, to provide some
examples, and to instruct the various components of the
communication module 702 (e.g., components of communication
transceiver 106, including switching modules 214, multiplexers 234,
LNAs 230 etc.) to select between the various antenna and/or
frequency configurations. The processor 704 is communicatively and
electrically coupled to the communication module 702 and the memory
706.
[0076] The memory 706 includes suitable logic, circuitry, and/or
code that is configured to store data. The data can include control
logic used by the processor 704, data received by communication
system 700, data that is to be transmitted by the communication
system 700 and/or any other data as will be apparent to those
skilled in the relevant arts. The memory 706 can be a random access
memory (RAM), FLASH memory, and/or read only memory (ROM) to
provide some examples. It should be appreciated that the memory 706
is not limited to these example memory types and can be any
volatile and/or non-volatile memory type as will be apparent to
those skilled in the relevant arts. The memory 706 can be
removable, non-removable or include both removable and
non-removable portions.
CONCLUSION
[0077] The aforementioned description of the specific embodiments
will so fully reveal the general nature of the invention that
others can, by applying knowledge within the skill of the art,
readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific
embodiments, without undue experimentation, without departing from
the general concept of the present invention. Therefore, such
adaptations and modifications are intended to be within the meaning
and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments, based on the
teaching and guidance presented herein. It is to be understood that
the phraseology or terminology herein is for the purpose of
description and not of limitation, such that the terminology or
phraseology of the present specification is to be interpreted by
the skilled artisan in light of the teachings and guidance.
[0078] References in the specification to "one embodiment," "an
embodiment," "an exemplary embodiment," etc., indicate that the
embodiment described may include a particular feature, structure,
or characteristic, but every embodiment may not necessarily include
the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover,
such phrases are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment.
Further, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is
described in connection with an embodiment, it is submitted that it
is within the knowledge of one skilled in the art to affect such
feature, structure, or characteristic in connection with other
embodiments whether or not explicitly described.
[0079] The exemplary embodiments described herein are provided for
illustrative purposes, and are not limiting. Other exemplary
embodiments are possible, and modifications may be made to the
exemplary embodiments within the spirit and scope of the
disclosure. Therefore, the specification is not meant to limit the
invention. Rather, the scope of the invention is defined only in
accordance with the following claims and their equivalents.
[0080] Embodiments may be implemented in hardware (e.g., circuits),
firmware, software, or any combination thereof. Embodiments may
also be implemented as instructions stored on a machine-readable
medium, which may be read and executed by one or more processors. A
machine-readable medium may include any mechanism for storing or
transmitting information in a form readable by a machine (e.g., a
computing device). For example, a machine-readable medium may
include read only memory (ROM); random access memory (RAM);
magnetic disk storage media; optical storage media; flash memory
devices and the like. Further, firmware, software, routines,
instructions may be described herein as performing certain actions.
However, it should be appreciated that such descriptions are merely
for convenience and that such actions in fact results from
computing devices, processors, controllers, or other devices
executing the firmware, software, routines, instructions, etc.
Further, any of the implementation variations may be carried out by
a general purpose computer.
[0081] For purposes of this discussion, the term "module" and the
like, shall be understood to include at least one of software,
firmware, and hardware (such as one or more circuits, microchips,
processors, or devices, or any combination thereof), and any
combination thereof. In addition, it will be understood that each
module can include one, or more than one, component within an
actual device, and each component that forms a part of the
described module can function either cooperatively or independently
of any other component forming a part of the module. Conversely,
multiple modules described herein can represent a single component
within an actual device. Further, components within a module can be
in a single device or distributed among multiple devices in a wired
or wireless manner.
[0082] The present disclosure has been described above with the aid
of functional building blocks illustrating the implementation of
specified functions and relationships thereof. The boundaries of
these functional building blocks have been arbitrarily defined
herein for the convenience of the description. Alternate boundaries
may be defined so long as the specified functions and relationships
thereof are appropriately performed.
* * * * *