Millimeter-wave transceiver with coarse and fine beamforming with interference suppression and method

1. A millimeter-wave transceiver configured for multipath reception of multicarrier signals comprising:

RF circuitry to receive the multicarrier signals through at least two independently controllable sub-array antennas from first and second directions, the first direction being associated with received signals of a highest signal level and the second direction being associated with received signals of a next highest signal level;

a channel-estimation block to generate a set of weighting coefficients for each sub-array antenna based on channel characteristics determined from each sub-array antenna, the weighting coefficients generated for inter-channel interference (ICI) suppression; and

maximum-ratio combining (MRC) circuitry to apply the set of the weighting coefficients to baseband signals from each sub-array antenna and to combine the weighted baseband signals from each sub-array antenna to generate combined baseband signals that represent a single data stream.

2. The millimeter-wave transceiver of claim 1 , further comprising a coarse beam-steering block to control an antenna array comprising the at least two independent sub-array antennas, the coarse beam-steering block to direct a first antenna beam for receipt of the multicarrier signals in the first direction and to direct a second antenna beam for receipt of the multicarrier signals in the second direction, both the first antenna beam and the second antenna beam establishing a channel with a transmitting station.

3. The millimeter-wave transceiver of claim 2 , wherein the coarse beam-steering block is to perform a beam selection procedure that includes performing sector scans to identify the first and second directions based on signal levels of the received signals, and

wherein the coarse beam-steering block is to direct the first antenna beam in the first direction using a first of the independent sub-array antennas and is to direct the second antenna beam in the second direction using a second of the independent sub-array antennas.

4. The millimeter-wave transceiver of claim 3 , wherein the beam selection procedure includes performing a sector scan to identify a most powerful ray associated with the first direction, and performing a second sector scan excluding the previously identified most powerful ray to identify a second most power ray associated with the second direction.

5. The millimeter-wave transceiver of claim 1 ,

wherein the channel-estimation block is to estimate the channel characteristics associated with each sub-array antenna, and

wherein the channel-estimation block calculates the weighting coefficients for ICI suppression for use using a MRC processing algorithm to maximize throughput through a channel.

6. The millimeter-wave transceiver of claim 5 , wherein the multicarrier signals comprise a plurality of subcarriers or subcarrier bands, and

wherein the channel-estimation block is to estimate channel characteristics associated with each sub-array antenna for each subcarrier or subcarrier band across the channel, and

wherein the channel-estimation block calculates a set of the weighting coefficients for ICI suppression for each subcarrier or subcarrier band, and

wherein the MRC circuitry is to apply a set of the weighting coefficients to baseband signals associated with each subcarrier or subcarrier band.

7. The millimeter-wave transceiver of claim 2 , wherein the RF circuitry further comprises:

a phase shifter associated with each antenna element of the antenna array, wherein each sub-array antenna comprising a plurality of the antenna elements and each phase shifter configured to phase-shift multicarrier signals received through an associated antenna element; and

a signal summator associated with each sub-array antenna to combine signals received through the associated sub-array antenna.

8. The millimeter-wave transceiver of claim 7 , wherein the millimeter-wave transceiver further comprises

a frequency-conversion block associated with each sub-array antenna to convert the combined signals from the signal summator to baseband signals; and

a signal-processing block comprising:

the MRC circuitry;

the coarse beam-steering block to control the phase shift of each of the phase shifters, wherein the coarse beam-steering block is to direct at least one sub-array antenna for receipt of signals from the first direction and direct at least another sub-array antenna for receipt of signals from the second direction; and

the channel-estimation block to estimate the channel for each sub-array antenna based on the baseband signals and to generate weighting coefficients for application to the baseband signals for each sub-array antenna for inter-carrier interference (ICI) suppression, the weighting coefficients calculated for ICI suppression for a particular beam-steering direction.

9. The millimeter-wave transceiver of claim 8 , wherein the MRC circuitry comprises:

a weighting block to apply the set of weighting coefficients generated for each sub-array antenna to the baseband signals for the associated sub-array antenna; and

a summing block to combine the weighted signals from the weighting block to generate the single data stream.

10. A millimeter-wave transceiver comprising:

hardware processing circuitry configured to:

estimate a channel with a highly-directional antenna pattern generated with a first sub-array antenna;

cause the first sub-array antenna to provide the highly-directional antenna pattern in a direction associated with a signal of interest by phasing signals received through each of a plurality of antenna elements of the first sub-array antenna;

estimate interference with a less directional more omnidirectional antenna pattern generated with a second sub-array antenna;

cause the second sub-array antenna to provide the less directional more omnidirectional antenna pattern by phasing signals received through each of a plurality of antenna elements of the second sub-array antenna;

apply a first set of weighting coefficients to first baseband signals of the first sub-array antenna, the first set of weighting coefficients based on the channel estimate;

apply a second set of weighting coefficients to second baseband signals of the second sub-array antenna, the second set of weighting coefficients based on the interference estimate; and

combine the weighted first and second baseband signals to generate an output signal with reduced interference that includes the signal of interest received through the first sub-array antenna.

11. The millimeter-wave transceiver of claim 10 , wherein the hardware processing circuitry is further configured to:

generate weighting coefficients of the first and second sets for a selected processing algorithm comprising minimum mean-square error (MMSE) or zero forcing (ZF) that applies the weighting coefficients to the first and second baseband signals and the combining of combines the first and second baseband signals;

wherein the first sub-array antenna includes more antenna elements than the second sub-array antenna.

12. A millimeter-wave transceiver configured for MIMO reception of multicarrier signals comprising:

RF circuitry to receive multicarrier signals through two independently controllable sub-array antennas from first and second directions, the first direction being associated with received signals of a highest signal level and the second direction being associated with received signals of a next highest signal level;

a channel-estimation block to generate sets of weighting coefficients for each sub-array antenna based on spatial channel characteristics of each MIMO subchannel determined from an associated sub-array antenna, the weighting coefficients generated for mutual interference mitigation between the MIMO subchannels; and

interference-cancellation circuitry to apply each set of the weighting coefficients to baseband signals from each sub-array antenna and to combine the weighted baseband signals to generate combined basebands for each spatial channel.

13. The millimeter-wave transceiver of claim 12 , wherein the first direction is associated with a first spatial channel and the second direction associated with a second spatial channel, the first and second spatial channels comprising the MIMO subchannels.

14. The millimeter-wave transceiver of claim 13 , wherein the millimeter-wave transceiver is operable in a multi-user MIMO (MU-MIMO) mode in which data from different users is received over each spatial channel.

15. A millimeter-wave transceiver configured for MIMO reception of multicarrier signals comprising:

RF circuitry to receive multicarrier signals through two independently controllable sub-array antennas from first and second directions;

a channel-estimation block to generate sets of weighting coefficients for each sub-array antenna based on spatial channel characteristics of each MIMO subchannel determined from an associated sub-array antenna, the weighting coefficients generated for mutual interference mitigation between the MIMO subchannels; and

interference-cancellation circuitry to apply each set of the weighting coefficients to baseband signals from each sub-array antenna and to combine the weighted baseband signals to generate combined basebands for each spatial channel;

wherein the first direction is associated with a first spatial channel and the second direction associated with a second spatial channel, the first and second spatial channels comprising the MIMO subchannels;

wherein the interference cancellation circuitry is to apply either a minimum mean-square error (MMSE) or a zero-forcing (ZF) spatial processing algorithm, and

wherein the sets of weighting coefficients for each sub-array antenna are generated for the MMSE or the ZF spatial processing algorithm.

16. A method for receiving millimeter-wave signals comprising:

performing coarse beamforming to receive RF signals from first and second directions with independently controllable antenna sub-array antennas; and

performing fine beamforming at baseband by applying sets of weighting coefficients for interference cancellation to baseband signals from each of the independently controllable antenna sub-array antennas;

wherein performing coarse beamforming includes:

performing a beam selection procedure that includes performing sector scans to identify the first and second directions based on signal levels of received signals;

directing a first antenna beam in the first direction using a first of the independent controllable antenna sub-array antennas; and

directing a second antenna beam in the second direction using a second of the independent controllable antenna sub-array antennas; and

wherein the beam selection procedure includes:

performing a sector scan to identify a most powerful ray associated with the first direction; and

performing a second sector scan excluding a previously identified most powerful ray to identify a second most power ray associated with the second direction, and,

wherein performing fine beamforming includes:

generating a set of weighting coefficients for each sub-array antenna based on channel characteristics determined from each sub-array antenna, the weighting coefficients generated for inter-channel interference (ICI) suppression; and

applying a set of the weighting coefficients to baseband signals from each sub-array antenna and combining the weighted baseband signals from each sub-array antenna to generate combined baseband signals that represent a single data stream.