Beamwidth control

Abstract

An apparatus for controlling a beamwidth of a millimeter-wave (mmW) device, the apparatus comprising: a lens; a mmW antenna; and an actuation arrangement operatively connected to the lens and the mmW antenna, wherein the actuation arrangement is configured to vary the beamwidth of the mmW antenna based on a control signal.

Description

BEAMWIDTH CONTROLTECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure generally relates to antenna beam control. More particularly, embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a method and an apparatus for controlling a beamwidth of a millimeter-wave antenna.BACKGROUND

[0002] The advancement of autonomous systems has been increasing the need for a next-generation industry wireless communication system that provides: high bandwidth (>10 Gb / s) and / or data rates and / or connectivity for massive heterogeneous connections (> 10,000) to mitigate wireless bottlenecks from current technologies and to maximise productivity; ultra-fast response times for massive data gathering, uploading to real-time analytics systems and decision making to minimise deadlocks and idle times; and / or improved privacy and security where data sovereignty and independent network management are vital.

[0003] Conventional beam control methods may use static lenses, phase shifting, aperture synthesis, frequency selective antenna etc.

[0004] In the newer and fast-growing smart industry, vendors and network providers tend to use proven, conventional methods such as large antenna arrays with beam-forming modules.

[0005] These methods are static solutions that are inadequate to address the dynamic requirements in Smart Industry operating environments (such as a smart factory, smart warehousing, smart logistics, smart processing etc.) where robots may require high bandwidth and / or data rates in real-time and / or on demand. For example, analogue beamforming and beam-steering only provide focus beam on certain angle(s). Though this may be programmable, it does not solve the problem of sufficient coverage. In other words, a more flexible, dynamic solution is needed when both the utilisation of data rate and the number of connecting devices could vary in time or over time.

[0006] Currently commercialized beam-steering and beam-forming systems and methods employ signal constructive methods and phase shifters that use antenna arrays with expensive and power-hungry beam control chipsets. These systems and methods consume high power and are expensive to build, as well as are unsuitable for use in end-devices e.g., robots communicating with base stations in a smart industry environment. Furthermore, these technologies have static beams.

[0007] In addition, most of the current systems and methods are targeted at directional beam steering rather than beam focusing. Beam steering alone may be inadequate in applications that extend beyond traditional communication environments, e.g., to the next generation Smart Industry, where a massive number of high-bandwidth / high data rate devices are connected to a network. In an example, thousands of autonomous robots, machines and Intemet-of-things devices within a smart factory would transmit gigabytes of data for real-time analytics and decision making in order to maximise productivity and safety. In another example, one or more robots, machines or loT devices may transmit gigabytes of data when performing tasks that are complex and / or require high data rates.

[0008] Further, existing lens systems are mainly designed for radar, satellite applications and fixed wireless communications, which are different from high data rate and dynamic mobile wireless applications such as smart industry, where autonomous robots and machines require high data rates and low latency connections for collaborative productions.

[0009] It is desirable to overcome or ameliorate one or more of the above-described difficulties, or to at least provide a useful alternative.SUMMARY

[0010] According to an aspect, there is provided an apparatus for controlling a beamwidth of a millimeter-wave (mmW) device, the apparatus comprising: a lens; a mmW antenna; and an actuation arrangement operatively connected to the lens and the mmW antenna, wherein the actuation arrangement is configured to vary the beamwidth of the mmW antenna based on a control signal.

[0011] According to another aspect, there is provided a method of controlling a beam width of a millimeter-wave (mmW) antenna,, the method comprising: receiving, at abase station, a connection request from an end-device at a location; determining a beam width of a mmW antenna of the base station and a data rate associated with the connection request from the end-device; and varying one or both of the beam width of the mmW antenna of the base station and the beamwidth of a mmW antenna of the end-device based on the determined data rate and the location.

[0012] The beamwidth of the mmW antenna may be varied by increasing the beamwidth when the data rate is lower than a predetermined value.

[0013] The beamwidth of the mmW antenna may be varied by decreasing the beam width when the data rate is higher than a predetermined value.

[0014] The connection request may be initiated or received when the first device and the second device are in a common work zone. In some embodiments, the connection request may be initiated or received when the end-device is activated in a work zone associated with the base station.

[0015] The data rate associated with the connection request may be a data rate required for the first device or the second device to perform a task in an automated factory.

[0016] The data rate associated with the connection request may be determined based on a resource allocation of the base station. The resource allocation may comprise a time domain allocation and / or a frequency domain allocation.

[0017] In some embodiments, the beamwidth of the mmW antenna may be varied based on a priority of the task associated with the connection request.

[0018] In some embodiments, the beamwidth of the mmW antenna may be varied based on a distance of the end-device from a boundary of the work zone.

[0019] In some embodiments, the beamwidth of the mmW antenna may be varied by varying a distance between the mmW antenna and the lens.

[0020] In some embodiments, the beamwidth of the mmW antenna may be varied based on a prescribed link power budget for the end-device.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] Preferred embodiments of the present disclosure are hereafter described, by way of non-limiting example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: a. Fig. 1A is a block diagram of a communication system in an automated factory; b. Fig. IB is a schematic diagram of a simplified exemplary configuration of an automated factory; c. Fig. 2 is a flowchart of a method of controlling a beam of a millimetre-wave (mmW) antenna associated with a base station in communication with an end-device in the automated factory of Fig. 1A, IB; d. Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary configuration of an automated factory shop floor in operation; e. Fig. 4 is a block diagram of an apparatus for controlling a beamwidth of a millimetre-wave (mmW) device; f. Fig. 5 is a perspective view sketch of an exemplary arrangement of a mmW antenna and a lens of the apparatus of Fig. 4; g. Fig. 6 is an exemplary polar radiation pattern of a mmW lens when operating at 27GHz frequency; h. Fig. 7 to 11 are graphs of the 3dB beamwidth (angle in degrees) vs distance between the lens and the mmW antenna (in cm) when operating at 24GHz, 26GHz, 28GHz, 30GHz and 32GHz respectively; i. Fig. 12 is a block diagram of an exemplary radio frequency (RF) transmitter and receiver operating at 27GHz; j. Fig. 13A, 13B are graphs of the 3dB and 6dB beamwidth (angle in degrees) vs lens reconfiguration setting respectively, when operating at frequencies of 25GHz, 26GHz, 27GHz; and k. Fig. 14A, 14B are graphs of the 3dB and 6dB beamwidth (angle in degrees) vs lens reconfiguration setting respectively, when operating at frequencies of 28GHz, 29GHz, 30GHz.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] Fig. 1A is a block diagram of a communication system 100A in an automated factory according to an embodiment of the disclosure. The automated factory may be a logistics and warehousing facility or a manufacturing facility for large-scale production of goods such as, but not limited to, automotive, electrical and electronics, metals and machinery, chemicals, food and beverages, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics, etc. In a preferred embodiment, the automated factory is a smart factory involving interconnected machines including robots that are configured to share data and to improve automation and manufacturing flexibility. The system 100A comprises a base station 102 and a plurality of end-devices 106a, 106b. The base station 102 may be associated with one or more work zones 108 and may be configured to manage specific tasks in specific work zones. In some embodiments, a shop floor may have a plurality of work zones. The base station 102 includes a millimeter-wave (mmW) antenna 104 that is configured to communicate with the enddevices 106a, 106b. It will be appreciated that in various embodiments, the system 100A may have one or more end-devices 106 (e.g., two end-devices 106a, 106b in a work zone 108 as shown in Fig. 1A) with different data rate requirements. Further, the end-device 106a, 106b may require a different data rate for different time periods based on the tasks assigned to the end-device.

[0023] In an embodiment, the end-device 106a, 106b may be a stationary machine (e.g. an assembly line). In another embodiment, the end-device 106a, 106b may be a mobile machine (e.g. a transporting machine for moving one or more goods or parts from one point to another in the shop floor). In yet another embodiment, the end-device 106a, 106b may be a stationary robot (e.g. a robot having a fixed, designated location near an assembly line and assigned a task to assemble parts of a good). In a further embodiment, the end-device 106a, 106b may be a mobile robot or a cobot (i.e., collaborative robot, mounted on an autonomous mobile robot that is equipped with machine vision programmed to move around on the shop floor to do certain tasks such as, but not limited to, using an articulated robotic arm to perform custom-assembly, machine tending, quality inspection, moving tools or accessories between fixed machines and / or fixed robots). It will be appreciated that the automated factory may have different types of the end-devices 106 mentioned above in any combination, working together for an intended application of the factory, e.g. as shown inFig. 3. In an exemplary embodiment, the automated factory may be a warehouse or a logistics facility and may include Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs) for locating, tracking, and moving inventory therein.

[0024] Fig. IB is a schematic diagram of a simplified exemplary configuration of the automated factory 100B of Fig. 1A according to an embodiment of the disclosure. The shop floor of the factory 100B comprises a base station 102 including a mmW antenna 104, abase station 110 including a mmW antenna 112, a plurality of end-devices 106a, 106b, 106c, 106d, 106e, 106f. The mmW antenna 104 is configured to communicate with the end-devices 106a, 106b, 106c. The mmW antenna 112 is configured to communicate with the enddevices 106d, 106e, 106f. The base station 102, base station 110 and the plurality of enddevices 106a, 106b, 106c, 106d, 106e, 106f operate within a work zone 108 with different data rate requirements. In some embodiments, one or more of the end-devices 106a, 106b, 106c, 106d, 106e, 106f may require a different data rate for different time periods based on the tasks assigned to the end-device(s). In an embodiment, the end-device 106a, 106d, 106e, 106f may be a stationary machine and the end-device 106b, 106c may be a mobile machine, a robot or a cobot. Each end-device is equipped with a mmW module that includes a mmW antenna therein. In Fig. IB, the mmW antenna 104 of the base station 102 is configured to communicate with a mmW module 114a associated with the end-device 106a, a mmW module 114b associated with the end-device 106b and a mmW module 114c associated with the end-device 106c. The mmW antenna 112 of the base station 110 is configured to communicate with a mmW module I I4d associated with the end-device 106d, a mmW module I I4e associated with the end-device 106e and a mmW module 114f associated with the end-device 106f. Further details regarding the mmW module (alternatively referred to as a mmW device) are provided hereinafter with reference to Fig. 4.

[0025] Fig. 2 is a flowchart of a method 200 of controlling a beam width of the millimeter-wave (mmW) antenna associated with the base station in communication with each end-device in the automated factory of Fig. IB according to an embodiment of the disclosure. The method 200 comprises receiving a connection request, at the base station 102, from the end-device 106a at a location (step 202). In an embodiment, the connection request is initiated / received when the end-device 106a is activated in the work zone 108 associated with the base station 102. In one embodiment, an end-device 106a may beactivated upon entry into the work zone 108. In another embodiment, the end-device 106a may be activated by a user or a manufacturing execution module of the factory (the details of which will be explained hereinafter). In some embodiments, the end-device 106a may be activated automatically or manually. The end-device 106a may be activated when the device is required to perform a task in the factory. The connection request received by the base station 102 may therefore be based on the task to be performed by the end-device 106a. The method 200 further comprises determining a beamwidth of a millimetre-wave (mmW) antenna of the base station 102 and a data rate associated with the connection request from the end-device 106a (step 204), and varying one or both of the beam width of the mmW antenna of the base station and the beamwidth of a mmW antenna of the end-device based on the determined data rate and the location (step 206).

[0026] The present disclosure may address one or both of the challenges of high data rate and massive number of connections depending on the needs of the end-devices connecting to the base station. An exemplary diagram of the configuration of a smart factory’s shop floor is depicted in Fig. IB. The shop floor may consist of both fixed and mobile robots and machines that have diverse data rate requirements. These robots and / or machines may require different data rates for different time periods based on the applications or tasks they are performing during industrial operations.

[0027] Fig. 3 shows an exemplary configuration 300 of an automated factory shop floor in operation. The automated factory comprises a manufacturing execution module 302 (alternatively referred to as a Manufacturing Execution System (MES) module), a network control module 304, base station A 306 communicatively connected to a mmW antenna 306a, base station B 308 communicatively connected to a mmW antenna 308a, a plurality of work zones 312, 314, 316, 318, 320, 322 and a plurality of end-devices 310, 324, 326, 326, 330, 332, 334, 336, 338, 340, 342. It will be appreciated that each base station may have one or more work zones associated with it and wherein end-devices in the one or more work-zones may connect with the respective base station. In some embodiments, each work zone may have a plurality of base stations . Each end-device is equipped with a mmW module that includes a mmW antenna therein (e.g., end-device 310 has a mmW module 310a) to communicate with the mmW antenna 306a of the base station 306. The mmW module mayfurther include a lens and an actuation arrangement, the details of which will be explained hereinafter.

[0028] The manufacturing execution module 302 may perform one or more of the following: monitor and control production processes on the shop floor, track and document transformation of raw materials into finished products in real-time by controlling and monitoring the end-devices such as robots, machines, sensors, operators, etc., and provide real-time visibility of production operations.

[0029] The network control module 304 may be configured to run a network management software to perform one or more of the following: keep track of all connecting devices to the network via different base stations, orchestrate data rate in real-time based on requirements of the end-devices, and keep track of locations and / or tasks each end-device is performing to ensure network consistency, continuity, and availability.

[0030] In an embodiment, at time t+0, an end-device 310 may be activated in a work zone 312 of base station A 306. In an embodiment, the end-device 310 may be activated upon entering the work zone 312 at time t+0. In another embodiment, the end-device 310 may be activated upon being assigned a task. The end-device 310 may have been assigned a first task by the manufacturing execution module 302 of the factory. Upon assignment of a task to an end-device 310, one or more of the following information may be collected and stored at the network control module 304: an ID of the end-device 310, destination coordinates and / or speed of the end-device 310, and a data rate and computing requirement values for the end-device 310 to perform the task at the current location, while moving to the destination (en route) and at the destination. The manufacturing execution module 302 controls task allocation and reconfiguration of the end-devices in the factory. The network control module 304 stores a location of every end-device of the factory. In an example, the first task may require a first data rate comprising a medium uplink data rate and low downlink data rate.

[0031] The following actions may take place to establish a connection between base station A 306 and the end-device 310. It will be appreciated that establishing a connection between base station A 306 and the end-device 310 may refer to establishing a connectionbetween a mmW wave antenna 306a of the base station 306 and a mmW module 310a of the end-device 310, where the mmW module 310a of the end-device comprises a mmW antenna.

[0032] The end -device 310 may listen to a network control channel beacon and any network messages being broadcasted to it. The end-device 310 then sends a connection request to the base station A 306. In an embodiment, the connection request may comprise at least one or more of the following parameters: data rate requirements, duration of connection, task information (e.g., type, duration, priority of the task) and location of the end-device 310 within the work zone 312.

[0033] The base station A 306 then determines a beam width of the mmW antenna 306a of the base station A 306. The base station A 306 determines a data rate associated with the connection request from the end-device 310. In some embodiments, the end-device 310 may inform the base station A 306 how much data rate is required and the duration that the data rate is required for, corresponding to the task to be performed by the end-device 310. The network control module 304 may subsequently be notified of the information when the connection request is received at the base station A 306. Over time, the network control module 304 may have an updated table of information relating to each and every task performed on the shop floor e.g. task information or ID with corresponding data rate, time duration. In some other embodiments, the manufacturing execution module 302 may share the task information / ID and data rate requirements with the network control module 304 and when a connection request is received from an end-device 310, the task information may be validated against information from the manufacturing execution module 302. The data rate may include an uplink data rate and a downlink data rate required for the end-device 310. In an embodiment, the data rate may include an uplink data rate and a downlink data rate required for the end-device 310 to perform the first task in the work zone 312. The base station A 306 then varies the beam width of the mmW antenna of the base station A 306 based on the determined data rate and the location.

[0034] In an exemplary embodiment, if the network control module 304 can support 400 MHz of bandwidth, and if the end-device 310 requires 200 MHz of bandwidth to perform a high bandwidth, high data rate task, the end-device may initiate a connection request with a corresponding 'high' data rate e.g. IGb / s (with a modulation format of QAM64 with standard coding (approximately 5.5 bits / Hz including standard overheads)). Anexemplary high bandwidth, high data rate task may be real-time 3D machine vision application. Such 'high' data rate may correspond to about 150 MHz bandwidth with a modulation format of QAM 256. The end-device 310 may initiate a connection request with a ‘medium’ data rate e.g., 20Mbps to 500Mbps, if requiring a medium bandwidth from about 20MHz to about 100 MHz (depending on the application needs and quality of the communication link). With spectral efficiency ranging from 1 to 5, the 'medium' data rate could range from 20 Mbps (e.g., 20MHz @ 1 bps / HZ) to 500 Mbps (e.g., 100MHz @ 5 bps / Hz). The end-device 310 may initiate a connection request with a ‘low’ data rate e.g., 1Mbps to 100Mbps if requiring a low bandwidth from about 1 MHz to about 20 MHz. With spectral efficiency ranging from 1 to 5, the 'low' data rate could range from 1 Mbps (e.g., 1MHz @ 1 bps / HZ) to 100 Mbps (e.g., 20 MHz @ 5 bps / Hz).

[0035] An example of the standard Channel Quality Index table with modulation format, code rate, and spectral efficiency is given below:Varying the Beamwidth

[0036] Varying the beamwidth of the mmW antenna 306a of the base station A 306 based on the determined data rate may comprise either increasing the beam width of the beam when the determined data rate is lower than a current supported value or decreasing the beamwidth of the beam when the determined data rate is higher than a current supported value. Current supported value will be explained in more detail hereinafter.

[0037] The base station A 306 may determine a new beam width based on i) a determined number of connections; ii) a determined sum of all bandwidth requirements; and / or iii) a determined number of current tasks in time t and t+1.

[0038] In an embodiment, the base station A 306 may determine a resource allocation of the base station A by querying a resource map stored in the base station. The resource map is a Time (n) by Frequency (m) domain multiplexing matrix map, where 'n' is the number of time domain slots and 'm' is the number of frequency domain slots in a single transmission window. The base station A 306 may, by querying the resource map, determine a number of blocks of time-domain multiplexing allocated to one or more end-devices with which the base station A 306 is in active communication, a number of blocks of frequencydomain multiplexing allocated to one or more end-devices with which the base station A 306 is in active communication. The base station A 306 may check the number of active devices to which it is connected within the work zone 312 in determining if it has sufficient resources to process the connection request and allocate resources to the end-device 310.Updating Beam Profile

[0039] In order to vary the beam width of the mmW antenna in the base station A 306, the base station A may look up a pre-computed table referencing the beamwidth in degrees and settings of an actuator connected to the mmW antenna and a lens. The pre-computed table may be based on test values e.g., from Figures 7-11 and may have the following information: 3dB beam width, distance between centre of the lens and near face of the mmW antenna, modulation (e.g., 16 QAM, 64 QAM), code rate.

[0040] Fig. 4 is a block diagram of an apparatus 400 for controlling a beam width of a millimeter-wave (mmW) device according to an embodiment of the disclosure. The apparatus 400 includes a lens 402, a mmW antenna 404 and an actuation arrangement 406 operatively connected to the lens 402 and the mmW antenna 404. The actuation arrangement 406 is configured to vary the beamwidth of the mmW antenna 404 based on a control signal 408. In an embodiment, the mmW device may be communicatively coupled to a first device (not shown) such as an end-device 310 of Fig. 3 that is configured to communicate with a second device (not shown) such as base station A 306 of Fig. 3. The control signal 408 may be a connection request sent between the first device and the second device e.g. a connectionrequest sent to the base station A 306 from the end-device 310. The control signal 408 may comprise a data rate associated with the connection request. The control signal 408 may further comprise a location of one or both the first device and the second device.

[0041] The actuation arrangement 406 may be configured to vary the beamwidth of the mmW antenna by increasing the beam width when the data rate is lower than a predetermined value (e.g. when a large number of end-devices are connected to the base station but the data rate / bandwidth requirement per end-device is low). The actuation arrangement 406 may be configured to vary the beamwidth of the mmW antenna by decreasing the beamwidth when the data rate is higher than a predetermined value (e.g. when fewer end-devices are connected to the base station but the data rate / bandwidth requirement per end-device is high).

[0042] The connection request may be initiated when the first device and the second device are in a common work zone. The details of initiation of the connection request are described hereinbefore. In an embodiment, the data rate associated with the connection request may be a data rate required for the first device or the second device to perform a task in an automated factory. For example, in a smart factory environment, a large number of data will be generated from the end-devices such as robots for a specific task and would need to be transmitted uplink to the base station. In another embodiment, the base station may want to transmit a large volume of data downlink to the end-device for a different task. The data rate associated with the connection request may be determined based on a time domain resource allocation and / or a frequency domain resource allocation as described hereinbefore.

[0043] The actuation arrangement 406 may be configured to vary the beamwidth of the mmW antenna 404 based on a priority of the task e.g., a high data rate task requiring uplink data transmission from an end-device to the base station may have a higher priority than a low data rate task assigned to another end-device or the current tasks of the base station. In other embodiments, the priority of the task may be based on one or more of: a duration of the task, type of task, location of the end-device with respect to the base station.

[0044] Varying the beamwidth may be based on a distance of the first device and / or the second device from a boundary of the common work zone as described hereinbefore. Varying the beamwidth may further comprises varying a distance between the mmWantenna 404 and the lens 402. Varying the beam width may further be based on a prescribed link power budget for the first device and / or the second device as described elsewhere in the disclosure.

[0045] Fig. 5 is a perspective view of an exemplary arrangement of a mmW device comprising the mmW antenna 404, the lens 402 and the actuation arrangement 406 (e.g., associated with the base station A 306) according to an embodiment of the disclosure. The actuation arrangement 406 may comprise an actuator (e.g. linear, rotary) that connects the lens 402 to the mmW antenna 404. In various embodiments, the lens 402 is a convex lens. In some embodiments, the lens 402 is a mmW lens. In an embodiment, the lens 402 may have dimensions of 80mm x 28mm x 76mm. In some embodiments the lens 402 may be made of high-density polyethylene. In various embodiments, the mmW antenna 404 is a patch antenna (e.g. 2x2 patch antenna, 4x4 patch antenna). A stepper motor or the like may then be triggered by the base station A 306 to perform actuation of the actuator 406 to vary a distance between the mmW antenna 404 and the lens 402 to adjust a focus of the beam and thereby vary the beam width of the beam. The distance between the mmW antenna 404 and the lens 402 may be increased to narrow the beamwidth and decreased to widen the beamwidth. The distance between the mmW antenna 404 and the lens 402 may be a distance between a near face of the mmW antenna 404 and a centre of the lens 402. Transmit and receive power levels may be adjusted according to a link power budget table . The link power budget table may consist of standard radio frequency (RF) parameters such as: Transmitter power (dBm), gain from adjusting beam width, carrier frequency, distance, propagation loss, receiver antenna gain, received power, bandwidth, noise figure, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and data rates.

[0046] Fig. 6 is an exemplary polar radiation pattern of a mmW lens when operating at 27GHz frequency. Fig. 7 to 11 illustrate the 3dB beamwidth (angle in degrees) vs distance between the lens and the mmW antenna (in cm) when operating at 24GHz, 26GHz, 28GHz, 30GHz and 32GHz respectively according to an embodiment of the disclosure. It will be appreciated that the distance between the lens and the mmW antenna refers to a measurement of on-axis distance from a near face of the mmW antenna to a centre of the lens. It will be further appreciated that the curves shown in Fig. 7 to 11 are merely examples and may change based on one or more of a material of the lens, lens geometry.

[0047] In an exemplary embodiment as shown in Fig. 9, when operating at 28GHz, a current supported value of the antenna may be 30 degrees (3dB beamwidth) and a distance from a centre of the lens to a near face of the antenna may be 8 cm. Due to an increase in bandwidth or data rate requirements of the end-device(s), the beamwidth may then be dynamically varied to 20 degrees at 28 GHz, and the distance from a centre of the lens to a near face of the antenna may be 15 cm.Beamwidth Ramping

[0048] The system may linearly or exponentially ramp the beamwidth at a set rate to aid in re-establishing a high-capacity link and re-aligning the transmitter and receiver of the base station 306 and the end-device 310. The system may ramp the beam width by iterating over the pre-computed table (explained hereinbefore) for slow (linear), and fast (exponential) scanning of beamwidths. If a connection between the base station A 306 and the end-device 310 is re-established on a wider beamwidth value than current value of beamwidth, an unscheduled obstruction event may be logged in a local storage of the base station A 306, the unscheduled obstruction event may be announced on available routes / channels (e.g., a multi-hop route through a different base station or repeater using a standard routing technique) and a beamwidth ramp timer may be triggered. Once the beamwidth ramp timer overflows, a message may be sent to the transmitter to negotiate the beam profde, i.e., the base station A 306 may check if the beamwidth now has sufficient coverage and if not, the beamwidth ramp timer may be triggered again to perform ramping until sufficient coverage is achieved.

[0049] If there is more than one end-device 310 in the work zone 312 or more than one end-device 310 connected to the base station A 306, the base station A may carry out a transmitter multiple output event (explained in more detail below under "Event 1 - Base Station Transmitter Multiple Output"). The base station A 306 may carry out a transceiver scheduling (explained in more detail below under "Event 2 - Transceiver Scheduling") for allocating time-domain and frequency-domain blocks to the end-device 310. The resource map and beamwidth table associated with the base station A 306 may be updated and sent to a network control module 304. The network control module 304 stores updated resource maps and beamwidth tables of every base station in the factory that is connected to the module. In an embodiment, the network control module 304 may update the resource mapsand beamwidth tables of every base station following any change in the resource map and / or beamwidth table of any of the connected base stations, thus at ad hoc times or event-based times. In another embodiment, updating at the network control module 304 may occur at preselected / fixed time intervals. The network control module 304 may send the updates to the manufacturing execution module 302 for record and validation.

[0050] Upon completion of the actions discussed above, the end-device 310 connects to the base station A 306 (as shown using dashed line link in Fig. 3) with a medium uplink data rate and a low downlink data rate. When the connection request duration expires or a new data rate requirement is determined by the end-device 310, a new connection request may be sent to the base station A 306 and the actions discussed above may be repeated.

[0051] When the end-device 310 completes the first task in the work zone 312 (shown as a first production line in the example of Fig. 3), a second task may be assigned to the enddevice 310 by the manufacturing execution module 302. The second task may need to be performed at a different work zone 316 of the shop floor of the factory. The actions discussed above may be triggered as the end-device 310 moves into the new work zone 316. However, while en route from the work zone 312 to the work zone 316 at time t+1 via a work zone 314, assuming that the end-device 310 is not performing any other task assigned to it, periodic (e.g., in milliseconds) link status updates and handover are required. At every link status update, based on either a location of the end-device 310 reported to the base station A 306 or a link signal quality between the end-device 310 and the base station A 306, the base station A 306 will identify that the end-device 310 is moving away from it. Similarly, based on either a location of the end-device 310 reported to the base station B 308 or a link signal quality between the end-device 310 and the base station B 308, the base station B 308 will identify that the end-device 310 is moving towards it. During movement between work zones, scheduled transceiver obstruction and un-scheduled receiver obstruction events may occur (explained in more detail below under "Event 3 - Transceiver Scheduled Obstruction (deterministic / predicted event)" and "Event 4 - Receiver Un-Scheduled Obstruction (unpredicted event)" respectively) and notification messages may be sent to all affected enddevices in the factory.

[0052] The data rate of the end-device 310 may be monitored from start to end of a specific task or start to end of the connection in real time and analysed based on predictive analytics for improved consistency and continuity.

[0053] In an embodiment, varying the beamwidth may be based on a priority of the task assigned to the end-device 310. In an exemplary embodiment, the second task assigned to the end-device 310 may be a critical or high priority high data rate task that requires high uplink data rate and medium downlink data rate. Accordingly, when the end-device 310 arrives at the work zone 316 (e.g. second production line) at time t+2, the end-device 310 may send a connection request to base station B 308 and perform the actions discussed above to establish a connection between the end-device 310 and the base station B 308. It will be appreciated that establishing a connection between base station B 308 and the end-device 310 may refer to establishing a connection between a mmW wave antenna 308a of the base station 308 and a mmW module 310a of the end-device 310, where the mmW module 310a of the end-device comprises a mmW antenna. The base station B 308 will further action a priority scheduling event as will be discussed in more detail below under "Event 5 - Priority scheduling" and the base station B 308 and the end-device 310 may connect via an ultra-fast connectivity i.e., high uplink data rate and medium downlink data rate (as shown using dashdot-dash line link in Fig. 3).Events

[0054] One or more of the following events may dynamically trigger re-scheduling of resource allocations and beamwidth configuration:Event 1 - Base Station Transmitter Multiple Output

[0055] The transmit beam width of the base station A 306 may be decreased or increased to ensure coverage of the end-device 310 along with any other end-devices associated with the base station A 306 at the prescribed link power budget (explained hereinbefore) per enddevice and based on the data rate requirements of the end-device 310. Varying the beamwidth may be limited by a maximum supported distance spanning all active enddevices within the work zone from which the end-device 310 sends a connection request (for a minimum prescribed link power budget).

[0056] In order to find an optimum supported distance, a distance of all the end-devices from a boundary of the work zone, defined as a maximum coverage area of the base station, may be determined. In an embodiment, such determination may be done by the base station A 306 in any one of the following ways: using a camera, based on a location reported to the base station A 306 by the end-device 310 (which may be more accurate than using a camera, and the network control module 304 may keep track of the location information from all connecting devices), by a standard triangular positioning calculation based on the link power budget.

[0057] A minimum beamwidth span weighting may be calculated based on a distance of the end-device closest to each work zone boundary (i.e. the coverage of the base station). In an example, if the end-devices are located at the boundaries of the work zone 312, the minimum beamwidth span weighting = 1. If the furthest distance between any two enddevices in the work zone is half the diameter of the work zone, weighting = 0.5. Accordingly, the beamwidth may be varied by adjusting to the weighted beamwidth profile as follows: weighted beamwidth profile = beamwidth x weighting (1) where (beamwidth x weighting > 0) and where (link budget > min|node link budget list|)

[0058] “node link budget list” may be an application-dependent pre-defined link budget. The beamwidth update may be announced to affected node(s). The transmit beam may then be updated as discussed above.Event 2 - Transceiver Scheduling

[0059] The transceiver scheduling classifies the transceivers in one of two classes: (1) Re-allocated; (2) Unallocated. The base station A 306 may search for time domain reallocation in a schedule list (including details on currently connecting end-devices, the data rate requirements, which time slot and frequency subcarriers have been allocated within the resource map, priority classes) based on the resource map. If full allocation is unavailable, a search for partial allocation(s) with equivalent or reduced bit rate resulting from additional frequency domain allocations may be carried out by the base station A 306. If a partial allocation search is successful, reallocation of time domain and frequency domain resources may be announced to the end-device 310 and other affected end-devices. If fullallocation is available, the system marks the event as Re-allocated class. The reallocation of the time domain resources may be announced to the end-device 310 and other affected end-devices. However, if neither full nor partial allocations are available, a predicted channel bit rate loss may be announced to the end-device 310 and other effected end-devices and the event may be marked as an Unallocated class. A predicted channel bit rate loss may be a value provided by the base station A 306 to the end-device(s) 310 to notify the time period (ms) that has not been granted transmission. If the time period is 1 ms, and the data rate requested by the end -device 310 is 100 Mbps, the end-device 310 would need to buffer 100 kbits until the next transmission slot. When the event is marked as an Unallocated class, the end-device 310 will not receive bandwidth for transmission for a period of time. Therefore, the end-device 310 may have to rely on its onboard memory buffer to store messages until next assign transmission slots. This may not cause packet loss because transmission cycle is only within milliseconds. The end-device 310 may get slot(s) within the same or the next few cycles. If the task is of high priority and has stringent latency requirement, Event 5 would have been triggered. In an extreme scenario where the total bandwidth of the network < total requested bandwidth, packet loss may occur and priority transmissions may be given to more end-devices performing more critical tasks.Event 3 - Transceiver Scheduled Obstruction (deterministic / predicted event)

[0060] A predicted, or known scheduled obstruction event may be triggered by the enddevice 310 knowingly upon entering a non-serviceable area, or upon beam interruption by a known agent or upon reception of a scheduled obstruction message from the base station because this event is scheduled and the network control module 304 may have a factorywide information of all moving robots as described hereinbefore. A known agent may be a known robot or a worker or an automatic door that will block the way (i.e., the line-of-sight between the mmW antenna and other robot(s)), because there is no other alternative route to take. However, such obstruction might be temporary or in rare cases, semi-permanently, if the robot (known agent) needs to block or disrupt other end devices and perform its assigned task. Obstruction may mean disruption of an existing link configuration. For example, the transmitted beam from the base station A 306 may be interrupted by another mobile enddevice that has moved in the way, thereby blocking part of the beam. Alternatively,obstruction could mean that the end-device 310 has moved to an un-serviced area, or that a fixture like a wall, shelf or other obstacles has obstructed the beam.

[0061] Therefore, scheduled obstruction would be a planned or known interruption, i.e., mobile end-devices 330 taking known and planned routes may have no choice but to interrupt other machines / robots (or their own beam), just due to the layout of the factory or when the end-devices have to move past each other.

[0062] Scheduled obstructions have two classes: (1) Re-allocated; (2) Unallocated. The base station A 306 may have a scheduler configured to optimise movement of scheduled obstruction events from the unallocated class to the re-allocated class to preserve channel bit rate. This may be achieved by either re-allocating the transmit period to an unobstructed period in the time domain multiplexing sequence, or if an equivalent bit rate allocation is unavailable in the time domain, reallocation may be achieved with a combined time domain and frequency domain multiplexed series of slots. Where additional frequency domain slots are available in a briefer unobstructed time period, this may result in no change to channel bit rate or a reduced channel bit rate. If no reallocation is available, the event remains in the unallocated class, in which case the channel bit rate to the end-device 310 is predictably reduced to 0 during this period of scheduled obstruction, and the scheduler of the base station A 306 is free to allocate this time domain multiplexed slot to another end-device.

[0063] Duplicate or overlapping scheduled events will trigger on the last updated message, which passes message integrity and message authentication and priority lookup in a Scheduled Obstruction Access Control List stored in a local storage of the base station A 306. The Scheduled Obstruction Access Control List may be used to enforce end-device access and / or priority level grant by the manufacturing execution module 302. The event includes the following steps. The base station A 306 searches for time domain reallocation in a schedule list based on the resource map. If full allocation is un-available, a search for partial allocation(s) with equivalent or reduced bit rate resulting from additional frequency domain allocations is performed and if partial allocation search is successful, reallocation of time domain and frequency domain resources is announced to the end-device (s). If full allocation is available, the event is marked as a Re-allocated class and time domain reallocation is announced to the effected end-device(s). If neither full nor partial allocations are available, the event is marked as an Unallocated class, a predicted channel bit rate lossis announced to the effected end-device(s) and obstructed time domain period is allocated from effected end-device node(s) to unaffected end-device node(s).Event 4 - Receiver Un-Scheduled Obstruction (unpredicted event)

[0064] Detection of an unexpected link loss at the receiver (e.g., the end-device) triggers an event of this class. Detection may be determined when a heartbeat message interval is exceeded by a set threshold. In an example, a heartbeat message interval may be every 10ms and detection may be determined if the heartbeat message is missed for 3 or 5 times consecutively.

[0065] Since such events are unplanned, it may not be compensated for in the factory. These events types may be recorded, even though they could be due to a link error (which may remain unknown till the network control module 304 receives an update from the blocked transmitter, to confirm it actually had an error).

[0066] The event comprises logging a link loss at the base station A 306 and the network control module 304. Loss of link may be announced via alternate route / channel. A beamwidth ramp routine may be initiated to re-establish a high-capacity link.

[0067] Once any one of the following events occurs, a link loss event may be announced over the high-capacity link and a link re-establishment may be announced, which may include: re-establishment of the high-capacity link, a link status update from alternate route / channel, or if link failure alarm interval has been exceeded.Event 5 - Priority scheduling

[0068] When an end-device 310 enters the work zone 312 of the base station A 306 and submits a high priority request of data rate to the base station, the following actions may take place. The base station A 306 may search for time domain reallocation in the schedule list base on the resource map. If full allocation is available, the event is marked as a Re-allocated class and reallocation of time domain resources may be announced to the end-device(s). If full allocation is un-available, a search for partial allocation(s) with equivalent or reduced bit rate resulting from additional frequency domain allocations is performed. If the partial allocation search is successful, reallocation of time domain and frequency domain resourcesmay be announced to the end-device(s). If neither full nor partial allocations are available, the base station A 306 may refer to a list of connecting end-devices sorted by priority classes. In an example, depending on the need of the smart factory manager, all industrial operation tasks may be categorized into multiple priority classes. The list of connected end-devices may include: Quality of Service Class identifier; resource requirement class (guaranteed bit rate, non-guaranteed bit rate), priority within each resource requirement class (e.g., 1, 2, 3, 4, . . . ), latency requirement, packet error rate requirements, and task definition (e.g., machine vision).

[0069] The base station A 306 may use the network control module 304 to determine end-devices with the lowest priority to be temporarily changed to Unallocated class for specific timestamps. The base station A 306 may then re-determine beamwidth for the work zone and / or the end-device(s), triggering Event 1: Base Station Transmitter Multiple, the details of which are described hereinbefore.

[0070] The base station A 306 may then announce a predicted channel bit rate loss to the end-device(s), the event may be marked as Re-allocated class.

[0071] Fig. 12 is a block diagram of an exemplary radio frequency (RF) transmitter and receiver operating at 27GHz. The transmitter may be the first device or the second device as described with reference to Fig. 4. Consequently, the receiver may be the second device or the first device as described with reference to Fig. 4. Data may be transmitted from the DAC in “in-phase” (I) and “quadrature-phase” (Q) components. Local oscillator frequency of 13.5 GHz may be used which upon passing through the multiplier would result in the carrier frequency increasing to 27 GHz. Data signals from I and Q channels may then be mixed with the carrier frequency of 27 GHz and amplified before sending to the mmW antenna and lens. The distance from a centre of the lens to a near face of the antenna may approximately be 5 cm. At the receiver, RF signals are detected and split into I and Q components after passing through the Low Noise Amplifier (LN A). In an embodiment, the same local oscillator (LO) and multiplier may be used at both the transmitter side and the receiver side to perform clock recovery so that phase of received signals can be recovered. In this example, a distance between the transmitter and the receiver may be about 2.5m and a data rate of 3Gbps may be achieved.

[0072] Fig. 13A, 13B are graphs of the 3dB and 6dB beamwidth (angle in degrees) for different distances in cm (lens reconfiguration settings) respectively, when operating at frequencies of 25GHz, 26GHz, 27GHz according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0073] Fig. 14A, 14B are graphs of the 3dB and 6dB beamwidth (angle in degrees) for different distances in cm (lens reconfiguration settings) respectively, when operating at frequencies of 28GHz, 29GHz, 30GHz according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0074] The beamwidth and distance data as shown in Fig.s 13A, 13B, 14A and 14B may be derived from physically modelled numerical electro-magnetic simulation of a subset of the described lens designs under different reconfiguration settings. The farfield projection as well as the 3dB and 6dB beam widths may be computed. The plotted result may therefore detail excitation with an ideal broadband radiation source. Variation in final application with a variety of non-ideal and directional sources may therefore be possible during physical operation of the device.

[0075] Evaluation at different frequencies may indicate the range of supported operating frequencies for given applications and use with different radio systems. Fig.s 13A, 13B, 14A and 14B may further illustrate an expected impact on operation with wideband links over a range of bandwidths which may be composed within the greater range of operating frequencies. Such data may not infer an absolute limit to operating frequencies based on the principles of operation, as evaluation over a larger frequency range may be possible.

[0076] The described lens reconfiguration settings may be digitally controlled and reconfigured over the network with the protocols described elsewhere in this document. The settings may be physically controlled by the actuator position and may represent a range of non-exhaustive examples.Assets

[0077] Each base station in the factory may keep a list of the following asset information associated with each end-device: heartbeat_interval_ms heartbeat threshold msLink failure alarm intervalSchedule ListResource mapWindow Length (i.e. Transmission Window length in microseconds)

[0078] A link between the base station A 306 and the end-device 310 may include one or more of the following information:Data RateModulation FormatPower BudgetBeam ProfdePriority level

[0079] Scheduled Obstruction Access Control List may include the following:Sender idPriority LevelBeam profile negotiation

[0080] Default beam profiles may be allocated by pre-computed table (explained hereinbefore) referencing each transceiver node's link power budget allocation with a defined beamwidth (in degrees or radians). A 'negotiate beam profile' message may be used in certain situations e.g. for a receiver to request a new beam profile from the base station A 306 which does not match the default allocation table, or when the transceiver device node experiences an unscheduled event, or in relation to other dynamic link updates that cause the end-device 310 to request to change the beamwidth.

[0081] The base station A 306 may reject the request due to any one of the following reasons: access control ruleset violation, conflict with higher priority level request, conflictwith current service allocation (if the change of beam profile would disrupt service to other nodes on the same beam profile and antenna allocation).

[0082] An exemplary beam profile negotiation message may have the following format:TransmitterReplyResult: 0 Reject1 AcceptError Code: -1 unknown error0 No error1 Undisclosed error2 Access violation3 Priority Conflict4 Service ConflictTimeout Milliseconds: Timeout in milliseconds before re-negotiation will be accepted.ReceiverRequestBeam Profile RequestReason Code: -1 unknown cause0 Rescheduled operation1 Loss of link2 Unscheduled obstructions.

[0083] Heartbeat messages used in communicating information between a base station and one or more end-devices may include the following:Parameters: Interval (milliseconds)Event List

[0084] It will be appreciated that the content of these messages may not be limited to those provided here. As the reconfiguration of the shop floor becomes more complex, e.g., involving a larger number of diverse tasks and / or machines / robots, the information that needs to be captured in these messages may become more complex e.g., machines with different quality of 3D vision cameras that requires different data rates to perform different granularity of tasks, robots that move with different speeds and / or perform tasks at different speeds, hence requiring different data rates or same data rates but at different time intervals.

[0085] Scheduled Obstruction messages may include the following:Obstruction start time: POSIX floating point date.Obstruction stop time: POSIX floating point date.Priority LevelObstruction cause:-1 Unknown0 Scheduled link downtime1 Entering Non-serviceable area2 Beam interruption3 Alternate route unavailableDiversity:Bits-1 No reallocation available (bit rate = 0 for scheduledperiod).0 Time domain multiplexing reallocation available (bit rate guaranteed)1 Time & Frequency domain multiplexing reallocation available (bit rate guaranteed)2 Time & Frequency domain multiplexing reallocation available (bit rate reduced)Resources map TDM allocationResources map FDM AllocationResult ID: Base station service area ID or end-device node ID or null

[0086] One or more embodiments of the present disclosure may provide a method for controlling millimeter-wave beamwidth within the FR2 5G bands (K / Ka Bands boundary, i.e., 24.25 - 27.5GHz), as well as through the entire Ka Band (26.5 - 40 GHz). In one or more embodiments, the coverage of the mmW antenna of the base station may be increased from about 60° to about 120° and a gain of 1 IdB may be achieved.

[0087] Compared to conventional wireless systems that optimise resource map allocations by focusing on task priorities, frequency domain and time domain allocations, one or more embodiments of the present disclosure may provide a dynamic varifocal beamwidth control method. By optimally minimising the beamwidth at the base station, gains of the transceivers gains may be increased, and hence higher modulation formats and coding may be used to improve the data rates of the end-device(s). This may result in a more effective use of time domain and frequency domain resource blocks since the same amount of data can then be transmitted using fewer blocks, ultimately maximising the overall throughput of the system within a smart factory. One or more embodiments of the present disclosure may provide a narrow focus high data rate beam for a set of a smaller number of end-devices running high data rate applications and may reconfigure the beamwidth to provide a wider focus beam when the number of end-devices within the work zone increases. One or more embodiments of the present disclosure may provide precise, reliable and low-cost beamwidth control for growing 5G markets, particularly where applications extend beyond the traditional communication environments, to the next generation Smart Industry.

[0088] In one example, in a specific / designated work zone of the factory, one or two robots (end-devices) could be performing ultra-sonic inspection where a high data rate is required (and hence narrow focus beam) to transmit UHD images while real-time analytics is executing at the same time. After the inspection, multiple robots (end-devices) may enter the designated area to deliver / drop off tools and components and perform assembly, thereby requiring the beamwidth to be increased but requiring only moderate to low data rates.

[0089] Conventional phased array beamforming methods actively transmit the phase shifted signals to produce beam forming. The sum of power of each element is the combined array signal power required to form the transmitted beam, and is continuous over a period of constant beam configuration. The additional power required to form the beam is proportional to the number of array elements. In contrast, one or more embodiments of the present disclosure may require additional power only when reconfiguring the beam. When the beam configuration is constant, the present disclosure may not require additional power to maintain the beam profile. Other possible advantages of the disclosure may include lower computing resources, lower installation and maintenance costs, lower integration complexity, higher uplink data rates, higher uplink continuity, higher uplink consistency, improved reconfigurability, lower complexity, better security, improved reliability and adaptability.

[0090] Further possible advantages of the present disclosure may include: simpler design using patch antenna along with lens and actuator (mechanical or MEMs) as described in the disclosure, smaller / compact lens-antenna structure which may be reconfigured in realtime, lower cost and / or complexity, ease of implementation, lower power consumption, deployable at base station and / or end devices (e.g., machines, robots), adjustable beamwidth reconfiguration in real-time, may be used for design of base-station, end-devices, and / or repeater, the described reconfigurable lens apparatus and / or method may be used with a variety of radiation source types, may allow control of beam-steering and / or beamwidth reconfiguration using feedback mechanism as described elsewhere in the disclosure.

[0091] The present disclosure may find application in a smart factory environment using wireless communication, where robots and / or machines may be more deterministic in terms of movements, data rate (task-based), and / or signal quality, and may therefore provide a more optimized, simplified and customized protocol suitable for such environments. Beamwidth may be controlled and / or reconfigurable in real-time based on one or more of: position (e.g., gathered from the Manufacturing Execution System (MES) module of central controller of the manufacturing environment), data rate requirements, and / or link budget. One or more embodiments of the present disclosure may provide a more effective control of radio signal in the confined space (i.e., factory), and protocol and / or beamwidth selection optimization in real-time to maximise effective throughput when robots and / or machines (end devices) are executing different applications and tasks that require different packet sizes, intervals, and / or latencies.Example Implementation

[0092] In an example, the messages included the following data format: a. message uid 64 bits b. sender node id 64 bits c. receiver node id 64 bits d. channel id 64 bits e. message authentication code 256 or 512 bits f. sender public key length, sender public key g. cipher type h. cipher parameter 1 i. cipher parameter 2 j . cipher parameter 3 k. FEC encoding, FEC payload l. message integrity code 64 / 128 bits m. payload length n. payload

Claims

THE CLAIMS DEFINING THE INVENTION ARE AS FOLLOWS:

1. An apparatus for controlling a beamwidth of a millimeter-wave (mmW) device, the apparatus comprising: a. a lens; b. a mmW antenna; and c. an actuation arrangement operatively connected to the lens and the mmW antenna, wherein the actuation arrangement is configured to vary the beamwidth of the mmW antenna based on a control signal.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the mmW device is communicatively coupled to a first device, the first device being configured to communicate with a second device.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein, the control signal is a connection request sent between the first device and the second device.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the control signal comprises a data rate associated with the connection request.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the control signal further comprises a location of one or both the first device and the second device.

6. The apparatus of claim 3 or 4, wherein the actuation arrangement is configured to vary the beam width of the mmW antenna by increasing the beam width when the data rate is lower than a predetermined value.

7. The apparatus of claim 3 or 4, wherein the actuation arrangement is configured to vary the beamwidth of the mmW antenna by decreasing the beamwidth when the data rate is higher than a predetermined value.

8. The apparatus of any one of claims 2 to 7, wherein the connection request is initiated when the first device and the second device are in a common work zone.

9. The apparatus of any one of claims 4 to 8, wherein the data rate associated with the connection request is a data rate required for the first device or the second device to perform a task in an automated factory.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the actuation arrangement is further configured to vary the beam width of the mmW antenna based on a priority of the task.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein varying the beamwidth is based on a distance of the first device and / or the second device from a boundary of the common work zone.

12. The apparatus of any one of claims 4 to 11, wherein the data rate associated with the connection request is determined based on a time domain resource allocation and / or a frequency domain resource allocation.

13. The apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the varying the beam width further comprises varying a distance between the mmW antenna and the lens.

14. The apparatus of any one of claims 2 to 13, wherein varying the beamwidth is further based on a pre scribed link power budget for the first device and / or the second device .

15. A method of controlling a beam width of a millimeter-wave (mmW) antenna, the method comprising: a. receiving, at a base station, a connection request from an end-device at a location; b. determining a beam width of a mmW antenna of the base station and a data rate associated with the connection request from the end-device; and c. varying one or both of the beamwidth of the mmW antenna of the base station and the beamwidth of a mmW antenna of the end-device based on the determined data rate and the location.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein varying the beam width of the mmW antenna comprises increasing the beamwidth when the determined data rate is lower than a predetermined value.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein varying the beam width of the mmW antenna comprises decreasing the beamwidth when the determined data rate is higher than a predetermined value.

18. The method of any one of claims 15 to 17, wherein varying the beam width is further based on a priority of a task associated with the connection request.

19. The method of any one of claims 15 to 18, wherein the connection request is received when the end-device is activated in a work zone associated with the base station.

20. The method of any one of claims 15 to 19, wherein the data rate associated with the connection request is a data rate required to perform a task in an automated factory.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein varying the beamwidth is based on a distance of the end-device from a boundary of the work zone.

22. The method of any one of claims 15 to 21, wherein determining the data rate associated with the connection request further comprises determining a resource allocation of the base station.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the resource allocation further comprises a time domain allocation.

24. The method of claim 22 or 23, wherein the resource allocation further comprises a frequency domain allocation.

25. The method of any one of claims 15 to 24, wherein the varying the beam width of the mmW antenna of the base station further comprises varying a distance between the mmW antenna and a lens of the base station.

26. The method of any one of claims 15 to 25, wherein the varying the beamwidth of the mmW antenna of the end-device further comprises varying a distance between the mmW antenna and a lens of the end-device.

27. The method of any one of claims 15 to 26, wherein varying the beamwidth is further based on a prescribed link power budget for the end-device.

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