Adaptive antenna placement for cellular communication systems

Abstract

The present application discloses a solution for controlling an active antenna module in a cellular communication system. According to one aspect, a method includes: at a first time interval, causing a first antenna module and a second antenna module to provide overlapping coverage areas respectively within a service area of ​​an access node of the cellular communication system, wherein the first antenna module and the second antenna module are antenna modules of the access node, and each of the first antenna module and the second antenna module provides corresponding coverage within the service area of ​​the overlapping coverage area, and the corresponding coverage is independent of each other; and at a second time interval, causing the first antenna module and the second antenna module to provide non-overlapping coverage areas respectively.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Various embodiments described herein relate to the field of wireless communications, and in particular to adaptive antenna arrangements. Background Art

[0002] Conventional cellular communication systems are based on access nodes that provide one or more cells within a corresponding service area. Access nodes can provide multiple cells by using adaptive antennas and spatial directivity, so that the cells are formed by radio beams pointing in different directions. Cells are formed into different geographical areas, and radio signals associated with adjacent cells are generally seen to interfere with each other. Some overlap between radio signals may be required to provide seamless handover of terminal equipment from one cell to another.

[0003] From another perspective, microcells, picocells or femtocells are established within macrocells. In this case, different access nodes provide overlapping coverage areas, and signals from different access nodes or cells are again seen as interfering with each other. Summary of the invention

[0004] Some aspects of the disclosure are defined by the independent claims.

[0005] Some embodiments of the disclosure are defined in the dependent claims.

[0006] According to one aspect, a device is provided, comprising components for performing the following: at a first time interval, causing a first antenna module and a second antenna module to respectively provide overlapping coverage areas within a service area of ​​an access node of a cellular communication system, wherein the first antenna module and the second antenna module are antenna modules of the access node, and each of the first antenna module and the second antenna module provides corresponding coverage within the service area within the overlapping coverage area, and the corresponding coverage ranges are independent of each other; and at a second time interval, causing the first antenna module and the second antenna module to respectively provide non-overlapping coverage areas.

[0007] In an embodiment, the first antenna module is located at a different location within the service area than the second antenna module.

[0008] In an embodiment, the component is configured to cause the first antenna module to establish the first cell and cause the second antenna module to establish the second cell at a second time interval.

[0009] In an embodiment, the component is configured to cause the first antenna module to establish the first cell and cause the second antenna module to establish the second cell at a first time interval.

[0010] In an embodiment, each of the first antenna module and the second antenna module is configured to serve a plurality of terminal devices within its respective coverage area.

[0011] In an embodiment, the component is configured to control the first antenna module and the second antenna module based on measurement data received from at least one terminal device and / or at least one antenna module in the cell.

[0012] In an embodiment, the first antenna module is configured to cover substantially the entire service area, and wherein the component is configured to cause the second antenna module to direct the radio beam towards the service area during the first time interval and to direct the radio beam away from the service area during the second time interval.

[0013] In an embodiment, the component is configured to perform said causing at a first time interval after detecting at least one terminal device requesting a connection specifying a reliability requirement above a determined threshold and to perform said causing at a second time interval after detecting termination of a connection.

[0014] In an embodiment, the component is also configured to individually select a MIMO configuration for each of the first antenna module and the second antenna module for the first time interval and for the second time interval from among a plurality of multiple-input multiple-output MIMO configurations supported by each of the first antenna module and the second antenna module, wherein the MIMO configuration is defined based on the number of transmit antennas and receive antennas.

[0015] In an embodiment, the second antenna module is configured to provide connectivity within the overlapping coverage area during a first time interval in the event of a failure of the first antenna module.

[0016] In an embodiment, the component is configured to change the boundaries of the service area of ​​the access node by switching control of at least one of the first antenna module and the second antenna module from the access node to another access node, or by switching control of the other antenna module from the other access node to the access node.

[0017] According to one aspect, a device is provided, comprising components for: receiving a signal from a first antenna module of an access node and a second antenna module of the access node at a first time interval, wherein the first antenna unit and the second antenna unit respectively provide overlapping coverage areas within a service area of ​​the access node, and wherein each of the first antenna module and the second antenna module provides a corresponding coverage range within the service area within the overlapping coverage area, and the corresponding coverage ranges are independent of each other; and receiving a signal from one of the first antenna unit and the second antenna unit at a second time interval, wherein the first antenna unit and the second antenna unit respectively provide coverage areas that do not overlap with each other.

[0018] In an embodiment, the component is further configured to measure a signal received from at least one of the first antenna module and the second antenna module during at least one of the first time interval and the second time interval, and report corresponding measurement data to the access node.

[0019] In an embodiment, the above-mentioned components include: at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code being configured to, together with the at least one processor, cause execution of the apparatus.

[0020] According to one aspect, a device is provided, comprising at least one processor and at least one memory comprising computer program code, wherein the memory and the computer program code are configured to cause the device, together with the at least one processor: at a first time interval, cause a first antenna module and a second antenna module to respectively provide overlapping coverage areas within a service area of ​​an access node of a cellular communication system, wherein the first antenna module and the second antenna module are antenna modules of the access node, and each of the first antenna module and the second antenna module provides a corresponding coverage range within the service area within the overlapping coverage area, and the corresponding coverage ranges are independent of each other; at a second time interval, cause the first antenna module and the second antenna module to respectively provide non-overlapping coverage areas.

[0021] In an embodiment, the first antenna module is located at a different location within the service area than the second antenna module.

[0022] In an embodiment, the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to cause the first antenna module to establish the first cell and cause the second antenna module to establish the second cell at a second time interval.

[0023] In an embodiment, at least one memory and computer program code are configured to, with at least one processor, cause the apparatus to cause the first antenna module to establish a first cell and cause the second antenna module to establish a second cell during the first time interval.

[0024] In an embodiment, each of the first antenna module and the second antenna module is configured to serve a plurality of terminal devices within its respective coverage area.

[0025] In an embodiment, at least one memory and computer program code are configured to, with at least one processor, cause the apparatus to control the first antenna module and the second antenna module based on measurement data received from at least one terminal device and / or at least one antenna module in the cell.

[0026] In an embodiment, the first antenna module is configured to cover substantially the entire service area, and the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, together with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to cause the second antenna module to: direct the radio beam toward the service area during the first time interval, and direct the radio beam away from the service area during the second time interval.

[0027] In an embodiment, at least one memory and computer program code are configured to, together with at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform said causing at a first time interval after detecting that at least one terminal device requests a connection specifying a reliability requirement above a determined threshold, and to perform said causing at a second time interval after detecting termination of the connection.

[0028] In an embodiment, at least one memory and computer program code are configured to, together with at least one processor, cause the apparatus to: individually select a MIMO configuration for each of the first antenna module and the second antenna module for a first time interval and for a second time interval among a plurality of multiple-input multiple-output MIMO configurations supported by each of the first antenna module and the second antenna module, wherein the MIMO configuration is defined according to the number of transmitting antennas and receiving antennas.

[0029] In an embodiment, the second antenna module is configured to provide connectivity within the overlapping coverage area during a first time interval in the event of a failure of the first antenna module.

[0030] In an embodiment, at least one memory and computer program code are configured to, together with at least one processor, cause the apparatus to change the boundary of a service area of ​​an access node by switching control of at least one of the first antenna module and the second antenna module from the access node to another access node, or by switching control of another antenna module from the other access node to the access node.

[0031] According to one aspect, a device is provided, comprising at least one memory and computer program code, which are configured to cause the device, together with at least one processor, to: receive a signal from a first antenna module of an access node and a second antenna module of the access node at a first time interval, wherein the first antenna unit and the second antenna unit respectively provide overlapping coverage areas within a service area of ​​the access node, and wherein each of the first antenna module and the second antenna module provides corresponding coverage within the service area within the overlapping coverage area, and the corresponding coverages are independent of each other; and receive a signal from one of the first antenna unit and the second antenna unit at a second time interval, wherein the first antenna unit and the second antenna unit respectively provide coverage areas that do not overlap with each other.

[0032] In an embodiment, at least one memory and computer program code are configured to, together with at least one processor, cause the apparatus to measure, during at least one of a first time interval and a second time interval, a signal received from at least one of the first antenna module and the second antenna module, and report corresponding measurement data to an access node.

[0033] According to one aspect, a method is provided, comprising: at a first time interval, causing a first antenna module and a second antenna module to respectively provide overlapping coverage areas within a service area of ​​an access node of a cellular communication system, wherein the first antenna module and the second antenna module are antenna modules of the access node, and each of the first antenna module and the second antenna module provides corresponding coverage within the service area within the overlapping coverage area, and the corresponding coverages are independent of each other; and at a second time interval, causing the first antenna module and the second antenna module to respectively provide non-overlapping coverage areas.

[0034] In an embodiment, the first antenna module is located at a different location within the service area than the second antenna module.

[0035] In an embodiment, the method comprises causing the first antenna module to establish the first cell and the second antenna module to establish the second cell at a second time interval.

[0036] In an embodiment, the method comprises causing the first antenna module to establish a first cell and the second antenna module to establish a second cell during a first time interval.

[0037] In an embodiment, each of the first antenna module and the second antenna module is configured to serve a plurality of terminal devices within its respective coverage area.

[0038] In an embodiment, the first antenna module and the second antenna module are controlled based on measurement data received from at least one terminal device and / or at least one antenna module in the cell.

[0039] In an embodiment, the first antenna module is configured to cover substantially the entire service area and the second antenna module is configured to steer the radio beam towards the service area during a first time interval and steer the radio beam away from the service area during a second time interval.

[0040] In an embodiment, said causing at a first time interval is performed upon detecting at least one terminal device requesting a connection specifying a reliability requirement above a determined threshold, and said causing is performed at a second time interval after detecting termination of the connection.

[0041] In an embodiment, the method includes individually selecting a MIMO configuration for each of the first antenna module and the second antenna module for a first time interval and for a second time interval among a plurality of multiple-input multiple-output MIMO configurations supported by each of the antenna modules in the first antenna module and the second antenna module, wherein the MIMO configuration is defined according to the number of transmitting antennas and receiving antennas.

[0042] In an embodiment, the second antenna module is configured to provide connectivity within the overlapping coverage area during a first time interval in the event of a failure of the first antenna module.

[0043] In an embodiment, the boundary of the service area of ​​the access node is changed by switching control of at least one of the first antenna module and the second antenna module from the access node to another access node, or by switching control of the other antenna module from the other access node to the access node.

[0044] According to one aspect, a method includes: receiving a signal from a first antenna module of an access node and a second antenna module of the access node at a first time interval, wherein the first antenna unit and the second antenna unit respectively provide overlapping coverage areas within a service area of ​​the access node, and wherein each of the first antenna module and the second antenna module provides corresponding coverage within the service area within the overlapping coverage area, and the corresponding coverages are independent of each other; and receiving a signal from one of the first antenna unit and the second antenna unit at a second time interval, wherein the first antenna unit and the second antenna unit respectively provide coverage areas that do not overlap with each other.

[0045] In an embodiment, the method further comprises measuring a signal received from at least one of the first antenna module and the second antenna module during at least one of the first time interval and the second time interval, and reporting corresponding measurement data to the access node.

[0046] In an embodiment, the method is performed by a terminal device served by an access node.

[0047] According to one aspect, a computer program product is provided, which is implemented on a computer-readable medium and includes a computer program code readable by a computer, wherein the computer program code configures the computer to execute a computer process including the steps of any one of the above method or its embodiments.

[0048] In an embodiment, the computer readable medium is non-transitory. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0049] Embodiments are described below by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0050] Figure 1 The present invention illustrates a wireless communication scenario in which some embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied;

[0051] Figure 2 Exemplary antenna module deployments are illustrated.

[0052] Figure 3 and Figure 4 An embodiment of a process employing dynamic alignment of multiple antenna modules is illustrated.

[0053] FIG. 5A to FIG. 9 Various deployment schemes for antenna modules according to various embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated.

[0054] Fig.10 illustrates an embodiment of the incorporation of control antenna modules and control points according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0055] Fig.11A process for controlling an antenna module according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is illustrated; and

[0056] Fig.12 and Fig.13 A block diagram illustrating the structure of an apparatus according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0057] The following embodiments are examples. Although the specification may refer to "one", "an" or "some" embodiments in several places, this does not necessarily mean that each such reference refers to the same (multiple) embodiments, or that the function is only applicable to a single embodiment. Individual features of different embodiments may also be combined to provide other embodiments. In addition, the words "comprises" and "comprising" should be understood as not limiting the described embodiments to only those features that have been mentioned, and such embodiments may also include features / structures that are not specifically mentioned.

[0058] In the following, different exemplary embodiments will be described using a radio access architecture based on Advanced Long Term Evolution (Advanced LTE, LTE-A) or New Radio (NR, 5G) as an example of an access architecture to which the embodiments may be applied, without however limiting the embodiments to such architectures. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the embodiments may also be applied to other kinds of communication networks with appropriate components by appropriately adjusting the parameters and procedures. Some examples of other options suitable for the system are Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Radio Access Network (UTRAN or E-UTRAN), Long Term Evolution (LTE, same as E-UTRA), Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN or WiFi), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), Personal Communications Service (PCS), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), systems using Ultra-Wideband (UWB) technology, sensor networks, mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs), and Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), or any combination thereof.

[0059] Figure 1 An example of a simplified system architecture is depicted showing only some elements and functional entities, which are all logical units and whose implementation may differ from what is shown. Figure 1 The connections shown in are logical connections; the actual physical connections may be different. It is obvious to those skilled in the art that the system typically also includes Figure 1 Other functions and structures than those shown in .

[0060] However, the embodiments are not limited to the systems given as examples, but a person skilled in the art may apply the solution to other communication systems provided with the necessary properties.

[0061] Figure 1 The example of FIG. 1 shows a portion of an exemplary radio access network.

[0062] Figure 1 Terminal devices or user equipment 100 and 102 are shown configured to be in a wireless connection on one or more communication channels in a cell, where an access node (such as (e / g)NodeB) 104 provides the cell. (e / g)NodeB refers to eNodeB or gNodeB as defined in the 3GPP specification. The physical link from the user equipment to the (e / g)NodeB is called an uplink or reverse link, and the physical link from the (e / g)NodeB to the user equipment is called a downlink or forward link. It should be understood that the (e / g)NodeB or its functions can be implemented by using any node, host, server or access point entity suitable for such usage.

[0063] A communication system typically includes more than one (e / g)NodeB, in which case the (e / g)NodeBs may also be configured to communicate with each other via links (wired or wireless) designed for this purpose. These links may be used not only for signaling purposes, but also for routing data from one (e / g)NodeB to another (e / g)NodeB. (e / g)NodeB is a computing device configured to control the radio resources of the communication system to which it is coupled. The NodeB may also be referred to as a base station, an access point, an access node, or any other type of interface device including a relay station capable of operating in a wireless environment. (e / g)NodeB includes or is coupled to a transceiver. From the transceiver of the (e / g)NodeB, a connection is provided to an antenna unit, which establishes a bidirectional radio link to a user equipment. The antenna unit may include multiple antennas or antenna elements. (e / g)NodeB is also connected to a core network 110 (CN or next generation core NGC). Depending on the system, the counterpart on the CN side can be a serving gateway (S-GW, routing and forwarding user data packets), a packet data network gateway (P-GW), which is used to provide a connection between the user equipment (UE) and an external packet data network or a mobility management entity (MME), etc.

[0064] User equipment (also referred to as UE, user device, user terminal, terminal device, etc.) illustrates a type of device to which resources on the air interface are allocated and assigned, and therefore any features described herein with user equipment can be implemented using corresponding devices (such as relay nodes). An example of such a relay node is a layer 3 relay (self-backhaul relay) towards a base station.

[0065] A user device generally refers to a portable computing device including a wireless mobile communication device operating with or without a subscriber identity module (SIM), including but not limited to the following types of devices: mobile stations (mobile phones), smart phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), cell phones, devices using wireless modems (alarms or measuring devices, etc.), laptops and / or touch screen computers, tablets, game consoles, notebook computers, and multimedia devices. It should be understood that a user device may also be an almost exclusive uplink-only device, an example of which is a camera or video camera that loads images or video clips to a network. A user device may also be a device with the ability to operate in an Internet of Things (IoT) network, which is a scenario in which an object is provided with the ability to transmit data over a network without human-to-human or human-to-computer interaction. A user device may also utilize the cloud. In some applications, a user device may include a small portable device (such as a watch, headset, or glasses) with a radio component, and the calculation is performed in the cloud. A user device (or in some embodiments, a layer 3 relay node) is configured to perform one or more of the user device functions. A user device may also be called a subscriber unit, a mobile station, a remote terminal, an access terminal, a user terminal, or user equipment (UE), to mention just a few names or devices.

[0066] The various techniques described herein may also be applied to cyber-physical systems (CPS) (systems of computing elements that collaboratively control physical entities). CPS can support the implementation and development of a large number of interconnected ICT devices (sensors, actuators, processors, microcontrollers, etc.) embedded in physical objects at different locations. Mobile cyber-physical systems, where the physical system in question has inherent mobility, are a subcategory of cyber-physical systems. Examples of mobile physical systems include mobile robots and electronics that are transported by humans or animals.

[0067] Additionally, although the apparatus has been depicted as a single entity, different units, processors and / or memory units may be implemented ( Figure 1 Not all are shown).

[0068] 5G supports the use of multiple input-multiple output (MIMO) antennas, many more base stations or nodes than LTE (the so-called small cell concept), including macro sites that operate in collaboration with smaller stations and adopt multiple radio technologies depending on service requirements, use cases and / or available spectrum. 5G mobile communications support a variety of use cases and related applications, including video streaming, augmented reality, different ways of sharing data, and various forms of machine-type applications (such as (massive) machine-type communications (mMTC)), including vehicle safety, different sensors and real-time control. 5G is expected to have multiple radio interfaces (i.e., below 6GHz, centimeter wave and millimeter wave), and can also be integrated with existing traditional radio access technologies (such as LTE). The integration with LTE can be implemented as a system, at least in the early stages, in which LTE provides macro coverage and 5G radio interface access comes from small cells by aggregation to LTE. In other words, 5G plans to support inter-RAT operability (such as LTE-5G) and inter-RI operability (inter-radio interface operability, such as below 6GHz-centimeter wave, below 6GHz-centimeter wave-millimeter wave). One of the concepts considered for use in 5G networks is network slicing, in which multiple independent and dedicated virtual subnetworks (network instances) can be created within the same infrastructure to run services with different requirements for latency, reliability, throughput, and mobility.

[0069] The current architecture in LTE networks is completely distributed in the radio and is often completely centralized in the core network. Low-latency applications and services in 5G require content to be close to the radio, leading to local bursts and multi-access edge computing (MEC). 5G enables analysis and knowledge generation to be performed at the data source. This approach requires the use of resources that may not be continuously connected to the network, such as laptops, smartphones, tablets, and sensors. MEC provides a distributed computing environment for application and service hosting. It also has the ability to store and process content near cellular subscribers to speed up response times. Edge computing covers a variety of technologies such as wireless sensor networks, mobile data collection, mobile signature analysis, collaborative distributed peer-to-peer self-organizing networks and processing, and can also be divided into local cloud / fog computing and grid / mesh computing, dew computing, mobile edge computing, small cloud blocks, distributed data storage and retrieval, autonomous self-healing networks, remote cloud services, augmented and virtual reality, data caching, Internet of Things (massive connectivity and / or latency critical), critical communications (autonomous driving vehicles, traffic safety, real-time analysis, time-critical control, healthcare applications).

[0070] The communication system may also be able to communicate with or utilize services provided by other networks, such as the public switched telephone network or the Internet 112. The communication network may also be able to support the use of cloud services, for example, at least a portion of the core network operations may be performed as a cloud service (this is in the Figure 1 114). The communication system may also include a central control entity or the like which provides facilities for networks of different operators to collaborate, for example in spectrum sharing.

[0071] Edge cloud can be introduced into the radio access network (RAN) by utilizing network function virtualization (NVF) and software defined networking (SDN). Using edge cloud may mean that access node operations will be performed at least partially in a server, host or node that is operably coupled to a remote radio head or base station including radio components. Node operations may also be distributed among multiple servers, nodes or hosts. The application of cloudRAN architecture enables RAN real-time functions to be performed on the RAN side (in distributed units DU 104) and enables non-real-time functions to be performed in a centralized manner (in centralized units CU108).

[0072] It should also be understood that the functional distribution between core network operations and base station operations may be different from that of LTE, or even non-existent. Some other technological advances that may be used are big data and all-IP, which may change the way networks are built and managed. 5G (or New Radio NR) networks are designed to support multiple hierarchical structures, where MEC servers can be placed between the core and the base station or Node B (gNB). It should be understood that MEC can also be applied to 4G networks.

[0073] 5G can also make use of satellite communications to enhance or supplement the coverage of 5G services, for example by providing backhaul. Possible use cases are to provide service continuity for machine-to-machine (M2M) or Internet of Things (IoT) devices or for passengers in vehicles, or to ensure service availability for critical communications and future railway, maritime and / or aviation communications. Satellite communications can make use of geostationary earth orbit (GEO) satellite systems, but also low earth orbit (LEO) satellite systems, in particular super constellations (systems in which hundreds of (nano) satellites are deployed). Each satellite 106 in a super constellation can cover several satellite-enabled network entities creating a ground cell. The ground cell can be created by a ground relay node 104 or by a gNB located on the ground or in a satellite.

[0074] It is obvious to a person skilled in the art that the depicted system is only an example of a part of a radio access system, and in practice the system may include multiple (e / g)NodeBs, a user equipment may have access to multiple radio cells, and the system may also include other devices, such as physical layer relay nodes or other network elements, etc. At least one of the (e / g)NodeBs may be a home (e / g)NodeB. In addition, in a geographical area of ​​the radio communication system, a plurality of different kinds of radio cells as well as a plurality of radio cells may be provided. The radio cells may be macro cells (or umbrella cells), which are large cells typically having a diameter of up to tens of kilometers, or smaller cells, such as micro cells, femto cells, or pico cells. Figure 1 The (e / g)NodeB can provide any kind of these cells. A cellular radio system can be implemented as a multi-layer network including several kinds of cells. Typically, in a multi-layer network, one access node provides one or more kinds of cells, and therefore multiple (e / g)NodeBs are required to provide this network structure.

[0075] In order to meet the needs of improving the deployment and performance of communication systems, the concept of "plug and play" (e / g) NodeB is introduced. Generally, a network that can use "plug and play" (e / g) NodeB includes, in addition to the home (e / g) NodeB (H(e / g) NodeB), a home NodeB gateway, or HNB-GW ( Figure 1 The HNB Gateway (HNB-GW), which is usually installed in the operator's network, may aggregate services from a large number of HNBs back to the core network.

[0076] Figure 2 The diagram illustrates a scenario in which the access node 104 is configured to provide radio coverage to terminal devices within its service area 200. The access node 104 may be configured to cover the service area using one omnidirectional radio beam or using multiple spatially directional radio beams directed in different directions (e.g., to form three sectors within the service area 200). The sectors may be separated vertically in the lateral direction, such as Figure 2As shown, and / or vertically separated in the horizontal direction. Depending on the implementation, each sector can form different cells or different sectors of the same cell. The sectors can be logically separated by different identifiers (e.g., cell or sector identifiers broadcast by access node 104), or the sectors can share the same identifier. The sectors are usually static, and the access node can be able to guide the radio beams in each sector to provide multiple input multiple output (MIMO) connections to individual terminal devices in each sector. As described in the background technology, the secondary cell 202 or femtocell can be provided by another access node in the service area 200, and the secondary cell usually also has a fixed coverage area. Although the coverage areas of different radio beams providing different sectors / cells may overlap, they are generally intended to provide only enough overlap for switching purposes, so as to minimize interference between sectors / cells. The cells (e.g., 200 and 202) with high overlapping coverage areas are usually arranged as different frequency bands to minimize interference.

[0077] In such static solutions, typically a single antenna arrangement (such as an antenna module) typically manages one sector / cell or a portion of a sector / cell single-handedly. If such an antenna module fails or breaks, it is typically deactivated for at least a certain duration in the area covered by the antenna module. Such deactivation may only inconvenience the consumer, but may cause significant damage in critical applications such as emergency applications or autonomous transportation that rely on connectivity. On the other hand, such a solution is not very flexible to changing needs for connectivity at variable areas of the service area 200.

[0078] Figure 3 and Figure 4 Some embodiments are illustrated for dynamic adaptation of antenna modules to provide various coverage areas within the service area of ​​the access node 104. Figure 3 The process of controlling the directivity of the radio signal of the antenna module from the physical perspective of the control is illustrated, and Figure 4 The diagram shows the process from the perspective of the terminal equipment within the service area. Figure 3 , the process includes: causing (box 300) the first antenna module and the second antenna module to provide overlapping coverage areas within a service area of ​​an access node of a cellular communication system at a first time interval, wherein the first antenna module and the second antenna module are antenna modules of the access node, and each of the first antenna module and the second antenna module provides independent coverage within the service area within the overlapping coverage area; and causing (302) the first antenna module and the second antenna module to provide non-overlapping coverage areas at a second time interval.

[0079] refer to Figure 4, the process includes at the terminal device: receiving (box 400) a signal from a first antenna module of an access node and a second antenna module of the access node at a first time interval, wherein the first antenna unit and the second antenna unit provide overlapping coverage areas within a service area of ​​the access node, and wherein each of the first antenna module and the second antenna module provides independent coverage in the service area within the overlapping coverage area; and, receiving (box 402) a signal from only one of the first antenna unit and the second antenna unit that provide coverage areas that do not overlap with each other at a second time interval.

[0080] In both processes, the second time interval is different from the first time interval. Accordingly, the antenna modules of the access node can be configured to provide varying coverage areas within the service area of ​​the access node, thereby achieving flexibility in providing wireless services within the service area. The independent coverage provided by each antenna module during the first time interval can be understood as providing reliability for the event that one of the antenna modules fails. For example, in the event that the first antenna module fails, the second antenna module ensures connectivity within the overlapping coverage area during the first time interval. In the second time interval, the antenna modules cover different coverage areas, thereby providing reduced reliability to each other, but together cover a wider coverage area.

[0081] Antenna module may refer to an independent antenna module having control authority independent of the control entity of the access node. Modern antenna modules of access nodes are called active antenna systems (AAS), and the AAS includes active radio frequency components. Distributed AAS contains multiple such antenna modules that can be independently controlled. Each antenna module may be capable of MIMO communication, providing multiple transmit and multiple receive antennas, for example, 2x2 MIMO, 4x4 MIMO, 8x8 MIMO, etc. The antenna modules may be provided in different housings with different input / output connectors.

[0082] The control entity may perform the above Figure 3 The control entity may control the coverage area of ​​each antenna module and dynamically control the multiple antenna modules of the access node to provide a varying coverage area within the service area of ​​the access node. Accordingly, the control entity may select one or more areas within the service area where increased redundancy and increased reliability are required (overlapping coverage areas) and areas where coverage of only one antenna module is sufficient (non-overlapping coverage areas). Depending on the needs of the corresponding part of the service area, the control entity may control the coverage area of ​​each antenna module and further control the MIMO configuration individually for each antenna module.

[0083] In the case of a distributed AAS, a first antenna module is located at a different location within the service area than a second antenna module. Accordingly, due to their different locations, independent directivity control can be calculated for each antenna module. The antenna modules are connected to the same base station site and are therefore separated by only a few feet or meters. However, at least some of the antenna modules controlled by the control entity may be farther away, for example, even separated by hundreds of feet / meters from other antenna modules, as shown in the various embodiments below.

[0084] By providing one or more cells and / or sectors within the service area, the combined coverage area of ​​the antenna modules of the access node 104 can substantially cover the service area of ​​the access node 104, or even the entire service area. By using the principles of the described embodiments, temporary coverage gaps within the service area may also be allowed, for example in areas without terminal devices. Thus, interference to other systems may be reduced. How the service area is covered by multiple antenna modules or multiple access nodes may be dynamically adapted based on the observed conditions in the service area (e.g., type of radio link, terminal device, mobility).

[0085] In an embodiment, each antenna module is configured to serve multiple terminal devices within its respective coverage area. Accordingly, the coverage area is different from the case where multiple MIMO beams are directed to a single terminal device.

[0086] Figure 5A and Figure 5B An embodiment of the coverage area of ​​different antenna modules 500, 502 of an access node during a first time interval (5A) and a second time interval (5B) is illustrated. The control entity 510 described above may control the coverage area of ​​the antenna modules 500, 502. For example, the control entity 510 may be referred to as a consolidation and control point (CCP). In addition to the antenna modules 500 and 502 that are separate from the base station site of the access node 104, one or more antenna modules may be provided at the base station site, for example to provide omnidirectional coverage over substantially the entire service area 200, or one or more fixed conventional antenna modules may be provided to provide a static coverage area. As an alternative to omnidirectional coverage, directivity may be employed when coverage of the service area is desired.

[0087] refer to Figure 5A , the CCP can control both antenna module 500 and antenna module 502 to direct coverage to the area where the terminal device 504 is located, thereby providing improved and overlapping coverage to the location and area of ​​the terminal device 504. The coverage area of ​​the antenna modules 500, 502 is determined by the Figure 5A and Figure 5BIn addition, the antenna modules at the base station site can be controlled to provide further coverage through omnidirectional coverage that further overlaps the coverage area of ​​antenna modules 500, 502. In other words, at least three antenna modules can be directed to cover the area where the terminal device 504 is located, thereby providing a very high reliability of the communication connection to the terminal device 504.

[0088] In the second time interval, the CCP controls the antenna modules 500, 502 to provide non-overlapping coverage areas. During the second time interval, neither antenna module 500, 502 can be pointed at the terminal device 504, and the terminal device can be served by (multiple) omnidirectional radio beams provided from the base station site of the access node 104. For example, Figure 5A and 5B The use case of the scenario is to enable the terminal device to establish a connection that requires reliable connectivity, for example, in conjunction with the ultra-reliable low latency (URLLC) connection specified in the 5G specification. After establishing such a connection, CCP 510 can establish Figure 5A When the connection ends (the first time interval expires), the CCP can switch to, for example Figure 5B A similar approach can be applied to any connection that specifies a reliability requirement above a determined threshold. The reliability requirement can be specified in terms of latency, packet loss rate, outage probability, etc.

[0089] In one embodiment, the service area of ​​an access node may undergo changes. As described above, gaps in the coverage area may be allowed in areas without terminal devices. Accordingly, observed traffic conditions and the mobility of terminal devices may be used to adaptively change the size of the service area. The service area may also be changed by transferring control of a particular antenna module from one access node to another. Accordingly, other access nodes may assume responsibility for a portion of the service area by assuming control of the antenna module. In this scenario, quality conditions may drive fixed changes in the service area. For example, if an antenna module exhibits poor link quality in a service area, it may be transferred to serve another service area. Adopting a new antenna module in a service area may also result in changes in the service area, such as increasing the service area. In a similar manner, the removal of an antenna module may reduce the service area. Changing the coverage area of ​​one or more antenna modules of an access node may also be used to change the size of the service area.

[0090] In an embodiment, for example, antenna modules 500, 502 are each controlled by a CCP to apply a MIMO configuration for a coverage area of ​​the corresponding antenna module 500, 502. Each antenna module 500, 502 may be individually controlled to apply a MIMO configuration in a first time interval and a second time interval among a plurality of MIMO configurations supported by each antenna module 500, 502.

[0091] In an embodiment, during a first time interval, antenna module 500 is configured to establish a first cell and antenna module 502 is configured to establish a second cell, and the first cell and the second cell may have overlapping coverage areas. Most of the coverage areas of the cells may overlap. In another embodiment, both antenna modules 500, 502 are configured to establish a first cell and a second cell with completely, mainly or partially overlapping coverage areas. Figure 6 An embodiment is illustrated in which during a first time interval, substantially the entire service area is covered by each antenna module 500, 502, and the two antenna modules 500, 502 establish a first cell 600 and a second cell 602 within the service area. Both cells 600, 602 can substantially cover the entire service area. Cell 600 can be arranged on one frequency band, and cell 600 can be arranged on another different and non-overlapping frequency band. The terminal device 504 now has the ability to connect to one of the cells 600, 602 via one or both of the antenna modules 500, 502. As a result, the terminal device 504 is provided with at least four channels through which access to the radio access network is obtained through the access node: antenna module 500 and cell 600; antenna module 500 and cell 602; antenna module 502 and cell 600; and antenna module 502 and cell 602.

[0092] Figure 7 Another embodiment is shown, in which antenna modules 500, 502 are arranged to provide overlapping coverage areas during a first time interval. Figure 6 The scenario of FIG. 5 is different in that the cells 700, 702 established by the antenna modules 500, 502 only partially cover the service area. In this case, the cells 700, 702 are established to cover the area where the terminal device 504 resides. Additionally, the antenna modules at the base station site can form an omnidirectional beam that substantially covers the service area 200, thus providing an additional option for connecting the terminal device 504 to the radio access network.

[0093] In an embodiment, antenna module 500 is configured to establish a first cell, and antenna module 502 is configured to establish a second cell at a second time interval. Figure 8 Such an embodiment is illustrated. Figure 8Examples and Figure 6 and Figure 7 The embodiment of the invention differs in that the coverage areas of the antenna modules are non-overlapping within the service area, as specified above for the second time interval. Figure 6 and 7 As described, each antenna module can provide two different cells, for example, on different frequency bands, or they can provide a single cell. The cell provided by antenna module 500 can be the same as the cell provided by antenna module 502, or antenna modules 500, 502 can provide different cells during the second time interval. The cell can be different from the cell provided by (multiple) antenna modules at the base station site covering the entire service area.

[0094] In an embodiment, when the antenna module is provided at a base station site, the antenna module may be configured to implement during the second time interval Figure 2 sectorized coverage area.

[0095] exist Fig. 9 In the embodiment illustrated in , the antenna module 900 located outside the service area 200 is configured to direct the radio beam toward the service area 200 during a first time interval and to direct the radio beam away from the service area 200 during a second time interval. Fig. 9 This operation is illustrated during a first time interval, where the CCP 510 controls the antenna module 900 to provide a coverage area that overlaps with the coverage area of ​​the antenna module 502. The CCP may detect, for example, a critical radio connection within a portion of a service area and determine that the antenna modules provided within the service area are insufficient to provide the required radio coverage to the area, so the CCP 510 controls the antenna modules outside the service area to provide the required radio coverage. The antenna module 900 may, for example, be an antenna module of a neighboring access node. When the first time interval expires, the antenna module 900 may be directed to provide a coverage area outside the service area. By using the principles of the present disclosure, wireless coverage may therefore be arranged within the service area of ​​one access node by temporarily redirecting the radio beam of another access node to the service area. In a similar manner, any of the antenna modules 500, 502 associated with the antenna node 104 may be controlled by the CCP 510 to direct the radio beam during the first time interval, the second time interval, and / or another time interval to provide a coverage area outside the service area 200 of the access node. Accordingly, further flexibility may be achieved.

[0096] Next, let us describe some embodiments for utilizing overlapping coverage during the first time interval. When the same area is covered by multiple antenna modules and it is known that the area includes a terminal device 504 connected to the radio access network, the antenna module can be used to page / receive the same signal to / from the terminal device 504. Accordingly, diversity gain can be achieved. In another embodiment, spatial multiplexing for one or more terminal devices can be achieved by transmitting / receiving different (data) signals via different antenna modules. Such spatial multiplexing does not have to be link-specific multiplexing, but rather can be performed in the sense that each antenna module can transmit / receive (data) signals to / from multiple terminal devices in its respective coverage area using the same radiation pattern. The spatially distant antenna modules covering the same area during the first time interval inherently provide orthogonal radio paths, which can be separated by the terminal devices located in the area. As a result, two antenna modules each having two transmitting antennas and two receiving antennas can implement a 4x4 MIMO configuration within the area. In another embodiment, other link-specific directivities within the coverage area are used for antenna modules to provide multiple MIMO paths to individual terminal devices.

[0097] In the above-described embodiment, CCP 510 is common to all antenna modules. Fig.10 Another embodiment is shown in which a dedicated CCP is provided for each antenna module. Such an embodiment is applicable to all the above embodiments. Providing multiple CCPs 1000, 1002, 1004 to control the antenna modules of the access nodes of the management service area 200 provides diversity at the CCP level. If one of the CCPs fails, another CCP can replace the failed CCP. The CCPs can exchange any data or information required for decision making regarding antenna module control, such as Fig.10 As shown by the lines between CCPs.

[0098] (Multiple) CCPs 1000 to CCP 1004 may be physically located in the corresponding antenna modules or physically separated from the corresponding antenna modules. Data or signals transmitted to and received from the terminal device by the antenna module may be coupled to a common baseband path. In other words, when the terminal device communicates with one or more antenna modules providing the same cell or even different cells, common baseband signal processing may be applied. The baseband signal processing may thus combine different spatial branches through which (multiple) signals are transmitted to / received from the terminal device. (Multiple) CCPs may be coupled to a baseband signal processing unit that manages the baseband signal processing, thereby acquiring measurement data measured by the terminal device. The (multiple) CCPs may then output control signals to the baseband signal processing to control, for example, (multiple) MIMO configurations. (Multiple) CCPs may be coupled between the baseband signal processing and the antenna modules. In the case where the baseband signal processing is performed by using cloud computing, the (multiple) CCPs may be provided in a cloud computing system or coupled to a cloud computing system that performs the baseband signal processing. In other words, the physical location of the CCP(s) may be very close to the antenna module, or even in the antenna module, or very far away from the antenna module, such as in a server in a core network of a cellular communication system, or even further away.

[0099] The CCP(s) may also control the boundaries of the service area of ​​the access node. Upon determining to switch the additional antenna module from another access node to control of the access node 104, the CCP(s) may also control the switching of baseband processing from another access node to the access node 104. In a similar manner, upon determining to switch the antenna module from the control of the access node 104 to the control of the another access node, the CCP(s) may also control the switching of baseband processing from the access node 104 to the another access node.

[0100] The (multiple) CCPs may control commonly known parameters of the respective antenna modules that affect the radiation pattern of the antenna modules: for example, transmission power, antenna tilt or alignment, and digital and / or analog beamforming parameters. The control may be based on at least one of the following input parameters: measurement data from one or more terminal devices in the service area 200, measurement data from the antenna modules, network-level information obtained from the radio access network, location and / or mobility of the (multiple) terminal devices in the service area, and information type of traffic and / or links in the service area. In some embodiments, the (multiple) CCPs may additionally control the terminal devices in the service area. Fig.11 An embodiment of a process for controlling an antenna module is shown. The process may be performed in a single CCP 510 or distributed among multiple CCPs 1000 to 1004.

[0101] Each CCP can receive measurement data from the antenna modules controlled by the CCP, and additionally, can also directly receive measurement data from other antenna modules in the service area, such as Fig.10 As shown by the dashed lines, the antenna modules are connected to CCPs 1000, 1004.

[0102] refer to Fig.11 , the process includes obtaining input parameters in box 1100. In this figure, the arrows only show possible steps that may be taken, and do not necessarily mean that all steps are taken at the same time. The input parameters may include at least some of the input parameters described in the above paragraphs. The measurement data measured by one or more terminal devices (user equipment, UE) may include signal strength or signal quality measured from signals received from one or more antenna modules. The terminal device may be able to distinguish antenna modules based on a cell identifier, sector identifier, or antenna module identifier carried by the measurement signal, or by other means known in the art. In box 1100, further input parameters of (multiple) terminal devices may be obtained, such as the location, altitude, capabilities and limitations, service requirement information, orientation, and speed of each terminal device. By using this information, the CCP is able to establish a description of the location and mobility of the terminal devices, their traffic requirements, the current ability to communicate with different antenna modules, etc.

[0103] The measurement data received from the antenna modules may include sensor data obtained from one or more sensors coupled to each antenna module. Such measurement data may include the location, height, orientation, mechanical tilt angle of the antenna unit, and / or environmental information that affects radio propagation, such as weather conditions, wind, cloud and rain information. The antenna module may measure the signal strength of signals received from one or more other antenna modules of the access node 104 and / or adjacent access nodes. Using such measurement data, the CCP is able to calculate beam directivity parameters that configure the antenna module to direct the radio beam to cover a desired area within the service area.

[0104] The network-level information obtained from the radio access network may include one or more of the following: transmission power levels of antenna modules, cell settings, traffic loads in the access node 104 and neighboring access nodes, the number of terminal devices in the service area 200, and neighboring cell or access node information. The network-level information enables the CCP to configure the cooperation between multiple antenna modules so that the desired overlapping or non-overlapping coverage can be achieved. In general, the network-level information also enables the service area to be adapted to the state in the access node or radio access network. For example, if the traffic load in the access node is above a threshold, the CCP can allocate additional antenna modules under the control of the access node, thereby providing more wireless access capacity. If the baseband of the access node is determined to be overloaded, the CCP can switch one or more antenna modules under the control of the neighboring access nodes, thereby reducing the service area and causing one or more terminal devices to switch from the access node to the neighboring access node, thereby releasing baseband resources.

[0105] After obtaining the input parameters, or after detecting a change in the input parameters in block 1100, the CCP may perform a decision regarding a change in the configuration of the antenna modules (block 1102). Based on the decision in block 1102, the CCP may perform one or both of blocks 1104 and 1106, or return to block 1100 upon determining that no change is required. In block 1104, the CCP changes the configuration so that the multiple antenna modules are arranged to provide overlapping coverage areas within the service area. In block 1106, the CCP changes the configuration of one or more antenna modules to provide a coverage area within the service area that does not overlap with coverage areas of other antenna modules of the access node 104.

[0106] Next, let's describe the Fig.11A small number of use cases. The CCP may detect that the terminal device has established a connection that requires high reliability, such as URLLC. As a result, the CCP may execute block 1104 and direct multiple antenna modules to provide coverage to the location of the terminal device, and therefore, the coverage areas of the multiple antenna modules will overlap in that portion of the service area. When the terminal device is monitored to be moving, as indicated by the input parameters related to the terminal device obtained in block 1100, the CCP controls the directionality of the antenna modules to follow the mobility of the terminal device. If the terminal device moves to an area where one or more antenna modules cannot provide a coverage area, the CCP may select a new antenna module to direct its coverage area to the coverage area so that the multiple antenna modules cover the location of the terminal device for the duration of the connection within the service area. One or more of the antenna modules may provide multiple cells within the coverage area to provide further capabilities to serve the terminal device. When the terminal device terminates the connection, the CCP may control one or more of the antenna modules to provide non-overlapping coverage areas. The CCP may detect a high reliability connection by traffic monitoring or by receiving such information from an access node, a terminal device, or an application server in or outside the core network. With respect to traffic monitoring, a layer 3 data collector (L3DC) may be employed.

[0107] The classification of high reliability connections may adopt the connection classification of the radio access network, i.e., on a lower protocol layer. According to the 5G specification, URLLC will be an example of a high reliability connection, while an enhanced mobile broadband connection is an example of a connection that does not require high reliability. From another perspective, the classification of high reliability connections may adopt the connection classification on the application layer. For example, a certain application executed in a terminal device and using a radio connection may require high reliability, while another application using the radio connection may not. For example, such information can be passed from the terminal device to the CCP so that the CCP can perform Fig.11 Equivalently, the information can be obtained through traffic monitoring (such as L3DC) or from the above-mentioned application server.

[0108] The CCP can detect, based on measurement data received from the antenna module, that the mechanical tilt of the antenna module has changed and caused a gap in the coverage area of ​​the access node. As a result, the access node is currently unable to provide connectivity throughout the entire service area. As a result, the CCP can realign the transmit pattern of the antenna module or direct one or more of the other antenna modules to cover the gap. In a similar manner, the CCP can compensate for the effects of changes in antenna module orientation, antenna module failures, effects of environmental conditions on coverage, and the like. As another example, if the CCP detects that a particular area of ​​the service area is prone to low connection quality at a certain time of the day based on network-level information and / or information received from a terminal device, the CCP can actively align multiple antenna modules to cover such an area during such a time interval. During other times, the area may be covered by a single antenna module.

[0109] CCP can therefore use machine learning algorithms to detect the coverage and demand patterns within the service area and find solutions to deal with any situation, even actively controlling antenna modules to avoid any gaps or connectivity issues within the service area.

[0110] Fig.12 The diagram shows Figure 2 The present invention relates to an embodiment of the structure of the above-mentioned functions of the apparatus for performing CCP functions in the process of performing the functions of the CCP, or any of the above-mentioned embodiments for the CCP. For example, the CCP may be included in an antenna module, in an access node. The apparatus may include circuit systems in the CCP, such as a chip, a chipset, a processor, a microcontroller, or a combination of these circuit systems. The apparatus may be an electronic device including electronic circuit systems for implementing some embodiments of the CCP.

[0111] refer to Fig.12 , the device may include a communication interface 42 or communication circuit system configured to provide the device with the ability to communicate bidirectionally with one or more antenna modules. Depending on the location of the device with respect to the antenna modules, the communication interface 42 may support any communication protocol suitable for a fiber optic cable channel or a communication protocol suitable for a copper cable channel.

[0112] The apparatus may further include a memory 20 storing one or more computer program products 24 for configuring the operation of at least one processor 30 of the apparatus. The memory 20 may further store a configuration database 26 storing, for example, the configuration database 26 in combination with the above Fig.11 Describes the input parameters.

[0113] The apparatus may also include at least one processor or processing circuitry 30 configured to execute Figure 3or the process of any embodiment thereof. The processor may include an input data acquisition circuit system 36 configured to collect the above-mentioned input parameters. The input parameters may include static parameters and parameters that are updated intermittently, such as measurement data. The processor may also include an antenna module controller, which is configured to execute Fig.11 Frames 1102 to 1106.

[0114] Fig.13 The diagram shows Figure 4 An embodiment of a structure for performing the functions of a terminal device or the functions of an apparatus of any of the above embodiments of a terminal device during a process. The terminal device may be a cellular phone, a sensor device, a tablet computer, a car or vehicle, or any other device with a cellular modem installed. The apparatus may include a circuit system, such as a chip, a chipset, a processor, a microcontroller, or a combination of these circuit systems in any of these terminal devices. The apparatus may be an electronic device including an electronic circuit system for implementing some embodiments of a terminal device.

[0115] refer to Fig.13 , the device may include a communication interface 52 or communication circuit system configured to provide the device with the ability to communicate two-way radio with one or more antenna modules. The communication interface 52 may be any of the above-mentioned cellular wireless communication protocols. The communication interface may include a radio modem or a portion of a radio modem and also include radio frequency components designed for the supported cellular radio communication protocol.

[0116] The apparatus may further comprise a memory 60 for storing one or more computer program products 64 configuring the operation of the at least one processor 50 of the apparatus. The memory 60 may further store a configuration database 66 storing, for example, current radio link parameters of a connection established with a radio access network.

[0117] The apparatus may further include at least one processor or processing circuit 50, the at least one processor or processing circuit 50 being configured to execute Figure 4or the process of any embodiment thereof. The processor may include a communication circuit system 56, which includes at least a digital baseband circuit system of a radio modem. The communication circuit system may perform or control the transmission and reception of cellular communication signals with one or more access nodes with which the terminal device communicates. The processor 50 may also include a measurement circuit system 58, which is configured to perform the above-mentioned measurements on the terminal device and output the measurement data to the communication circuit system to be transmitted to the CCP through the radio interface. The measurement circuit system 58 may measure, for example, the position of the terminal device and / or the signal strength of (multiple) radio signals received from (multiple) antenna modules. The processing circuit system 50 may also include an application processor 54, which is configured to execute one or more computer program applications related to the main purpose of the device, wherein the main purpose requires cellular connectivity. For example, if the device is a cellular phone, the application processor 54 may execute applications such as an Internet browser, a voice communication application, or a messaging application. If the device is a sensor device, the application processor 54 may execute a measurement application, which is configured to analyze or process measurement data obtained from one or more sensors of the device.

[0118] In this application, the term "circuitry" refers to one or more of the following: (a) a hardware circuit implementation only, such as an implementation only in analog and / or digital circuitry; (b) a combination of circuitry and software and / or firmware, such as, as applicable: (i) a combination of (multiple) processors or processor cores; (ii) various portions of (multiple) processors / software, including a digital signal processor, software, and at least one memory, which work together to enable the device to perform a particular function; and (c) circuitry, such as (multiple) microprocessors or portions of (multiple) microprocessors, that requires software or firmware to operate even if the software or firmware is not actually present.

[0119] The definition of "circuitry" applies to the use of the term in this application. As another example, as used in this application, the term "circuitry" would also cover only a processor (or multiple processors) or a portion of a processor (e.g., a core of a multi-core processor) and its (or their) accompanying software and / or firmware. According to embodiments of the present disclosure, for example and if applicable to a particular element, the term "circuitry" would also cover baseband integrated circuits, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), and / or field programmable grid array (FPGA) circuits for the device.

[0120] Figures 3 to 11The processes or methods described in the may also be performed in the form of one or more computer processes defined by one or more computer programs. A separate computer program may be provided in one or more devices that perform the functions of the processes described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. (Multiple) computer programs may have: source code form, object code form or some intermediate form, and may be stored in some carrier, which may be any entity or device capable of carrying the program. Such carriers include transient and / or non-transient computer media, such as recording media, computer memory, read-only memory, electrical carrier signals, telecommunication signals, and software distribution packages. Depending on the required processing power, the computer program may be executed in a single electronic digital processing unit, or may be distributed among multiple processing units.

[0121] The embodiments described herein are applicable to the wireless networks defined above, but are also applicable to other wireless networks. The protocols used, the specifications of wireless networks and their network elements are developing rapidly. Such developments may require additional changes to the described embodiments. Therefore, all words and expressions should be interpreted broadly, and they are intended to illustrate rather than limit the embodiments. It is obvious to those skilled in the art that, as technology advances, the inventive concept can be implemented in various ways. The embodiments are not limited to the above examples, but may vary within the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A device for communication, comprising: a first antenna module; a second antenna module; At least one processor for controlling the radio signal directivity of a first antenna module and a second antenna module of a service area of ​​a cellular communication system, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: Acquire input parameters, where the input parameters include a location of a terminal device and a capability of the terminal device to communicate with the first antenna module and the second antenna module in the service area; receiving, when the terminal device establishes a connection, a specified reliability requirement relative to a determined threshold from the terminal device; At a first time interval, causing the first antenna module and the second antenna module to respectively provide overlapping coverage areas within a service area of ​​an access node of a cellular communication system, the terminal device being located in the overlapping coverage areas to meet the specified reliability requirement, wherein the first antenna module and the second antenna module are antenna modules of the access node, and each of the first antenna module and the second antenna module provides corresponding coverage in the service area within the overlapping coverage areas, the corresponding coverages being independent of each other; as well as When the terminal device terminates the connection, the first antenna module and the second antenna module are caused to provide non-overlapping coverage areas respectively during a second time interval. 2 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first antenna module is located at a different location within the service area than the second antenna module. 3 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , further configured to cause the first antenna module to establish a first cell and cause the second antenna module to establish a second cell during the second time interval. 4 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , further configured to cause the first antenna module to establish a first cell and cause the second antenna module to establish a second cell during the first time interval. 5 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each of the first antenna module and the second antenna module is configured to serve a plurality of terminal devices within its respective coverage area.

6. The apparatus according to claim 3 or 4 is further configured to control the first antenna module and the second antenna module based on measurement data, wherein the measurement data is received from at least one terminal device and / or at least one antenna module in the first cell and the second cell.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first antenna module is configured to cover substantially an entire service area, and wherein the apparatus is configured to cause the second antenna module to direct a radio beam toward the service area during the first time interval, and to direct the radio beam away from the service area during the second time interval.

8. The device according to claim 1 is also configured to: among multiple multiple-input multiple-output MIMO configurations supported by each of the first antenna module and the second antenna module, separately select a MIMO configuration for each of the first antenna module and the second antenna module for the first time interval and for the second time interval, wherein the MIMO configuration is defined according to the number of transmitting antennas and receiving antennas.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second antenna module is configured to provide connectivity within the overlapping coverage area during the first time interval in the event of a failure of the first antenna module.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1 is further configured to change the boundary of the service area of ​​the access node by switching control of at least one of the first antenna module and the second antenna module from the access node to another access node, or by switching control of another antenna module from the other access node to the access node.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1 is further configured to: measure a signal received from at least one of the first antenna module and the second antenna module during at least one of the first time interval and the second time interval, and report corresponding measurement data to the access node.

12. The apparatus according to claim 1, comprising: At least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code being configured to, together with the at least one processor, cause execution of the apparatus.

13. The apparatus according to claim 1 is configured to, after detecting that at least one terminal device requests a connection specifying a reliability requirement that is higher than a determined threshold, perform the provision of overlapping coverage areas by the first antenna module and the second antenna module at a first time interval, respectively, and after detecting termination of the connection, perform the provision of non-overlapping coverage areas at the second time interval.

14. An apparatus for communication, comprising means for: Establish a connection; transmitting a specified reliability requirement relative to a determined threshold, wherein the specified reliability requirement corresponds to at least one of a delay, a packet loss rate, and an outage probability; After establishing the connection, at a first time interval, receiving a signal from a first antenna module of an access node of a cellular communication system and a second antenna module of the access node, wherein the first antenna unit and the second antenna unit respectively provide overlapping coverage areas within a service area of ​​the access node, a terminal device is located in the overlapping coverage areas to meet the specified reliability requirement, and wherein each of the first antenna module and the second antenna module provides respective coverage in the service area within the overlapping coverage areas, the respective coverages being independent of each other and not being different sectors produced by a single sectorized antenna; terminating the connection; as well as After terminating the connection, at a second time interval, a signal is received from only one of the first antenna unit and the second antenna unit, the first antenna unit and the second antenna unit respectively providing coverage areas that do not overlap with each other.

15. A method for communication, executed by at least one processor, the at least one processor being used to control the radio signal directivity of a first antenna module and a second antenna module of a service area of ​​a cellular communication system, the method comprising: Acquire input parameters, where the input parameters include a location of a terminal device and a capability of the terminal device to communicate with the first antenna module and the second antenna module in the service area; receiving, when the terminal device establishes a connection, a specified reliability requirement relative to a determined threshold from the terminal device; At a first time interval, causing the first antenna module and the second antenna module to respectively provide overlapping coverage areas within a service area of ​​an access node of a cellular communication system, the terminal device being located in the overlapping coverage areas to meet the specified reliability requirement, wherein the first antenna module and the second antenna module are antenna modules of the access node, and each of the first antenna module and the second antenna module provides corresponding coverage in the service area within the overlapping coverage areas, the corresponding coverages being independent of each other; as well as When the terminal device terminates the connection, the first antenna module and the second antenna module are caused to provide non-overlapping coverage areas respectively during a second time interval.

16. A method performed by a terminal device, comprising: Establish a connection; transmitting a specified reliability requirement relative to a determined threshold, wherein the specified reliability requirement corresponds to at least one of a delay, a packet loss rate, and an outage probability; After establishing the connection, at a first time interval, receiving a signal from a first antenna module of an access node of a cellular communication system and a second antenna module of the access node, wherein the first antenna unit and the second antenna unit respectively provide overlapping coverage areas within a service area of ​​the access node, a terminal device is located in the overlapping coverage areas to meet the specified reliability requirement, and wherein each of the first antenna module and the second antenna module provides respective coverage in the service area within the overlapping coverage areas, the respective coverages being independent of each other and not being different sectors produced by a single sectorized antenna; terminating the connection; as well as After terminating the connection, at a second time interval, a signal is received from only one of the first antenna unit and the second antenna unit, the first antenna unit and the second antenna unit respectively providing coverage areas that do not overlap with each other.

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