Beamforming circuitry for multiple antennas

Abstract

Apparatuses and methods are provided for multi-antenna wireless communication. In an aspect, one or more input ports of a first layer two-dimensional (2D) Butler matrix are selected for communication of one or more streams over one or more beams by an array antenna. A control signal is applied to a control input pin of a first layer to second layer switch, which is configurable based on the control signal to selectively connect first layer output ports of the first layer 2D Butler matrix to at least a subset of second layer input ports of a second layer 2D Butler matrix. One or more streams are then transmitted or received over one or more beams by the array antenna, where the array antenna includes a plurality of antenna elements, where each of the plurality of antenna elements is associated with an output port of the second layer 2D Butler matrix.

Description

[0001] Cross-references to related applications

[0002] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 993903, filed August 14, 2020, entitled “BEAMFORMING CIRCUIT FOR MULTIPLEANTENNAS”, which has been assigned to the assignee of this application and is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Technical Field

[0003] This disclosure generally relates to communication systems, and more specifically, to techniques related to beamforming. Background Technology

[0004] Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide a variety of telecommunications services, such as telephone, video, data, messaging, and broadcasting. Typical wireless communication systems may employ multiple access technologies that enable communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources. Examples of such multiple access technologies include Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) systems, Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) systems, Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) systems, Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) systems, Single-Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA) systems, and Time Division Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access (TD-SCDMA) systems.

[0005] These multiple access technologies have been adopted in various communication standards to provide a common protocol that enables different wireless devices to communicate at the city, national, regional, and even global levels. An example telecommunications standard is 5G New Radio (NR). 5G NR is part of the Continuous Mobile Broadband Evolution (CME) released by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) to meet new requirements associated with latency, reliability, security, scalability (e.g., the Internet of Things, IoT), and other requirements. 5G NR includes services associated with enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB), massive Machine Type Communication (mMTC), and Ultra Reliable Low Latency Communication (URLLC). Some aspects of 5G NR can be based on the 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) standard. Further improvements to 5G NR technology are needed. These improvements can also be applied to other multiple access technologies and telecommunications standards that adopt them. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The following is a simplified summary of one or more aspects to provide a basic understanding of them. This summary is not a comprehensive overview of all hypothetical aspects, nor is it intended to identify key or essential elements of all aspects, nor to define the scope of any or all aspects. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of one or more aspects in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed descriptions that follow.

[0007] Methods, computer-readable media, and apparatus are provided in various aspects of this disclosure.

[0008] In one aspect, an apparatus for multi-antenna wireless communication includes a first-layer two-dimensional (2D) Butler matrix having a first-layer input port and a first-layer output port. The apparatus also includes a second-layer 2D Butler matrix having a second-layer input port and a second-layer output port. The apparatus further includes a first-layer to second-layer switching method configurable based on a control signal applied to a control input pin of the first-layer to second-layer switching method to selectively connect the first-layer output port of the first-layer 2D Butler matrix to at least a subset of the second-layer input ports of the second-layer 2D Butler matrix.

[0009] In another aspect, a method for multi-antenna wireless communication includes selecting one or more input ports of a first-layer 2D Butler matrix for communication of one or more streams by an array antenna on one or more beams. The method also includes applying control signals to control input pins for first-layer to second-layer switching, the first-layer to second-layer switching being configurable based on the control signals to selectively connect first-layer output ports of the first-layer 2D Butler matrix to at least a subset of second-layer input ports of the second-layer 2D Butler matrix. The method further includes transmitting or receiving one or more streams by the array antenna on one or more beams, wherein the array antenna includes a plurality of antenna elements, each of the plurality of antenna elements being associated with an output port of the second-layer 2D Butler matrix.

[0010] In one aspect, an apparatus for wireless communication includes a transceiver, a memory configured to store instructions, and one or more processors communicatively coupled to the transceiver and the memory. The one or more processors are configured to execute instructions to perform multi-antenna wireless communication, including: selecting one or more input ports of a first-layer 2D Butler matrix for communication of one or more streams by an array antenna on one or more beams; applying control signals to a control input pin for a first-layer to second-layer switching, the first-layer to second-layer switching being configurable based on the control signals to selectively connect a first-layer output port of the first-layer 2D Butler matrix to at least a subset of second-layer input ports of the second-layer 2D Butler matrix; and transmitting or receiving one or more streams by the array antenna on one or more beams, wherein the array antenna includes a plurality of antenna elements, each of the plurality of antenna elements being associated with an output port of the second-layer 2D Butler matrix.

[0011] In another aspect, an apparatus for multi-antenna wireless communication includes components for selecting one or more input ports of a first-layer 2D Butler matrix for communicating one or more streams by an array antenna on one or more beams. The apparatus also includes components for applying control signals to control input pins for first-layer to second-layer switching, the first-layer to second-layer switching being configurable based on the control signals to selectively connect first-layer output ports of the first-layer 2D Butler matrix to at least a subset of second-layer input ports of the second-layer 2D Butler matrix. The apparatus further includes components for transmitting or receiving one or more streams by the array antenna on one or more beams, wherein the array antenna includes a plurality of antenna elements, each of the plurality of antenna elements being associated with an output port of the second-layer 2D Butler matrix.

[0012] In another aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium includes code executable by one or more processors to perform multi-antenna wireless communication, comprising: selecting one or more input ports of a first-layer 2D Butler matrix for communicating one or more streams by an array antenna on one or more beams; applying control signals to control input pins for a first-layer to second-layer switching, the first-layer to second-layer switching being configurable based on the control signals to selectively connect a first-layer output port of the first-layer 2D Butler matrix to at least a subset of second-layer input ports of the second-layer 2D Butler matrix; and transmitting or receiving one or more streams by the array antenna on one or more beams, wherein the array antenna comprises a plurality of antenna elements, each of the plurality of antenna elements being associated with an output port of the second-layer 2D Butler matrix.

[0013] To achieve the foregoing and related objectives, one or more aspects include the features fully described below and specifically pointed out in the claims. The following description and drawings set forth certain illustrative features of one or more aspects in detail. However, these features indicate only a few of the various ways in which the principles of the various aspects can be employed, and this description is intended to include all such aspects and their equivalents. Attached Figure Description

[0014] Figure 1 This is a diagram illustrating examples of wireless communication systems and access networks including components for beamforming, according to various aspects of this disclosure.

[0015] Figure 2A This is a diagram illustrating an example of the first frame according to various aspects of this disclosure.

[0016] Figure 2B This is a diagram illustrating an example of a DL channel within a subframe according to various aspects of this disclosure.

[0017] Figure 2C This is a diagram illustrating an example of a second frame according to various aspects of this disclosure.

[0018] Figure 2D This is a diagram illustrating an example of a UL channel within a subframe according to various aspects of this disclosure.

[0019] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram illustrating a first example beamforming circuit according to various aspects of this disclosure.

[0020] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram illustrating a second example beamforming circuit according to various aspects of this disclosure.

[0021] Figure 5 This demonstrates the response to various aspects of this disclosure. Figure 4The diagram shows an example beam pattern generated by the array antenna due to the activation of the input port in the second example beamforming circuit.

[0022] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram illustrating a third example beamforming circuit according to various aspects of this disclosure.

[0023] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram illustrating a fourth example beamforming circuit according to various aspects of this disclosure.

[0024] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram illustrating a fifth example beamforming circuit according to various aspects of this disclosure.

[0025] Figure 9 This is a flowchart illustrating an example method for wireless communication of multiple antennas according to various aspects of this disclosure.

[0026] Figure 10 This is a block diagram illustrating example components of an example UE according to various aspects of this disclosure.

[0027] Figure 11 This is a diagram illustrating example components of a base station and a UE in an access network according to various aspects of this disclosure.

[0028] Figure 12 This is a block diagram illustrating example components of an example base station according to various aspects of this disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0029] The detailed description below, illustrated with reference to the accompanying drawings, is intended as a description of various configurations and not as representing the only configuration in which the concepts described herein can be practiced. The detailed description includes specific details for the purpose of providing a thorough understanding of the various concepts. However, those skilled in the art will understand that these concepts can be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known structures and components are shown in block diagram form to avoid obscuring these concepts. Although the following description may focus on 5G NR, the concepts described herein are applicable to other similar fields, such as LTE, LTE-A, CDMA, GSM, and other wireless technologies.

[0030] This aspect relates to configuring a three-dimensional (3D) Butler matrix for beam steering on an array antenna. The 3D Butler matrix includes a first-layer two-dimensional (2D) Butler matrix, a second-layer 2D Butler matrix, and a first-layer-to-second-layer switch selectively connecting the first-layer 2D Butler matrix to the second-layer 2D Butler matrix. More specifically, the first-layer-to-second-layer switch is controllable via control signals applied to control input pins of the first-layer-to-second-layer switch to selectively connect output ports of the first-layer 2D Butler matrix to at least a subset of input ports of the second-layer 2D Butler matrix, wherein each output port of the second-layer 2D Butler matrix is ​​associated with an antenna element in a 2D array antenna. In some aspects, each input port of the first-layer 2D Butler matrix is ​​associated with a desired beam azimuth or elevation angle, and each control signal value applied to the control input pins of the first-layer-to-second-layer switch is also associated with a desired beam azimuth or elevation angle. In some aspects, for example, each of the first-layer and second-layer 2D Butler matrices may include one or more circuitry and / or radio frequency (RF) components. The following section describes further details of the 3D Butler matrix, referencing various sources.

[0031] Various apparatuses and methods will now be used to present several aspects of a telecommunications system. These apparatuses and methods will be described in detail below and illustrated in the accompanying drawings by various blocks, components, circuits, processes, algorithms, etc. (collectively, “elements”). These elements can be implemented using electronic hardware, computer software, or any combination thereof. Whether these elements are implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and the design constraints imposed on the entire system.

[0032] For example, an element, any part of an element, or any combination of elements can be implemented as a "processing system" including one or more processors. Examples of processors include microprocessors, microcontrollers, graphics processing units (GPUs), central processing units (CPUs), application processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), reduced instruction set computing (RISC) processors, systems on a chip (SoCs), baseband processors, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), state machines, gated logic, discrete hardware circuitry, and other suitable hardware configured to perform the various functions described throughout this disclosure. One or more processors in a processing system can execute software. Software can be broadly interpreted as instructions, instruction sets, code, code segments, program code, programs, subroutines, software components, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executable files, execution threads, processes, functions, etc., regardless of whether it is called software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description languages, or something else.

[0033] Therefore, in one or more example aspects, the described functionality can be implemented in hardware, software, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, the functionality can be stored on or encoded as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media includes computer storage media. Storage media can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example and not limitation, such computer-readable media can include random-access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage, other magnetic storage devices, combinations of computer-readable media of the types described above, or any other medium that can be used to store computer-executable code in the form of instructions or data structures that can be accessed by a computer.

[0034] Figure 1This is a diagram illustrating an example of a wireless communication system and an access network 100 including a UE 104 and / or a base station 102 configured for beamforming in multi-antenna wireless communication. More specifically, the UE 104 or base station 102 may include a modem 140 that controls a 3D Butler matrix 145 configured to perform beam steering on a 2D array antenna 144. The 3D Butler matrix 145 includes a first-layer 2D Butler matrix 141, a first-layer to second-layer switch 142, and a second-layer 2D Butler matrix 143. The modem 140 controls the first-layer to second-layer switch 142 (via a control signal applied to a control input pin of the first-layer to second-layer switch 142) to selectively connect the output ports of the first-layer 2D Butler matrix 141 to at least a subset of the input ports of the second-layer 2D Butler matrix 143, wherein each output port of the second-layer 2D Butler matrix 143 is associated with an antenna element in the 2D array antenna 144. Further details of this aspect are described below.

[0035] The wireless communication system (also known as a Wireless Wide Area Network (WWAN)) includes base station 102, UE 104, Evolved Packet Core (EPC) 160, and another core network 190 (e.g., 5G Core (5GC)). Base station 102 may include macro cells (high-power cellular base stations) and / or small cells (low-power cellular base stations). Macro cells include base stations. Small cells include femtocells, picocells, and microcells.

[0036] Base station 102 configured for 4G LTE (collectively referred to as Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network, E-UTRAN) can be connected to EPC160 interface via backhaul link 132 (e.g., S1 interface). Base station 102 configured for 5G NR (collectively referred to as Next Generation RAN, NG-RAN) can be connected to core network interface 190 via backhaul link 184. In addition to other functions, base station 102 may perform one or more of the following functions: user data transmission, radio channel encryption and decryption, integrity protection, header compression, mobility control functions (e.g., handover, dual connectivity), inter-cell interference coordination, connection establishment and release, load balancing, Non-Access Stratum (NAS) message distribution, NAS node selection, synchronization, Radio Access Network (RAN) sharing, Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service (MBMS), user and device tracking, RAN Information Management (RIM), paging, location, and warning message delivery. Base stations 102 may communicate with each other directly or indirectly (e.g., via EPC 160 or core network 190) via backhaul link 134 (e.g., X2 interface). Backhaul links 132, 134, and 184 may be wired or wireless.

[0037] Base station 102 can wirelessly communicate with UE 104. Each of base stations 102 can provide communication coverage for a corresponding geographic coverage area 110. Overlapping geographic coverage areas 110 may exist. For example, small cell 102' may have a coverage area 110' that overlaps with the coverage areas 110 of one or more macro base stations 102. A network that includes both small cells and macro cells is known as a heterogeneous network. The heterogeneous network may also include Evolved Node B (eNB) (HomeeNB, HeNB), which can provide services to a restricted group known as a Closed Subscriber Group (CSG). The communication link 120 between base station 102 and UE 104 may include uplink (UL) (also known as reverse link) transmission from UE 104 to base station 102 and / or downlink (DL) (also known as forward link) transmission from base station 102 to UE 104. Communication link 120 may use multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO) antenna technology, including spatial multiplexing, beamforming, and / or transmit diversity. The communication link may use one or more carriers. Base station 102 / UE 104 may use spectrum with a bandwidth of up to Y MHz (e.g., 5, 10, 15, 20, 100, 400 MHz, etc.) allocated per carrier in carrier aggregation for transmission in each direction, totaling up to Yx MHz (x component carriers). Carriers may or may not be adjacent to each other. Carrier allocation may be asymmetric for DL ​​and UL (e.g., more or fewer carriers may be allocated to DL than to UL). Component carriers may include one primary component carrier and one or more secondary component carriers. The primary component carrier may be referred to as the primary cell (PCell), while the secondary component carriers may be referred to as secondary cells (SCells).

[0038] Some UEs 104 can communicate with each other using Device-to-Device (D2D) communication links 158, including, for example, synchronization signals. D2D communication links 158 can use DL / UL WWAN spectrum. D2D communication links 158 can use one or more sidelink channels, such as the Physical Sidelink Broadcast Channel (PSBCH), Physical Sidelink Discovery Channel (PSDCH), Physical Sidelink Shared Channel (PSSCH), and Physical Sidelink Control Channel (PSCCH). D2D communication can be achieved through various wireless D2D communication systems, such as FlashLinQ, WiMedia, Bluetooth, ZigBee, Wi-Fi based on the IEEE 802.11 standard, LTE, or NR.

[0039] The wireless communication system may also include a Wi-Fi access point (AP) 150 that communicates with a Wi-Fi station (STA) 152 via a communication link 154 in, for example, unlicensed spectrum in the 5 GHz range. When communicating in unlicensed spectrum, the STA 152 / AP 150 may perform a Clear Channel Assessment (CCA) before communication to determine whether the channel is available.

[0040] Small cell 102' can operate in licensed and / or unlicensed spectrum. When operating in unlicensed spectrum, small cell 102' can employ NR and use the same unlicensed spectrum (e.g., 5 GHz, etc.) that can be used by Wi-Fi AP 150. Employing NR in unlicensed spectrum can improve coverage of the access network and / or increase the capacity of the access network.

[0041] Based on frequency / wavelength, the electromagnetic spectrum is typically subdivided into various categories, bands, channels, etc. In 5G NR, two initial operating bands are designated as frequency ranges FR1 (410MHz-7.125GHz) and FR2 (24.25GHz-52.6GHz). The frequencies between FR1 and FR2 are generally referred to as the mid-band frequencies. Although a portion of FR1 is greater than 6GHz, in various documents and articles, FR1 is often (interchangeably) referred to as the "sub-6GHz" band. Similar naming issues sometimes arise regarding FR2, which is often (interchangeably) referred to in documents and articles as the "millimeter wave" band, although this is different from the Extremely High Frequency (EHF) band (30GHz-300GHz) designated as "millimeter wave" by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

[0042] In light of the foregoing, unless otherwise specified, it should be understood that the terms "below 6 GHz" and the like, if used herein, can broadly refer to frequencies that are less than 6 GHz, within FR1, or that may include intermediate frequency band frequencies. Furthermore, unless otherwise specified, it should be understood that the terms "millimeter wave" and the like, if used herein, can broadly refer to frequencies that may include intermediate frequency band frequencies, within FR2, or within the EHF band.

[0043] Base station 102, whether a small cell 102' or a large / small cell (e.g., a macro base station), may include an eNB, gNodeB (gNB), or other types of base stations. Some base stations, such as gNB 180, can operate in conventional sub-6 GHz spectrum, millimeter wave frequencies, and / or near-millimeter wave frequencies communicating with UE 104. When gNB 180 operates in millimeter wave or near-millimeter wave frequencies, gNB 180 may be referred to as a millimeter wave base station. Millimeter wave base station 180 can utilize beamforming 182 with UE 104 to compensate for path loss and short range.

[0044] Base station 180 may transmit beamformed signals to UE 104 in one or more transmit directions 182'. UE 104 may receive beamformed signals from base station 180 in one or more receive directions 182'. UE 104 may also transmit beamformed signals to base station 180 in one or more transmit directions. Base station 180 may receive beamformed signals from UE 104 in one or more receive directions. Base station 180 / UE 104 may perform beamforming to determine the optimal receive and transmit directions for each of base station 180 / UE 104. The transmit and receive directions of base station 180 may be the same or different. The transmit and receive directions of UE 104 may be the same or different.

[0045] EPC 160 may include a Mobility Management Entity (MME) 162, other MMEs 164, a Serving Gateway 166, a Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service (MBMS) Gateway 168, a Broadcast Multicast Service Center (BM-SC) 170, and a Packet Data Network (PDN) Gateway 172. MME 162 can communicate with a Home Subscriber Server (HSS) 174. MME 162 is the control node that handles signaling between UE 104 and EPC 160. Generally, MME 162 provides bearer and connection management. All user Internet Protocol (IP) packets can be transmitted through the Serving Gateway 166, which is itself connected to the PDN Gateway 172. The PDN Gateway 172 provides UE IP address allocation and other functions. The PDN Gateway 172 and BM-SC 170 are connected to the IP service 176. IP service 176 may include the Internet, intranet, IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), PS streaming service, and / or other IP services. BM-SC 170 can provide functions for MBMS user service provision and delivery. BM-SC 170 can serve as an entry point for content provider MBMS transmissions, can be used to authorize and initiate MBMS bearer services within the Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN), and can be used to schedule MBMS transmissions. MBMS gateway 168 can be used to distribute MBMS traffic to base stations 102 that belong to area broadcast specific services in the Multicast Broadcast Single Frequency Network (MBSFN), and can be responsible for session management (start / stop) and collection of eMBMS related billing information.

[0046] The core network 190 may include an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) 192, other AMFs 193, a Session Management Function (SMF) 194, and a User Plane Function (UPF) 195. The AMF 192 can communicate with the Unified Data Management (UDM) 196. The AMF 192 is the control node that handles signaling between the UE 104 and the core network 190. Generally, the AMF 192 provides QoS streaming and session management. All user Internet Protocol (IP) packets are transmitted through the UPF 195. The UPF 195 provides UE IP address allocation and other functions. The UPF 195 is connected to an IP service 197. The IP service 197 may include the Internet, an intranet, an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), PS streaming services, and / or other IP services.

[0047] Base station 102 may also be referred to as gNB, Node B, evolved Node B (eNB), access point, base transceiver station, radio base station, radio transceiver, transceiver function, Basic Service Set (BSS), Extended Service Set (ESS), Transmit Reception Point (TRP), or other suitable terms. Base station 102 provides UE 104 with access to EPC 160 or core network 190. Examples of UE 104 include cellular phones, smartphones, Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) phones, laptops, personal digital assistants (PDAs), satellite radios, GPS devices, multimedia devices, video devices, digital audio players (e.g., MP3 players), cameras, game consoles, tablets, smart devices, wearable devices, vehicles, electricity meters, air pumps, large or small kitchen appliances, healthcare devices, implants, sensors / actuators, displays, or any other similarly functional devices. Some of the devices in UE 104 may be referred to as IoT devices (e.g., parking meters, air pumps, toasters, vehicles, heart monitors, etc.). UE 104 may also be referred to as a station, mobile station, user station, mobile unit, user unit, wireless unit, remote unit, mobile device, wireless device, wireless communication device, remote device, mobile user station, access terminal, mobile terminal, wireless terminal, remote terminal, mobile phone, user agent, mobile client, client, or some other suitable terminology.

[0048] refer to Figures 2A-2D One or more example frame structures, channels, and resources can be used Figure 1 Communication between base station 102 and UE104. Figure 2A Figure 200 shows an example of the first subframe within a 5G / NR frame structure. Figure 2B Figure 230 shows an example of a DL channel within a 5G / NR subframe. Figure 2C Figure 250 shows an example of a second subframe within a 5G / NR frame structure. Figure 2D Figure 280 illustrates an example of a UL channel within a 5G / NR subframe. The 5G / NR frame structure can be FDD, where, for a specific set of subcarriers (carrier system bandwidth), subframes within that set are dedicated to either DL or UL; or it can be TDD, where, for a specific set of subcarriers (carrier system bandwidth), subframes within that set are dedicated to both DL and UL. Figure 2A , Figure 2CIn the provided example, the 5G / NR frame structure is assumed to be TDD, where subframe 4 is configured with slot format 28 (mostly DL), where D is DL, U is UL, and X is flexibly used between DL and UL, and subframe 3 is configured with slot format 34 (mostly UL). Although subframes 3 and 4 are shown with slot formats 34 and 28 respectively, any particular subframe can be configured with any of the various available slot formats 0-61. Slot formats 0 and 1 are both DL and UL, respectively. Other slot formats 2-61 include a mixture of DL, UL, and flexible symbols. The UE is configured with this slot format via the received Slot Format Indicator (SFI) (dynamically via DL Control Information (DCI), or semi-statically / statically via Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling). Note that the following description also applies to the 5G / NR frame structure as TDD.

[0049] Other wireless communication technologies may have different frame structures and / or different channels. A frame (10 ms) can be divided into 10 equal-sized subframes (1 ms). Each subframe may include one or more time slots. Subframes may also include mini-time slots, which may include 7, 4, or 2 symbols. Depending on the time slot configuration, each time slot may include 7 or 14 symbols. For time slot configuration 0, each time slot may include 14 symbols, and for time slot configuration 1, each time slot may include 7 symbols. Symbols on the DL can be Cyclic Prefix (CP) OFDM (CP-OFDM) symbols. Symbols on the UL can be CP-OFDM symbols (for high-throughput scenarios) or Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT) Spread-OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM) symbols (also known as Single Carrier Frequency-Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA) symbols) (for power-constrained scenarios; limited to single-stream transmission). The number of time slots per subframe is based on the time slot configuration and parameter set (numerology). For time slot configuration 0, different parameter sets μ0 to 5 allow 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, and 32 time slots per subframe, respectively. For time slot configuration 1, different parameter sets 0 to 2 allow 2, 4, and 8 time slots per subframe, respectively. Therefore, for time slot configuration 0 and parameter set μ, there are 14 symbols per time slot and 2 symbols per subframe. μ Each time slot. Subcarrier spacing and symbol length / duration are functions of a parameter set. Subcarrier spacing can be equal to 2. μ• 15kHz, where μ is the parameter set from 0 to 5. Therefore, the subcarrier spacing is 15kHz for parameter set μ = 0 and 480kHz for parameter set μ = 5. The symbol length / duration is inversely proportional to the subcarrier spacing. Figures 2A-2D An example of slot configuration 0 is provided, where each slot has 14 symbols, parameter set μ = 0, and there is one slot per subframe. The subcarrier spacing is 15 kHz, and the symbol duration is approximately 66.7 μs.

[0050] A resource grid can be used to represent the frame structure. Each time slot consists of a resource block (RB) (also known as a physical RB (PRB)) that extends 12 consecutive subcarriers. The resource grid is divided into multiple resource elements. The number of bits carried by each RE depends on the modulation scheme.

[0051] like Figure 2A As shown, some of the REs carry reference (pilot) signals (RS) for the UE. RSs may include a demodulation RS (DM-RS) (indicated as Rx for a specific configuration, where 100x is the port number, but other DM-RS configurations are possible) and a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) for channel estimation at the UE. RSs may also include beam measurement RS (BRS), beam refinement RS (BRRS), and phase tracking RS (PT-RS).

[0052] Figure 2BExamples of various DL channels within a subframe of a frame are shown. The Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) carries the DCI within one or more Control Channel Elements (CCEs). Each CCE includes nine RE Groups (REGs), and each REG includes four consecutive REs in an OFDM symbol. The Primary Synchronization Signal (PSS) can be located in symbol 2 of a specific subframe of the frame. The UE 104 uses the PSS to determine subframe / symbol timing and physical layer identification. The Secondary Synchronization Signal (SSS) can be located in symbol 4 of a specific subframe of the frame. The UE uses the SSS to determine the Physical Layer Cell Identifier Group Number and radio frame timing. Based on the Physical Layer Identifier and Physical Layer Cell Identifier Group Number, the UE can determine the Physical Cell Identifier (PCI). Based on the PCI, the UE can determine the location of the aforementioned DM-RS. The Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH), carrying the Master Information Block (MIB), can be logically grouped with the PSS and SSS to form a Synchronization Signal (SS) / PBCH block. The MIB provides the number of Relay Blocks (RBs) and the System Frame Number (SFN) in the system bandwidth. The Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) carries user data, broadcast system information not transmitted via the PBCH such as the System Information Block (SIB), and paging messages.

[0053] like Figure 2CAs shown, some REs carry DM-RS (indicated as R for a specific configuration, but other DM-RS configurations are possible) for channel estimation at the base station. The UE can transmit DM-RS for the Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) and DM-RS for the Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH). The PUSCH DM-RS can be transmitted in the first one or two symbols of the PUSCH. The PUCCH DM-RS can be transmitted in different configurations depending on whether a short or long PUCCH is transmitted and the specific PUCCH format used. Although not shown, the UE can transmit a Sounding Reference Signal (SRS). The base station can use the SRS for channel quality estimation to enable frequency-dependent scheduling on the UL.

[0054] Figure 2D Examples of various UL channels within a subframe of a frame are shown. The PUCCH can be positioned as indicated in one configuration. The PUCCH carries Uplink Control Information (UCI), such as scheduling requests, Channel Quality Indicators (CQI), Precoding Matrix Indicators (PMI), Rank Indicators (RI), and HARQ ACK / NACK feedback. The PUCCH carries data and can also be used to carry Buffer Status Reports (BSR), Power Headroom Reports (PHR), and / or UCI.

[0055] In some aspects, to provide higher throughput at a lower cost, multiple links can be used per panel (e.g., per antenna region), with each link separated from other links by a different plane wave angle of arrival. These aspects can be applied, for example, to Asia-Pacific Hertz communications (e.g., 140 GHz or 300 GHz), where the relatively low wavelengths allow for the use of relatively small antennas and relatively short distances between them. This allows for a greater number of antennas and supports more links with narrower beams and higher spatial spacing between beams, which allows for better spectral efficiency. In a non-limiting aspect, for example, all links associated with a panel can be configured to have orthogonal modes. In one implementation, a Butler matrix can be used to provide such links; the Butler matrix is ​​a beamforming circuit configured to feed the array antennas with a uniform distribution and constant phase difference between adjacent antenna elements.

[0056] In one aspect, a Butler matrix can be implemented using interconnected phase shifters and hybrid couplers. However, this aspect is not limited to this, and a Butler matrix can be implemented in alternative aspects using fewer component types (e.g., using only hybrid couplers) or more component types (e.g., using phase shifters, hybrid couplers, and cross circuits). In one aspect, for example, to transmit RF signals on an array antenna, a modem can select one or more ports of the Butler matrix such that the Butler matrix receives one or more signals at those ports and generates output signals with different phases at opposite ports for transmission on a number of antenna elements coupled to the opposite ports. Furthermore, the Butler matrix can provide reciprocity for receiving RF signals. For example, the Butler matrix can receive RF signals with different phases via multiple ports coupled to multiple antenna elements, then phase-shift and combine them to provide one or more signals for signal reception at one or more opposite ports selected by the modem. In one aspect, each antenna element of the array antenna can be coupled to a port of the Butler matrix, for example, via one or more low-noise amplifiers (LNAs), power amplifiers (PAs), etc., to compensate for insertion loss. The phase shifters in a Butler matrix can be active phase shifters (requiring a connection to a power supply) or passive phase shifters (not requiring a connection to a power supply). In a non-limiting aspect, for example, a delay line can be used to implement the phase shifters in a Butler matrix.

[0057] In one aspect, the modem and / or another component of the wireless communication device may control the Butler matrix and / or other associated components (e.g., control the gain of an amplifier that connects the output port of the Butler matrix to an antenna element) to form a desired beam for transmitting RF signals and / or receiving RF signals on the desired beam. In another aspect, for example, the modem and / or another component of the wireless communication device may control the Butler matrix and / or other associated components to generate multiple signals as phase-shifted versions of each other, so as to generate a beam by transmitting such signals via multiple antenna elements of an array antenna.

[0058] In one non-limiting example, to transmit a desired beam, a Butler matrix having N input ports and the same number of N output ports allows feeding the phase difference between adjacent antenna elements in an array antenna having N antenna elements to the array antenna, and each of the N input ports of the Butler matrix can be associated with a different desired beam to be generated by the array antenna. In one aspect, for example, the Butler matrix can be configured to generate beams with orthogonal spacing of N using plane angles, where:

[0059]

[0060] Where λ is the wavelength, which is equal to the reciprocal of the carrier frequency, d is the distance between adjacent antennas (for example, it could be ~=λ / 2), and k is:

[0061] k = -N+1:2:N-1,

[0062] Furthermore, this beam configuration is generated by the phase difference between adjacent antennas:

[0063]

[0064] On the one hand, for example, A hybrid coupler and A fixed phase shifter can be used to implement the Butler matrix.

[0065] For example, refer to Figure 3 In a non-limiting aspect, a 4×4 Butler matrix 300 can be implemented for the transmission of a desired beam 316 via a plurality of antenna elements 312 of the array antenna 314. The 4×4 Butler matrix 300 is a Butler matrix having four input ports 308 and four output ports 310, wherein each output port 310 is associated with one antenna element 312 of the array antenna 314. Although some aspects of this aspect have been described herein with respect to the transmission of a desired beam using a Butler matrix, this aspect is not limited thereto, and each aspect can also be used for the reception of a desired beam. For example, although... Figure 3This is described herein for transmitting a desired beam 316 using a 4×4 Butler matrix 300, but this aspect is not limited thereto, and the 4×4 Butler matrix 300 can also be used for receiving a desired beam 316, in which case the 4×4 Butler matrix 300 receives a signal at an output port 310 and then generates a signal at one or more input ports 308.

[0066] Example 4×4 Butler matrix 300 includes two 45° phase shifters 302, four 3dB 90° hybrid couplers 304, and two crossover lines 306. Each 45° phase shifter 302 is a two-port circuit that receives a signal at one port and outputs a 45° phase-shifted version of that signal at the other port. Each 3dB 90° hybrid coupler 304 is a circuit with two input ports and two output ports. The 3dB 90° hybrid coupler 304 splits the power of the input signal received at the input port between the two output signals generated at the two output ports and also causes a 90° phase shift between the two output signals generated at the two output ports. Each crossover line 306 is a four-port circuit in which one conductor (connecting the first input port to the first output port) crosses over another conductor (connecting the second input port to the second output port) with an air gap between them.

[0067] A 45° phase shifter 302, a 3dB 90° hybrid coupler 304, and a crossover 306 are configured and arranged such that activation of an input port 308 of the 4×4 Butler matrix 300 results in activation of all output ports 310 of the 4×4 Butler matrix 300, but with varying phase shifts relative to each other, such that the interaction of the RF transmissions of the antenna elements 312 fed by the output port 314 produces a beam 316 corresponding to the activated input port 308. Table 1 provides example phases on each output port 310 of an example 4×4 Butler matrix 300 given the activation of an input port 308 to produce beam 316.

[0068] Table 1 A 4×4 Butler matrix responds to an example phase on each output port activated by each input port.

[0069]

[0070] Therefore, a Butler matrix can be implemented to provide a passive N×N feed network (N input ports and N output ports) with beam-directing capability for a unified array antenna (URA), where the N output ports of the Butler matrix are connected to the corresponding antenna elements, and the N input ports of the Butler matrix represent N orthogonal beam ports. Compared to using N phased arrays for beamforming, the Butler matrix can have lower power consumption, complexity, and / or cost. Furthermore, N×N Butler matrices can be designed, replicated, cascaded, etc., to realize 3D Butler matrices connected to an N×N URA to generate N×N beam orthogonal plane waves.

[0071] In a non-restrictive aspect, for example, each having 2 n One input port and 2 n Multiple Butler matrices with 2 output ports can be configured and arranged to connect to a system with 2 n ×2 n The 3D Butler matrix of the URA of the antenna elements to generate 2 n ×2 n A beam of orthogonal plane waves. For example, reference... Figure 4 In a non-limiting example, a 3D Butler matrix 400 with 16 input ports and 16 output ports can be configured to provide passive feed via a 4×4 array antenna 402 having 16 antenna elements 403 arranged in four rows, with each row comprising four antenna elements 403. That is, although in Figure 1 The 4×4 antenna element 403 is schematically shown in one line, but the array antenna 402 is 2D and includes a 4×4 matrix of antenna elements 403.

[0072] In this non-limiting example, the 3D Butler matrix 400 includes a first-layer 2D Butler matrix 404 having 16 input ports and 16 output ports, and a second-layer 2D Butler matrix 406 having 16 input ports and 16 output ports, wherein each of the first-layer 2D Butler matrix 404 and the second-layer 2D Butler matrix 406 includes four 4×4 Butler matrices 408. In a non-limiting aspect, each of the 4×4 Butler matrices 408 in the first-layer 2D Butler matrix 404 or the second-layer 2D Butler matrix 406 may be similar to the referenced above. Figure 3 The described 4×4 Butler matrix 300 is implemented, for example, using a phase shifter and a hybrid coupler, such that activation of the input port of each 4×4 Butler matrix 408 activates all the output ports of that 4×4 Butler matrix 408.

[0073] On one hand, the output ports of the first-layer 2D Butler matrix 404 are connected to the input ports of the second-layer 2D Butler matrix 406, such that the four output ports of each 4×4 Butler matrix 408 in the first-layer 2D Butler matrix 404 are connected to the four input ports of four different 4×4 Butler matrices in the second-layer 2D Butler matrix 406. Therefore, activation of the output ports of the first-layer 2D Butler matrix 404 activates one input port of each 4×4 Butler matrix 408 in the second-layer 2D Butler matrix 406, thereby activating all output ports of the second-layer 2D Butler matrix 406. Thus, when an input port of the first-layer 2D Butler matrix 404 is activated, all output ports of the second-layer 2D Butler matrix 406 are activated, resulting in the activation of all antenna elements 403 in the 4×4 array antenna 402.

[0074] Furthermore, assuming that the 4×4 Butler matrices 408 in the first-layer 2D Butler matrix 404 are identical to each other, and the 4×4 Butler matrices 408 in the second-layer 2D Butler matrix 406 are also identical to each other, then the output port of the first-layer 2D Butler matrix 404 is connected to the input port of the second-layer 2D Butler matrix 406, such that the selection of a 4×4 Butler matrix 408 in the first-layer 2D Butler matrix 404 leads to the selection of the same input port of each 4×4 Butler matrix 408 in the second-layer 2D Butler matrix 406. For example, in one aspect, the selection of a first 4×4 Butler matrix 408 in the first-layer 2D Butler matrix 404 leads to the selection of a first input port of each 4×4 Butler matrix 408 in the second-layer 2D Butler matrix 406, while the selection of a second 4×4 Butler matrix 408 in the first-layer 2D Butler matrix 404 leads to the selection of a second input port of each 4×4 Butler matrix 408 in the second-layer 2D Butler matrix 406, and so on.

[0075] In a non-limiting aspect, different 4×4 Butler matrices 408 in the first-layer 2D Butler matrix 404 can be associated with different beam elevation angles, and different input ports of the 4×4 Butler matrices 408 in the first-layer 2D Butler matrix 404 can be associated with different beam azimuth angles. For example, the four Butler matrices 408 in the first-layer 2D Butler matrix 404 can be associated with four different beam elevation angles, and the four input ports of the 4×4 Butler matrices 408 in the first-layer 2D Butler matrix 404 can be associated with four different beam azimuth angles. For example, to achieve a beam with a desired azimuth and desired elevation angle, the input ports of the Butler matrices 408 in the first-layer 2D Butler matrix 404 are activated, where the input ports are associated with the desired azimuth and the Butler matrices 408 are associated with the desired beam elevation.

[0076] However, this aspect is not limited to this. For example, in an alternative aspect, different 4×4 Butler matrices 408 in the first-layer 2D Butler matrix 404 can be associated with different beam azimuth angles, and different input ports of the 4×4 Butler matrices 408 in the first-layer 2D Butler matrix 404 can be associated with different beam elevation angles. In this case, to achieve a beam with desired azimuth and desired elevation angles, the input ports of the Butler matrices 408 in the first-layer 2D Butler matrix 404 are activated, where the input ports are associated with the desired elevation angle and the Butler matrices 408 are associated with the desired beam azimuth angle.

[0077] In a non-limiting aspect, for example, activation of the 4×4 array antenna 402 in response to activation of each of the 16 input ports of the first-layer 2D Butler matrix 404 is provided as follows: Figure 5 The 2D mode of beam 500 in the middle, where each beam corresponds to the activation of one input port of the first layer 2D Butler matrix 404.

[0078] although Figure 4 The 4×4 array antenna 402 in the figure is symmetrical, but this aspect is not limited thereto. For example, a 3D Butler matrix can be configured to feed an array antenna of size A×B, where A is different from B. For example, to feed an A×B array antenna, the 3D Butler matrix may include a second layer of 2D Butler matrices having a number B of A×A Butler matrices (a number B of Butler matrices, each Butler matrix having A input ports and A output ports).

[0079] For example, refer to Figure 6In a non-limiting aspect, for feeding a 16×4 URA602 (e.g., a URA having 4 rows of antenna elements 603, with 16 antenna elements 603 in each row), a 3D Butler matrix 600 with 16×4 output ports can be implemented. In one aspect, for example, the 3D Butler matrix 600 may include a second-layer 2D Butler matrix 604 having four 16×16 Butler matrices 608 (four Butler matrices, each with 16 input ports and 16 output ports), and a first-layer 2D Butler matrix 606 having sixteen 4×4 Butler matrices 610 (sixteen Butler matrices, each with 4 input ports and 4 output ports). However, this aspect is not limited thereto. For example, in another alternative, the 16×4 URA can be fed by a 3D Butler matrix comprising a first layer of 2D Butler matrices with four 16×16 Butler matrices (four Butler matrices, each with 16 input ports and 16 output ports) and a second layer of 2D Butler matrices with sixteen 4×4 Butler matrices (sixteen Butler matrices, each with 4 input ports and 4 output ports).

[0080] refer to Figure 7 In terms of alternative, non-limiting examples, the first-to-second-layer switch 710 can be used to implement a 3D Butler matrix 700, which includes a 3D Butler matrix 400 ( Figure 4 It uses fewer 4×4 Butler matrices 708, but provides the same beamforming functionality as the 3D Butler matrix 400. That is, the 3D Butler matrix 700 also has 16 output ports and generates the same output signal as the 3D Butler matrix 400, allowing the 16 output ports to provide passive feed to the 4×4 array antenna 702. Therefore, by using fewer 4×4 Butler matrices 708 compared to the 3D Butler matrix 400, the 3D Butler matrix 700 can provide the same beamforming functionality and the same beam angle, but with lower cost, size, and / or complexity.

[0081] In a non-limiting example, the 3D Butler matrix 700 includes a first-layer 2D Butler matrix 704 with 4 input ports and 4 output ports, and a second-layer 2D Butler matrix 706 with 16 input ports and 16 output ports. The first-layer 2D Butler matrix 704 includes only one 4×4 Butler matrix 708, while the second-layer 2D Butler matrix 706 includes four 4×4 Butler matrices 708. Again, each 4×4 Butler matrix 708 in the 3D Butler matrix 700 can be similar to the referenced above. Figure 3The described 4×4 Butler matrix 300 is implemented (e.g., using phase shifters and hybrid couplers) such that activation of the input ports of the 4×4 Butler matrix 708 activates all output ports of the 4×4 Butler matrix 708.

[0082] On one hand, the first-to-second-layer switching 710 is controllable. Through a control signal 713 applied to the control input pin 712 of the first-to-second-layer switching 710, at least a subset of the output ports of the first-layer 2D Butler matrix 704 are selectively connected to the input ports of the second-layer 2D Butler matrix 706. This ensures that at any given time, each output port of the 4×4 Butler matrix 708 in the first-layer 2D Butler matrix 704 is connected to a selected input port of each of the 4×4 Butler matrices 708 in the second-layer 2D Butler matrix 706. Therefore, when an input port of the first-layer 2D Butler matrix 704 is activated, all output ports of the second-layer 2D Butler matrix 706 are activated, resulting in the activation of all antenna elements 703 in the 4×4 array antenna 702.

[0083] In one aspect, assuming the 4×4 Butler matrices 708 in the second-layer 2D Butler matrix 706 are identical to each other, the first-layer to second-layer switch 702 is controllable to select the same input port of each of the 4×4 Butler matrices 708 in the second-layer 2D Butler matrix 706 to be connected to one of the four output ports of the first-layer 2D Butler matrix 704. More specifically, for example, in one aspect, the first-layer to second-layer switch 710 can be configured such that applying a first signal value to the control input 712 of the first-layer to second-layer switch 710 selects the first input port of each of the 4×4 Butler matrices 708 in the second-layer 2D Butler matrix 706 for connection to the corresponding output port of the first-layer 2D Butler matrix 704, while applying a second signal value to the control input 712 of the first-layer to second-layer switch 710 selects the second input port of each of the 4×4 Butler matrices 708 in the second-layer 2D Butler matrix 706 for connection to the corresponding output port of the first-layer 2D Butler matrix 704, and so on.

[0084] More specifically, for example, in one aspect, the first-to-second-layer switch 710 can be configured such that applying a first signal value to the control input 712 of the first-to-second-layer switch 710 connects the first, second, third, and fourth output ports of the first-layer 2D Butler matrix 704 to the first input ports of the first, second, third, and fourth Butler matrices 708 in the second-layer 2D Butler matrix 706, respectively. Furthermore, applying a second signal value to the control input 712 of the first-to-second-layer switch 710 connects the first, second, third, and fourth output ports of the first-layer 2D Butler matrix 704 to the second input ports of the first, second, third, and fourth Butler matrices 708 in the second-layer 2D Butler matrix 706, respectively, and so on.

[0085] More specifically, applying a first signal value to the control input 712 of the first-to-second-layer switch 710 causes the first-to-second-layer switch 710 to connect the first output port of the first-layer 2D Butler matrix 704 to the first input port of the first 4×4 Butler matrix 708 in the second-layer 2D Butler matrix 706, and to connect the second output port of the first-layer 2D Butler matrix 704 to the first input port of the second 4×4 Butler matrix 708 in the second-layer 2D Butler matrix 706, and so on. Also, for example, applying a second signal value to the control input 708 of the first-to-second-layer switch 708 causes the first-to-second-layer switch 708 to connect the first output port of the first-layer 2D Butler matrix 704 to the second input port of the first 4×4 Butler matrix 708 in the second-layer 2D Butler matrix 706, and to connect the second output port of the first-layer 2D Butler matrix 704 to the second input port of the second 4×4 Butler matrix 708 in the second-layer 2D Butler matrix 706, and so on.

[0086] In a non-limiting aspect, different signal values ​​applied to the control input 712 of the first-to-second-layer switch 710 can be associated with different beam elevation angles, and different input ports of the 4×4 Butler matrix 708 in the first-layer 2D Butler matrix 704 can be associated with different beam azimuth angles. For example, four different signal values ​​applied to the control input 712 of the first-to-second-layer switch 710 can be associated with four different beam elevation angles, and four input ports of the 4×4 Butler matrix 708 in the first-layer 2D Butler matrix 704 can be associated with four different beam azimuth angles. For example, to achieve a beam with a desired azimuth and elevation angle, an input port of the Butler matrix 708 in the first-layer 2D Butler matrix 704 is activated, wherein the input port is associated with the desired azimuth angle, and a signal value associated with the desired beam elevation angle is applied to the control input 712 of the first-to-second-layer switch 710.

[0087] However, this aspect is not limited to this. For example, alternatively, different signal values ​​applied to the control input 712 of the first-to-second-layer switch 710 can be associated with different beam azimuth angles, and different input ports of the 4×4 Butler matrix 708 in the first-layer 2D Butler matrix 704 can be associated with different beam elevation angles. For example, four different signal values ​​applied to the control input 712 of the first-to-second-layer switch 710 can be associated with four different beam azimuth angles, and four input ports of the 4×4 Butler matrix 708 in the first-layer 2D Butler matrix 704 can be associated with four different beam elevation angles. For example, to achieve a beam with a desired azimuth and elevation angle, the input ports of the Butler matrix 708 in the first-layer 2D Butler matrix 704 are activated, where the input ports are associated with the desired elevation angle, and the signal value associated with the desired beam azimuth angle is applied to the control input 712 of the first-to-second-layer switch 710.

[0088] By using the first-to-second-layer switch 710, the 3D Butler matrix 700 can provide the same performance as the 3D Butler matrix 400. Figure 4 It has the same beamforming capabilities, but with fewer total 4×4 Butler matrices 708, which can reduce cost, size, and / or complexity, for example, in high-dimensional multi-antenna communications.

[0089] In one aspect, for example, by activating more than one input port of a first-layer 2D Butler matrix 704 corresponding to multiple different azimuth angles, the 3D Butler matrix 700 can be used to support multiple links. Multiple links can correspond to multiple beams in one dimension (azimuth or elevation) to avoid unwanted beaming. For example, in one exemplary aspect, two links can be used by activating two input ports of a 4×4 Butler matrix 708 in the first-layer 2D Butler matrix 704, where the two input ports are associated with two different azimuth angles. Alternatively, in some aspects, the first-layer 2D Butler matrix 704 may include two 4×4 Butler matrices, where each 4×4 Butler matrix supports one stream. In this case, the 3D Butler matrix 700 can be used to support two links by activating one input port of each of the two 4×4 Butler matrices 708 in the first-layer 2D Butler matrix 704.

[0090] On the one hand, the Layer 1 to Layer 2 switching 710 maintains reciprocity, enabling the 3D Butler matrix 700 to support both uplink and downlink communication.

[0091] Despite Figure 7 Use the first layer to second layer switch 710 to... Figure 4The number of 4×4 Butler matrices 708 in the 3D Butler matrix 400 is reduced compared to the 3D Butler matrix 700, but this aspect is not limited to this. For example, refer to Figure 8 In another non-limiting aspect, the first-to-second-layer switch 812, having four inputs and 16×4 outputs, can be configurable via a control signal applied to a control input pin 814 to implement a 3D Butler matrix 800, which has only one 4×4 Butler matrix 810 in the first-layer 2D Butler matrix 806, but can provide... Figure 6 The beam output is the same as that of the 3D Butler matrix 600. Specifically, the 16×4 URA802, with four rows (each row including 16 antenna elements 803), can be fed from the output port of the second layer 2D Butler matrix 804 of the 3D Butler matrix 800. Figure 6 Similar to the 3D Butler matrix 600, the second layer 2D Butler matrix 804 of the 3D Butler matrix 800 includes four 16×16 Butler matrices 808 (four Butler matrices, each with 16 input ports and 16 output ports). However, by using a first-to-second-layer switch 812, the 3D Butler matrix 800 can provide the same functionality as the 3D Butler matrix 600 (…). Figure 6 It has the same beamforming functionality, but only one 4×4 Butler matrix 810 in the first layer 2D Butler matrix 806, which can reduce cost, size and / or complexity.

[0092] In one aspect, the first-to-second-layer switch 812 is controllable via a control signal 815 applied to the control input pin 814 of the first-to-second-layer switch 812 to selectively connect the output ports of the first-layer 2D Butler matrix 806 to at least a subset of the input ports of the second-layer 2D Butler matrix 804. In a non-limiting aspect, for example, different signal values ​​applied to the control input pin 814 of the first-to-second-layer switch 812 can be associated with different beam elevation angles, and different input ports of the 4×4 Butler matrix 810 in the first-layer 2D Butler matrix 806 can be associated with different beam azimuth angles. For example, 16 different signal values ​​can be applied to the control input 814 of the first-to-second-layer switch 812 to select 16 different beam elevation angles, and the four input ports of the 4×4 Butler matrix 810 in the first-layer 2D Butler matrix 806 can be associated with four different beam azimuth angles. For example, in order to achieve a beam with a desired azimuth and elevation angle, the input port of the Butler matrix 810 in the first-layer 2D Butler matrix 806 is activated, wherein the input port is associated with the desired azimuth angle and the signal value associated with the desired beam elevation angle is applied to the control input pin 814 of the first-layer to second-layer switch 812.

[0093] However, this aspect is not limited to this. For example, alternatively, different signal values ​​applied to the control input pin 814 of the first-to-second-layer switch 812 can be associated with different beam azimuth angles, and different input ports of the 4×4 Butler matrix 810 in the first-layer 2D Butler matrix 806 can be associated with different beam elevation angles. For example, 16 different signal values ​​can be applied to the control input 814 of the first-to-second-layer switch 812 to select 16 different beam azimuth angles, and the four input ports of the 4×4 Butler matrix 810 in the first-layer 2D Butler matrix 806 can be associated with four different beam elevation angles. For example, to achieve a beam with a desired azimuth and elevation angle, the input ports of the Butler matrix 810 in the first-layer 2D Butler matrix 806 are activated, where the input ports are associated with the desired elevation angle, and the signal value associated with the desired beam azimuth angle is applied to the control input 814 of the first-to-second-layer switch 708.

[0094] In a non-limiting aspect, in response to the activation of the input port of the 4×4 Butler matrix 810 in the first-layer 2D Butler matrix 806, four inputs of the first-layer to second-layer switch 812 are activated, and only four of the 16×4 outputs of the first-layer to second-layer switch 812 are activated (enabled).

[0095] In a non-limiting aspect, the first-to-second-layer switch 812 can be implemented using four 1×16 switches, each having one input and 16 outputs, and is controllable (via a control signal 815 applied to a control input pin 814 of the first-to-second-layer switch 812) to connect the input to one of the 16 outputs. In one aspect, each 1×16 switch is associated with one of the output ports of a 4×4 Butler matrix 810 in the first-layer 2D Butler matrix 806 and one of a 16×16 Butler matrix 808 in the second-layer 2D Butler matrix 804. More specifically, the input of each 1×16 switch is connected to one of the output ports of the 4×4 Butler matrix 810 in the first-layer 2D Butler matrix 806, and the 16 outputs of each 1×16 switch are connected to the 16 input ports of one of the 16×16 Butler matrix 808 in the second-layer 2D Butler matrix 804.

[0096] In a non-limiting aspect, for example, each 1×4 switch is controllable (via a control signal 815 applied to the control input pin 814 of the first-to-second-layer switch 812) to select one input port of the 16×16 Butler matrix 808 in the second-layer 2D Butler matrix 804, wherein the selected input port of the 16×16 Butler matrix 808 in the second-layer 2D Butler matrix 804 corresponds to the desired beam azimuth or elevation angle. In this aspect, when all four inputs of the first-to-second-layer switch 812 are activated, only one output of each 1×16 switch is activated, so only four of the 16×4 outputs of the first-to-second-layer switch 812 are activated (enabled). Furthermore, the four activated outputs of the first-to-second-layer switch 812 are connected to the same input port number in the 16×16 Butler matrix 808 in the second-layer 2D Butler matrix 804. In other words, when the four inputs of the first-to-second-layer switch 812 are activated, the same input port number in each of the 16×16 Butler matrices 808 in the second-layer 2D Butler matrix 804 is activated, for example, to select the desired beam azimuth or elevation angle.

[0097] On one hand, to support more than one stream / link, the first-layer 2D Butler matrix 806 may include more than one Butler matrix, where each Butler matrix supports one stream / link. For example, in a non-limiting alternative, the first-layer 2D Butler matrix 806 may include two Butler matrices of size 4×4, in which case the first-layer to second-layer switch 812 will have 8 inputs and 16×4 outputs, and at any given time, only 8 of the 16×4 outputs of the first-layer to second-layer switch will be active (enabled).

[0098] In another alternative aspect, the 3D Butler matrix operable to feed a 16×4 URA may include a first-layer 2D Butler matrix having a 16×16 Butler matrix (a Butler matrix with 16 input ports and 16 output ports), a second-layer 2D Butler matrix having 16 4×4 Butler matrices (16 Butler matrices, each with 4 input ports and 4 output ports), and a first-layer to second-layer switch having 16 input ports and 16×4 output ports, and configurable via control signals applied to control input pins to selectively connect the output ports of the first-layer 2D Butler matrix to the input ports of the second-layer 2D Butler matrix. In a non-limiting aspect, for example, four different signal values ​​applied to the control input pins of the first-layer to second-layer switch 812 may be associated with four different beam elevation angles, and the 16 input ports of the 16×16 Butler matrix in the first-layer 2D Butler matrix may be associated with different beam azimuth angles. In terms of the non-restrictive nature of the alternatives, for example, four different signal values ​​applied to the control input of the first-to-second-layer switch 812 can be associated with four different beam azimuth angles, and the 16 input ports of the 16×16 Butler matrix in the first-layer 2D Butler matrix can be associated with different beam elevation angles.

[0099] In a non-limiting aspect, in response to the activation of the input port of the 16×16 Butler matrix in the first-layer 2D Butler matrix, 16 inputs switching from the first layer to the second layer are activated, and only 16 of the 16×4 outputs switching from the first layer to the second layer are activated (enabled).

[0100] In one non-limiting aspect, the first-to-second-layer switching can be implemented using 16 1×4 switches, each having one input and four outputs, and is controllable (via control signals applied to the control input pins of the first-to-second-layer switching) to connect the input to one of the four outputs. In one aspect, each 1×4 switch is associated with one of the output ports of a 16×16 Butler matrix in the first-layer 2D Butler matrix and one of a 4×4 Butler matrix in the second-layer 2D Butler matrix. More specifically, the input of each 1×4 switch is connected to one of the output ports of the 16×16 Butler matrix in the first-layer 2D Butler matrix, and the four outputs of each 1×4 switch are connected to one of the four input ports of the 4×4 Butler matrix in the second-layer 2D Butler matrix.

[0101] In a non-limiting aspect, for example, each 1×16 switch is controllable (via a control signal applied to the control input pin of the first-to-second-layer switch) to select one input port of a 4×4 Butler matrix in the second-layer 2D Butler matrix, where the selected input port corresponds to the desired beam azimuth or elevation angle. In this aspect, when all 16 inputs of the first-to-second-layer switch are activated, only one output of each 1×4 switch is activated, thus only 16 of the 16×4 outputs of the first-to-second-layer switch are activated (enabled). Furthermore, the 16 activated outputs of the first-to-second-layer switch are connected to the same input port number in each of the 4×4 Butler matrices in the second-layer 2D Butler matrix. That is, when all 16 inputs of the first-to-second-layer switch are activated, the same input port number in each of the 4×4 Butler matrices in the second-layer 2D Butler matrix is ​​activated, for example, to select the desired beam azimuth or elevation angle.

[0102] While in the above aspects the number of input ports and output ports of each Butler matrix is ​​equal to each other and equal to a power of 2 (e.g., 4 input ports and 4 output ports, 16 input ports and 16 output ports, etc.), this aspect is not limited thereto. For example, in some alternative aspects, 3D Butler matrices may include Butler matrices with each having N input ports and M output ports, where N and M are not equal to each other, or where N and / or M are not powers of 2.

[0103] In a non-limiting aspect, for example, a 3D Butler matrix can be configured as a passive feed of an N×N array antenna with N rows (each row comprising N antenna elements). The 3D Butler matrix can include a first-layer 2D Butler matrix with N M×M Butler matrices (N > M >= 1), a first-layer to second-layer switch selectively connecting N×M inputs to N×N outputs, and a second-layer 2D Butler matrix with N N×N Butler matrices. Therefore, the 3D Butler matrix can allow N×M different beams with N×M different combinations of azimuth and elevation angles (e.g., N different azimuth angles × M different elevation angles, or M different azimuth angles × N different elevation angles). In one aspect, beam activation information can be inserted into the first-layer to second-layer switch (by applying control signals to the control input pins of the first-layer to second-layer switch) to control the input-output connections of the first-layer to second-layer switch. In a non-limiting aspect, for example, a desired beam is selected from one of N×M different beams, wherein each different input value of the control input pin switching from the first layer to the second layer selects a different elevation angle, and each input port of the first layer 2D Butler matrix selects a different azimuth angle.

[0104] In another non-limiting aspect, for example, a 3D Butler matrix may include a first-layer 2D Butler matrix having N M×P Butler matrices, a first-layer to second-layer switch that selectively connects N×P input pins to N×P×Q output pins based on control signals applied to control input pins for first-layer to second-layer switching, and a second-layer 2D Butler matrix having N×P Q×T Butler matrices, where N, M, P, Q, and T are positive integer values. Therefore, a 3D Butler matrix can allow N×M×Q different beams with N×M×Q different combinations of azimuth and elevation angles.

[0105] Figure 9 A flowchart of an example method 900 for multi-antenna wireless communication is shown. In one aspect, for example, UE 104 can use the above... Figure 1 Or below Figure 10 and Figure 11 One or more of the components described above (e.g., modem 140, 3D Butler matrix 145, array antenna 144, RF front end 1088, transceiver 1002, processor 1012, and / or memory 1016) may perform the functions described in method 900. Alternatively, base station 102 may use the components described above. Figure 1 Or below Figure 11 and Figure 12 One or more of the components described in the method (e.g., modem 140, 3D Butler matrix 145, array antenna 144, RF front end 1288, transceiver 1202, processor 1212 and / or memory 1216) perform the functions described in method 900.

[0106] At 902, method 900 includes selecting one or more input ports of a first-layer 2D Butler matrix for communication with one or more streams via an array antenna on one or more beams. For example, in one aspect, UE 104, modem 140, 3D Butler matrix 145, array antenna 144, RF front-end 1088, transceiver 1002, processor 1012, and / or memory 1016 can select one or more input ports of the first-layer 2D Butler matrix for communication with one or more streams via an array antenna on one or more beams. Therefore, in one aspect, UE 104, modem 140, 3D Butler matrix 145, array antenna 144, RF front-end 1088, transceiver 1002, processor 1012, and / or memory 1016 can provide components for selecting one or more input ports of the first-layer 2D Butler matrix for communication with one or more streams via an array antenna on one or more beams. On the other hand, base station 102, modem 140, 3D Butler matrix 145, array antenna 144, RF front-end 1288, transceiver 1202, processor 1212, and / or memory 1216 can select one or more input ports of the first-layer 2D Butler matrix for communication of one or more streams by the array antenna on one or more beams. Therefore, in one aspect, base station 102, modem 140, 3D Butler matrix 145, array antenna 144, RF front-end 1288, transceiver 1202, processor 1212, and / or memory 1216 can provide components for selecting one or more input ports of the first-layer 2D Butler matrix for communication of one or more streams by the array antenna on one or more beams.

[0107] For example, on the one hand, refer to Figure 1 and Figure 7 The modem 140 of UE 104 or base station 102 can select one or more input ports of the first-layer 2D Butler matrix 704 for communication of one or more streams by the array antenna 702 on one or more beams. For example, the modem 140 can select input ports associated with a desired beam elevation or azimuth angle, such that applying one or more streams to those input ports results in the generation of a phase-shifted version of the stream at the output port of the second-layer 2D matrix 706, and results in the transmission of one or more signals by the antenna element 703 of the array antenna 702 on a beam with the desired azimuth or elevation angle.

[0108] At 904, method 900 includes applying a control signal to a control input pin for a first-to-second-layer switching, the first-to-second-layer switching being configurable based on the control signal to selectively connect at least a subset of the first-layer output ports of the first-layer 2D Butler matrix to the second-layer input ports of the second-layer 2D Butler matrix. For example, in one aspect, components such as UE 104, modem 140, 3D Butler matrix 145, array antenna 144, RF front-end 1088, transceiver 1002, processor 1012, and / or memory 1016 may apply control signals to the control input pin for a first-to-second-layer switching, the first-to-second-layer switching being configurable based on the control signal to selectively connect at least a subset of the first-layer output ports of the first-layer 2D Butler matrix to the second-layer input ports of the second-layer 2D Butler matrix. Therefore, in one aspect, UE104, modem140, 3D Butler matrix 145, array antenna 144, RF front-end 1088, transceiver 1002, processor 1012, and / or memory 1016 may provide components for applying control signals to control input pins for a layer-to-layer switching, the layer-to-layer switching being configurable based on control signals to selectively connect at least a subset of the layer-1 output ports of the layer-1 2D Butler matrix to the layer-2 input ports of the layer-2 2D Butler matrix. In another aspect, base station 102, modem140, 3D Butler matrix 145, array antenna 144, RF front-end 1288, transceiver 1202, processor 1212, and / or memory 1216 may apply control signals to control input pins for a layer-to-layer switching, the layer-to-layer switching being configurable based on control signals to selectively connect at least a subset of the layer-1 output ports of the layer-1 2D Butler matrix to the layer-2 input ports of the layer-2 2D Butler matrix. Therefore, in one aspect, base station 102, modem 140, 3D Butler matrix 145, array antenna 144, RF front end 1288, transceiver 1202, processor 1212 and / or memory 1216 may provide components for applying control signals to control input pins for first-layer to second-layer switching, the first-layer to second-layer switching being configurable based on control signals to selectively connect at least a subset of first-layer output ports of the first-layer 2D Butler matrix to second-layer input ports of the second-layer 2D Butler matrix.

[0109] For example, on the one hand, refer to Figure 1 and Figure 7The modem 140 of UE 104 or base station 102 can apply a control signal 713 to the control input pin 712 of the layer-to-layer switch 710, causing the layer-to-layer switch 710 to selectively connect the output port of the layer-1 2D Butler matrix 704 to at least a subset of the input ports of the layer-2D Butler matrix 706 in response to the flow applied to the input port of the layer-1 2D Butler matrix 704 to generate a beam with a desired azimuth or elevation angle. For example, the modem 140 of UE 104 or base station 102 can apply the control signal 712 associated with the desired beam elevation or azimuth angle to control the connectivity of the layer-to-layer switch 710, such that applying one or more flows to the input port of the layer-1 2D Butler matrix 704 results in the generation of a phase-shifted version of the flow at the output port of the layer-2D matrix 706, and causes the antenna elements 703 of the array antenna 702 to transmit one or more signals on a beam with the desired azimuth or elevation angle.

[0110] At 906, method 900 includes transmitting or receiving one or more streams on one or more beams by an array antenna, wherein the array antenna includes a plurality of antenna elements, each of which is associated with an output port of a second-layer 2D Butler matrix. For example, in one aspect, UE 104, modem 140, 3D Butler matrix 145, array antenna 144, RF front end 1088, transceiver 1002, processor 1012, and / or memory 1016 may transmit or receive one or more streams on one or more beams by an array antenna, wherein the array antenna includes a plurality of antenna elements, each of which is associated with an output port of a second-layer 2D Butler matrix. Therefore, in one aspect, UE104, modem 140, 3D Butler matrix 145, array antenna 144, RF front end 1088, transceiver 1002, processor 1012, and / or memory 1016 can provide components for transmitting or receiving one or more streams on one or more beams by the array antenna, wherein the array antenna includes a plurality of antenna elements, each of which is associated with an output port of the second-layer 2D Butler matrix. In another aspect, base station 102, modem 140, 3D Butler matrix 145, array antenna 144, RF front end 1288, transceiver 1202, processor 1212, and / or memory 1216 can transmit or receive one or more streams on one or more beams by the array antenna, wherein the array antenna includes a plurality of antenna elements, each of which is associated with an output port of the second-layer 2D Butler matrix. Therefore, in one aspect, base station 102, modem 140, 3D Butler matrix 145, array antenna 144, RF front end 1288, transceiver 1202, processor 1212 and / or memory 1216 may provide components for transmitting or receiving one or more streams on one or more beams by the array antenna, wherein the array antenna includes a plurality of antenna elements, each of which is associated with an output port of the second-layer 2D Butler matrix.

[0111] For example, on the one hand, refer to Figure 1 and Figure 7 UE 104 or base station 102 may transmit or receive one or more streams on one or more beams by array antenna 702, wherein array antenna 702 includes a plurality of antenna elements 703, each of which is associated with an output port of a second-layer 2D Butler matrix 706.

[0112] For example, in a non-limiting example, to transmit a stream on a beam with desired azimuth and elevation angles, modem 140 can select an input port of the first-layer Butler matrix 704, where the input port is associated with the desired beam azimuth. Modem 140 can also apply a control signal 713 to the control input pin 712 of the first-layer to second-layer switch 710, where the control signal 713 is associated with the desired beam elevation angle. The selection of the input port associated with the desired beam azimuth angle and the selection of the control signal 713 associated with the beam elevation angle cause 3D Butler matrix 700 to generate signals with a relative phase shift relative to each other at the output port of the second-layer Butler matrix 706, which causes array antenna 702 to generate a beam with desired azimuth and elevation angles. 3D Butler matrix 700 also provides reciprocity functionality. In other words, the same selection made by the modem 140 for the transmission of the stream on the beam with the desired azimuth and elevation angles will also cause the 3D Butler matrix 700 to operate in receive mode to receive the stream on the beam with the desired azimuth and elevation angles.

[0113] Reference Figure 10 An example implementation of UE 104 may include various components, some of which have been described above and further described herein, including components such as one or more processors 1012 and memory 1016 communicating via one or more buses 1044, and transceiver 1002, which may operate in conjunction with modem 140, array antenna 144, and / or 3D Butler matrix 145 to enable one or more functions related to beamforming in multi-antenna wireless communication as described herein. Figure 10 In this embodiment, the 3D Butler matrix 145 is configured and arranged to couple the array antenna 144 to the RF front end 1088 of the UE 104. However, this aspect is not limited to this. For example, in an alternative aspect, the 3D Butler matrix 145 may be configured and arranged to couple the RF front end 1088 to the transceiver 1002.

[0114] In one aspect, one or more processors 1012 may include modem 140 and / or may be part of modem 140 using one or more modem processors. Therefore, the various functions described herein with reference to beamforming may be included in modem 140 and / or processor 1012, and in one aspect, may be operated by a single processor, while in other aspects, different functions may be operated by a combination of two or more different processors. For example, in one aspect, one or more processors 1012 may include any one or any combination of a modem processor, or baseband processor, or digital signal processor, or transmit processor, or receiver processor, or transceiver processor associated with transceiver 1002. In other aspects, some of the functions of one or more processors 1012 and / or modem 140 described herein with reference to beamforming may be performed by transceiver 1002.

[0115] Additionally, memory 1016 may be configured to store data used herein and / or a local version of application 1075 executed by at least one processor 1012. Memory 1016 may include any type of computer-readable medium usable by a computer or at least one processor 1012, such as random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), magnetic tape, magnetic disk, optical disk, volatile memory, non-volatile memory, and any combination thereof. In one aspect, for example, memory 1016 may be a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores one or more computer-executable codes and / or associated data when UE 104 operates at least one processor 1012 to perform the beamforming function described herein.

[0116] Transceiver 1002 may include at least one receiver 1006 and at least one transmitter 1008. Receiver 1006 may include hardware, firmware, and / or processor-executable software code for receiving data, the code including instructions and stored in memory (e.g., a computer-readable medium). Receiver 1006 may be, for example, a radio frequency (RF) receiver. In one aspect, receiver 1006 may receive signals transmitted by at least one base station 102. Furthermore, receiver 1006 may process such received signals and may also obtain measurements of the signals, such as, but not limited to, Ec / Io, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), reference signal received power (RSRP), received signal strength indicator (RSSI), etc. Transmitter 1008 may include hardware, firmware, and / or processor-executable software code for transmitting data, the code including instructions and stored in memory (e.g., a computer-readable medium). Suitable examples of transmitter 1008 may include, but are not limited to, RF transmitters.

[0117] Furthermore, in one aspect, UE 104 may include an RF front-end 1088 that can operate communicatively with a 3D Butler matrix 145, one or more antennas 144, and a transceiver 1002 to receive and transmit radio transmissions, such as wireless communications transmitted by at least one base station 102 or wireless transmissions transmitted by UE 104. The RF front-end 1088 may be connected to one or more antennas 144 via the 3D Butler matrix 145 and may include one or more low-noise amplifiers (LNAs) 1090, one or more switches 1092, one or more power amplifiers (PAs) 1098, and one or more filters 1096 for transmitting and receiving RF signals.

[0118] On one hand, the LNA1090 can amplify the received signal at a desired output level. On another hand, each LNA1090 can have specified minimum and maximum gain values. On yet another hand, the RF front end 1088 can use one or more switches 1092 to select a specific LNA1090 and its specified gain value based on the desired gain value for a particular application.

[0119] Furthermore, for example, one or more PA1098s may be used by RF front-end 1088 to amplify the signal for RF output at a desired output power level. In one aspect, each PA1098 may have specified minimum and maximum gain values. In another aspect, RF front-end 1088 may use one or more switches 1092 to select a specific PA1098 and its specified gain value based on the desired gain value for a specific application.

[0120] Furthermore, for example, one or more filters 1096 may be used by the RF front end 1088 to filter the received signal to obtain the input RF signal. Similarly, in one aspect, for example, a corresponding filter 1096 may be used to filter the output from a corresponding PA 1098 to produce an output signal for transmission. In one aspect, each filter 1096 may be connected to a specific LNA 1090 and / or PA 1098. In one aspect, the RF front end 1088 may use one or more switches 1092 to select the transmit or receive path using a specified filter 1096, LNA 1090, and / or PA 1098 based on the configuration specified by the transceiver 1002 and / or processor 1012.

[0121] Therefore, transceiver 1002 can be configured to transmit and receive wireless signals via one or more antennas 144 through a 3D Butler matrix 145 and an RF front end 1088. In one aspect, transceiver 1002 can be tuned to operate at a specified frequency, allowing UE 104 to communicate with, for example, one or more base stations 102 or one or more cells associated with one or more base stations 102. In another aspect, for example, modem 140 can configure transceiver 1002 to operate at a specified frequency and power level based on the UE configuration of UE 104 and the communication protocol used by modem 140.

[0122] In one aspect, modem 140 may be a multi-band, multi-mode modem capable of processing digital data and communicating with transceiver 1002, thereby enabling the transceiver 1002 to transmit and receive digital data. In another aspect, modem 140 may be multi-band and configured to support multiple frequency bands for a specific communication protocol. In another aspect, modem 140 may be multi-mode and configured to support multiple operating networks and communication protocols. In one aspect, modem 140 may control one or more components of UE 104 (e.g., RF front-end 1088, transceiver 1002, 3D Butler matrix 145) to enable transmission and / or reception of signals from the network based on a specified modem configuration. In one aspect, modem configuration may be based on the modem's mode and the frequency band in use. In another aspect, modem configuration may be based on UE configuration information associated with UE 104 provided by the network during cell selection and / or cell reselection.

[0123] On one hand, (multiple) processors 1012 can correspond to the combination of the following Figure 11 The UE 1150 describes one or more processors. Similarly, memory 1016 may correspond to the following... Figure 11 The memory described in UE 1150.

[0124] In one configuration, UE 104 or UE 1150 may be an apparatus for multi-antenna wireless communication, including components for performing any of the appended claims for multi-antenna wireless communication via the UE. These components may be one or more of the aforementioned components of UE 104 and / or processor 1012 of UE 104, configured to perform the described functions. As described above, processor 1012 may include the following references... Figure 11 The UE 1150 described includes a TX processor 1168, an RX processor 1156, and a controller / processor 1159. Therefore, in one configuration, the aforementioned components may be the TX processor 1168, the RX processor 1156, and the controller / processor 1159, configured to perform the functions described above.

[0125] Figure 11 This is a block diagram of base station 1110 communicating with UE 1150 in the access network, where base station 1110 can be an example implementation of base station 102, and where UE 1150 can be an example implementation of UE 104. Although Figure 11 Not shown, but in some aspects, base station 1110 may include a 3D Butler matrix and / or RF front end configured and arranged to couple a plurality of antennas 1120 of base station 1110 to transceiver 1118 of base station 1110, as described herein with reference to various aspects. Similarly, although Figure 11 Not shown, but in some respects, UE 1150 may include a 3D Butler matrix and / or RF front end configured and arranged to couple multiple antennas 1152 of UE 1150 to transceiver 1154 of UE 1150, as described herein with reference to various aspects.

[0126] In the DL, IP packets from EPC 160 can be provided to controller / processor 1175. Controller / processor 1175 implements Layer 3 and Layer 2 functions. Layer 3 includes the Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer, and Layer 2 includes the Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP) layer, Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer, Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, and Medium Access Control (MAC) layer. The controller / processor 1175 provides: RRC layer functions associated with broadcasting system information (e.g., MIB, SIB), RRC connection control (e.g., RRC connection paging, RRC connection establishment, RRC connection modification, and RRC connection release), movement between Radio Access Technology (RAT), and measurement configuration for UE measurement reporting; PDCP layer functions associated with header compression / decompression, security (encryption, decryption, integrity protection, integrity verification), and handover support functions; RLC layer functions associated with the transmission of upper-layer Packet Data Units (PDUs), error correction via ARQ, concatenation, segmentation, and reassembly of RLC Service Data Units (SDUs), resegmentation of RLC data PDUs, and reordering of RLC data PDUs; and MAC layer functions associated with mapping between logical channels and transport channels, multiplexing of MAC SDUs to Transport Blocks (TBs), and MAC... SDU is associated with TB demultiplexing, scheduling information reporting, error correction via HARQ, priority processing, and logical channel prioritization.

[0127] Transmit (TX) processor 1116 and receive (RX) processor 1170 implement Layer 1 functions associated with various signal processing functions. Layer 1, which includes the physical (PHY) layer, may include error detection on the transport channel, forward error correction (FEC) encoding / decoding of the transport channel, interleaving, rate matching, mapping to the physical channel, modulation / demodulation of the physical channel, and MIMO antenna processing. TX processor 1116 processes the mapping to signal constellations based on various modulation schemes (e.g., Binary Phase-Shift Keying (BPSK), Quadrature Phase-Shift Keying (QPSK), M-Phase-Shift Keying (M-PSK), and M-Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (M-QAM)). The encoded and modulated symbols can then be segmented into parallel streams. Each stream can then be mapped to an OFDM subcarrier, multiplexed with a reference signal (e.g., a pilot) in the time and / or frequency domains, and then combined using an inverse fast fourier transform (IFFT) to generate a physical channel carrying a stream of time-domain OFDM symbols. This OFDM stream is spatially precoded to generate multiple spatial streams. The channel estimate from channel estimator 1174 can be used to determine the coding and modulation scheme, as well as for spatial processing. The channel estimate can be derived from the reference signal and / or channel condition feedback transmitted by UE 1150. Each spatial stream can then be provided to a different antenna 1120 via a separate transmitter 1118TX. Each transmitter 1118TX can modulate an RF carrier with the corresponding spatial stream for transmission.

[0128] At UE 1150, each receiver 1154RX receives signals through its respective antenna 1152. Each receiver 1154RX recovers the information modulated onto the RF carrier and provides this information to the receive (RX) processor 1156. The TX processor 1168 and the RX processor 1156 implement Layer 1 functions associated with various signal processing functions. The RX processor 1156 can perform spatial processing on the information to recover any spatial streams intended for UE 1150. If multiple spatial streams are intended for UE 1150, they can be combined by the RX processor 1156 into a single OFDM symbol stream. The RX processor 1156 then uses a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) to transform the OFDM symbol stream from the time domain to the frequency domain. The frequency domain signal comprises separate OFDM symbol streams for each subcarrier of the OFDM signal. The symbols on each subcarrier, along with the reference signal, are recovered and demodulated by determining the most probable signal constellation points transmitted by base station 1110. These soft decisions can be based on channel estimates calculated by channel estimator 1158. These soft decisions are then decoded and deinterleaved to recover the data and control signals initially transmitted by base station 1110 on the physical channel. The data and control signals are then provided to controller / processor 1159, which implements layer 3 and layer 2 functions.

[0129] Controller / processor 1159 may be associated with memory 1160, which stores program code and data. Memory 1160 may be referred to as a computer-readable medium. In UL, controller / processor 1159 provides demultiplexing, packet reassembly, decryption, header decompression, and control signal processing between transport and logical channels to recover IP packets from EPC 160. Controller / processor 1159 is also responsible for error detection using ACK and / or NACK protocols to support HARQ operation.

[0130] Similar to the functions described in conjunction with the DL transmission of base station 1110, controller / processor 1159 provides: RRC layer functions associated with system information (e.g., MIB, SIB) acquisition, RRC connection, and measurement reporting; PDCP layer functions associated with header compression / decompression and security (encryption, decryption, integrity protection, integrity verification); RLC layer functions associated with the transmission of upper-layer PDUs, error correction via ARQ, concatenation, segmentation, and reassembly of RLC SDUs, resegmentation of RLC data PDUs, and reordering of RLC data PDUs; and MAC layer functions associated with mapping between logical channels and transport channels, multiplexing of MAC SDUs to TBs, demultiplexing of MAC SDUs from TBs, scheduling information reporting, error correction via HARQ, priority processing, and logical channel prioritization.

[0131] The channel estimate derived by the channel estimator 1158 from the reference signal or feedback transmitted by the base station 1110 can be used by the TX processor 1168 to select an appropriate coding and modulation scheme and facilitate spatial processing. The spatial stream generated by the TX processor 1168 can be provided to different antennas 1152 via separate transmitters 1154TX. Each transmitter 1154TX can modulate an RF carrier with its own spatial stream for transmission.

[0132] UL transmission is processed at base station 1110 in a manner similar to that described in conjunction with receiver functionality at UE 1150. Each receiver 1118RX receives signals via its respective antenna 1120. Each receiver 1118RX recovers the information modulated onto the RF carrier and provides that information to RX processor 1170.

[0133] Controller / processor 1175 may be associated with memory 1176, which stores program code and data. Memory 1176 may be referred to as a computer-readable medium. In the UL, controller / processor 1175 provides demultiplexing, packet reassembly, decryption, header decompression, and control signal processing between transport and logical channels to recover IP packets from UE 1150. IP packets from controller / processor 1175 may be provided to EPC 160. Controller / processor 1175 is also responsible for error detection using ACK and / or NACK protocols to support HARQ operation.

[0134] At least one of the TX processor 1168, RX processor 1156, and controller / processor 1159 can be configured to perform operations related to... Figure 1 The beamforming-related aspects of multi-antenna wireless communication.

[0135] At least one of the TX processor 1116, RX processor 1170, and controller / processor 1175 can be configured to perform operations related to... Figure 1 The beamforming-related aspects of multi-antenna wireless communication.

[0136] Reference Figure 12 An example of an implementation of base station 102 may include various components, some of which have been described above and further described herein, including components such as one or more processors 1212 and memories 1216 communicating via one or more buses 1244, and transceivers 1202, which may operate in conjunction with modems 140, array antennas 144, and / or 3D Butler matrices 145 to enable one or more functions related to beamforming in multi-antenna wireless communication as described herein. Figure 12In this embodiment, the 3D Butler matrix 145 is configured and arranged to couple the array antenna 144 to the RF front-end 1288 of the base station 102. However, this aspect is not limited to this. For example, in an alternative aspect, the 3D Butler matrix 145 may be configured and arranged to couple the RF front-end 1288 to the transceiver 1202.

[0137] In one aspect, one or more processors 1212 may include modem 140 and / or may be part of modem 140 using one or more modem processors. Therefore, the various functions described herein with reference to beamforming may be included in modem 140 and / or processor 1212, and in one aspect, may be operated by a single processor, while in other aspects, different functions may be operated by a combination of two or more different processors. For example, in one aspect, one or more processors 1212 may include any one or any combination of a modem processor, or baseband processor, or digital signal processor, or transmit processor, or receiver processor, or transceiver processor associated with transceiver 1202. In other aspects, some of the features of one or more processors 1212 and / or modem 140 described herein with reference to beamforming may be performed by transceiver 1202.

[0138] Additionally, memory 1216 may be configured to store data used herein and / or a local version of application 1275 executed by at least one processor 1212. Memory 1216 may include any type of computer-readable medium usable by a computer or at least one processor 1212, such as random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), magnetic tape, magnetic disk, optical disk, volatile memory, non-volatile memory, and any combination thereof. In one aspect, for example, memory 1216 may be a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores one or more computer-executable codes and / or associated data when base station 102 operates at least one processor 1212 to perform the beamforming function described herein.

[0139] Transceiver 1202 may include at least one receiver 1206 and at least one transmitter 1208. Receiver 1206 may include hardware, firmware, and / or processor-executable software code for receiving data, the code including instructions and stored in memory (e.g., a computer-readable medium). Receiver 1206 may be, for example, a radio frequency (RF) receiver. In one aspect, receiver 1206 may receive signals transmitted by at least one UE 104. Furthermore, receiver 1206 may process such received signals and may also obtain measurements of the signals, such as, but not limited to, Ec / Io, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), reference signal received power (RSRP), received signal strength indicator (RSSI), etc. Transmitter 1208 may include hardware, firmware, and / or processor-executable software code for transmitting data, the code including instructions and stored in memory (e.g., a computer-readable medium). Suitable examples of transmitter 1208 may include, but are not limited to, RF transmitters.

[0140] Furthermore, in one aspect, base station 102 may include an RF front-end 1288 that can operate communicatively with a 3D Butler matrix 145, one or more antennas 144, and transceiver 1202 to receive and transmit radio transmissions, such as wireless communications transmitted by other base stations 102 or wireless transmissions transmitted by UE 104. The RF front-end 1288 may be connected to one or more antennas 144 via the 3D Butler matrix 145 and may include one or more low-noise amplifiers (LNAs) 1290, one or more switches 1292, one or more power amplifiers (PAs) 1298, and one or more filters 1296 for transmitting and receiving RF signals.

[0141] On one hand, the LNA 1290 can amplify the received signal at a desired output level. On another hand, each LNA 1290 can have specified minimum and maximum gain values. On yet another hand, the RF front end 1288 can use one or more switches 1292 to select a specific LNA 1290 and its specified gain value based on the desired gain value for a particular application.

[0142] Furthermore, for example, one or more PAs 1298 may be used by the RF front end 1288 to amplify the signal for RF output at a desired output power level. In one aspect, each PA 1298 may have specified minimum and maximum gain values. In another aspect, the RF front end 1288 may use one or more switches 1292 to select a specific PA 1298 and its specified gain value based on the desired gain value for a particular application.

[0143] Furthermore, for example, one or more filters 1296 may be used by the RF front end 1288 to filter the received signal to obtain the input RF signal. Similarly, in one aspect, for example, a corresponding filter 1296 may be used to filter the output from a corresponding PA 1298 to produce an output signal for transmission. In one aspect, each filter 1296 may be connected to a specific LNA 1290 and / or PA 1298. In one aspect, the RF front end 1288 may use one or more switches 1292 to select the transmit or receive path using a specified filter 1296, LNA 1290, and / or PA 1298 based on the configuration specified by the transceiver 1202 and / or processor 1212.

[0144] Therefore, transceiver 1202 can be configured to transmit and receive wireless signals via one or more antennas 144 through a 3D Butler matrix 145 and an RF front end 1288. In one aspect, transceiver 1202 can be tuned to operate at a specified frequency, allowing base station 102 to communicate with, for example, one or more UEs 104 or one or more cells associated with one or more other base stations 102. In another aspect, for example, modem 140 can configure transceiver 1202 to operate at a specified frequency and power level based on the base station configuration of base station 102 and the communication protocol used by modem 140.

[0145] In one aspect, modem 140 may be a multi-band, multi-mode modem capable of processing digital data and communicating with transceiver 1202, thereby enabling the transceiver 1202 to transmit and receive digital data. In another aspect, modem 140 may be multi-band and configured to support multiple frequency bands for a specific communication protocol. In another aspect, modem 140 may be multi-mode and configured to support multiple operating networks and communication protocols. In one aspect, modem 140 may control one or more components of base station 102 (e.g., RF front-end 1288, transceiver 1202, 3D Butler matrix 145) to enable transmission and / or reception of signals from the network based on a specified modem configuration. In one aspect, modem configuration may be based on the modem's mode and the frequency band in use. In another aspect, modem configuration may be based on base station configuration information associated with base station 102.

[0146] On one hand, (multiple) processors 1212 can correspond to the combination of the above. Figure 11 The base station 1110 in the diagram describes one or more processors. Similarly, the memory 1216 may correspond to the combination of the above. Figure 11 The memory described in base station 1110.

[0147] In one configuration, base station 102 or base station 1110 may be an apparatus for multi-antenna wireless communication, including components for performing any of the appended claims for multi-antenna wireless communication via the base station. These components may be one or more of the aforementioned components of base station 102 and / or processor 1212 of base station 102, configured to perform the functions described above. As described above, processor 1212 may include the components referenced above. Figure 11 The base station 1110 described includes a TX processor 1116, an RX processor 1170, and a controller / processor 1175. Therefore, in one configuration, the aforementioned components may be the TX processor 1116, the RX processor 1170, and the controller / processor 1175, configured to perform the functions described above.

[0148] Some further example implementations

[0149] An example apparatus for multi-antenna wireless communication includes: a first-layer two-dimensional (2D) Butler matrix having a first-layer input port and a first-layer output port; a second-layer 2D Butler matrix having a second-layer input port and a second-layer output port; and a first-layer to second-layer switching, configurable based on a control signal applied to a control input pin of the first-layer to second-layer switching to selectively connect the first-layer output port of the first-layer 2D Butler matrix to at least a subset of the second-layer input ports of the second-layer 2D Butler matrix.

[0150] The above-described example apparatus, wherein each of the first-layer 2D Butler matrix and the second-layer 2D Butler matrix includes at least one Butler matrix having an input port and an output port, wherein the at least one Butler matrix is ​​operable to activate all output ports with a uniform phase distribution and a constant phase difference between adjacent output ports in response to activation of each of the input ports, wherein different input ports of the at least one Butler matrix cause different phase modes at the output ports of the at least one Butler matrix when activated.

[0151] Any of the above example devices also includes an array antenna comprising a plurality of antenna elements, each of which is associated with an output port of a second-layer 2D Butler matrix.

[0152] In any of the above example devices, each of the plurality of antenna elements is coupled to the output port of the second-layer 2D Butler matrix via a configurable circuit including one or more switches or amplifiers, wherein the configurable circuit is configurable for a receive mode for receiving signals by the array antenna and is also configurable for a transmit mode for transmitting signals by the array antenna.

[0153] Any of the above example devices also includes a modem operable to select one or more input ports of the first-layer 2D Butler matrix for communication of one or more streams by the array antenna on one or more beams.

[0154] Any of the above example devices further includes a transceiver operable as a transmitter to output one or more streams, or operable as a receiver to input one or more streams.

[0155] In any of the above example devices, different input ports of the first-layer 2D Butler matrix correspond to different beam azimuth or elevation angles, and the modem is also operable to select one or more input ports associated with the desired beam azimuth or elevation angle.

[0156] In any of the above example devices, the modem is also operable to apply a control signal to a control input pin for switching from the first layer to the second layer, wherein the control signal is associated with a desired beam azimuth or elevation angle.

[0157] In any of the above example devices, the first layer 2D Butler matrix comprises a single Butler matrix, the second layer 2D Butler matrix comprises multiple Butler matrices, and each input port of the single Butler matrix is ​​associated with a different beam azimuth or elevation angle.

[0158] In any of the above example devices, the modem is also operable to apply control signals to control input pins for the first-to-second-layer switching, wherein the control signals indicate a desired beam azimuth or elevation angle, and wherein the control signals control the first-to-second-layer switching to connect the output port of the first-layer 2D Butler matrix to a selected input port of each Butler matrix in the second-layer 2D Butler matrix.

[0159] In any of the above example devices, the modem is operable at any given time to select only one input port of a single Butler matrix corresponding to only one beam azimuth or elevation angle.

[0160] In any of the above example devices, the modem is operable to select more than one input port of a single Butler matrix corresponding to more than one beam azimuth or elevation angle.

[0161] In any of the above example devices, the modem is operable to apply control signals to control input pins for switching from the first layer to the second layer, wherein the control signals represent a beam azimuth or elevation angle associated only with a single input port in each of the 2D Butler matrices in the second layer.

[0162] In any of the above example devices, the modem is also operable to apply control signals to control input pins for switching from the first layer to the second layer, wherein the control signals indicate more than one beam azimuth or elevation angle associated with more than one input port in each of the two Butler matrices in the second layer 2D Butler matrices.

[0163] Any of the above example devices, wherein the device includes a base station or a user equipment (UE).

[0164] An example method for multi-antenna wireless communication includes: selecting one or more input ports of a first-layer two-dimensional (2D) Butler matrix for communication of one or more streams by an array antenna on one or more beams; applying a control signal to a control input pin for a first-layer to second-layer switching, the first-layer to second-layer switching being configurable based on the control signal to selectively connect a first-layer output port of the first-layer 2D Butler matrix to at least a subset of second-layer input ports of the second-layer 2D Butler matrix; and transmitting or receiving one or more streams by the array antenna on one or more beams, wherein the array antenna includes a plurality of antenna elements, each of the plurality of antenna elements being associated with an output port of the second-layer 2D Butler matrix.

[0165] The above example methods also include the operation of any of the above-described devices used for multi-antenna wireless communication.

[0166] An apparatus includes a transceiver; a memory configured to store instructions; and one or more processors communicatively coupled to the transceiver and the memory, wherein the one or more processors are configured to execute instructions to perform operations of any of the above-described multi-antenna wireless communication methods.

[0167] An apparatus for wireless communication includes components for performing any of the above-described multi-antenna wireless communication methods.

[0168] A computer-readable medium includes code executable by one or more processors to perform any of the above-described multi-antenna wireless communication methods.

[0169] It is understood that the specific order or hierarchy of blocks in the disclosed process / flowchart is an example of the exemplary method. Based on design preferences, it is understood that the specific order or hierarchy of blocks in the process / flowchart may be rearranged. Furthermore, some blocks may be combined or omitted. The appended method claims present the elements of various blocks in an exemplary order, not to limit the specific order or hierarchy presented.

[0170] The preceding description is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the various aspects described herein. Various modifications to these aspects will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other aspects. Therefore, the claims are not intended to limit the aspects shown herein, but are to conform to the full scope consistent with the language of the claims, wherein references to singular elements are not intended to mean “one and only one,” but rather “one or more” unless otherwise stated. The word “exemplary” is used herein to mean “as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any aspect described herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or superior to other aspects. Unless otherwise stated, the term “some” refers to one or more. Combinations such as “at least one of A, B, or C,” “one or more of A, B, or C,” “at least one of A, B, and C,” “one or more of A, B, and C,” and “A, B, C, or any combination thereof” include any combination of A, B, and / or C, and may include multiple A, multiple B, or multiple C. Specifically, combinations such as "at least one of A, B, or C", "one or more of A, B, or C", "at least one of A, B, and C", "one or more of A, B, and C", and "A, B, C, or any combination thereof" can be only A, only B, only C, A and B, A and C, B and C, or A and B and C, wherein any such combination may include one or more members of A, B, or C. All structural and functional equivalents of the elements throughout the various aspects described in this disclosure, as known or later to those skilled in the art, are expressly incorporated herein by reference and are intended to be included in the claims. Furthermore, nothing disclosed herein is intended to be exclusive to the public, whether or not such disclosure is expressly stated in the claims. The words "module", "mechanism", "element", "device", etc., cannot replace the word "part". Therefore, no element of a claim should be construed as a part plus a function unless the element is expressly stated using the phrase "part for...".

Claims

1. An apparatus for multi-antenna wireless communication, comprising: The first layer is a two-dimensional Butler matrix with a first layer input port and a first layer output port; The second-layer 2D Butler matrix has a second-layer input port and a second-layer output port; as well as The first-to-second-layer switching is configurable based on the control signal applied to the control input pin of the first-to-second-layer switching to selectively connect the first-layer output port of the first-layer 2D Butler matrix to at least a subset of the second-layer input ports of the second-layer 2D Butler matrix, and when the first-layer output port of the first-layer 2D Butler matrix is ​​activated, the same input port number in each Butler matrix of the second-layer 2D Butler matrix is ​​activated.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, Each of the first-layer 2D Butler matrix and the second-layer 2D Butler matrix includes at least one Butler matrix having input ports and output ports, wherein the at least one Butler matrix is ​​operable to activate all of the output ports with a uniform phase distribution and a constant phase difference between adjacent output ports in response to activation of each of the input ports, wherein different input ports of the at least one Butler matrix cause different phase modes on the output ports of the at least one Butler matrix when activated.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2 further includes an array antenna, the array antenna comprising a plurality of antenna elements, wherein, Each of the plurality of antenna elements is associated with an output port of the second-layer 2D Butler matrix.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein, Each of the plurality of antenna elements is coupled to the output port of the second-layer 2D Butler matrix via a configurable circuit including one or more switches or amplifiers, wherein the configurable circuit is configurable for a receive mode for receiving signals by the array antenna and is also configurable for a transmit mode for transmitting signals by the array antenna.

5. The apparatus of claim 3, further comprising a modem operable to select one or more input ports of the first-layer 2D Butler matrix for communication of one or more streams by the array antenna on one or more beams.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 further includes a transceiver operable as a transmitter to output the one or more streams, or operable as a receiver to input the one or more streams.

7. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein, Different input ports of the first layer 2D Butler matrix correspond to different beam azimuth or elevation angles, wherein the modem is also operable to select one or more input ports associated with the desired beam azimuth or elevation angle.

8. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein, The modem is also operable to apply control signals to control input pins for switching from the first layer to the second layer, wherein the control signals are associated with a desired beam azimuth or elevation angle.

9. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein, The first layer 2D Butler matrix includes a single Butler matrix, wherein the second layer 2D Butler matrix includes multiple Butler matrices, wherein each input port of the single Butler matrix is ​​associated with a different beam azimuth or elevation angle.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein, The modem is also operable to apply control signals to control input pins for the first-to-second-layer switching, wherein the control signals indicate a desired beam azimuth or elevation angle, and wherein the control signals control the first-to-second-layer switching to connect the output port of the first-layer 2D Butler matrix to a selected input port of each Butler matrix in the second-layer 2D Butler matrix.

11. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein, The modem is operable at any given time to select only one input port of the single Butler matrix corresponding to only one beam azimuth or elevation angle.

12. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein, The modem is operable to select more than one input port of the single Butler matrix corresponding to more than one beam azimuth or elevation angle.

13. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein, The modem is operable to apply control signals to control input pins for switching from the first layer to the second layer, wherein the control signals indicate only one beam azimuth or elevation angle associated with only one input port in each Butler matrix in the second layer 2D Butler matrix.

14. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein, The modem is also operable to apply control signals to control input pins for switching from the first layer to the second layer, wherein the control signals indicate more than one beam azimuth or elevation angle associated with more than one input port in each of the more than one input ports in the second layer 2D Butler matrices.

15. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, The device includes a base station.

16. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, The device includes user equipment (UE).

17. A method for multi-antenna wireless communication, comprising: Select one or more input ports of the first-layer 2D Butler matrix for communication of one or more streams by the array antenna on one or more beams; A control signal is applied to the control input pin of the first-to-second-layer switching, which is configurable based on the control signal to selectively connect the first-layer output port of the first-layer 2D Butler matrix to at least a subset of the second-layer input ports of the second-layer 2D Butler matrix. as well as One or more streams are transmitted or received on one or more beams by an array antenna, wherein the array antenna includes a plurality of antenna elements, wherein each of the plurality of antenna elements is associated with an output port of a second-layer 2D Butler matrix, and when a first-layer output port of the first-layer 2D Butler matrix is ​​activated, the same input port number in each Butler matrix of the second-layer 2D Butler matrix is ​​activated.

18. An apparatus comprising: transceiver; At least one memory is configured to store instructions; as well as One or more processors, communicatively coupled to the transceiver and the memory, wherein the one or more processors are configured to execute the instructions to perform multi-antenna wireless communication, including: Select one or more input ports of the first-layer 2D Butler matrix for communication of one or more streams by the array antenna on one or more beams; A control signal is applied to the control input pin of the first-to-second-layer switching, which is configurable based on the control signal to selectively connect the first-layer output port of the first-layer 2D Butler matrix to at least a subset of the second-layer input ports of the second-layer 2D Butler matrix; and One or more streams are transmitted or received on one or more beams by an array antenna, wherein the array antenna includes a plurality of antenna elements, wherein each of the plurality of antenna elements is associated with an output port of a second-layer 2D Butler matrix, and when a first-layer output port of the first-layer 2D Butler matrix is ​​activated, the same input port number in each Butler matrix of the second-layer 2D Butler matrix is ​​activated.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising code executable by one or more processors to perform multi-antenna wireless communication, the multi-antenna wireless communication comprising: Select one or more input ports of the first-layer 2D Butler matrix for communication of one or more streams by the array antenna on one or more beams; A control signal is applied to the control input pin of the first-to-second-layer switching, which is configurable based on the control signal to selectively connect the first-layer output port of the first-layer 2D Butler matrix to at least a subset of the second-layer input ports of the second-layer 2D Butler matrix. as well as One or more streams are transmitted or received on one or more beams by an array antenna, wherein the array antenna includes a plurality of antenna elements, wherein each of the plurality of antenna elements is associated with an output port of a second-layer 2D Butler matrix, and when a first-layer output port of the first-layer 2D Butler matrix is ​​activated, the same input port number in each Butler matrix of the second-layer 2D Butler matrix is ​​activated.

20. An apparatus for multi-antenna wireless communication, comprising: A component for selecting one or more input ports of the first-layer 2D Butler matrix for communication of one or more streams by an array antenna on one or more beams; A component for applying control signals to control input pins for first-to-second-layer switching, the first-to-second-layer switching being configurable based on the control signals to selectively connect at least a subset of the first-layer output ports of the first-layer 2D Butler matrix to the second-layer input ports of the second-layer 2D Butler matrix; as well as A component for transmitting or receiving one or more streams on one or more beams by an array antenna, wherein the array antenna includes a plurality of antenna elements, wherein each of the plurality of antenna elements is associated with an output port of a second-layer 2D Butler matrix, and the same input port number in each Butler matrix of the second-layer 2D Butler matrix is ​​activated when a first-layer output port of the first-layer 2D Butler matrix is ​​activated.

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