Method and apparatus for beamforming

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a method of beamforming and an apparatus thereof. In an aspect of the present disclosure, a method, a computer readable medium, and an apparatus are provided. The apparatus can be a device. The device applies N so sensing beam vectors to N ant receive signals at N so antennas, respectively, to obtain N so measurements, N so and N ant each being an integer greater than or equal to 1. The device determines a beam vector based on the N so measurements and the N so sensing beam vectors. The present disclosure achieves the beneficial effect of reducing path attenuation for millimeter wave signal transmission.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure generally relates to communication systems, and more specifically, to techniques for inter-panel reception of signals transmitted from a base station at a user equipment (UE). Background Technology

[0002] The statements in this section are provided only as background information in relation to this disclosure and may not constitute prior art.

[0003] 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 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.

[0004] These multiple access technologies have been adopted in various telecommunications standards to provide a common protocol enabling different wireless devices to communicate at the city, national, regional, and even global levels. One example telecommunications standard is 5G New Radio (NR). 5G NR is part of the Continuous Mobile Broadband Evolution (CLE) program issued by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) to meet new requirements associated with latency, reliability, security, scalability (e.g., using the Internet of Things (IoT)), and other needs. Some aspects of 5G NR can be based on the 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) standard. There is a need for further improvements to 5G NR technology. These improvements can also be applied to other multiple access technologies and telecommunications standards that adopt them. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The following is a simplified outline of one or more aspects to provide a basic understanding of such aspects. This outline is not a comprehensive overview of all anticipated aspects, nor is it intended to identify key or essential elements of all aspects, nor to depict 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 an introduction to the more detailed descriptions that follow.

[0006] In one aspect of the invention, a method, a computer-readable medium, and an apparatus are provided. The apparatus may be a device for beamforming. The apparatus includes a memory and at least one processor coupled to the memory. The at least one processor is configured to... Nso Each sensing beam vector is applied to N ant At each antenna N so A received signal, to obtain N so One measurement result, N so and N ant Each is an integer greater than or equal to 1; and based on the above... N so The measurement results and the stated N so The beam vector is determined by a sensed beam vector.

[0007] This method is for beamforming, including... N so Each sensing beam vector is applied to N ant At each antenna N so A received signal, to obtain N so One measurement result, N so and N ant Each is an integer greater than or equal to 1; and based on the above... N so The measurement results and the stated N so The beam vector is determined by a sensed beam vector.

[0008] The computer-readable medium is a computer-executable medium storing computer-executable code for beamforming, which, when executed, causes a device to perform the following steps: N so Each sensing beam vector is applied to N ant At each antenna N so A received signal, to obtain N so One measurement result, N so and N ant Each is an integer greater than or equal to 1; and based on the above... N so The measurement results and the stated N so The beam vector is determined by a sensed beam vector.

[0009] This invention proposes a method and apparatus for beamforming, which achieves the beneficial effect of reducing path attenuation in millimeter-wave signal transmission.

[0010] To achieve the foregoing and related objectives, one or more aspects are included as fully described below. The following description and figures illustrate certain exemplary features of one or more aspects in detail. However, these features merely indicate some of the various methods from which the principles of these aspects may be employed, and the description is intended to include all such aspects and their equivalents. Attached Figure Description

[0011] Figure 1 This is a diagram illustrating an example of a wireless communication system and an access network.

[0012] Figure 2 This is a diagram illustrating a base station communicating with a UE in an access network.

[0013] Figure 3 An example logical architecture for a distributed access network is illustrated.

[0014] Figure 4 An example physical architecture for a distributed access network is shown.

[0015] Figure 5 This is a diagram showing an example of a slot centered on DL.

[0016] Figure 6 This is a diagram showing an example of a time slot centered on UL.

[0017] Figure 7 This is a diagram illustrating an example of beamforming performed at a wireless device.

[0018] Figure 8 This is a flowchart of the method (process) for determining the beam vector.

[0019] Figure 9 This is a view illustrating an example of a hardware implementation using a processing system. Detailed Implementation

[0020] The specific embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are intended as a description of various configurations and are not intended to represent the only configuration in which the concepts described herein can be practiced. To provide a thorough understanding of the various concepts, the specific embodiments include particular details. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that these concepts can be practiced without these specific details. In some cases, well-known structures and components are shown in block diagram form to avoid obscuring these concepts.

[0021] Several aspects of a telecommunications system will now be presented with reference to various apparatuses and methods. 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 referred to as “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 design constraints imposed on the overall system.

[0022] 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, system-on-a-chip (SoCs), baseband processors, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), state machines, gated logic, discrete hardware circuits, 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. Whether referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or otherwise, software should be interpreted broadly as meaning instructions, instruction sets, code, code segments, program code, programs, subroutines, software components, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executable files, threads of execution, programs, functions, etc.

[0023] Therefore, in one or more exemplary 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. A computer-readable medium includes a computer storage medium. The storage medium can be any available medium accessible by a computer. By way of example, and not limitation, such a computer-readable medium 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 capable of storing computer-executable code in the form of instructions or data structures accessible by a computer.

[0024] Figure 1This is a diagram illustrating an example of a wireless communication system and access network 100. The wireless communication system (also referred to 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., a 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.

[0025] Base station 102 configured for 4G LTE (collectively referred to as Evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN)) can be connected to EPC 160 via backhaul link 132 (e.g., SI interface). Base station 102 configured for 5G NR (collectively referred to as Next Generation RAN (NG-RAN)) can be connected to core network 19 via backhaul link 184. Among other functions, base station 102 can also perform one or more of the following functions: transmission of user data, 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, distribution of non-access stratum (NAS) messages, NAS node selection, synchronization, radio access network (RAN) sharing, multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBMS), user and equipment tracking, RAN information management (RIM), paging, location, and delivery of warning messages. Base stations 102 can communicate with each other directly or indirectly (e.g., via EPC160 or core network 190) via backhaul link 134 (e.g., X2 interface). Backhaul link 134 can be wired or wireless.

[0026] Base station 102 can communicate wirelessly with UE 104. Each base station 102 in the base station 102 can provide communication coverage for a corresponding geographic coverage area 110. Overlapping geographic coverage areas 110 may exist. For example, a 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 can be referred to as a heterogeneous network. The heterogeneous network may also include a Home Evolved Node B (eNB) (HeNB), which can provide services to a restricted group referred to as a Closed Subscriber Group (CSG). The communication link 120 between base station 102 and UE 104 may include uplink (UL) (also referred to as reverse link) transmission from UE 104 to BS 102 and / or downlink (also referred to as forward link) transmission from base station 102 to UE 104. The communication link 120 may use multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna technology, which includes spatial multiplexing, beamforming, and / or transmit diversity. These communication links may be transmitted via one or more carriers. Base station 102 / UE 104 may use a spectrum of up to X MHz (e.g., 5, 10, 15, 20, 100, 400 MHz, etc.) bandwidth allocated to each carrier in carrier aggregation for transmission in each direction, up to a total of Yx MHz (x component carriers). Carriers may be adjacent to each other or not. Carrier allocation may be asymmetrical relative to DL and UL (e.g., more or fewer carriers may be allocated to DL than to UL). Component carriers may comprise a primary component carrier and one or more secondary component carriers. The primary component carrier may be referred to as the primary cell (PCell), and the secondary component carriers may be referred to as secondary cells (SCells).

[0027] Some UEs 104 may communicate with each other using device-to-device (D2D) communication link 158. D2D communication link 158 may use DL / UL WWAN spectrum. D2D communication link 158 may use one or more sidelink channels, such as Physical Sidelink Broadcast Channel (PSBCH), Physical Sidelink Discovery Channel (PSDCH), Physical Sidelink Shared Channel (PSSCH), and Physical Sidelink Control Channel (PSCCH). D2D communication may be conducted through various wireless D2D communication systems, such as FlashLinQ, WiMedia, Bluetooth, ZigBee, Wi-Fi based on the IEEE 802.11 standard, LTE, or NR.

[0028] The wireless communication system may further include a Wi-Fi access point (AP) 150 that communicates with a Wi-Fi station (STA) 152 via a communication link 154 in the 5 GHz unlicensed spectrum. When communicating in the unlicensed spectrum, the STA 152 / AP 150 may perform a free channel assessment (CCA) to determine whether the channel is available before communication begins.

[0029] 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 5 GHz unlicensed spectrum as the Wi-Fi AP 150. Small cell 102' employing NR in unlicensed spectrum can improve coverage of the access network and / or increase the capacity of the access network.

[0030] Base station 102 (whether it is a small cell 102' or a large cell (e.g., a macro base station)) may include an eNB, a gNodeB (gNB), or another type of base station. Some base stations (such as gNB 180) may operate in the conventional sub-6 GHz spectrum, millimeter wave (mmW) frequencies, and / or near-mmW frequencies in communication with UE 104. When gNB 180 operates in mmW or near-mmW frequencies, gNB 180 may be referred to as an mmW base station. Extremely high frequency (EHF) is a portion of the RF spectrum in the electromagnetic spectrum. EHF has a range of 30 GHz to 300 GHz and wavelengths between 1 mm and 10 mm. Radio waves in this band may be referred to as millimeter waves. Near-mmW can extend down to 3 GHz frequencies with wavelengths of 100 mm. Ultra-high frequency (SHF) bands extend between 3 GHz and 30 GHz and are also referred to as centimeter waves. Communication using mmW / near mmW radio bands (e.g., 3 GHz–300 GHz) suffers from extremely high path loss and short coverage. mmW base station 180 can compensate for the extremely high path loss and short coverage by utilizing beamforming 182 with UE 104.

[0031] Base station 180 may transmit beamforming signals to UE 104 in one or more transmit directions 108a. UE 104 may receive beamforming signals from base station 180 in one or more receive directions 108b. UE 104 may also transmit beamforming signals to base station 180 in one or more transmit directions. Base station 106 may transmit beamforming signals with UE 104 in one or more beam directions (e.g., 108c, 108c'). Base station 180 may receive beamforming signals from UE 104 in one or more receive directions. Base station 180 / UE 104 may perform beamforming training to determine the optimal receive and transmit directions for each 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.

[0032] EPC 160 may include Mobility Management Entity (MME) 162, other MMEs 164, Serving Gateway 166, Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service (MBMS) Gateway 168, Broadcast Multicast Service Center (BM-SC) 170, and Packet Data Network (PDN) Gateway 172. MME 162 can communicate with Home Subscriber Server (HSS) 174. MME 162 is the control node that handles signaling between UE 104 and EPC 160. Typically, MME 162 provides bearer and connection management. All user Internet Protocol (IP) packets are transmitted through Serving Gateway 166, which is itself connected to PDN Gateway 172. PDN Gateway 172 provides UE IP address allocation and other functions. PDN Gateway 172 and BM-SC 170 are connected to IP Service 176. IP Service 176 may include the Internet, intranet, IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), PS streaming service, and / or other IP services. The BM-SC 170 can provide services provisioning and delivery for MBMS users. It can act as an entry point for MBMS transmissions by content providers, authorize and initiate MBMS bearer services within a Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN), and schedule MBMS transmissions. The MBMS gateway 168 can allocate MBMS services to base stations 102 belonging to Multicast-Broadcast Single Frequency Network (MBSFN) areas belonging to Broadcast Specific Services (BBS), and can be responsible for session management (start / stop) and collecting billing information related to eMBMS.

[0033] The core network 190 may include Access and Mobility Management Functions (AMF) 192, other AMFs 193, Location Management Functions (LMF) 198, Session Management Functions (SMF) 194, and User Plane Functions (UPF) 195. AMF 192 can communicate with Unified Data Management (UDM) 196. AMF 192 is the control node that handles signaling between UE 104 and the core network 190. Typically, SMF 194 provides QoS flow and session management. All user Internet Protocol (IP) packets are transmitted through UPF 195. UPF 195 provides UE IP address allocation and other functions. UPF 195 connects to IP services 197. IP services 197 may include the Internet, intranets, IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), PS streaming services, and / or other IP services.

[0034] A base station may also be referred to as a gNB, Node B, Evolved Node B (eNB), access point, base transceiver station, radio base station, radio transceiver, transceiver function, Basic Services Set (BSS), Extended Services Set (ESS), Transmitter Receiver Point (TRP), or some other suitable term. 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 radio devices, GPS devices, multimedia devices, video devices, digital audio players (e.g., MP3 players), cameras, game consoles, tablet devices, smart devices, wearable devices, vehicles, electricity meters, air pumps, large or small kitchen appliances, medical devices, implants, sensors / actuators, displays, or any other similarly functional devices. Some of UE 104 may be referred to as IoT devices (e.g., parking timers, air pumps, ovens, vehicles, heart monitors, etc.). UE104 can also be referred to as a station, mobile station, user station, mobile unit, user unit, radio unit, remote unit, mobile device, radio device, wireless communication device, remote device, mobile user station, access terminal, mobile terminal, radio terminal, remote terminal, telephone handset, user agent, mobile client, client, or some other suitable terminology.

[0035] While this disclosure may refer to 5G New Radio (NR), it may be applied to other similar fields such as LTE, improved LTE (LTE-A), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) or other wireless / radio access technologies.

[0036] Figure 2This is a block diagram of base station 210, which communicates with UE 250 in the access network. In the DL, IP packets from EPC 160 can be provided to controller / processor 275. Controller / processor 275 implements Layer 3 and Layer 2 functions. Layer 3 includes the Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer, and Layer 2 includes the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer, Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, and Media Access Control (MAC) layer. The controller / processor 275 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), mobility between radio access technologies (RATs), 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 upper-layer packet data unit (PDU) transmission, 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), demultiplexing of MAC SDUs from TBs, scheduling information reporting, error correction via HARQ, priority handling, and logical channel priority order.

[0037] Transmit (TX) processor 216 and receive (RX) processor 270 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 216 processes the mapping to the signal constellation based on various modulation schemes, such as binary phase shift keying (BPSK), quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK), M-phase shift keying (M-PSK), and M-order quadrature amplitude modulation (M-QAM). The encoded and modulated symbols can then be split into parallel streams. Each stream can then be mapped to OFDM subcarriers, multiplexed with a reference signal (e.g., a pilot) in the time and / or frequency domains, and subsequently combined using inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) to produce a physical channel carrying the time-domain OFDM symbol stream. The OFDM stream is spatially precoded to generate multiple spatial streams. Channel estimates from channel estimator 274 can be used to determine coding and modulation schemes and for spatial processing. The channel estimates can be derived from reference signals transmitted by UE 250 and / or channel state feedback. Each spatial stream can then be provided to a different antenna 220 via a separate transmitter 218TX. Each transmitter 218TX can modulate an RF carrier using the corresponding spatial stream for transmission.

[0038] At UE 250, each receiver 254RX receives signals through its respective antenna 252. Each receiver 254RX recovers the information modulated onto the RF carrier and provides that information to the receive (RX) processor 256. The TX processor 268 and RX processor 256 implement Layer 1 functions associated with various signal processing functions. The RX processor 256 can perform spatial processing on the information to recover any spatial streams destined for UE 250. If multiple spatial streams are destined for UE 250, the RX processor 256 can combine them into a single OFDM symbol stream. The RX processor 256 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 includes a separate OFDM symbol stream for each subcarrier used for the OFDM signal. The reference signal and the symbols on each subcarrier are recovered and demodulated by determining the signal constellation points most likely to be transmitted by base station 210. These soft decisions can be based on a channel estimate calculated by channel estimator 258. Subsequently, these soft decisions are decoded and deinterleaved to recover the data and control signals originally transmitted by base station 210 on the physical channel. This data and control signals are then provided to controller / processor 259, which implements the functions of layer 3 and layer 2.

[0039] Controller / processor 259 may be associated with memory 260 for storing program code and data. Memory 260 may be referred to as computer-readable medium. In UL, controller / processor 259 provides demultiplexing, packet reassembly, decryption, header decompression, and control signal processing between transmission and logical channels to recover IP packets from EPC 160. Controller / processor 259 is also responsible for error detection using ACK and / or NACK protocols to support HARQ operation.

[0040] Similar to the functions described in conjunction with the DL transmissions performed by base station 210, controller / processor 259 provides: RRC layer functions associated with system information (e.g., MIB, SIB) acquisition, RRC connectivity, and measurement reporting; PDCP layer functions associated with header compression / decompression and security (encryption, decryption, integrity protection, integrity verification); RLC layer functions associated with upper-layer PDU transmission, 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 priority order.

[0041] The TX processor 268 can use the channel estimator 258 to select an appropriate coding and modulation scheme based on a reference signal transmitted by the base station 210 or a feedback-derived channel estimate, and facilitate spatial processing. The spatial stream generated by the TX processor 268 can be provided to different antennas 252 via individual transmitters 254TX. Each transmitter 254TX can use its respective spatial stream to modulate an RF carrier for transmission. UL transmission is processed at the base station 210 in a manner similar to that described in conjunction with the receiver functionality at the UE 250. Each receiver 218RX receives a signal via its respective antenna 220. Each receiver 218RX recovers the information modulated onto the RF carrier and provides that information to the RX processor 270.

[0042] Controller / processor 275 may be associated with memory 276, which stores program code and data. Memory 276 may be referred to as a computer-readable medium. In the UL, controller / processor 275 provides demultiplexing, packet reassembly, decryption, header decompression, and control signal processing between transport and logical channels to recover IP packets from UE 250. IP packets from controller / processor 275 may be provided to EPC 160. Controller / processor 275 is also responsible for error detection using ACK and / or NACK protocols to support HARQ operation.

[0043] New Radio (NR) can refer to a radio configured to operate under a new air interface (e.g., other than an air interface based on Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA)) or a fixed transport layer (e.g., other than Internet Protocol (IP)). NR can use OFDM with a cyclic prefix (CP) on both the uplink and downlink, and can include support for half-duplex operation using Time Division Duplex (TDD). NR can include enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) services targeting wide bandwidth (e.g., over 80 MHz), millimeter wave (mmW) services targeting high carrier frequencies (e.g., 60 GHz), massive MTC (mMTC) services targeting non-backward-compatible MTC technologies, and / or mission-critical services targeting ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC).

[0044] It can support a single component carrier bandwidth of 100 MHz. In one example, an NR resource block (RB) can span 12 subcarriers with a subcarrier spacing (SCS) of 60 kHz for a duration of 0.25 ms, or a SCS of 30 kHz for a duration of 0.5 ms (similarly, a 50 MHz BW for a 15 kHz SCS for a duration of 1 ms). Each radio frame can consist of 10 subframes (10, 20, 40, or 80 NR slots) with a length of 10 ms. Each slot can indicate the link direction (i.e., DL or UL) for data transmission, and the link direction of each slot can be dynamically switched. Each slot can include DL / UL data as well as DL / UL control data. The UL and DL slots for NR can be referenced below. Figure 5 and Figure 6 A more detailed description.

[0045] NR RAN can include a Central Unit (CU) and a Distributed Unit (DU). NR BS (e.g., gNB, 5G Node B, Node B, Transmit / Receive Point (TPR), Access Point (AP)) can correspond to one or more BSs. NR cells can be configured as Access Cells (ACells) or Data-Only Cells (DCells). For example, the RAN (e.g., a Central Unit or a Distributed Unit) can configure cells. DCells can be cells used for carrier aggregation or dual connectivity and may not be used for initial access, cell selection / reselection, or handover. In some cases, DCells may not transmit synchronization signals (SS), and in others, they may transmit SS. NR BSs can transmit downlink signals to the UE to indicate the cell type. Based on the cell type indication, the UE can communicate with the NR BS. For example, the UE can determine which NR BS to consider for cell selection, access, handover, and / or measurement results based on the indicated cell type.

[0046] Figure 3 An example logical architecture of a distributed RAN 300 according to aspects of the present invention is illustrated. A 5G access node 306 may include an access node controller (ANC) 302. The ANC may be the central unit (CU) of the distributed RAN. The backhaul interface to the next-generation core network (NG-CN) 304 may terminate at the ANC. The backhaul interface to the adjacent next-generation access node (NG-AN) 310 may terminate at the ANC. The ANC may be associated with one or more TRPs 308 (which may also be referred to as BS, NR BS, Node B, 5G NB, AP, or some other term) via the F1 control plan protocol (F1-C) / F1 user plan protocol (F1-U). As mentioned above, TRP can be used interchangeably with "cell".

[0047] TRP 308 can be a Distributed Unit (DU). A TRP can connect to one ANC (ANC 302) or more ANCs (not shown). For example, for RAN sharing, radio as a service (RaaS), and service-specific ANC deployments, a TRP can connect to more than one ANC. A TRP can include one or more antenna ports. A TRP can be configured to service traffic to the UE independently (e.g., dynamically selected) or jointly (e.g., jointly transmitted).

[0048] The local architecture of the distributed RAN 300 can be used to illustrate fronthaul definitions. This architecture can be defined to support fronthaul schemes across different deployment types. For example, the architecture can be based on transport network capabilities (e.g., bandwidth, latency, and / or jitter). This architecture can share features and / or components with LTE. Depending on the aspect, the next-generation AN (NG-AN) 510 can support dual connectivity with NR. The NG-AN can share common fronthaul for both LTE and NR.

[0049] This architecture enables collaboration between TRP 308s and between TRP 308s. For example, collaboration can be pre-defined within a TRP and / or across TRPs via ANC 302. Depending on various aspects, inter-TRP interfaces may be unnecessary or nonexistent.

[0050] Depending on various factors, the dynamic configuration of separate logical functions can exist within the architecture of the distributed RAN 300. PDCP, RLC, and MAC protocols can be adaptively located at the ANC or TRP.

[0051] Figure 4An example physical architecture of a distributed RAN 400 according to aspects of the present invention is illustrated. A centralized core network unit (C-CU) 402 may be responsible for core network functions. The C-CU may be centrally deployed. C-CU functions may be offloaded (e.g., to Advanced Wireless Services (AWS)) to attempt to handle peak capacity. A centralized RAN unit (C-RU) 404 may be responsible for one or more ANC functions. Optionally, the C-RU may be responsible for core network functions locally. The C-RU may have a distributed deployment. The C-RU may be closer to the network edge. A distributed unit DU 406 may be responsible for one or more TRPs. The DU may be located at the edge of a network with radio frequency (RF) capabilities.

[0052] Figure 5 Figure 500 illustrates an example of a DL-centered time slot. The DL-centered time slot may include a control section 502. The control section 502 may exist in the initial or beginning portion of the DL-centered time slot. The control section 502 may include various scheduling and / or control information corresponding to the respective portions of the DL-centered time slot. In some configurations, the control section 502 may be a Physical DL Control Channel (PDCCH), such as... Figure 5 As shown in the diagram. The DL-centric time slot may also include a DL data portion 504. The DL data portion 504 may sometimes be referred to as the payload of the DL-centric time slot. The DL data portion 504 may include communication resources for transmitting DL data from a scheduling entity (e.g., a UE or BS) to a lower-level entity (e.g., a UE). In some configurations, the DL data portion 504 may be a Physical DL Shared Channel (PDSCH).

[0053] The DL-centered time slot may also include a shared UL portion 506. The shared UL portion 506 may sometimes be referred to as a UL burst, a shared UL burst, and / or various other suitable terms. The shared UL portion 506 may include feedback information corresponding to the various other portions of the DL-centered time slot. For example, the shared UL portion 506 may include feedback information corresponding to the control portion 502. Non-limiting examples of feedback information may include ACK signals, NACK signals, HARQ indicators, and / or various other suitable types of information. The shared UL portion 506 may include additional or alternative information, such as information regarding the Random Access Channel (RACH) procedure, scheduling requests (SR), and various other suitable types of information.

[0054] like Figure 5As illustrated, the end of the DL data portion 504 can be separated from the start of the common UL portion 506 in time. This time separation may sometimes be referred to as a gap, protection period, protection interval, and / or various other suitable terms. This separation provides the time for switching from DL communication (e.g., a receive operation performed by a subordinate entity (e.g., a UE)) to UL communication (e.g., a transmit operation performed by a subordinate entity (e.g., a UE)). Those skilled in the art will understand that the foregoing is merely one example of a DL-centric time slot, and that alternative structures with similar characteristics may exist without necessarily departing from the aspects described herein.

[0055] Figure 6 Figure 600 illustrates an example of a UL-centered time slot. The UL-centered time slot may include a control section 602. The control section 602 may be present in the initial or beginning portion of the UL-centered time slot. Figure 6 The control section 602 in the reference above can be similar to the one mentioned above. Figure 5 The control portion 502 is described. The UL-centric time slot may also include a UL data portion 604. The UL data portion 604 may sometimes be referred to as the payload of the UL-centric time slot. The UL portion may refer to the communication resources used to transmit UL data from a subordinate entity (e.g., UE) to a scheduling entity (e.g., UE or BS). In some configurations, the control portion 602 may be a physical DL control channel (PDCCH).

[0056] like Figure 6 As illustrated, the end of control section 602 may be time-separated from the start of UL data section 604. This time separation may sometimes be referred to as a gap, protection cycle, protection interval, and / or various other suitable terms. This separation provides the time for switching from DL communication (e.g., a receive operation performed by a scheduling entity) to UL communication (e.g., a transmit operation performed by a scheduling entity). UL-centric time slots may also include a shared UL section 606. Figure 6 The common UL portion 606 in the above reference can be similar to that described above. Figure 5 The common UL portion 506 is described. The common UL portion 606 may additionally or alternatively include information relating to the Channel Quality Indicator (CQI), Sounding Reference Signal (SRS), and various other suitable types of information. Those skilled in the art will understand that the foregoing is merely one example of a UL-centric time slot, and alternative structures with similar characteristics may exist without necessarily departing from the aspects described herein.

[0057] In some cases, two or more dependent entities (such as UEs) can use sidelink signaling to communicate with each other. Real-world applications of this sidelink communication can include public safety, proximity services, UE-to-network relay, vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication, Internet of Things (IoE) communication, IoT communication, mission-critical mesh networks, and / or various other suitable applications. Typically, sidelink signaling can refer to a signal transmitted from one dependent entity (e.g., UE1) to another dependent entity (e.g., UE2) without requiring relaying by a scheduling entity (e.g., UE or BS), even if the scheduling entity may be used for scheduling and / or control purposes. In some examples, licensed spectrum can be used to transmit sidelink signals (unlike wireless LANs that typically use unlicensed spectrum).

[0058] For millimeter-wave or higher frequency systems, devices are typically equipped with multiple antennas to provide beamforming gain to compensate for high path loss. Hybrid beamforming structures with subarray connections are widely used due to their cost competitiveness. The beam vector applied to the antenna determines the quality of beamforming. Therefore, determining the beam vector to be applied to the antenna is a critical task for mmWave systems.

[0059] Figure 7 Figure 700 illustrates an example of beamforming performed at a wireless device. In this example, the wireless device is a UE. (In other examples, the wireless device could be a base station, etc.) The UE 704 has TXRUs 710-1 to 710-K communicating with a baseband signal processor 740. Furthermore, each of the TXRUs 710-1 to 710-K is connected to... Connect one (e.g., four) antennas. For example, TXRU 710-1 connects to antennas 712-1-1 to 712-1-1. Connections. Specifically, antennas 712-1-1 to 712-1- Each of the antennas receives an RF signal and transmits the received RF signal to the TXRU 710-1. The TXRU 710-1 transmits the RF signal from antenna 712-1-1 to antenna 712-1-1. The TXRU 710-1 receives the combined RF signals. It then filters out the RF carrier from the combined RF signals to obtain the baseband signal. The baseband signal is then sent to the baseband signal processor 740 for processing.

[0060] In this example, base station 702 transmits RF signals 782-1 to 782-T to UE 704 on its transmit beam 780. As described below, UE 704 can use... UE 704 observes the timing to receive the RF signal containing the reference signal transmitted from base station 702. Furthermore, UE 704... During each observation opportunity, the sensing beam vectors 722-1 to 722-1 were respectively used. Antennas 712-1-1 to 712-1-1, respectively, are used for receiving RF signals. Each sensing beam vector can have a corresponding One antenna For example, the amplitude and phase of an RF signal received by a particular antenna can be adjusted based on elements of the sensing beam vector applied corresponding to that particular antenna.

[0061] More specifically, in this example, the UE is configured with the following: M A set of sensing beam vectors:

[0062] ,

[0063] in,

[0064] 。

[0065] UE 704 also determines the number of measurement results of the reference signal to be performed (i.e., And select from the set Each sensing beam vector is used as sensing beam vector 722-1 to 722- It can be represented as:

[0066] 。

[0067] For example, It can be , It can be And so on.

[0068] Sensing Beam Vector Adjustment Antenna 712-1-1 to 712-1- To form a receive beam and / or a transmit beam. In this example, the sensing beam vectors are 722-1 to 722- Corresponding to antennas 712-1-1 to 712-1- respectively The receiving beam formed at point 724-1 to 724- .

[0069] Specifically, initially, antennas 712-1-1 to 712-1- Each received RF signal 782-1 (which includes a set of reference signals known to UE 704) is processed. The received RF signal 782-1 at the antenna is adjusted according to the elements of the sensing beam vector 722-1 corresponding to that antenna to generate a weighted RF signal. Then, all antennas 712-1-1 to 712-1- are combined. The weighted RF signal at the point is used to generate a combined weighted RF signal 784-1, which is sent to TXRU 710-1. Subsequently, antennas 712-1-1 to 712-1- Receive RF signal 782-2 to RF signal 782- Therefore, UE 704 also obtains the combined weighted RF signal 784-2 to the combined weighted RF signal 784-. .

[0070] More specifically, from antenna 712-1-1 to 712-1- exist The RF signal received at each observation point can be represented as:

[0071]

[0072] in,

[0073]

[0074] The RF signal 782-k is received by antenna 712-1-j.

[0075] Therefore, the measurement result of the weighted RF signal 784-k corresponding to the combination of RF signals 782-k can be expressed as:

[0076] 。

[0077] Therefore, the combined weighted RF signals 784-1 to 784- of Each measurement result can be represented as a vector. :

[0078] 。

[0079] In the first technique, UE 704 is configured with functions The function use and The beam vector can be determined as shown below as input. :

[0080] 。

[0081] More specifically, it can be calculated based on the following two equations. :

[0082]

[0083]

[0084] in, These are intermediate parameters (some coefficients).

[0085] As mentioned above, It has already been selected from a set of M sensing beam vectors. In some cases, Greater than UE 704 selected ,Apart from In addition, UE 704 also selected from the set ( ) sensing beam vectors. Additional ( The sensing beam vectors are called :

[0086] .

[0087] Therefore, in the equation described above,

[0088] .

[0089] A beam vector w can be generated to increase at least one of the following: Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP), Signal-to-Interference-Noise Ratio (SINR), throughput, Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI), Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ), Received Signal Code Power (RSCP), Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR), Mutual Information (MI), and Beamforming Gain (BF Gain). w can also be generated to reduce at least one of the following: Bit Error Rate (BER), Block Error Rate (BLER), interference, and noise power. Furthermore, the beam vector w can be limited to a complex value range already configured for UE 704. C Inside.

[0090] In the second technology, UE 704 is in a series of Time points within a time point Location determined and ,in, UE 704 is configured to determine the beam vector as follows. function :

[0091] 。

[0092] In the third technology, UE 704 is in a series of Time points within a time point Location determined , ,and ,in, UE 704 is configured to determine the beam vector as follows. function :

[0093]

[0094] .

[0095] Figure 8 This is a flowchart 800 of a method (procedure) for determining beam vectors. The method can be performed by a UE (e.g., UE 704). At operation 802, the device configures a set of sensed beam vectors. At operation 804, the device selects from the set of sensed beam vectors. One sensing beam vector and additional ( ( ) sensing beam vectors. At operation 806, the device will Each sensing beam vector is applied to At each antenna A received signal, to obtain One measurement result. and Each is an integer greater than or equal to 1. At operation 808, the device is based on... The coefficients are determined based on the measurement results. At operation 810, the device bases the coefficients on... The beam vector is determined by sensing beam vectors. In some configurations, Greater than Further based on additional ( The beam vector is determined by sensing beam vectors.

[0096] In some configurations, the device acquires one or more sets of previously sensed beam vectors and one or more sets of previous measurements. The one or more sets of previously sensed beam vectors are then applied... The received signals at each antenna are used to obtain one or more sets of previous measurements. The beam vector is further determined based on one or more sets of previously sensed beam vectors and one or more sets of previous measurements.

[0097] In some configurations, the device acquires one or more sets of previously sensed beam vectors, one or more sets of previously supplemented sensed beam vectors, and one or more sets of previous measurements. The one or more sets of previously sensed beam vectors are then applied... The received signals at each antenna are used to obtain one or more sets of previous measurements. The beam vector is further determined based on one or more sets of previously sensed beam vectors, one or more sets of previously supplemented sensed beam vectors, and one or more sets of previous measurements.

[0098] In some configurations, the beam vector is determined based on the addition of at least one of the following: Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP), Signal-to-Interference-Noise Ratio (SINR), Throughput, Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI), Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ), Received Signal Code Power (RSCP), Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR), Mutual Information (MI), and Beamforming Gain (BF Gain).

[0099] In some configurations, the beam vector is determined based on reducing at least one of the following: bit error rate (BER), block error rate (BLER), interference, and noise power.

[0100] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram 900 illustrating an example of a hardware implementation of a device 902 employing a processing system 914. Device 902 may be a user interface (UE). The processing system 914 may be implemented using a bus architecture (typically represented by bus 924). Depending on the specific application and overall design constraints of the processing system 914, bus 924 may include any number of interconnect buses and bridges. Bus 924 links together various circuits including one or more processors and / or hardware components, wherein the one or more processors and / or hardware components are represented by one or more processors 904, receiving components 964, transmitting components 970, beam vectoring components 976, measurement components 978, and computer-readable medium / memory 906. Bus 924 may also link various other circuits, such as timing sources, external devices, voltage regulators, and power management circuits.

[0101] The processing system 914 may be coupled to a transceiver 910, which may be one or more transceivers 254. The transceiver 910 may be coupled to one or more antennas 920, which may be communication antennas 252.

[0102] Transceiver 910 provides means for communicating with various other devices via a transmission medium. Transceiver 910 receives signals from one or more antennas 920, extracts information from the received signals, and provides the extracted information to processing system 914, specifically receiving component 964. Furthermore, transceiver 910 receives information from processing system 914 (specifically transmitting component 970) and, based on the received information, generates signals to be applied to one or more antennas 920.

[0103] Processing system 914 includes one or more processors 904 coupled to computer-readable medium / memory 906. One or more processors 904 are responsible for general processing, including the execution of software stored on computer-readable medium / memory 906. When one or more processors 904 execute the software, the software causes processing system 914 to perform the various functions described above for any particular device. Computer-readable medium / memory 906 can also be used to store data manipulated by one or more processors 904 during software execution. Processing system 914 further includes at least one of receiving component 964, transmitting component 970, beam vectoring component 976, and measurement component 978. Components can be software components residing in / stored on computer-readable medium / memory 906, operating in one or more processors 904, one or more hardware components coupled to one or more processors 904, or some combination thereof. Processing system 914 can be a component of UE 250, and may include at least one of memory 260 and / or TX processor 268, RX processor 256, and communication processor 259.

[0104] In one configuration, the device 902 for wireless communication includes a means for performing... Figure 8 Each of the devices in the operation. The aforementioned devices may be one or more of the aforementioned components of the device 902 and / or the processing system 914 of device 902, which are configured to perform the functions described by the aforementioned devices.

[0105] As described above, the processing system 914 may include a TX processor 268, an RX processor 256, and a communication processor 259. Therefore, in one configuration, the above-described apparatus may be a TX processor 268, an RX processor 256, and a communication processor 259 configured to perform the functions described above.

[0106] It should be understood that the specific order or hierarchy of blocks in the disclosed process / flowchart is merely an example of an exemplary scheme. Based on design preferences, it is understood that the specific order or hierarchy of blocks in the process / flowchart can be rearranged. Furthermore, some blocks can be combined or some blocks can be omitted. The appended method requires that the elements presented by various blocks be protected in the sample order, but this does not imply limitation to the specific order or hierarchy presented.

[0107] The foregoing 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 be limited to the aspects shown herein, but are to be consistent with the full scope expressed by the claims, wherein, unless specifically stated otherwise, elements referred to in the singular are not intended to mean “one and only one,” but rather “one or more.” The term “exemplary” as used herein means “as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any aspect described herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as superior to or more advantageous than other aspects. Unless otherwise specifically 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 A only, B only, C only, 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 known to or later to those skilled in the art to the elements throughout the various aspects described in this disclosure are expressly incorporated herein by reference and are intended to be included by the claims. Furthermore, the disclosure herein is not intended to be offered to the public, whether or not such disclosure is expressly recited in the claims. The terms "module", "mechanism", "element", "device", etc., may not be a substitute for "means". Therefore, no element of a claim should be construed as means plus function unless the element is expressly described using the term "means for".

Claims

1. A method for beamforming, the method comprising the following steps: Will N so Each sensing beam vector is applied to N ant At each antenna N so A received signal, to obtain N so One measurement result, N so and N ant Each is an integer greater than or equal to 1; as well as Based on the above N so The measurement results and the stated N so The beam vector is determined by a sensed beam vector.

2. The beamforming method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The method further includes the following steps: Obtain one or more sets of previously sensed beam vectors and one or more sets of previous measurements. Wherein, the one or more sets of previously sensed beam vectors are applied to the N ant The received signals at each antenna are used to obtain the one or more sets of previous measurements. The beam vector is further determined based on the set or more previously sensed beam vectors and the set or more previously measured results.

3. The beamforming method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The method further includes the following steps: Obtain one or more sets of previously sensed beam vectors, one or more sets of previously supplemented sensed beam vectors, and one or more sets of previous measurements. Wherein, the application of the one or more sets of previously sensed beam vectors in N ant The received signals at each antenna are used to obtain the set or more sets of previous measurements. The beam vector is further determined based on the set of one or more previously sensed beam vectors, the set of one or more previously supplemented sensed beam vectors, and the set of one or more previously measured results.

4. The beamforming method according to claim 1, characterized in that, N ant Greater than or equal to N so , among which, further based on additional ( N ant - N so The beam vector is determined by a number of sensed beam vectors.

5. The beamforming method according to claim 4, further comprising the following steps: Configure the set of sensing beam vectors; as well as Select from the set of sensing beam vectors N so One sensing beam vector and the additional ( N ant - N so ( ) sensing beam vectors.

6. The beamforming method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The step of determining the beam vector includes: Based on the above N so The intermediate parameters are determined based on the measurement results, wherein, based on the N so The beam vector is determined by a sensed beam vector and the intermediate parameters.

7. The beamforming method according to claim 6, characterized in that, Further based on additional ( N ant - N so The beam vector is determined by a number of sensed beam vectors.

8. The beamforming method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The beam vector is determined based on the following: Add at least one of the following: Reference signal received power, Signal-to-interference-to-noise ratio, Throughput Received signal strength indicator Reference signal reception quality, Received signal code power, Signal-to-noise ratio, Mutual information, and Beamforming gain; or Reduce at least one of the following: Bit error rate Block error rate Interference, and Noise power.

9. An apparatus for beamforming, the apparatus comprising: Memory; as well as At least one processor, the at least one processor being coupled to the memory and configured to: Will N so Each sensing beam vector is applied to N ant At each antenna N so A received signal, to obtain N so One measurement result, N so and N ant Each is an integer greater than or equal to 1; as well as Based on the above N so The measurement results and the stated N so The beam vector is determined by a sensed beam vector.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9, characterized in that, The at least one processor is further configured to: Obtain one or more sets of previously sensed beam vectors and one or more sets of previous measurements. Wherein, the one or more sets of previously sensed beam vectors are applied to the N ant The received signals at each antenna are used to obtain the set or more sets of previous measurements. The beam vector is further determined based on the set or more previously sensed beam vectors and the set or more previously measured results.

11. The apparatus for beamforming according to claim 9, characterized in that, The at least one processor is further configured to: Obtain one or more sets of previously sensed beam vectors, one or more sets of previously supplemented sensed beam vectors, and one or more sets of previous measurements. Wherein, the application of the one or more sets of previously sensed beam vectors in N ant The received signals at each antenna are used to obtain the set or more sets of previous measurements. The beam vector is further determined based on the set of one or more previously sensed beam vectors, the set of one or more previously supplemented sensed beam vectors, and the set of one or more previously measured results.

12. The apparatus for beamforming according to claim 9, characterized in that, N ant Greater than or equal to N so , among which, further based on additional ( N ant - N so The beam vector is determined by a number of sensed beam vectors.

13. The apparatus for beamforming according to claim 12, characterized in that, The at least one processor is further configured to: Configure the set of sensing beam vectors; and Select from the set of sensing beam vectors N so One sensing beam vector and the additional ( N ant - N so ( ) sensing beam vectors.

14. The apparatus for beamforming according to claim 9, characterized in that, To determine the beam vector, the at least one processor is further configured to: Based on the above N so The intermediate parameters are determined based on the measurement results, wherein, based on the N so The beam vector is determined by a sensed beam vector and the intermediate parameters.

15. The apparatus for beamforming according to claim 14, characterized in that, Further based on additional ( N ant - N so The beam vector is determined by a number of sensed beam vectors.

16. A computer-readable medium storing computer-executable code for beamforming, wherein the computer-executable code, when executed, causes a device to perform the following steps: Will N so Each sensing beam vector is applied to N ant At each antenna N so A received signal, to obtain N so One measurement result, N so and N ant Each is an integer greater than or equal to 1; and Based on the above N so The measurement results and the stated N so The beam vector is determined by a sensed beam vector.

17. The computer-readable medium according to claim 16, characterized in that, When the computer-executable code is executed, the device further performs the following steps: Obtain one or more sets of previously sensed beam vectors and one or more sets of previous measurements. Wherein, the application of the one or more sets of previously sensed beam vectors in N ant The received signals at each antenna are used to obtain the set or more sets of previous measurements. The beam vector is further determined based on the set or more previously sensed beam vectors and the set or more previously measured results.

18. The computer-readable medium according to claim 16, characterized in that, When the computer-executable code is executed, the device further performs the following steps: Obtain one or more sets of previously sensed beam vectors, one or more sets of previously supplemented sensed beam vectors, and one or more sets of previous measurements. Wherein, the application of the one or more sets of previously sensed beam vectors in N ant The received signals at each antenna are used to obtain the set or more sets of previous measurements. The beam vector is further determined based on the set of or more previously sensed beam vectors, the set of or more previously supplemented sensed beam vectors, and the set of or more previously measured results.

19. The computer-readable medium according to claim 16, characterized in that, N ant Greater than or equal to N so , among which, further based on additional ( N ant - N so The beam vector is determined by a number of sensed beam vectors.

20. The computer-readable medium according to claim 19, characterized in that, When the computer-executable code is executed, the device further performs the following steps: Configure the set of sensing beam vectors; and Select from the set of sensing beam vectors N so One sensing beam vector and the additional ( N ant - N so ( ) sensing beam vectors.

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