Human proximity sensor using short-range radar

Abstract

In an aspect, a user equipment (UE) determines a mutual coupling signal associated with a transmit antenna and a receive antenna, determines a mutual coupling difference between the mutual coupling signal and a reference signal, determines a beat signal difference between a current beat signal and a previous beat signal, and determines an amount of micro-motion present within a near-field. The UE determines whether human tissue is present within the near-field based on the mutual coupling difference and the amount of micro-motion. Based on a determination that human tissue is present within the near-field, the UE determines an amount of radio frequency exposure associated with the human tissue. Based on a determination that the amount of radio frequency exposure exceeds a maximum permissible exposure, the UE reduces the amount of radio frequency exposure associated with the human tissue.

Description

[0001] Public background

[0002] 1. Public domain

[0003] The various aspects of this disclosure generally relate to near-field detection of human tissues.

[0004] 2. Relevant Technical Descriptions

[0005] Wireless communication systems have undergone several generations of development, including first-generation analog radiotelephone service (1G), second-generation (2G) digital radiotelephone service (including transitional 2.5G and 2.75G networks), third-generation (3G) high-speed data radio service with Internet capabilities, and fourth-generation (4G) service (e.g., Long Term Evolution (LTE) or WiMax). Currently, many different types of wireless communication systems are in use, including cellular and Personal Communication Services (PCS) systems. Known examples of cellular systems include cellular analog Advanced Mobile Phone Systems (AMPS), and digital cellular systems based on Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), etc.

[0006] The fifth-generation (5G) wireless standard (known as New Radio (NR)) demands higher data transmission speeds, a greater number of connections, better coverage, and other improvements. According to the Next Generation Mobile Networks Alliance (NGC), the 5G standard is designed to provide tens of megabits per second (Mbps) of data rate to each of tens of thousands of users, and 1 gigabits per second (Gbps) to dozens of employees on an office floor. It should support hundreds of thousands of simultaneous connections to support large-scale sensor deployments. Therefore, 5G mobile communication should have significantly improved spectral efficiency compared to the current 4G standard. Furthermore, signaling efficiency should be improved and latency significantly reduced compared to the current standard.

[0007] Overview

[0008] The following is a simplified overview relating to one or more aspects disclosed herein. Therefore, this overview should not be considered an exhaustive overview relating to all aspects of the conception, nor should it be considered to identify key or decisive elements relating to all aspects of the conception or to depict the scope associated with any particular aspect. Accordingly, the sole purpose of the following overview is to present, in a simplified form, certain concepts relating to one or more aspects of the mechanism disclosed herein before the detailed description given below.

[0009] In one aspect, the user equipment performs a method for detecting the proximity of human tissue. The method includes: determining a mutual coupling signal associated with a transmitting antenna and a receiving antenna of the user equipment; determining a mutual coupling difference between the mutual coupling signal and a reference mutual coupling signal; determining a beat signal difference between a current beat signal and a previous beat signal; determining a micro-motion quantity present in the near field of the user equipment, at least in part, based on the beat signal difference; determining the presence of human tissue in the near field of the user equipment based on the mutual coupling difference and the micro-motion quantity; determining a radio frequency exposure level associated with the human tissue based on the determination that the human tissue is present in the near field of the user equipment; and reducing the radio frequency exposure level associated with the human tissue based on the determination that the radio frequency exposure level exceeds a maximum permissible exposure.

[0010] In one aspect, a user equipment includes: a memory; at least one transceiver; and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver. The at least one processor is configured to: determine a mutual coupling signal associated with a transmit antenna and a receive antenna of the user equipment; determine a mutual coupling difference between the mutual coupling signal and a reference mutual coupling signal; determine a beat signal difference between a current beat signal and a previous beat signal; determine a micro-motion quantity present in the near field of the user equipment based at least in part on the beat signal difference; determine the presence of human tissue in the near field of the user equipment based on the mutual coupling difference and the micro-motion quantity; determine a radio frequency exposure level associated with the human tissue based on the determination that the human tissue is present in the near field of the user equipment; and reduce the radio frequency exposure level associated with the human tissue based on the determination that the radio frequency exposure level exceeds a maximum permissible exposure.

[0011] In one aspect, an apparatus includes: means for determining mutual coupling signals associated with a transmitting antenna and a receiving antenna of the apparatus; means for determining a mutual coupling difference between the mutual coupling signals and a reference mutual coupling signal; means for determining a beat signal difference between a current beat signal and a previous beat signal; means for determining a micro-motion quantity present in the near field of the apparatus based at least in part on the beat signal difference; means for determining the presence of human tissue in the near field of the apparatus based on the mutual coupling difference and the micro-motion quantity; means for determining a radio frequency exposure quantity associated with the human tissue based on the determination that the human tissue is present in the near field of the apparatus; and means for reducing the radio frequency exposure quantity associated with the human tissue based on the determination that the radio frequency exposure quantity exceeds a maximum permissible exposure.

[0012] In one aspect, a non-transient computer-readable storage medium stores instructions executable by one or more processors to: determine a mutual coupling signal associated with a transmit antenna and a receive antenna of a user equipment; determine a mutual coupling difference between the mutual coupling signal and a reference mutual coupling signal; determine a beat signal difference between a current beat signal and a previous beat signal; determine a micro-motion quantity present in the near field of the user equipment based at least in part on the beat signal difference; determine the presence of human tissue in the near field of the user equipment based on the mutual coupling difference and the micro-motion quantity; determine a radio frequency exposure level associated with the human tissue based on the determination that the human tissue is present in the near field of the user equipment; and reduce the radio frequency exposure level associated with the human tissue based on the determination that the radio frequency exposure level exceeds a maximum permissible exposure level.

[0013] Other objectives and advantages associated with the aspects disclosed herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art based on the accompanying drawings and detailed description. Brief description of the attached diagram

[0015] The accompanying drawings are provided to help describe various aspects of this disclosure, and the drawings are provided for illustrative purposes only and not for limiting the aspects.

[0016] Figure 1 Example wireless communication systems based on various aspects of this disclosure are explained.

[0017] Figure 2A and Figure 2B Example wireless network architectures based on various aspects of this disclosure are explained.

[0018] Figure 3A , Figure 3B and Figure 3C It is a simplified block diagram of several sample aspects of components that can be adopted in user equipment (UE), base stations, and network entities and configured to support communications as taught herein.

[0019] Figure 4 This is a block diagram illustrating various components of an example user equipment (UE) according to various aspects of this disclosure.

[0020] Figure 5 This is a flowchart illustrating the detection of the presence of human tissue in a detection area according to various aspects of this disclosure.

[0021] Figure 6 This is a block diagram illustrating the detection of micro-motion in a detection area according to various aspects of this disclosure.

[0022] Figure 7 The process of reducing radiofrequency exposure associated with human tissues is explained in various aspects of this disclosure.

[0023] Figure 8The diagram illustrating the elimination depth according to various aspects of this disclosure is explained.

[0024] Detailed description

[0025] Various aspects of this disclosure are provided below in the description and accompanying drawings of various examples provided for illustrative purposes. Alternative aspects may be designed without departing from the scope of this disclosure. Furthermore, elements well-known in this disclosure will not be described in detail or will be omitted so as not to obscure the relevant details of this disclosure.

[0026] The terms “exemplary” and / or “example” are used herein to mean “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any aspect described herein as “exemplary” and / or “example” is not necessarily to be construed as superior to or better than the others. Similarly, the term “aspects of this disclosure” does not require that all aspects of this disclosure include the features, advantages, or modes of operation discussed.

[0027] Next-generation 5G cellular systems utilize the millimeter-wave (mmW) portion of the spectrum, which boasts a large available bandwidth for achieving high-speed (e.g., tens of gigabits per second (Gbps)) data rates. Radio transmissions in the mmW spectrum (e.g., 28 GHz, 39 GHz, etc.) are subject to stringent regulations regarding exposure to living organisms and human tissue in many countries. For example, in the United States, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) mandates a maximum permissible exposure (MPE) of 1 milliwatt (mW) per square centimeter for frequencies above 6 GHz. 2 When user equipment (UE) is using, for example, high beamforming gain to transmit at high power (Tx), it may exceed the MPE (Mean Power Expansion). In the case of handheld UEs (such as, for example, smartphones), the FCC requires the UE to detect when human tissue is within close proximity (e.g., 4 cm or less) of the UE's radiating element. This close proximity area is referred to as the near field. The system and techniques described herein achieve near field detection of human tissue.

[0028] In one respect, the systems and techniques described herein can be used to perform near-field detection of human tissue based on detecting disturbances in mutual coupling. In Wi-Fi radar (also known as radio frequency (RF) sensing), packets are transmitted by the UE's transmit (Tx) antenna array and received almost immediately (e.g., simultaneously) by the UE's receive (Rx) antenna array. The transmitted packets are received by the Rx antennas as (i) direct transmission and (ii) reflected transmission. Reflected transmission can be the result of the transmitted packets being reflected from objects in the near field, such as human tissue (e.g., a user's hand). Mutual coupling describes the energy absorbed by the Rx antenna while the Tx antenna is transmitting (e.g., direct transmission). Detecting disturbances in mutual coupling effectively detects targets moving in the detection area (e.g., the vicinity area), such as when a user's hand moves in close proximity to the UE.

[0029] A reference cross-coupled signal can be repeatedly (e.g., substantially continuously) compared with the received coupled signal to determine whether it has changed due to an object (e.g., human tissue) in the near field. The received coupled signal includes a static component and a dynamic component indicating the movement of the object in the near field. In some aspects, a metric used to quantify the similarity between these signals is the cancellation depth, which is based on the reciprocal of the mean square error (MSE), such as 1 / MSE. The reference cross-coupled signal can be determined by extracting the static component from the received coupled signal using a low-pass filter.

[0030] When a user is holding the UE or has placed their hand near the UE, human tissue can engage in relatively small movements (e.g., micro-movements), leading to small changes in mutual coupling. A stationary human hand has similar properties to mutual coupling; for example, the reflected signal is relatively constant across multiple observations. Therefore, monitoring mutual coupling can cause the system to "learn" the presence of a stationary hand, which can cause the hand's presence to become part of the reference signal, resulting in a high cancellation depth. When the cancellation depth is relatively high (e.g., greater than or equal to a threshold), the detector can determine that no human tissue is present in the near field, thus failing to detect the presence of a stationary hand. To enable the detection of a stationary hand in the near field, the system and techniques are enhanced to detect micro-movements. Generally, even when body parts are at rest, such as when a hand is placed on a table (e.g., near the UE), humans are prone to tremors, such as nerve-induced tingling. The system and techniques are enhanced to detect micro-movements caused by nerve impulses and to slow down the learning rate of the adaptive filter. For example, after the system and techniques detect micro-movements, the value of the pole filter is changed (e.g., increased) to maintain the previously learned mutual coupling and reduce the learning rate associated with a stationary hand. Therefore, systems and techniques for detecting disturbances in mutual coupling can be enhanced to detect when a user's hand is relatively stationary (e.g., without movement) within close proximity to the UE.

[0031] Systems and techniques can detect micro-motion in the near field of a UE by determining the increment between the current beat signal and the previous beat signal. In a frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) radar system, a Tx antenna is used to transmit a chirped signal. The chirped signal is an FM modulated signal with a known stable frequency whose instantaneous frequency varies linearly over a fixed time period (sweep time) by the modulating signal. The transmitted signal hits a target (e.g., a human hand) and is reflected to create a reflected signal, which is received by the Rx antenna. The frequency difference between the received signal and the transmitted signal increases with delay, where the delay is linearly proportional to the range (e.g., the distance between the target and the radar). The echo from the target is mixed with the transmitted signal and down-converted to produce the beat signal. If the environment is static (e.g., no motion, including micro-motion), the increment between the current beat signal and the previous beat signal can be accounted for by noise. If micro-motion is present in the environment, the increment between the current beat signal and the previous beat signal is likely to be higher than the noise due to disturbances caused by the micro-motion. For this reason, the rise-over-noise (RoN) can be used to determine the presence of micro-motion in the near field. In a static environment, RoN is close to 1 (e.g., 0 dB). When micro-motion is present, RoN is greater than 1. The amount of noise present can be obtained by various methods, including, for example, the negative frequency of the beat signal, using leading or trailing samples of the beat signal, etc. The learning rate of the mutual-coupled monitoring system can be adjusted based on the amount of micro-motion present. For example, the mutual-coupled monitoring system can use a single-pole infinite impulse response (IIR) filter with poles adjusted based on RoN. Additionally, in some aspects, a smoothing filter can be used on RoN to reduce the effect of noise.

[0032] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the information and signals described below can be represented using any of a variety of different techniques and arts. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referred to throughout the following description may be represented by voltage, current, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or magnetic particles, light fields or light particles, or any combination thereof, depending in part on the specific application, in part on the intended design, in part on the corresponding technology, etc.

[0033] Furthermore, many aspects are described in the form of sequences of actions performed by elements of, for example, computing devices. It will be appreciated that the various actions described herein can be performed by special-purpose circuitry (e.g., application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs)), by program instructions being executed by one or more processors, or by a combination of both. Additionally, the sequences of actions described herein can be considered to be fully embodied in any form of non-transient computer-readable storage medium storing a corresponding set of computer instructions that, upon execution, will cause an associated processor of the device to perform the functions described herein. Thus, various aspects of this disclosure can be embodied in several different forms, all of which are contemplated to fall within the scope of the claimed subject matter. Furthermore, for each aspect described herein, a corresponding form of any such aspect may be described herein as, for example, "logic configured to perform the described actions."

[0034] As used herein, the terms “User Equipment” (UE) and “Base Station” are not intended to be specific to or otherwise limited to any particular Radio Access Technology (RAT) unless otherwise stated. Generally, a UE can be any wireless communication device used by a user to communicate over a wireless communication network (e.g., mobile phone, router, tablet computer, laptop computer, consumer asset positioning device, wearable device (e.g., smartwatch, glasses, augmented reality (AR) / virtual reality (VR) headset, etc.), vehicle (e.g., car, motorcycle, bicycle, etc.), Internet of Things (IoT) device, etc.). A UE can be mobile or can (e.g., at certain times) be stationary and can communicate with a Radio Access Network (RAN). As used herein, the term “UE” can be interchangeably referred to as “Access Terminal” or “AT”, “Client Equipment”, “Wireless Equipment”, “Subscriber Equipment”, “Subscriber Terminal”, “Subscriber Station”, “User Terminal” or “UT”, “Mobile Equipment”, “Mobile Terminal”, “Mobile Station”, or variations thereof. Generally, a UE can communicate with the core network via the RAN, and through the core network, the UE can connect to external networks (such as the Internet) and other UEs. Of course, other mechanisms for connecting to the core network and / or the Internet are also possible for the UE, such as through a wired access network, a wireless local area network (WLAN) (e.g., based on the IEEE 802.11 standard), and so on.

[0035] A base station may operate according to one of several RATs to communicate with a UE, depending on the network in which it is deployed, and may be alternatively referred to as an Access Point (AP), Network Node, B-Node, Evolved B-Node (eNB), Next Generation eNB (ng-eNB), New Radio (NR) B-Node (also referred to as gNB or gNodeB), etc. A base station may primarily be used to support radio access by the UE, including supporting data, voice, and / or signaling connections with the supported UE. In some systems, the base station may provide purely edge node signaling functions, while in others, it may provide additional control and / or network management functions. The communication link through which the UE can signal to the base station is called an uplink (UL) channel (e.g., reverse traffic channel, reverse control channel, access channel, etc.). The communication link through which the base station can signal to the UE is called a downlink (DL) or forward link channel (e.g., paging channel, control channel, broadcast channel, forward traffic channel, etc.). As used herein, the term traffic channel (TCH) may refer to an uplink / reverse traffic channel or a downlink / forward traffic channel.

[0036] The term "base station" can refer to a single physical transmit / receive point (TRP) or multiple physical TRPs that may or may not be co-located. For example, when the term "base station" refers to a single physical TRP, the physical TRP may be a base station antenna corresponding to a cell (or several cell sectors) of the base station. When the term "base station" refers to multiple co-located physical TRPs, the physical TRP may be an antenna array of the base station (e.g., as in a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system or where the base station employs beamforming). When the term "base station" refers to multiple non-co-located physical TRPs, the physical TRP may be a distributed antenna system (DAS) (a network of spatially separated antennas connected via a transmission medium to a shared source) or a remote radio headend (RRH) (a remote base station connected to a serving base station). Alternatively, non-co-located physical TRPs may be the serving base station from which the UE receives measurement reports and neighboring base stations where the UE is measuring its reference radio frequency (RF) signal. Since a TRP is the point from which a base station transmits and receives wireless signals, as used herein, references to transmissions from or receptions at a base station should be understood as references to the specific TRP of that base station.

[0037] In some implementations that support UE positioning, the base station may not support the UE's radio access (e.g., it may not support data, voice, and / or signaling connections regarding the UE), but may instead transmit reference signals to the UE for measurement, and / or receive and measure signals transmitted by the UE. Such a base station may be referred to as a positioning tower (e.g., in the case of transmitting signals to the UE) and / or as a location measurement unit (e.g., in the case of receiving and measuring signals from the UE).

[0038] An “RF signal” refers to an electromagnetic wave of a given frequency that transmits information across the space between a transmitter and a receiver. As used herein, a transmitter may transmit a single “RF signal” or multiple “RF signals” to a receiver. However, due to the propagation characteristics of RF signals through multipath channels, a receiver may receive multiple “RF signals” corresponding to each transmitted RF signal. The same RF signal transmitted on different paths between the transmitter and receiver can be referred to as a “multipath” RF signal. As used herein, an RF signal may also be referred to as a “wireless signal” or simply a “signal,” where the context clearly indicates that the term “signal” refers to a wireless signal or an RF signal.

[0039] Figure 1 An example wireless communication system 100 according to various aspects of this disclosure is described. The wireless communication system 100 (which may also be referred to as a wireless wide area network (WWAN)) may include various base stations 102 (labeled "BS") and various UEs 104. Base station 102 may include macrocell base stations (high-power cellular base stations) and / or small cell base stations (low-power cellular base stations). In one aspect, the macrocell base station may include an eNB and / or an ng-eNB (where the wireless communication system 100 corresponds to an LTE network), or a gNB (where the wireless communication system 100 corresponds to an NR network), or a combination of both, and the small cell base station may include femtocells, picocells, microcells, etc.

[0040] Each base station 102 can collectively form a RAN and interface with the core network 170 (e.g., an evolved packet core (EPC) or a 5G core (5GC)) via a backhaul link 122, and access one or more location servers 172 (e.g., location management function (LMF) or secure user plane positioning (SUPL) location platform (SLP)) via the core network 170. The location servers 172 can be part of the core network 170 or located outside the core network 170. Among other functions, the base station 102 can also perform functions related to one or more of the following: transmitting user data, radio channel cryptography and decoding, 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, RAN sharing, multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBMS), subscriber and equipment tracking, RAN information management (RIM), paging, location, and delivery of alarm messages. Base stations 102 can communicate with each other directly or indirectly (e.g., via EPC / 5GC) through backhaul link 134 (which can be wired or wireless).

[0041] Base station 102 can wirelessly communicate with UE 104. Each base station 102 can provide communication coverage for a corresponding geographic coverage area 110. In one aspect, one or more cells can be supported by base station 102 in each geographic coverage area 110. A “cell” is a logical communication entity used to communicate with a base station (e.g., on a frequency resource, it is referred to as a carrier frequency, component carrier, carrier, frequency band, etc.) and can be associated with an identifier (e.g., Physical Cell Identifier (PCI), Enhanced Cell Identifier (ECI), Virtual Cell Identifier (VCI), Cell Global Identifier (CGI), etc.) to distinguish cells operating via the same or different carrier frequencies. In some cases, different cells can be configured according to different protocol types that can provide access to different types of UEs (e.g., Machine Type Communication (MTC), Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT), Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB), or others). Since cells are supported by specific base stations, the term “cell” can refer to either or both of the logical communication entity and the base station supporting that logical communication entity, depending on the context. Additionally, since the TRP is typically the physical transmission point of a cell, the terms "cell" and "TRP" are used interchangeably. In some cases, the term "cell" can also refer to the geographical coverage area (e.g., sector) of a base station, in the sense that the carrier frequency can be detected and used for communication within a portion of a geographical coverage area 110.

[0042] While the geographic coverage areas 110 of adjacent macrocell base stations 102 may partially overlap (e.g., in handover areas), some geographic coverage areas 110 may substantially overlap with larger geographic coverage areas 110. For example, a small cell base station 102' ("SC" labeled "small cell") may have geographic coverage areas 110' that substantially overlap with the geographic coverage areas 110 of one or more macrocell base stations 102. A network that includes both small cell and macrocell base stations may be referred to as a heterogeneous network. A heterogeneous network may also include home eNBs (HeNBs) that provide service to a restricted group known as a Closed Subscriber Group (CSG).

[0043] The communication link 120 between base station 102 and UE 104 may include uplink (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. The communication link 120 may use MIMO antenna technologies, including spatial multiplexing, beamforming, and / or transmit diversity. The communication link 120 may use one or more carrier frequencies. Carrier allocation may be asymmetric with respect to the downlink and uplink (e.g., more or fewer carriers may be allocated to the downlink compared to the uplink).

[0044] The wireless communication system 100 may further include a wireless local area network (WLAN) access point (AP) 150 communicating with a WLAN station (STA) 152 via a communication link 154 in unlicensed spectrum (e.g., 5 GHz). When communicating in unlicensed spectrum, the WLAN STA 152 and / or WLAN AP 150 may perform a clear channel assessment (CCA) or listen-before-speak (LBT) procedure to determine channel availability before communication.

[0045] Small cell base station 102' can operate in licensed and / or unlicensed spectrum. When operating in unlicensed spectrum, small cell base station 102' can employ LTE or NR technology and use the same 5 GHz unlicensed spectrum as used by WLAN AP 150. Small cell base station 102' employing LTE / 5G in unlicensed spectrum can enhance access network coverage and / or increase access network capacity. NR in unlicensed spectrum may be referred to as NR-U. LTE in unlicensed spectrum may be referred to as LTE-U, Licensed Assisted Access (LAA), or MulteFire.

[0046] The wireless communication system 100 may further include a millimeter-wave (mmW) base station 180, which can operate in mmW and / or near-mmW frequencies to communicate with the UE 182. Extremely high frequency (EHF) is a portion of the electromagnetic spectrum that contains radio frequency (RF). EHF has a range of 30 GHz to 300 GHz and wavelengths between 1 mm and 10 mm. Radio waves in this band are referred to as millimeter waves. Near-mmW extends down to a 3 GHz frequency with a 100 mm wavelength. 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 RF bands has high path loss and relatively short range. The mmW base station 180 and the UE 182 can utilize beamforming (transmit and / or receive) on the mmW communication link 184 to compensate for the extremely high path loss and short range. Furthermore, it will be appreciated that in alternative configurations, one or more base stations 102 may also use mmW or near-mmW and beamforming for transmission. Accordingly, it will be understood that the foregoing explanations are merely illustrative and should not be construed as limiting the aspects disclosed herein.

[0047] Transmit beamforming is a technique for focusing RF signals in a specific direction. Conventionally, when a network node (e.g., a base station) broadcasts an RF signal, it broadcasts the signal in all directions (omnidirectionally). Using transmit beamforming, the network node determines where a given target device (e.g., a UE) is located (relative to the transmitting network node) and projects a stronger downlink RF signal in that specific direction, thus providing the receiving device with a faster (in terms of data rate) and stronger RF signal. To change the directivity of the RF signal during transmission, the network node can control the phase and relative amplitude of the RF signal at each of one or more transmitters broadcasting the RF signal. For example, the network node can use an antenna array (referred to as a "phased array" or "antenna array") that generates a beam of RF waves, which can be "guided" to different directions without actually moving the antennas. Specifically, RF currents from the transmitters are fed to the individual antennas with the correct phase relationship so that radio waves from the separate antennas add together in the desired direction to increase radiation, while simultaneously canceling each other out in the undesired direction to suppress radiation.

[0048] Transmit beams can be quasi-co-located, meaning they appear to the receiver (e.g., UE) with identical parameters, regardless of whether the network node's transmit antennas are physically co-located. In NR, there are four types of quasi-co-location (QCL) relationships. Specifically, a given type of QCL relationship means that certain parameters of the second reference RF signal on the second beam can be derived from information about the source reference RF signal on the source beam. Thus, if the source reference RF signal is QCL type A, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the Doppler shift, Doppler spread, average delay, and delay spread of the second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is QCL type B, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the Doppler shift and Doppler spread of the second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is QCL type C, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the Doppler shift and average delay of the second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is of type QCL D, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the spatial reception parameters of the second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel.

[0049] In receive beamforming, a receiver uses a receive beam to amplify an RF signal detected on a given channel. For example, a receiver may increase the gain setting of an antenna array and / or adjust the phase setting of the antenna array in a specific direction to amplify the RF signal received from that direction (e.g., increase its gain level). Thus, when a receiver is referred to as beamforming in a certain direction, it means that the beam gain in that direction is higher than the beam gain in other directions, or that the beam gain in that direction is the highest compared to the beam gain of all other receive beams available to the receiver in that direction. This results in a stronger received signal strength (e.g., Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP), Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ), Signal-to-Interference-plus-Noise Ratio (SINR), etc.) of the RF signal received from that direction.

[0050] The transmit and receive beams can be spatially correlated. Spatial correlation means that the parameters of the second beam (e.g., the transmit or receive beam) used for the second reference signal can be derived from information about the first beam (e.g., the receive or transmit beam) of the first reference signal. For example, a UE can use a specific receive beam to receive a reference downlink reference signal (e.g., a synchronization signal block (SSB)) from a base station. The UE can then form a transmit beam based on the parameters of the receive beam to transmit an uplink reference signal (e.g., a probe reference signal (SRS)) to that base station.

[0051] Note that, depending on the entity forming the "downlink" beam, the beam can be either a transmit beam or a receive beam. For example, if a base station is forming a downlink beam to transmit a reference signal to a UE, then the downlink beam is a transmit beam. However, if a UE is forming a downlink beam, then the downlink beam is a receive beam for receiving downlink reference signals. Similarly, depending on the entity forming the "uplink" beam, the beam can be either a transmit beam or a receive beam. For example, if a base station is forming an uplink beam, then the uplink beam is an uplink receive beam, while if a UE is forming an uplink beam, then the uplink beam is an uplink transmit beam.

[0052] In 5G, the spectrum in which wireless nodes (e.g., base stations 102 / 180, UEs 104 / 182) operate is divided into several frequency ranges: FR1 (from 450 to 6000 MHz), FR2 (from 24250 to 52600 MHz), FR3 (above 52600 MHz), and FR4 (between FR1 and FR2). The mmW band generally includes the FR2, FR3, and FR4 frequency ranges. Thus, the terms "mmW" and "FR2" or "FR3" or "FR4" are generally used interchangeably.

[0053] In multi-carrier systems (such as 5G), one of the carrier frequencies is referred to as the "primary carrier," "anchor carrier," "primary serving cell," or "PCell," and the remaining carrier frequencies are referred to as "secondary carriers," "secondary serving cells," or "SCell." In carrier aggregation, the anchor carrier is a carrier operating on the primary frequency (e.g., FR1) utilized by UE 104 / 182 and on the cell in which UE 104 / 182 performs an initial radio resource control (RRC) connection establishment procedure or initiates an RRC connection re-establishment procedure. The primary carrier carries all shared control channels as well as control channels that vary from UE to UE, and can be a carrier on a licensed frequency (however, this is not always the case). The secondary carrier is a carrier operating on a second frequency (e.g., FR2), which can be configured once an RRC connection is established between UE 104 and the anchor carrier, and can be used to provide additional radio resources. In some cases, the secondary carrier can be a carrier on an unlicensed frequency. Secondary carriers may contain only necessary signaling information and signals. For example, signaling information and signals that vary from UE to UE may not be present in the secondary carrier, since both the primary uplink and downlink carriers are typically UE-specific. This means that different UEs 104 / 182 within a cell can have different downlink primary carriers. The same applies to the uplink primary carrier. The network can change the primary carrier of any UE 104 / 182 at any time. For example, this is done to balance the load on different carriers. Since a “serving cell” (whether PCell or SCell) corresponds to the carrier frequency / component carrier that a base station is using for communication, the terms “cell,” “serving cell,” “component carrier,” “carrier frequency,” etc., can be used interchangeably.

[0054] For example, still refer to Figure 1 One of the frequencies utilized by the macrocell base station 102 can be an anchor carrier (or "PCell"), and other frequencies utilized by the macrocell base station 102 and / or mmW base station 180 can be secondary carriers ("SCell"). Transmitting and / or receiving on multiple carriers allows the UE 104 / 182 to significantly increase its data transmission and / or reception rates. For example, two 20MHz aggregated carriers in a multi-carrier system would theoretically result in twice the data rate (i.e., 40MHz) compared to the data rate obtained from a single 20MHz carrier.

[0055] The wireless communication system 100 may further include a UE 164, which can communicate with the macrocell base station 102 on the communication link 120 and / or with the mmW base station 180 on the mmW communication link 184. For example, the macrocell base station 102 may support PCell and one or more SCells for the UE 164, and the mmW base station 180 may support one or more SCells for the UE 164.

[0056] exist Figure 1 In the examples, any of the UEs being explained (for simplicity) Figure 1 A single UE 104 (shown as a single UE) may receive signal 124 from one or more Earth-orbiting spacecraft (SV) 112 (e.g., satellites). In one aspect, SV 112 may be part of a satellite positioning system that allows UE 104 to use as an independent source of location information. Satellite positioning systems typically include transmitter systems (e.g., SV 112) positioned such that a receiver (e.g., UE 104) can determine its location on or above the Earth based at least in part on positioning signals (e.g., signal 124) received from these transmitters. Such transmitters typically transmit signals marked with a set number of repeating pseudo-random noise (PN) codes. While transmitters are typically located in SV 112, they may sometimes be located at ground-based control stations, base stations 102, and / or other UEs 104. UE 104 may include one or more dedicated receivers specifically designed to receive signal 124 from SV 112 to derive geographic location information.

[0057] In satellite positioning systems, the use of signal 124 can be amplified through various satellite-based augmentation systems (SBAS), which may be associated with or otherwise enabled to work with one or more global and / or regional navigation satellite systems. For example, SBAS may include augmentation systems that provide integrity information, differential correction, etc., such as Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS), European Geostationary Navigation Coverage Service (EGNOS), Multifunctional Satellite Augmentation System (MSAS), GPS-assisted Geographic Augmentation Navigation or GPS and Geographic Augmentation Navigation System (GAGAN), etc. Therefore, as used herein, a satellite positioning system may include any combination of one or more global and / or regional navigation satellites associated with such one or more satellite positioning systems.

[0058] On one hand, SV 112 may additionally or alternatively be part of one or more non-terrestrial networks (NTNs). In the NTN, SV 112 is connected to an earth station (also referred to as a ground station, NTN gateway, or gateway), which in turn is connected to elements in the 5G network, such as the modified base station 102 (without a ground antenna) or network nodes in the 5GC. This element will then provide access to other elements in the 5G network and ultimately to entities outside the 5G network, such as internet web servers and other user equipment. In this way, UE 104 can receive communication signals (e.g., signal 124) from SV 112 as a replacement or supplement to receiving communication signals from ground base station 102.

[0059] The wireless communication system 100 may further include one or more UEs (such as UE 190) that are indirectly connected to one or more communication networks via one or more device-to-device (D2D) peer-to-peer (P2P) links (referred to as “side links”). Figure 1 In the example, UE 190 has a D2D P2P link 192 with a UE 104 connected to a base station 102 (e.g., through which UE 190 indirectly obtains cellular connectivity), and a D2D P2P link 194 with a WLANSTA 152 connected to a WLAN AP 150 (through which UE 190 indirectly obtains WLAN-based Internet connectivity). In one example, D2D P2P links 192 and 194 can use any known D2D RAT (such as LTE Direct (LTE-D), WiFi Direct (WiFi-D)). (etc.) to support.

[0060] Figure 2AExample wireless network architecture 200 is explained. For example, 5GC 210 (also known as Next Generation Core (NGC)) can be functionally considered as control plane (C-plane) functions 214 (e.g., UE registration, authentication, network access, gateway selection, etc.) and user plane (U-plane) functions 212 (e.g., UE gateway functions, access to data networks, IP routing, etc.), which operate collaboratively to form the core network. User plane interface (NG-U) 213 and control plane interface (NG-C) 215 connect gNB 222 to 5GC 210, specifically to user plane function 212 and control plane function 214, respectively. In an additional configuration, ng-eNB 224 can also connect to 5GC 210 via NG-C 215 to control plane function 214 and NG-U 213 to user plane function 212. Furthermore, ng-eNB 224 can communicate directly with gNB 222 via backhaul connection 223. In some configurations, the next-generation RAN (NG-RAN) 220 may have one or more gNBs 222, while other configurations include one or more ng-eNBs 224 and one or more gNBs 222. The gNB 222 or ng-eNB 224 (or both) may communicate with one or more UEs 204 (e.g., any UE described herein).

[0061] Another optional aspect may include location server 230, which can communicate with 5GC 210 to provide location assistance to UE 204. Location server 230 may be implemented as multiple separate servers (e.g., physically separate servers, different software modules on a single server, different software modules extending across multiple physical servers, etc.), or alternatively, each may correspond to a single server. Location server 230 may be configured to support one or more location services for UE 204, which UE 204 can connect to via the core network, 5GC 210, and / or via the Internet (not explained). Furthermore, location server 230 may be integrated into a component of the core network, or alternatively, it may be external to the core network (e.g., a third-party server, such as an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) server or a business server).

[0062] Figure 2B Another example wireless network architecture, 250.5GC 260, was explained (which can correspond to...). Figure 2AThe 5GC 210 in the document can be functionally viewed as a control plane function (provided by the Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) 264) and a user plane function (provided by the User Plane Function (UPF) 262), which operate collaboratively to form the core network (i.e., 5GC 260). The functions of AMF 264 include registration management, connection management, reachability management, mobility management, lawful interception, session management (SM) message transmission between one or more UEs 204 (e.g., any UE described herein) and session management function (SMF) 266, transparent proxy service for routing SM messages, access authentication and access authorization, short message service (SMS) message transmission between UE 204 and short message service function (SMSF) (not shown), and security anchor functionality (SEAF). AMF 264 also interacts with the authentication server function (AUSF) (not shown) and UE 204, and receives an intermediate key established as a result of the UE 204 authentication process. In cases where authentication is based on the UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) Subscriber Identity Module (USIM), the AMF 264 retrieves security material from the AMF. The AMF 264 also includes Security Context Management (SCM). The SCM receives a key from the SEAF, which it uses to derive a key that varies depending on the access network. The AMF 264's functionality also includes: location service management for regulatory services, location service message transmission between the UE 204 and the Location Management Function (LMF) 270 (which acts as a location server 230), location service message transmission between the NG-RAN 220 and the LMF 270, EPS bearer identifier allocation for interoperability with the Evolved Packet System (EPS), and UE 204 mobility event notification. Additionally, the AMF 264 supports functionality for non-3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) access networks.

[0063] The functions of UPF 262 include: acting as an anchor point for intra / inter-RAT mobility (where applicable), acting as an external Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session point interconnecting to a data network (not shown), providing packet routing and forwarding, packet inspection, user plane policy rule enforcement (e.g., strobing, redirection, traffic steering), lawful interception (user plane collection), traffic usage reporting, quality of service (QoS) handling for the user plane (e.g., uplink / downlink rate enforcement, reflective QoS marking in the downlink), uplink traffic verification (Service Data Flow (SDF) to QoS flow mapping), transport-level packet marking in the uplink and downlink, downlink packet buffering and downlink data notification triggering, and sending and forwarding one or more "end markers" to the source RAN node. UPF 262 may also support the transmission of location service messages between UE 204 and a location server (such as SLP 272) on the user plane.

[0064] The functions of SMF 266 include session management, UE Internet Protocol (IP) address allocation and management, selection and control of user plane functions, traffic bootstrapping configuration at UPF 262 for routing traffic to the correct destination, partial control of policy enforcement and QoS, and downlink data notification. The interface used by SMF 266 to communicate with AMF 264 is called the N11 interface.

[0065] Another optional aspect may include LMF 270, which can communicate with 5GC 260 to provide location assistance to UE 204. LMF 270 can be implemented as multiple separate servers (e.g., physically separate servers, different software modules on a single server, different software modules extending across multiple physical servers, etc.), or alternatively, each may correspond to a single server. LMF 270 can be configured to support one or more location services for UE 204, which can connect to LMF 270 via the core network, 5GC 260, and / or via the Internet (not explained). SLP 272 supports similar functionality to LMF 270, but while LMF 270 can communicate with AMF 264, NG-RAN 220, and UE 204 on the control plane (e.g., using interfaces and protocols designed to convey signaling messages but not voice or data), SLP 272 can communicate with UE 204 and external clients on the user plane (e.g., using protocols designed to carry voice and / or data, such as Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and / or IP). Figure 2B (Not shown in the image) Communication.

[0066] User plane interface 263 and control plane interface 265 connect 5GC 260 (and in particular UPF 262 and AMF 264, respectively) to one or more gNB 222 and / or ng-eNB 224 in NG-RAN 220. The interface between gNB 222 and / or ng-eNB 224 and AMF 264 is referred to as the "N2" interface, while the interface between gNB 222 and / or ng-eNB 224 and UPF 262 is referred to as the "N3" interface. The gNB 222 and / or ng-eNB 224 of NG-RAN 220 can communicate directly with each other via backhaul connection 223, which is referred to as the "Xn-C" interface. One or more of gNB 222 and / or ng-eNB 224 can communicate with one or more UEs 204 on a radio interface, which is referred to as the "Uu" interface.

[0067] The functionality of gNB 222 is divided between gNB Central Unit (gNB-CU) 226 and one or more gNB Distributed Units (gNB-DU) 228. The interface 232 between gNB-CU 226 and one or more gNB-DU 228 is referred to as the "F1" interface. gNB-CU 226 is a logical node that includes base station functions such as transmitting user data, mobility control, radio access network sharing, positioning, and session management, in addition to those functions specifically allocated to gNB-DU(228). More specifically, gNB-CU 226 manages the Radio Resource Control (RRC), Serving Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP), and Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) protocols of gNB 222. gNB-DU 228 is a logical node that manages the Radio Link Control (RLC), Media Access Control (MAC), and Physical (PHY) layers of gNB 222. Its operation is controlled by gNB-CU 226. One gNB-DU 228 can support one or more cells, while a cell is supported by only one gNB-DU 228. Therefore, UE 204 communicates with gNB-CU 226 via RRC, SDAP, and PDCP layers, and with gNB-DU 228 via RLC, MAC, and PHY layers.

[0068] Figure 3A , Figure 3B and Figure 3C The description includes UE 302 (which may correspond to any UE described herein), base station 304 (which may correspond to any base station described herein), and network entity 306 (which may correspond to or embody any network function described herein, including location server 230 and LMF 270, or alternatively may be independent of UE 302). Figure 2A and 2B Several example components (represented by corresponding boxes) in the NG-RAN 220 and / or 5GC 210 / 260 infrastructure (such as private networks) depicted herein support file transfer operations as taught herein. It will be appreciated that these components may be implemented in different types of devices (e.g., in ASICs, in System-on-Chip (SoCs), etc.) in different implementations. The illustrated components may also be incorporated into other devices in a communication system. For example, other devices in the system may include components similar to those described to provide similar functionality. Furthermore, a given device may include one or more of these components. For example, a device may include multiple transceiver components that enable the device to operate on multiple carriers and / or communicate via different technologies.

[0069] UE 302 and base station 304 each include one or more wireless wide area network (WWAN) transceivers 310 and 350, respectively, to provide means (e.g., means for transmitting, means for receiving, means for measuring, means for tuning, means for suppressing transmission, etc.) for communicating via one or more wireless communication networks (not shown) (such as NR networks, LTE networks, GSM networks, etc.). WWAN transceivers 310 and 350 may each be connected to one or more antennas 316 and 356 for communicating with other network nodes (such as other UEs, access points, base stations (e.g., eNB, gNB)) over a wireless communication medium of interest (e.g., a time / frequency resource set in a specific spectrum) via at least one designated RAT (e.g., NR, LTE, GSM, etc.). WWAN transceivers 310 and 350 can be configured, according to a specified RAT, in various ways to transmit and encode signals 318 and 358 (e.g., messages, indications, information, etc.), and conversely, to receive and decode signals 318 and 358 (e.g., messages, indications, information, pilots, etc.). Specifically, WWAN transceivers 310 and 350 each include one or more transmitters 314 and 354 for transmitting and encoding signals 318 and 358, respectively, and each includes one or more receivers 312 and 352 for receiving and decoding signals 318 and 358, respectively.

[0070] In at least some cases, UE 302 and base station 304 each further include one or more short-range radio transceivers 320 and 360, respectively. The short-range radio transceivers 320 and 360 can be connected to one or more antennas 326 and 366, respectively, and provide access via at least one designated RAT (e.g., WiFi, LTE-D, etc.). A means for communicating with other network nodes (such as other UEs, access points, base stations, etc.) over a wireless communication medium of interest (e.g., means for transmitting, means for receiving, means for measuring, means for tuning, means for suppressing transmission, etc.) using PC5, Dedicated Short Range Communication (DSRC), Wireless Access in Vehicle Environments (WAVE), Near Field Communication (NFC), etc.). Short-range transceivers 320 and 360 can be configured, according to a specified RAT, in various ways to transmit and encode signals 328 and 368 (e.g., messages, indications, information, etc.), and conversely, to receive and decode signals 328 and 368 (e.g., messages, indications, information, pilots, etc.). Specifically, short-range transceivers 320 and 360 each include one or more transmitters 324 and 364 for transmitting and encoding signals 328 and 368, respectively, and one or more receivers 322 and 362 for receiving and decoding signals 328 and 368, respectively. As specific examples, the short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360 can be WiFi transceivers, transceiver and / or Transceivers, NFC transceivers, or vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and / or vehicle-to-everything (V2X) transceivers.

[0071] In at least some cases, UE 302 and base station 304 also include satellite signal receivers 330 and 370. Satellite signal receivers 330 and 370 may be connected to one or more antennas 336 and 376, respectively, and may be provided with means for receiving and / or measuring satellite positioning / communication signals 338 and 378, respectively. When satellite signal receivers 330 and 370 are satellite positioning system receivers, satellite positioning / communication signals 338 and 378 may be Global Positioning System (GPS) signals, Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS) signals, Galileo signals, BeiDou signals, Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (NAVIC), Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS), etc. When satellite signal receivers 330 and 370 are non-terrestrial network (NTN) receivers, satellite positioning / communication signals 338 and 378 may be communication signals originating from a 5G network (e.g., carrying control and / or user data). Satellite signal receivers 330 and 370 may include any suitable hardware and / or software for receiving and processing satellite positioning / communication signals 338 and 378, respectively. Satellite signal receivers 330 and 370 may request information and operations from other systems as appropriate, and in at least some cases perform calculations to determine the respective locations of UE 302 and base station 304 using measurements obtained by any suitable satellite positioning system algorithm.

[0072] Base station 304 and network entity 306 each include one or more network transceivers 380 and 390, respectively, to provide means (e.g., means for transmitting, means for receiving, etc.) for communicating with other network entities (e.g., other base stations 304, other network entities 306). For example, base station 304 may use one or more network transceivers 380 to communicate with other base stations 304 or network entities 306 on one or more wired or wireless backhaul links. As another example, network entity 306 may use one or more network transceivers 390 to communicate with one or more base stations 304 on one or more wired or wireless backhaul links, or to communicate with other network entities 306 on one or more wired or wireless core network interfaces.

[0073] Transceivers can be configured to communicate over wired or wireless links. A transceiver (whether wired or wireless) includes a transmitter circuitry (e.g., transmitters 314, 324, 354, 364) and a receiver circuitry (e.g., receivers 312, 322, 352, 362). In some implementations, the transceiver may be an integrated device (e.g., implementing the transmitter and receiver circuitry in a single device), in some implementations it may include separate transmitter and receiver circuitry, or in other implementations it may be implemented in a different manner. The transmitter and receiver circuitry of a wired transceiver (e.g., in some implementations, network transceivers 380 and 390) may be coupled to one or more wired network interface ports. Wireless transmitter circuitry (e.g., transmitters 314, 324, 354, 364) may include or be coupled to multiple antennas (e.g., antennas 316, 326, 356, 366), such as antenna arrays, which permit the corresponding device (e.g., UE 302, base station 304) to perform transmit beamforming as described herein. Similarly, wireless receiver circuitry (e.g., receivers 312, 322, 352, 362) may include or be coupled to multiple antennas (e.g., antennas 316, 326, 356, 366), such as antenna arrays, which permit the corresponding device (e.g., UE 302, base station 304) to perform receive beamforming as described herein. In one aspect, the transmitter and receiver circuitry may share the same multiple antennas (e.g., antennas 316, 326, 356, 366) so that the corresponding device can only receive or transmit at a given time, rather than both simultaneously. Wireless transceivers (e.g., WWAN transceivers 310 and 350, short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360) may also include network listening modules (NLMs) for performing various measurements.

[0074] As used herein, various wireless transceivers (e.g., transceivers 310, 320, 350, and 360, and network transceivers 380 and 390 in some implementations) and wired transceivers (e.g., network transceivers 380 and 390 in some implementations) can generally be characterized as "transceiver," "at least one transceiver," or "one or more transceivers." Thus, whether a particular transceiver is a wired or wireless transceiver can be inferred from the type of communication performed. For example, backhaul communication between network devices or servers generally involves signaling via a wired transceiver, while wireless communication between a UE (e.g., UE 302) and a base station (e.g., base station 304) generally involves signaling via a wireless transceiver.

[0075] UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 also include other components that can be used in conjunction with operations as disclosed herein. UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 each include one or more processors 332, 384, and 394 for providing functionality related to, for example, wireless communication, and for providing other processing functionality. Processors 332, 384, and 394 can therefore provide means for processing, such as means for determining, means for calculating, means for receiving, means for transmitting, means for indicating, etc. In one aspect, processors 332, 384, and 394 may include, for example, one or more general-purpose processors, multi-core processors, central processing units (CPUs), ASICs, digital signal processors (DSPs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), other programmable logic devices or processing circuitry systems, or various combinations thereof.

[0076] UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 include memory circuitry that respectively implements memories 340, 386, and 396 (e.g., each including a memory device) for maintaining information (e.g., information indicating reserved resources, thresholds, parameters, etc.). Therefore, memories 340, 386, and 396 can provide means for storage, means for retrieval, means for maintenance, etc. In some cases, UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 may respectively include proximity sensing modules 342, 388, and 398. Proximity sensing modules 342, 388, and 398 may be hardware circuitry as part of or coupled to processors 332, 384, and 394, which, when executed, enable UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 to perform the functionality described herein. In other respects, proximity sensing modules 342, 388, and 398 may be external to processors 332, 384, and 394 (e.g., part of a modem processing system, integrated with another processing system, etc.). Alternatively, proximity sensing modules 342, 388, and 398 may be memory modules stored in memories 340, 386, and 396, respectively, which, when executed by processors 332, 384, and 394 (or a modem processing system, another processing system, etc.), enable UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 to perform the functionality described herein. Figure 3A The possible locations of the proximity sensing module 342 are explained. The RF sensing module 340 may be, for example, part of one or more WWAN transceivers 310, memory 340, one or more processors 332, or any combination thereof, or may be a self-contained component. Figure 3B The possible locations of the proximity sensing module 388 are explained. The RF sensing module 386 may be, for example, part of one or more WWAN transceivers 350, memory 384, one or more processors 384, or any combination thereof, or may be a self-contained component. Figure 3C The possible locations of the proximity sensing module 398 are explained. The proximity sensing module 398 may be, for example, part of one or more network transceivers 390, memory 396, one or more processors 394, or any combination thereof, or may be a stand-alone component.

[0077] UE 302 may include one or more sensors 344 coupled to one or more processors 332 to provide means for sensing or detecting motion and / or orientation information independent of motion data derived from signals received by one or more WWAN transceivers 310, one or more short-range wireless transceivers 320, and / or satellite receivers 330. As an example, sensors 344 may include accelerometers (e.g., microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) devices), gyroscopes, geomagnetic sensors (e.g., compasses), altimeters (e.g., barometric altimeters), and / or any other type of motion detection sensor. Furthermore, sensors 344 may include multiple different types of devices and combine their outputs to provide motion information. For example, sensors 344 may use a combination of multi-axis accelerometers and orientation sensors to provide the ability to calculate position in two-dimensional (2D) and / or three-dimensional (3D) coordinate systems.

[0078] Additionally, UE 302 includes a user interface 346, which provides means for providing instructions to the user (e.g., audible and / or visual instructions) and / or for receiving user input (e.g., when the user actuates a sensing device (such as a keypad, touchscreen, microphone, etc.)). Although not shown, base station 304 and network entity 306 may also include user interfaces.

[0079] Referring more specifically to one or more processors 384, in the downlink, IP packets from network entity 306 may be provided to processor 384. One or more processors 384 may implement functionality for the RRC layer, Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer, Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, and Media Access Control (MAC) layer. One or more processors 384 may provide RRC layer functionality associated with system information (e.g., Master Information Block (MIB), System Information Block (SIB)) broadcasting, RRC connection control (e.g., RRC connection paging, RRC connection establishment, RRC connection modification, and RRC connection release), inter-RAT mobility, and measurement configuration for UE measurement reporting; PDCP layer functionality associated with header compression / decompression, security (cryptography, cryptographic decoding, integrity protection, integrity verification), and handover support functions; RLC layer functionality associated with upper-layer PDU delivery, error correction via Automatic Repeat Request (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 functionality associated with mapping between logical channels and transport channels, scheduling information reporting, error correction, priority handling, and logical channel priority ordering.

[0080] Transmitter 354 and receiver 352 implement Layer 1 (L1) functionality associated with various signal processing functions. Layer 1, including 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. Transmitter 354 processes the mapping to the signal constellation based on various modulation schemes (e.g., binary phase shift keying (BPSK), quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK), M-phase shift keying (M-PSK), M-quadrature amplitude modulation (M-QAM)). The decoded and modulated symbols can then be split into parallel streams. Each stream can then be mapped to an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) subcarrier, multiplexed with a reference signal (e.g., a pilot) in the time and / or frequency domains, and subsequently combined using an inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) to produce a physical channel carrying a time-domain OFDM symbol stream. The OFDM symbol stream is spatially precoded to generate multiple spatial streams. Channel estimates from the channel estimator can be used to determine the coding and modulation schemes, as well as for spatial processing. The channel estimates can be derived from reference signals transmitted by UE 302 and / or channel condition feedback. Each spatial stream can then be provided to one or more different antennas 356. Transmitter 354 can use the corresponding spatial stream to modulate an RF carrier for transmission.

[0081] At UE 302, receiver 312 receives signals via its corresponding antenna 316. Receiver 312 recovers the information modulated onto the RF carrier and provides this information to one or more processors 332. Transmitter 314 and receiver 312 implement Layer 1 functionality associated with various signal processing functions. Receiver 312 can perform spatial processing on this information to recover any spatial stream destined for UE 302. If multiple spatial streams are destined for UE 302, they can be combined by receiver 312 into a single OFDM symbol stream. Receiver 312 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 consists of a separate OFDM symbol stream for each subcarrier of the OFDM signal. Symbols on each subcarrier, along with a reference signal, are recovered and demodulated by determining the signal constellation points most likely to be transmitted by base station 304. These soft decisions can be based on a channel estimate calculated by a channel estimator. These soft decisions are then decoded and deinterleaved to recover the original data and control signals transmitted by base station 304 over the physical channel. This data and control signals are then provided to one or more processors 332 that implement Layer 3 (L3) and Layer 2 (L2) functionality.

[0082] In the uplink, one or more processors 332 provide demultiplexing, packet reassembly, cipher decoding, header decompression, and control signal processing between the transport and logical channels to recover IP packets from the core network. One or more processors 332 are also responsible for error detection.

[0083] Similar to the functionality described in conjunction with downlink transmissions performed by base station 304, one or more processors 332 provide RRC layer functionality associated with system information (e.g., MIB, SIB) capture, RRC connectivity, and measurement reporting; PDCP layer functionality associated with header compression / decompression and security (cryptography, cryptographic decoding, integrity protection, integrity verification); RLC layer functionality associated with upper-layer PDU delivery, 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 functionality associated with mapping between logical channels and transport channels, multiplexing MAC SDUs onto transport blocks (TBs), demultiplexing MAC SDUs from TBs, scheduling information reporting, error correction via Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ), priority handling, and logical channel priority ordering.

[0084] The channel estimate derived by the channel estimator from the reference signal or feedback transmitted by the base station 304 can be used by the transmitter 314 to select an appropriate coding and modulation scheme and to facilitate spatial processing. The spatial stream generated by the transmitter 314 can be provided to different antennas 316. The transmitter 314 can use the corresponding spatial stream to modulate the RF carrier for transmission.

[0085] Uplink transmissions are handled at base station 304 in a manner similar to that described in conjunction with the receiver function at UE 302. Receiver 352 receives signals via its corresponding antenna 356. Receiver 352 recovers the information modulated onto the RF carrier and provides that information to one or more processors 384.

[0086] In the uplink, one or more processors 384 provide demultiplexing, packet reassembly, cipher decoding, header decompression, and control signal processing between the transport and logical channels to recover IP packets from UE 302. IP packets from the one or more processors 384 can be provided to the core network. The one or more processors 384 are also responsible for error detection.

[0087] For convenience, UE 302, base station 304 and / or network entity 306 are in Figure 3A , Figure 3B and Figure 3CThe text is shown as including various components that can be configured according to the various examples described herein. However, it will be understood that the components described may have different functionalities in different designs. Specifically, Figures 3A to 3C The various components are optional in the replacement configuration, and various aspects include configurations that can vary due to design choices, cost, equipment usage, or other considerations. For example, in Figure 3A In such cases, a specific implementation of UE 302 may omit WWAN transceiver 310 (e.g., wearable devices, tablets, PCs, or laptops may have Wi-Fi and / or Bluetooth capabilities but no cellular capabilities), or short-range wireless transceiver 320 (e.g., cellular only), or satellite receiver 330, or sensors 344, etc. In another example, in Figure 3B In such cases, a particular implementation of base station 304 may omit WWAN transceiver 350 (e.g., a Wi-Fi "hotspot" access point without cellular capabilities), or short-range wireless transceiver 360 (e.g., cellular only), or satellite receiver 370, etc. For the sake of brevity, explanations of various alternative configurations are not provided herein, but will be readily understood by those skilled in the art.

[0088] Various components of UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 can be communicatively coupled to each other on data buses 334, 382, ​​and 392, respectively. In one aspect, data buses 334, 382, ​​and 392 can form or be part of the communication interfaces of UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306, respectively. For example, when different logical entities are implemented in the same device (e.g., gNB and location server functionality are incorporated into the same base station 304), data buses 334, 382, ​​and 392 can provide communication between them.

[0089] Figure 3A , Figure 3B and Figure 3C The components can be implemented in various ways. In some implementations, Figure 3A , Figure 3B and Figure 3CThe components can be implemented in one or more circuits (for example, such as one or more processors and / or one or more ASICs (which may include one or more processors)). Here, each circuit may use and / or incorporate at least one memory component for storing information or executable code used by that circuit to provide this functionality. For example, some or all of the functionality represented by blocks 310 to 346 may be implemented by the processor and memory components of UE 302 (e.g., by executing appropriate code and / or by appropriately configuring the processor components). Similarly, some or all of the functionality represented by blocks 350 to 388 may be implemented by the processor and memory components of base station 304 (e.g., by executing appropriate code and / or by appropriately configuring the processor components). Furthermore, some or all of the functionality represented by blocks 390 to 398 may be implemented by the processor and memory components of network entity 306 (e.g., by executing appropriate code and / or by appropriately configuring the processor components). For simplicity, various operations, actions, and / or functions are described herein as being performed "by the UE," "by the base station," "by the network entity," etc. However, as will be appreciated, such operations, actions, and / or functions may actually be performed by specific components or combinations of components (such as processors 332, 384, 394, transceivers 310, 320, 350, and 360, memories 340, 386, and 396, proximity sensing modules 342, 388, and 398, etc.) of the UE 302, base station 304, network entity 306, etc.

[0090] In some designs, network entity 306 may be implemented as a core network component. In other designs, network entity 306 may be a network operator or operation different from the cellular network infrastructure (e.g., NG RAN 220 and / or 5GC 210 / 260). For example, network entity 306 may be a component of a private network that may be configured to communicate with UE 302 via base station 304 or independently of base station 304 (e.g., on a non-cellular communication link, such as WiFi).

[0091] Figure 4 This is a block diagram illustrating various components of an example UE 400 according to various aspects of this disclosure. In one aspect, UE 400 may correspond to any UE described herein. As a specific example, UE 400 may be a V-UE, such as... Figure 1 The V-UE160 in the text. For the sake of simplicity, Figure 4The various features and functions illustrated in the block diagram are connected together using a common data bus, which is intended to represent the operative coupling of these various features and functions. Those skilled in the art will recognize that additional connections, mechanisms, features, functions, etc., can be provided and adapted as needed to operatively couple and configure the actual UE. Furthermore, it is recognized that in Figure 4 One or more features or functions described in the examples can be further subdivided, or Figure 4 The two or more features or functions described herein can be combined.

[0092] UE 400 may include at least one transceiver 404 connected to one or more antennas 402, and is provided with means (e.g., means for transmitting, means for receiving, means for measuring, means for tuning, means for suppressing transmission, etc.) for communicating with other network nodes (such as V-UEs (e.g., V-UE 160), infrastructure access points (e.g., roadside access points), P-UEs (e.g., UE 104), base stations (e.g., base station 102), etc.) via at least one designated RAT (e.g., C-V2X or IEEE 802.11p) on one or more communication links (e.g., communication link 120, side links 162, 166, 168, mmW communication link 184). At least one transceiver 404 may be configured in various ways to transmit and encode signals (e.g., messages, indications, information, etc.) according to a designated RAT, and conversely, to receive and decode signals (e.g., messages, indications, information, pilots, etc.). On one hand, the at least one transceiver 404 and antenna(s) 402 can form a (wireless) communication interface for the UE 400.

[0093] As used herein, a "transceiver" may, in some implementations, include at least one transmitter and at least one receiver in an integrated device (e.g., transmitter and receiver circuitry implemented as a single communication device), in some implementations include separate transmitter and receiver devices, or in other implementations may be implemented in a different manner. In one aspect, a transmitter may include or be coupled to multiple antennas (e.g., antennas 402) (such as an antenna array) that allow the UE 400 to perform transmit "beamforming," as described herein. Similarly, a receiver may include or be coupled to multiple antennas (e.g., antennas 402) (such as an antenna array) that allow the UE 400 to perform receive beamforming, as described herein. In one aspect, the transmitters and receivers may share the same multiple antennas (e.g., antennas 402) such that the UE 400 can only receive or transmit at a given time, rather than both simultaneously. In some cases, the transceiver may not be able to provide both transmit and receive functionality simultaneously. For example, in some designs, low-functionality receiver circuitry can be used to reduce costs when full communication is not necessary (e.g., simply providing a receiver chip or similar circuit system with low-level sniffing).

[0094] UE 400 may also include a Satellite Positioning Service (SPS) receiver 406. SPS receiver 406 may be connected to one or more antennas 402 and may provide means for receiving and / or measuring satellite signals. SPS receiver 406 may include any suitable hardware and / or software for receiving and processing SPS signals, such as Global Positioning System (GPS) signals. SPS receiver 406 requests information and operation from other systems as appropriate and performs calculations necessary to determine the location of UE 400 using measurements obtained through any suitable SPS algorithm.

[0095] One or more sensors 408 may be coupled to at least one processing system 410 and may provide means for sensing or detecting information related to the state and / or environment of the UE 400, such as speed, heading (e.g., compass heading), headlight status, mileage fuel consumption, etc. As an example, the one or more sensors 408 may include speedometers, tachometers, accelerometers (e.g., microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) devices), gyroscopes, geomagnetic sensors (e.g., compasses), altimeters (e.g., barometric altimeters), etc.

[0096] The at least one processing system 410 may include one or more central processing units (CPUs), microprocessors, microcontrollers, ASICs, processing cores, digital signal processors (DSPs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), etc., providing processing functions as well as other computational and control functions. The at least one processor 410 may therefore provide means for processing, such as means for determining, means for calculating, means for receiving, means for transmitting, means for indicating, etc. The at least one processor 410 may include any form of logic suitable for performing or causing components of the UE 400 to perform at least the techniques described herein.

[0097] The at least one processing system 410 may also be coupled to a memory 414, which provides means for storing data (including means for retrieval, means for maintenance, etc.) and for executing programmable software instructions within the UE 400. The memory 414 may be onboard on at least one processor 410 (e.g., within the same integrated circuit (IC) package), and / or the memory 414 may be external to at least one processor 410 and functionally coupled via a data bus.

[0098] UE 400 may include a user interface 450 that provides any suitable interface system allowing a user to interact with UE 400, such as a microphone / speaker 452, a keypad 454, and a display 456. The microphone / speaker 452 may provide voice communication services with UE 400. The keypad 454 may include any suitable buttons for user input to UE 400. The display 456 may include any suitable display, such as, for example, a backlit liquid crystal display (LCD), and may also include a touchscreen display for additional user input modes. User interface 450 can therefore be a means for providing indications to the user (e.g., audible and / or visual indications) and / or for receiving user input (e.g., via user-actuated sensing devices such as keypads, touchscreens, microphones, etc.).

[0099] In one aspect, UE 400 may include a side link manager 470 coupled to the at least one processor 410. The side link manager 470 may be a hardware, software, or firmware component that, when executed, causes UE 400 to perform the operations described herein. For example, the side link manager 470 may be a software module stored in memory 414 and executable by at least one processor 410. As another example, the side link manager 470 may be hardware circuitry within UE 400 (e.g., an ASIC, a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), etc.).

[0100] Figure 5This is a block diagram 500 illustrating the detection of the presence of human tissue in a detection area according to various aspects of this disclosure. The UE 400 may create a detection area 502 surrounding the UE 400 at least at a distance 504 to detect the presence of human tissue (such as a hand 506). For example, in the United States, the distance 504 may be at least 4 cm to comply with FCC regulations. Of course, in other countries, the distance 504 may be different from 4 cm to comply with local regulations.

[0101] The UE 400 may periodically (or substantially continuously) transmit packets 508 from the transmit (Tx) antenna (array) 510, which are received by the receiver (Rx) antenna (array) 512. One or more transceivers 404 may be used to transmit and receive packets 508. Packets 508 may be used to create a detection area 502 using Wi-Fi-based radar technology.

[0102] Comparison module 518 can monitor the mutual coupling signal 516 to detect disturbances (e.g., changes) in the mutual coupling signal 516. For example, when comparison module 518 detects a disturbance in the mutual coupling signal 516, UE 400 can determine that human tissue, such as a hand 506, is present in detection region 502. Comparison module 518 can use filter 520 to compare reference signal 522 with mutual coupling signal 516. For example, in some aspects, filter 520 can be implemented as an infinite impulse response (IIR) filter. The output of filter 520 can be scaled using scaling module 524 to provide a scaled output 525 for determining cancellation depth 526.

[0103] Exposure adjustment module 528 can determine that the elimination depth 526 exceeds a threshold 532, indicating that human tissue (such as hand 506) is present in detection area 502. Exposure adjustment module 528 can use the maximum permissible exposure (MPE) 530 set by a regulatory body (such as, for example, the FCC in the United States) to determine whether to modify (e.g., reduce) the power level 536 of transceiver 404. For example, if exposure adjustment module 528 determines that the elimination depth 526 is relatively low (e.g., below threshold 532), exposure adjustment module 528 can determine that no human tissue is present in detection area 502. If exposure adjustment module 528 determines that the elimination depth 526 is greater than or equal to threshold 532, exposure adjustment module 524 can determine that human tissue (such as hand 506) is present in detection area 502 and provide instruction 534 to one or more transceivers in transceiver 404 to reduce the amount of power used to transmit packets 508, thereby reducing the exposure of human tissue. In this way, disturbances in the mutual coupling signal 516 can be monitored to determine the presence or absence of human tissue (such as hand 506) in the detection area 502 (e.g., near field) surrounding the UE400.

[0104] Therefore, the UE 400 repeatedly (e.g., substantially continuously) compares the reference signal 522 with the received cross-coupled signal 516 to determine whether it has changed due to the presence of human tissue (e.g., hand 506) in the detection area 502 (e.g., near field). The received cross-coupled signal 516 includes a static component 537 and a dynamic component 538. The dynamic component 538 indicates movement of human tissue (e.g., hand 506) in the detection area 502. An elimination depth 526 is used to quantify the similarity between the cross-coupled signal 516 and the reference signal 522. In some aspects, the elimination depth 526 is based on the reciprocal of the mean square error (MSE), such as 1 / MSE. The reference signal 522 can be determined by using a low-pass filter 520 to extract the static component 537 from the received cross-coupled signal 516.

[0105] In some respects, the elimination depth 526 (“CancDepth”) can be determined as follows:

[0106]

[0107] in:

[0108] n = Sample Index

[0109] y(n)=Mutual coupling signal 516

[0110] y postIC =Scaled output 525 (e.g., post-interference cancellation (IC))

[0111] ∈(n) = Residual after elimination

[0112] σ n =Noise

[0113] P = target type, for example, open space (OS) occurs when human tissue is absent (e.g., not present), and

[0114] Threshold 532 = approximately 50 dB.

[0115] When a user is holding the UE 400 or has placed their hand near the UE 400, human tissue can participate in relatively small movements (e.g., micro-movements), resulting in small changes to the mutual coupling signal 516. A stationary human hand (e.g., hand 506) has similar characteristics to mutual coupling; for example, the reflected signal is relatively constant across multiple observations. Therefore, monitoring the mutual coupling signal 516 can cause the UE 400 to "learn" the presence of the stationary hand 506, which can cause the presence of the hand 506 to become part of the reference signal 522, resulting in a high value for the cancellation depth 526. This causes the comparison module 518 to incorrectly determine that no human tissue is present in the detection area 502, thus failing to detect the presence of the stationary hand 506. In order to enable the detection of the stationary hand 506 in the detection area 502, Figure 5 The system of interpretation can be enhanced (e.g., in...) Figure 6 (The explanation in the text is to detect micro-movements.)

[0116] Figure 6 This is a block diagram 600 illustrating the detection of micro-motion in a detection area according to various aspects of this disclosure. Block diagram 600 enables the detection of micro-motion in a detection area 502 (e.g., near field) of the UE 400 by determining the difference between a current beat signal 602 and a previous beat signal 603. The previous beat signal 603 is processed using a delay 612 to enable comparison between the current beat signal 602 and the previous beat signal 603. For example, in a frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) radar system, a Tx antenna 510 is used to transmit a chirped signal to create a transmitted signal 604. The chirped signal is an FM modulated signal with a known stable frequency whose instantaneous frequency varies linearly over a fixed time period (sweep time) by the modulating signal. The transmitted signal 604 hits a target (e.g., hand 506) and is reflected to create a reflected signal 606, which is received by the Rx antenna 512. The frequency difference between the reflected signal 606 and the transmitted signal 604 increases with delay, where the delay is linearly proportional to the range (e.g., the distance between the target and the radar). The reflected signal 606 (e.g., echo) from the target (e.g., hand 506) is mixed with the transmitted signal 604 and down-converted to create a beat signal 602.

[0117] If the detection region 502 is static (e.g., no movement, including no micro-motion), the increment 614 between the beat signal 602 and the previous beat signal 603 is primarily caused by noise 618. Even if the hand 506 is relatively stationary, micro-motion is present in the detection region 502 if the hand 506 is present. When micro-motion caused by the hand 506 is present, the increment 614 between the beat signal 602 and the previous beat signal 603 (after scaling using scaling 610) is likely to be higher than the noise 618 due to the disturbance caused by the micro-motion. Therefore, the noise increase (RoN) 616 can be used to determine the presence of micro-motion in the detection region 502 (e.g., near field). RoN 616 can be determined, for example, by dividing the increment 614 by the noise 618. When there is no micro-motion in the detection region 502 (e.g., no hand 506), RoN 616 can be approximately 1 (e.g., corresponding to 0 dB). When micro-motion is present in the detection region 502, RoN 616 is greater than 1. The amount of noise 618 present can be obtained by various methods, including, for example, the negative frequency of the beat signal 602, using leading or trailing samples of the beat signal 602, another technique, or a combination thereof. The learning rate of the UE 400 can be adjusted based on the amount of micro-motion present in the detection region 502. For example, the UE 400 can use filter 520, which is implemented using a single-pole infinite impulse response (IIR) filter, which has poles that can be adjusted based on RoN 616. Additionally, in some aspects, to reduce the effect of noise, a smoothing filter 620 can be used on RoN 616 to create a smoothed signal 622.

[0118] therefore, Figure 6 The system is described as being used for: (1) detecting when human tissue (such as a hand 506) enters detection area 502 and (2) detecting when human tissue is present in detection area 502, even if the human tissue is relatively stationary, by detecting the micro-movements created by the human tissue. The system monitors... Figure 5 The system detects when human tissue enters the detection area 502 by monitoring the perturbation in the mutually coupled signal 516. The system detects the micro-motions created by human tissue in the detection area 502 by monitoring RoN 616.

[0119] exist Figure 7In the flowchart, each box represents one or more operations that can be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination thereof. In the context of software, these boxes represent computer-executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the processor to perform the operations. Generally, computer-executable instructions include routines, programs, objects, modules, components, data structures, etc., that perform a specific function or implement a specific abstract data type. The order in which the boxes are described is not intended to be construed as a limitation, and any number of described operations can be combined and / or performed in parallel in any order to implement the processes. For discussion purposes, reference is made to the above. Figure 1 Steps 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 describe process 700, but other models, frameworks, systems, and environments can be used to implement this process.

[0120] Figure 7 An exemplary process 700, including reducing radiofrequency exposure associated with human tissue, is described according to various aspects of this disclosure. Process 700 may be provided by... Figure 4 , 6 And UE 400 execution of 7.

[0121] In 702, the UE can determine the mutual coupling signals associated with the UE's transmit and receive antennas. For example, in Figure 5 In this process, the comparison module 518 can determine the mutual coupling signal 516. In one aspect, 702 can be performed by the processor 410, the memory 414 (e.g., the comparison module 518), and at least one transceiver 404, any or all of these components can be considered as means for performing the operation.

[0122] In step 704, the UE can determine the cross-coupling difference between the cross-coupling signal and the reference cross-coupling signal. For example, in... Figure 5 In this process, the comparison module 518 compares the intercoupled signal 516 with the reference signal 522 to determine an elimination depth 526 indicating the difference between the intercoupled signal 516 and the reference signal 522. In one aspect, 704 may be executed by a processor 410, a memory 414 (e.g., a memory storing the comparison module 518), and at least one transceiver 404, any or all of which can be considered as means for performing this operation.

[0123] In 706, the UE can determine the presence of human tissue within the near field of the user equipment based on the mutual coupling difference. For example, in Figure 5In this process, the exposure adjustment module 528 can use an elimination depth 526 (e.g., an elimination depth determined based on the difference between the mutual coupling signal 516 and the reference signal 522) to determine the presence of human tissue (such as a hand 506) in the near field (e.g., detection area 502) of the UE 400. In one aspect, 706 can be performed by a processor 410 and a memory 414 (e.g., a memory storing the exposure adjustment module 528), wherein any or all of these components can be considered as means for performing this operation.

[0124] In 708, the UE can determine the radio frequency exposure associated with human tissue based on the presence of human tissue in the near field of the user equipment. For example, in Figure 5 In this process, the exposure adjustment module 528 can determine the power level 536 associated with the transceiver 404 based on the presence of human tissue in the detection area 502 indicated by the elimination depth 526, to determine the amount of radio frequency exposure that the human tissue (e.g., hand 506) is undergoing. In one aspect, 708 can be performed by the processor 410, the memory 414 (e.g., the memory storing the exposure adjustment module 528), and at least one transceiver 404, any or all of these components can be considered as means for performing this operation.

[0125] In 710, the UE can reduce the radio frequency exposure associated with the human tissue based on determining that the radio frequency exposure exceeds the maximum permissible exposure. For example, in Figure 6 In this process, the exposure adjustment module 528 can determine whether the power level 536 exceeds the maximum permissible exposure 530. If the power level 536 exceeds the maximum permissible exposure 530, the exposure adjustment module 528 can cause the transceiver 404 to reduce the amount of power used to transmit packets 508. In one aspect, 706 can be performed by the processor 410 and the memory 414 (e.g., the memory storing the exposure adjustment module 528) and at least one transceiver 404, any or all of these components can be considered as means for performing this operation.

[0126] Therefore, the UE can monitor disturbances to the mutually coupled signal to detect the presence of human tissue in the detection area (e.g., near field) surrounding the UE. If the UE detects the presence of human tissue, it checks the radio frequency transmit power and determines whether the amount of power being used complies with the maximum permissible exposure under applicable local laws. If the amount of power being used exceeds the maximum permissible exposure, the UE reduces the amount of power being used to below the maximum permissible exposure. Therefore, the technical advantage of process 700 is that it enables the UE 400 to comply with the maximum permissible exposure regulations. A second technical advantage is that the UE's tissue user is not exposed to radiation exceeding the maximum permissible exposure, thereby protecting the user's health and well-being.

[0127] Figure 8The diagram illustrating the elimination depth according to various aspects of this disclosure is explained. Figure 8 In the first time interval 802 (e.g., from 0 to approximately 400), it is explained that when an open space (OS) is present (e.g., no human tissue is present), the elimination depth is 50 dB or greater.

[0128] During the second time period 804 (e.g., from about 401 to about 1400), human tissue (e.g., Figure 5 The presence of the hand 506 causes the elimination depth 526 to decrease and remain below the threshold 532 (e.g., less than the threshold). The hand 506 may be relatively stationary during the second time period 804.

[0129] During the third time period 806 (e.g., from approximately 1401 to approximately 2400), human tissue is absent (e.g., there is an open space created by the removal of hand 506). During the third time period 806, the elimination depth 526 begins to increase until the elimination depth 526 is greater than the threshold 532.

[0130] Therefore, the system and techniques described herein enable the UE to detect the presence of human tissue (such as a hand) and continue to detect it even when the human tissue is relatively stationary. The system and techniques can also detect when the human tissue is removed and no longer exists near the UE.

[0131] In the detailed description above, it can be seen that different features are grouped together in the examples. This manner of disclosure should not be construed as an intention to have more features than those explicitly mentioned in each clause. Rather, aspects of this disclosure may include fewer features than those of the individual example clauses disclosed. Therefore, the appended clauses should thus be considered as incorporated into this description, where each clause may be a separate example. Although each dependent clause may refer in its respective clause to a specific combination with one of the other clauses, the aspects of that dependent clause are not limited to that specific combination. It will be appreciated that other example clauses may also include combinations of aspects of the dependent clause with the subject matter of any other dependent or independent clause, or any feature combined with other dependent and independent clauses. The aspects disclosed herein expressly include these combinations unless explicitly stated or readily inferred that a particular combination is not intended (e.g., contradictory aspects, such as defining an element as both an insulator and a conductor). Furthermore, it is intended that aspects of a clause may be included in any other independent clause, even if that clause is not directly subordinate to that independent clause. Examples of implementation are described in the following numbered clauses:

[0132] Clause 1. A method performed by a user equipment to detect the proximity of human tissue, the method comprising: determining a mutual coupling signal associated with a transmit antenna and a receive antenna of the user equipment; determining a mutual coupling difference between the mutual coupling signal and the reference mutual coupling signal; determining a beat signal difference between a current beat signal and a previous beat signal; determining a micromotion quantity present in the near field of the user equipment based at least in part on the beat signal difference; determining the presence of human tissue in the near field of the user equipment based on the mutual coupling difference and the micromotion quantity; determining a radio frequency exposure quantity associated with the human tissue based on the determination that the human tissue is present in the near field of the user equipment; and reducing the radio frequency exposure quantity associated with the human tissue based on the determination that the radio frequency exposure quantity exceeds a maximum permissible exposure.

[0133] Clause 2. The method of Clause 1, wherein the reference mutual coupling signal is determined when there is no human tissue in the near field of the user equipment.

[0134] Clause 3. The method of any of Clauses 1 to 2, wherein the near field distance is at least 4 cm away from the nearest outer surface of the user equipment.

[0135] Clause 4. The method of any of Clauses 1 to 3, wherein the maximum permissible exposure comprises 1 milliwatt per square centimeter.

[0136] Clause 5. The method of any of Clauses 1 to 4 further includes: determining the presence of human tissue in the near field based on determining that the amount of micromotion present in the near field exceeds a threshold.

[0137] Clause 6. The method of any of Clauses 1 to 5 further includes: determining that no human tissue is present in the near field based on determining that the amount of micromotion present in the near field does not exceed a threshold.

[0138] Clause 7. The method of any of Clauses 1 to 6, wherein determining the micromotion quantity present in the near field of the user equipment comprises: determining the amount of noise associated with the near field when the human tissue is not present; and determining the noise increase based on the beat signal difference and the noise quantity.

[0139] Clause 8. The method of Clause 7 further includes: determining that no human tissue is present in the near field based on determining that the noise increase is approximately 1.

[0140] Clause 9. The method of any of Clauses 7 to 8 further includes: determining the presence of human tissue in the near field based on determining that the noise increase is greater than 1.

[0141] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that information and signals can be represented using any of a variety of different techniques and skills. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referred to throughout the above description can be represented by voltage, current, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or magnetic particles, light fields or light particles, or any combination thereof.

[0142] Furthermore, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the various illustrative logic blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithmic steps described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein can be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or a combination of both. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability between hardware and software, the various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps are described above in a generalized manner in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends on the specific application and the design constraints imposed on the overall system. Those skilled in the art may implement the described functionality in different ways for each specific application, but such implementation decisions should not be construed as departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0143] The various illustrative logic blocks, modules, and circuits described in conjunction with the aspects disclosed herein can be implemented or executed using a general-purpose processor, digital signal processor (DSP), application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in alternatives, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. The processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a combination of a digital signal processor (DSP) and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors cooperating with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

[0144] The methods, sequences, and / or algorithms described in conjunction with the aspects disclosed herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or in a combination of both. The software module may reside in random access memory (RAM), flash memory, read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable ROM (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), registers, hard disks, removable disks, compact disc (CD)-ROMs, optical discs, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. Example storage media are coupled to the processor so that the processor can read / write information from / to the storage medium. In alternatives, the storage medium may be integrated into the processor. The processor and storage medium may reside in an ASIC. The ASIC may reside in a user terminal (e.g., a UE). In alternatives, the processor and storage medium may reside as discrete components in the user terminal.

[0145] In one or more examples, the described functionality may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, the functionality may be stored or transmitted as one or more instructions or codes on or through a computer-readable medium. A computer-readable medium includes both computer storage media and communication media, including any medium that facilitates the transfer of a computer program from one location to another. A storage medium may be any available medium accessible to a computer. By way of example and not limitation, such computer-readable media may include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disc storage, disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and is accessible to a computer. Similarly, any connection is also legitimately referred to as a computer-readable medium. For example, if the software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave, then such coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave are included in the definition of medium. As used in this article, disk and disc include compact discs (CDs), laser discs, optical discs, digital multi-purpose discs (DVDs), floppy disks, and Blu-ray discs. Disks typically reproduce data magnetically, while discs reproduce data optically using lasers. Combinations of these should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0146] While the foregoing disclosure has illustrated illustrative aspects of this disclosure, it should be noted that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the scope of this disclosure as defined by the appended claims. The functions, steps, and / or actions in the method claims according to the aspects of this disclosure described herein need not be performed in any particular order. Furthermore, although elements of this disclosure may be described or claimed in the singular, pluralism is also contemplated unless explicitly stated to be limited to the singular.

Claims

1. A method performed by a user equipment to detect the proximity of human tissue, the method comprising: Determine the mutual coupling signals associated with the transmitting and receiving antennas of the user equipment; Determine the cross-coupling difference between the cross-coupling signal and the reference cross-coupling signal; Determine the beat signal difference between the current beat signal and the previous beat signal; The amount of micro-motion present in the near field of the user equipment is determined at least in part based on the beat signal difference; The presence of human tissue in the near field of the user equipment is determined based on the mutual coupling difference and the micro-motion amount. The radio frequency exposure associated with the human tissue is determined based on the determination that human tissue is present in the near field of the user equipment. as well as The radiofrequency exposure associated with the human tissue is reduced based on the determination that the radiofrequency exposure exceeds the maximum permissible exposure.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the reference cross-coupled signal is determined when there is no human tissue in the near field of the user equipment.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the near field distance is at least 4 cm away from the nearest outer surface of the user equipment.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the maximum permissible exposure comprises 1 milliwatt per square centimeter.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising: The presence of human tissue in the near field is determined based on the determination that the amount of micro-motion present in the near field exceeds a threshold.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising: It is determined that there is no human tissue in the near field based on the fact that the micro-motion quantity present in the near field does not exceed a threshold.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the micromotion quantities present in the near field of the user equipment comprises: Determine the amount of noise associated with the near field when the human tissue is absent; as well as The noise increase is determined based on the beat signal difference and the noise level.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising: Based on the determination that the noise increase is 1, it is determined that there is no human tissue in the near field.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising: Based on the determination that the noise increase is greater than 1, it is determined that human tissue exists in the near field.

10. A user equipment comprising: Memory; At least one transceiver; as well as At least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, the at least one processor being configured to: Determine the mutual coupling signals associated with the transmitting and receiving antennas of the user equipment; Determine the cross-coupling difference between the cross-coupling signal and the reference cross-coupling signal; Determine the beat signal difference between the current beat signal and the previous beat signal; The amount of micro-motion present in the near field of the user equipment is determined at least in part based on the beat signal difference; The presence of human tissue in the near field of the user equipment is determined based on the mutual coupling difference and the micro-motion amount. The radio frequency exposure associated with the human tissue is determined based on the determination that human tissue is present in the near field of the user equipment. as well as The radiofrequency exposure associated with the human tissue is reduced based on the determination that the radiofrequency exposure exceeds the maximum permissible exposure.

11. The user equipment of claim 10, wherein the reference cross-coupled signal is determined when there is no human tissue in the near field of the user equipment.

12. The user equipment of claim 10, wherein the near field distance is at least 4 cm away from the nearest outer surface of the user equipment.

13. The user equipment of claim 10, wherein the maximum permissible exposure comprises 1 milliwatt per square centimeter.

14. The user equipment of claim 10, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: The presence of human tissue in the near field is determined based on the determination that the amount of micro-motion present in the near field exceeds a threshold.

15. The user equipment of claim 10, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: It is determined that there is no human tissue in the near field based on the fact that the micro-motion quantity present in the near field does not exceed a threshold.

16. The user equipment of claim 10, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: Determine the amount of noise associated with the near field when the human tissue is absent; and The noise increase is determined based on the beat signal difference and the noise level.

17. The user equipment of claim 16, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: Based on the determination that the noise increase is 1, it is determined that there is no human tissue in the near field.

18. The user equipment of claim 16, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: The presence of human tissue in the near field is determined based on the noise increase being greater than 1.

19. An apparatus comprising: A means for determining mutual coupling signals associated with the transmitting and receiving antennas of the device; A means for determining the mutual coupling difference between the mutual coupling signal and the reference mutual coupling signal; A means for determining the beat signal difference between the current beat signal and the previous beat signal; A means for determining, at least in part, the amount of micro-motion present in the near field of the device based on the beat signal difference; A device for determining whether human tissue exists in the near field of the device based on the mutual coupling difference and the micro-motion amount; A means for determining a radio frequency exposure associated with human tissue based on determining that human tissue is present in the near field of the device; as well as A means for reducing the amount of radio frequency exposure associated with the human tissue based on determining that the amount of radio frequency exposure exceeds the maximum permissible exposure.

20. The device of claim 19, wherein the reference mutual coupling signal is determined when no human tissue is present in the near field of the device.

21. The device of claim 19, wherein the near field distance is at least 4 centimeters away from the nearest outer surface of the device.

22. The device of claim 19, wherein the maximum permissible exposure comprises 1 milliwatt per square centimeter.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, further comprising: A device for determining the presence of human tissue in the near field based on the determination that the amount of micromotion present in the near field exceeds a threshold.

24. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising: A device for determining that no human tissue exists in the near field based on the determination that the amount of micro-motion present in the near field does not exceed a threshold.

25. The device of claim 19, wherein determining the micro-motion quantities present in the near field of the device comprises: A means for determining the amount of noise associated with the near field when the human tissue is not present; as well as A device for determining the noise increase based on the beat signal difference and the noise level.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, further comprising: A device for determining that no human tissue exists in the near field based on determining that the noise increase is 1.

27. The apparatus of claim 25, further comprising: A device for determining the presence of human tissue in the near field based on determining that the noise increase is greater than 1.

28. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium for storing instructions executable by one or more processors to: Identify the mutual coupling signals associated with the transmitting and receiving antennas of the user equipment; Determine the cross-coupling difference between the cross-coupling signal and the reference cross-coupling signal; Determine the beat signal difference between the current beat signal and the previous beat signal; The amount of micro-motion present in the near field of the user equipment is determined at least in part based on the beat signal difference; The presence of human tissue in the near field of the user equipment is determined based on the mutual coupling difference and the micro-motion amount. The radio frequency exposure associated with the human tissue is determined based on the determination that human tissue is present in the near field of the user equipment. as well as The radiofrequency exposure associated with the human tissue is reduced based on determining that the radiofrequency exposure exceeds the maximum permissible exposure.

29. The non-transient computer-readable storage medium of claim 28, wherein the instructions are further executable by the one or more processors to: The presence of human tissue in the near field is determined based on the determination that the amount of micro-motion present in the near field exceeds a threshold.

30. The non-transient computer-readable storage medium of claim 28, wherein the instructions are further executable by the one or more processors to: Determine the amount of noise associated with the near field when the human tissue is absent; and The noise increase is determined based on the beat signal difference and the noise level.

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