Antenna grouping for multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems

Abstract

Certain aspects of the present disclosure provide a method for wireless communication by a wireless device. The wireless device evaluates a plurality of antenna group combinations based on one or more criteria, where each antenna group combination comprises at least two antenna groups of a plurality of antennas, and the one or more criteria relate to a first performance value individually calculated for each antenna group in the antenna group combination under evaluation and a second performance value co-calculated for the at least two antenna groups in the antenna group combination under evaluation. The wireless device selects a subset of the plurality of antenna group combinations based on the evaluation.

Description

[0001] Cross - reference to related applications

[0002] This application claims priority to U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 18 / 051,366, filed on October 31, 2022, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. Background of the Invention Field of the Invention

[0003] Aspects of the present disclosure relate to wireless communication and, more particularly, to techniques for managing antenna groups in a multiple - input multiple - output (MIMO) system.

[0004] Related Technologies

[0005] Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various telecommunication services such as telephony, video, data, messaging, broadcasting, or other similar types of services. These wireless communication systems may employ multiple - access techniques capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing the available wireless communication system resources.

[0006] Despite significant technological advancements in wireless communication systems over the years, challenges still remain. For example, complex and dynamic environments can still attenuate or block signals between a wireless transmitter and a wireless receiver. Accordingly, there is a continuing desire to improve the technical performance of wireless communication systems, including, for example: improving the speed and data - carrying capacity of communication, improving the efficiency of using the shared communication medium, reducing the power consumed by transmitters and receivers when performing communication, improving the reliability of wireless communication, avoiding redundant transmission and / or reception and associated processing, improving the coverage area of wireless communication, increasing the number and types of devices that can access the wireless communication system, increasing the ability of different types of devices to communicate with each other, increasing the number and types of available wireless communication media, etc. Thus, there is a need to further improve wireless communication systems to overcome the aforementioned and other challenges. Summary of the Invention

[0007] One aspect provides a method for wireless communication by a wireless device, the method comprising: evaluating a plurality of antenna - group combinations based on one or more criteria, wherein each antenna - group combination includes at least two antenna groups of a plurality of antennas, and the one or more criteria relate to a first performance value calculated separately for each antenna group in the antenna - group combination being evaluated and a second performance value calculated jointly for at least two antenna groups in the antenna - group combination being evaluated; and selecting a subset of the plurality of antenna - group combinations based on the evaluation.

[0008] In other aspects, provided are: an apparatus capable of operating, configured to, or otherwise adapted to perform the foregoing methods and those described elsewhere herein; a non-transitory computer-readable medium including instructions that, when executed by a processor of the apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform the foregoing methods and those described elsewhere herein; a computer program product embodied on a computer-readable storage medium, the computer-readable storage medium including: code for performing the foregoing methods and those described elsewhere herein; and an apparatus including components for performing the foregoing methods and those described elsewhere herein. By way of example, an apparatus may include a processing system, a device having the processing system, or processing systems cooperating via one or more networks.

[0009] For purposes of illustration, the following detailed description and the drawings set forth certain features. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] The drawings depict certain features of the various aspects described herein and should not be considered limiting of the scope of the disclosure.

[0011] Figure 1 An example wireless communication network is depicted.

[0012] Figure 2 An example decomposed base station (BS) architecture is depicted.

[0013] Figure 3 Aspects of an example BS and an example user equipment (UE) are depicted.

[0014] Figure 4A 、 Figure 4B 、 Figure 4C and Figure 4D Various example aspects of data structures for a wireless communication network are depicted.

[0015] Figure 5 and Figure 6 Methods for wireless communication by a wireless device are depicted.

[0016] Figure 7 An example 8 receive (Rx) antenna multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) receiver is depicted.

[0017] Figure 8 An example 4Rx antenna MIMO receiver without antenna grouping is depicted.

[0018] Figure 9 An example 4Rx antenna MIMO receiver with antenna grouping is depicted.

[0019] Figure 10 An example communication device is depicted. Detailed Implementation Manner

[0020] Aspects of the present disclosure provide apparatuses, methods, processing systems, and computer-readable media for managing antenna grouping in a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system.

[0021] A MIMO system is a system that has multiple antennas at both a transmitter device and a receiver device. The multiple antennas in a MIMO system can be used in different ways, namely, to create an efficient antenna diversity system and to use these antennas to transmit several parallel data streams to increase the capacity of the MIMO system.

[0022] Antenna diversity utilizes multiple different paths between a transmitting antenna and a receiving antenna to improve the quality and reliability of wireless communication. Multiple antennas may differ in functionality and performance to support higher-order antenna diversity. For example, it is generally not desirable to require that all antennas supporting higher-order antenna diversity should meet the same performance and / or functionality. For example, some antennas may be implemented with a higher insertion loss than other antennas. Therefore, there are some incentives and benefits in grouping antennas according to the differences in functionality and performance of the antennas.

[0023] Aspects of the present disclosure describe antenna grouping techniques that perform antenna grouping according to differences in functionality and performance associated with antennas. For example, the antenna grouping technique can be implemented to group 8 receive (Rx) antennas of a MIMO system into two 4Rx antenna groups. The process of how to group 8 Rx antennas into two 4Rx antenna groups can be at least based on spectral efficiency (i.e., the spectral efficiency of each of the two 4Rx antenna groups and the combined spectral efficiency of the two 4Rx antenna groups).

[0024] Antenna grouping using the antenna grouping techniques proposed herein can improve the throughput performance of a MIMO system. For example, the antenna grouping technique can improve the downlink throughput performance (e.g., by maximizing the overall spectral efficiency). In another example, the antenna grouping technique can improve the uplink throughput performance (e.g., by allocating transmit (Tx) operations to the 4Rx antenna group that may have higher performance within the two 4Rx antenna groups).

[0025] Introduction to Wireless Communication Networks

[0026] The techniques and methods described herein can be used in various wireless communication networks. Although aspects may be described herein using terms typically associated with 3G, 4G, and / or 5G wireless technologies, aspects of the present disclosure are equally applicable to other communication systems and standards not explicitly mentioned herein.

[0027] Figure 1FIG. 0 depicts an example of a wireless communication network 100 in which aspects described herein may be implemented.

[0028] Generally, the wireless communication network 100 includes various network entities (alternatively, network elements or network nodes). Network entities are typically communication devices and / or communication functions performed by communication devices (e.g., user equipment (UE), base stations (BS), components of BSs, servers, etc.). For example, the various functions of the network and the various devices associated with and interacting with the network may be considered network entities. Additionally, the wireless communication network 100 includes terrestrial aspects and non-terrestrial aspects, terrestrial aspects such as terrestrial-based network entities (e.g., BS 102), non-terrestrial aspects such as satellites 140 and aircraft 145, which non-terrestrial aspects may include airborne network entities (e.g., one or more BSs) capable of communicating with other network elements (e.g., terrestrial BSs) and UEs.

[0029] In the depicted example, the wireless communication network 100 includes BS 102, UE 104, and one or more core networks such as an evolved packet core (EPC) 160 and a 5G core (5GC) network 190, which interoperate to provide communication services over various communication links, including wired and wireless links.

[0030] Figure 1 Depicted are various example UEs 104, which may more generally include: cellular phones, smart phones, session initiation protocol (SIP) phones, laptop computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), satellite radios, global positioning systems, multimedia devices, video devices, digital audio players, cameras, game consoles, tablet computers, smart devices, wearable devices, vehicles, utility meters, gas pumps, large or small kitchen appliances, healthcare devices, implants, sensors / actuators, displays, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, always-on (AON) devices, edge processing devices, or other similar devices. UE 104 may also more generally be referred to as a mobile device, wireless device, wireless communication device, station, mobile station, subscriber station, mobile subscriber station, mobile unit, subscriber unit, wireless unit, remote unit, remote device, access terminal, mobile terminal, wireless terminal, remote terminal, cellular phone, and other user equipment.

[0031] BS102 communicates wirelessly with UE 104 via communication link 120 (e.g., sends signals to or receives signals from it). The communication link 120 between BS 102 and UE 104 may include an uplink (UL) (also referred to as a reverse link) transmission from UE 104 to BS102 and / or a downlink (DL) (also referred to as a forward link) transmission from BS102 to UE 104. In various aspects, the communication link 120 may use multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna technology, including spatial multiplexing, beamforming, and / or transmit diversity.

[0032] BS102 may generally include: Node B, enhanced Node B (eNB), next-generation enhanced Node B (ng-eNB), next-generation Node B (gNB or gNodeB), access point, transceiver base station, radio BS, radio transceiver, transceiver function, transmit receive point, and / or others. Each BS in BS102 may provide communication coverage for a corresponding geographical coverage area 110, which may sometimes be referred to as a cell and may in some cases overlap (e.g., small cell 102' may have a coverage area 110' that overlaps with the coverage area 110 of a macro cell). For example, a BS may provide communication coverage for a macro cell (covering a relatively large geographical area), a pico cell (covering a relatively small geographical area, such as a stadium), a femto cell (a relatively small geographical area (e.g., a home)), and / or other types of cells.

[0033] Although BS102 is depicted as a single communication device in various aspects, BS102 may be implemented in various configurations. For example, one or more components of BS102 may be decomposed, including a central unit (CU), one or more distributed units (DU), one or more radio units (RU), a near-real-time (near-RT) RAN intelligent controller (RIC), or a non-real-time (non-RT) RIC, to name a few examples. In another example, various aspects of BS102 may be virtualized. More generally, a BS (e.g., BS102) may include components located at a single physical location or components located at various physical locations. In an example where BS102 includes components located at various physical locations, the various components may each perform their respective functions such that the various components together achieve functionality similar to that of BS 102 located at a single physical location. In some aspects, a BS102 that includes components located at various physical locations may be referred to as a decomposed radio access network (RAN) architecture, such as an open RAN (O-RAN) or a virtualized RAN (VRAN) architecture. Figure 2 An example decomposed BS architecture is depicted and described.

[0034] The different BSs 102 within the wireless communication network 100 may also be configured to support different radio access technologies (such as 3G, 4G, and / or 5G). For example, a BS 102 configured for 4G LTE (collectively referred to as the evolved universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS) terrestrial radio access network (E-UTRAN)) may interface with the EPC 160 via a first backhaul link 132 (e.g., the S1 interface). A BS 102 configured for 5G (e.g., 5G NR or next generation RAN (NG-RAN)) may interface with the 5GC 190 via a second backhaul link 184. The BSs 102 may communicate directly or indirectly with each other (e.g., via the EPC 160 or 5GC 190) on a third backhaul link 134 (e.g., the X2 interface), which may be wired or wireless.

[0035] The wireless communication network 100 may subdivide the electromagnetic spectrum into various categories, frequency bands, channels, or other characteristics. In some aspects, the subdivision is provided based on wavelength and frequency, where the frequency may also be referred to as a carrier, sub-carrier, channel, tone, or sub-band. For example, 3GPP currently defines frequency range 1 (FR1) as including 600 MHz to 6 GHz, which is commonly (interchangeably) referred to as "below 6 GHz". Similarly, 3GPP currently defines frequency range 2 (FR2) as including 26 GHz - 41 GHz, which is sometimes (interchangeably) referred to as "millimeter wave" ("mmW" or "mmWave"). A BS (e.g., mmWave BS such as BS180) configured to communicate using the mmWave / near mmWave radio frequency band may utilize beamforming (e.g., 182) with a UE (e.g., 104) to improve path loss and range.

[0036] The communication link 120 between a BS 102 and, for example, a UE 104 may be via one or more carriers, which may have different bandwidths (e.g., 5 MHz, 10 MHz, 15 MHz, 20 MHz, 100 MHz, 400 MHz, and / or other MHz) and may be aggregated in various aspects. The carriers may or may not be adjacent to each other. The allocation of carriers may be asymmetric with respect to DL and UL (e.g., more or fewer carriers may be allocated for DL compared to UL).

[0037] Compared to communication at lower frequencies, communication using a higher frequency band may have higher path loss and shorter range. Thus, certain BSs (e.g., Figure 1The 180) in can utilize beamforming 182 with UE 104 to improve path loss and range. For example, BS180 and UE 104 can each include multiple antennas, such as antenna elements, antenna panels, and / or antenna arrays, to facilitate beamforming. In some cases, BS180 can send beamformed signals to UE 104 in one or more transmission directions 182'. UE 104 can receive beamformed signals from BS180 in one or more reception directions 182". UE 104 can also send beamformed signals to BS180 in one or more transmission directions 182". BS180 can also receive beamformed signals from UE 104 in one or more reception directions 182'. Then, BS180 and UE 104 can perform beam training to determine the optimal reception direction and optimal transmission direction for each of BS180 and UE 104. It is worth noting that the transmission direction and reception direction of BS180 can be the same or different. Similarly, the transmission direction and reception direction of UE 104 can be the same or different.

[0038] The wireless communication network 100 also includes a Wi-Fi AP 150 that communicates with a Wi-Fi station (STA) 152 via a communication link 154 in, for example, the 2.4 GHz and / or 5 GHz unlicensed spectrum.

[0039] Certain UEs 104 can communicate with each other using device-to-device (D2D) communication links 158. The D2D communication links 158 can use one or more sidelink channels, such as the physical sidelink broadcast channel (PSBCH), the physical sidelink discovery channel (PSDCH), the physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH), the physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH), and / or the physical sidelink feedback channel (PSFCH).

[0040] The EPC 160 can include various functional components, including: a mobility management entity (MME) 162, other MMEs 164, a serving gateway 166, a multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBMS) gateway 168, a broadcast multicast service center (BM-SC) 170, and / or a packet data network (PDN) gateway 172, such as in the depicted example. The MME 162 can communicate with a home subscriber server (HSS) 174. The MME 162 is a control node that processes the signaling between the UE 104 and the EPC 160. Generally speaking, the MME 162 provides bearer and connection management.

[0041] Generally, user Internet Protocol (IP) packets are transmitted through the Serving Gateway 166, which is itself connected to the PDN Gateway 172. The PDN Gateway 172 provides UE IP address allocation and other functions. The PDN Gateway 172 and the BM-SC 170 are connected to the IP service 176, which may include, for example, the Internet, an intranet, an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), a Packet-Switched (PS) streaming service, and / or other IP services.

[0042] The BM-SC 170 can provide functions for MBMS user service provisioning and delivery. The BM-SC 170 can be used as an entry point for content provider MBMS transmissions, can be used to authorize and initiate MBMS bearer services within a Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN), and / or can be used to schedule MBMS transmissions. The MBMS Gateway 168 can be used to distribute MBMS services to the BSs 102 belonging to a Multicast Broadcast Single Frequency Network (MBSFN) area for a particular service being broadcast, and / or can be responsible for session management (start / stop) and for collecting eMBMS-related charging information.

[0043] The 5GC 190 can include various functional components, including: an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) 192, other AMFs 193, a Session Management Function (SMF) 194, and a User Plane Function (UPF) 195. The AMF 192 can communicate with the Unified Data Management (UDM) 196.

[0044] The AMF 192 is a control node that processes the signaling between the UE 104 and the 5GC 190. The AMF 192 provides, for example, Quality of Service (QoS) flow and session management.

[0045] Internet Protocol (IP) packets are transmitted through the UPF 195, which is connected to the IP service 197 and provides UE IP address allocation and other functions for the 5GC 190. The IP service 197 can include, for example, the Internet, an intranet, an IMS, a PS streaming service, and / or other IP services.

[0046] The wireless communication network 100 also includes an Antenna Group (AG) component 198, which can be configured to execute Figure 5 method 500 and / or Figure 6 method 600. The wireless communication network 100 also includes an AG component 199, which can be configured to execute Figure 5 method 500 and / or Figure 6 method 600.

[0047] In various aspects, by way of example, a network entity or network node may be implemented as an aggregated BS, a disaggregated BS, a component of a BS, an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, a relay node, a sidelink node.

[0048] Figure 2 An example disaggregated BS 200 architecture is depicted. The disaggregated BS 200 architecture may include one or more central units (CUs) 210, which may communicate directly with the core network 220 via a backhaul link, or indirectly with the core network 220 through one or more disaggregated BS units (such as a near-real-time (near-RT) RAN intelligent controller (RIC) 225 via an E2 link, or a non-real-time (non-RT) RIC 215 associated with a service management and orchestration (SMO) framework 205, or both). The CU 210 may communicate with one or more distributed units (DUs) 230 via a respective midhaul link (such as an F1 interface). The DU 230 may communicate with one or more radio units (RUs) 240 via a respective fronthaul link. The RU 240 may communicate with a respective UE 104 via one or more radio frequency (RF) access links. In some particular implementations, the UE 104 may be served simultaneously by multiple RUs 240.

[0049] Each of these units (e.g., CU 210, DU 230, RU 240, and near-RT RIC 225, non-RT RIC 215, and SMO framework 205) may include one or more interfaces or be coupled to one or more interfaces that are configured to receive or transmit signals, data, or information (collectively referred to as signals) via a wired or wireless transmission medium. Each of these units or an associated processor or controller that provides instructions to the communication interfaces of these units may be configured to communicate with one or more of the other units via the transmission medium. For example, the unit may include a wired interface that is configured to receive or transmit signals to one or more of the other units over a wired transmission medium. Additionally or alternatively, these units may include a wireless interface that may include a receiver, a transmitter, or a transceiver (such as a radio frequency (RF) transceiver) that is configured to receive or transmit signals to one or more of the other units over a wireless transmission medium, or both.

[0050] In some aspects, the CU 210 may host one or more higher layer control functions. Such control functions may include Radio Resource Control (RRC), Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP), or Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP), etc. Each control function may be implemented using an interface that is configured to communicate signals with other control functions hosted by the CU 210. The CU 210 may be configured to handle user plane functionality (e.g., Central Unit - User Plane (CU-UP)), control plane functionality (e.g., Central Unit - Control Plane (CU-CP)), or a combination thereof. In some specific implementations, the CU 210 may be logically split into one or more CU-UP units and one or more CU-CP units. When implemented in an O-RAN configuration, the CU-UP units may communicate bidirectionally with the CU-CP units via an interface such as the E1 interface. As needed, the CU 210 may be implemented to communicate with the DU 230 for network control and signaling.

[0051] The DU 230 may correspond to a logical unit that includes one or more BS functions for controlling the operation of one or more RUs 240. In some aspects, the DU 230 may host one or more of the Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, Medium Access Control (MAC) layer, and one or more high Physical (PHY) layers (such as modules for forward error correction (FEC) encoding and decoding, scrambling, modulation and demodulation, etc.) at least partially according to a functional split (such as the functional split defined by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP)). In some aspects, the DU 230 may further host one or more low PHY layers. Each layer (or module) may be implemented using an interface that is configured to communicate signals with other layers (and modules) hosted by the DU 230 or with control functions hosted by the CU 210.

[0052] The lower layer functionality may be implemented by one or more RUs 240. In some deployments, the RUs 240 controlled by the DU 230 may correspond to logical nodes that host RF processing functions or low PHY layer functions (such as performing Fast Fourier Transform (FFT), Inverse FFT (iFFT), digital beamforming, Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) extraction and filtering, etc.) or both at least partially based on a functional split (such as a lower layer functional split). In such an architecture, the RUs 240 may be implemented to handle over-the-air (OTA) communication with one or more UEs 104. In some specific implementations, the real-time and non-real-time aspects of the control plane and user plane communication with the RUs 240 may be controlled by the corresponding DU 230. In some scenarios, this configuration may enable the implementation of the DU 230 and CU 210 in a cloud-based RAN architecture (such as a vRAN architecture).

[0053] The SMO framework 205 can be configured to support the RAN deployment and orchestration of non-virtualized network elements and virtualized network elements. For non-virtualized network elements, the SMO framework 205 can be configured to support the deployment of dedicated physical resources for RAN coverage requirements, and these dedicated physical resources can be managed via operation and maintenance interfaces (such as the O1 interface). For virtualized network elements, the SMO framework 205 can be configured to interact with a cloud computing platform (such as the Open Cloud (O-Cloud) 290) to perform network element lifecycle management (such as instantiating virtualized network elements) via a cloud computing platform interface (such as the O2 interface). Such virtualized network elements can include, but are not limited to, the CU 210, DU 230, RU 240, and the near RT RIC 225. In some specific implementations, the SMO framework 205 can communicate with the hardware aspect of the 4G RAN (such as the Open eNB (O-eNB) 211) via the O1 interface. Additionally, in some specific implementations, the SMO framework 205 can directly communicate with one or more RUs 240 via the O1 interface. The SMO framework 205 can also include a non-RT RIC 215 configured to support the functionality of the SMO framework 205.

[0054] The non-RT RIC 215 can be configured to include logical functions that can achieve non-real-time control and optimization of RAN elements and resources, artificial intelligence / machine learning (AI / ML) workflows including model training and update, or policy-based guidance of applications / features in the near RT RIC 225. The non-RT RIC 215 can be coupled to or communicate with the near RT RIC 225 (such as via the A1 interface). The near RT RIC 225 can be configured to include logical functions that can achieve near-real-time control and optimization of RAN elements and resources through an interface (such as via the E2 interface) via data collection and actions, and this interface connects one or more CUs 210, one or more DUs 230, or both, and the O-eNB to the near RT RIC 225.

[0055] In some specific implementations, to generate the AI / ML models to be deployed in the near RT RIC 225, the non-RT RIC 215 may receive parameters or external enrichment information from an external server. Such information can be utilized by the near RT RIC 225 and can be received from non-network data sources or from network functions at the SMO framework 205 or the non-RT RIC 215. In some examples, the non-RT RIC 215 or the near RT RIC 225 may be configured to tune the RAN behavior or performance. For example, the non-RT RIC 215 may monitor long-term trends and patterns of performance and employ AI / ML models to perform corrective actions via the SMO framework 205 (such as reconfiguration via O1) or via creating RAN management policies (such as A1 policies).

[0056] Figure 3 Depicts aspects of example BS102 and UE 104.

[0057] Generally, BS102 includes various processors (e.g., 320, 330, 338, and 340), antennas 334a through 334t (collectively 334), transceivers 332a through 332t (collectively 332) including modulators and demodulators, and other aspects that implement wireless transmission of data (e.g., data source 312) and wireless reception of data (e.g., data sink 339). For example, BS102 may transmit and receive data between BS102 and UE 104. BS102 includes a controller / processor 340 that may be configured to implement the various functions described herein related to wireless communication.

[0058] BS102 includes a controller / processor 340 that may be configured to implement the various functions related to wireless communication. In the depicted example, the controller / processor 340 includes an AG component 341, which may represent Figure 1 the AG component 199. Notably, while depicted as an aspect of the controller / processor 340, in other specific implementations, the AG component 341 may additionally or alternatively be implemented in various other aspects of BS102.

[0059] Generally, UE 104 includes various processors (e.g., 358, 364, 366, and 380), antennas 352a through 352r (collectively 352), transceivers 354a through 354r (collectively 354) including modulators and demodulators, and other aspects that implement wireless transmission of data (e.g., retrieved from data source 362) and wireless reception of data (e.g., provided to data sink 360). UE 104 includes a controller / processor 380 that may be configured to implement the various functions described herein related to wireless communication.

[0060] UE 104 includes a controller / processor 380 that can be configured to implement various functions related to wireless communication. In the depicted example, the controller / processor 380 includes an AG component 381, which may represent Figure 1 the AG component 198. Notably, although depicted as an aspect of the controller / processor 380, in other specific implementations, the AG component 381 may additionally or alternatively be implemented in various other aspects of the UE 104.

[0061] Regarding an example downlink transmission, BS102 includes a transmit processor 320 that can receive data from a data source 312 and control information from a controller / processor 340. The control information may be for a physical broadcast channel (PBCH), a physical control format indicator channel (PCFICH), a physical HARQ indicator channel (PHICH), a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), a group common PDCCH (GC PDCCH), and / or other channels. In some examples, the data may be for a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH).

[0062] The transmit processor 320 can process (e.g., encode and symbol map) the data and control information to obtain data symbols and control symbols, respectively. The transmit processor 320 can also generate reference symbols (such as for a primary synchronization signal (PSS), a secondary synchronization signal (SSS), a PBCH demodulation reference signal (DMRS), and a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS)).

[0063] A transmit (TX) multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) processor 330 can perform spatial processing (e.g., precoding) on the data symbols, control symbols, and / or reference symbols, if applicable, and can provide the output symbol streams to the modulators (MOD) in transceivers 332a to 332t. Each modulator in transceivers 332a to 332t can process the corresponding output symbol stream to obtain an output sample stream. Each modulator can further process (e.g., convert to analog, amplify, filter, and up-convert) the output sample stream to obtain a downlink signal. The downlink signals from the modulators in transceivers 332a to 332t can be transmitted via antennas 334a to 334t, respectively.

[0064] To receive a downlink transmission, UE 104 includes antennas 352a to 352r that can receive the downlink signals from BS102 and can provide the received signals to the demodulators (DEMOD) in transceivers 354a to 354r, respectively. Each demodulator in transceivers 354a to 354r can condition (e.g., filter, amplify, down-convert, and digitize) the corresponding received signal to obtain input samples. Each demodulator can further process the input samples to obtain the received symbols.

[0065] The MIMO detector 356 can obtain the received symbols from all the demodulators in the transceivers 354a to 354r, perform MIMO detection on the received symbols when applicable, and provide the detected symbols. The receive processor 358 can process (e.g., demodulate, deinterleave, and decode) the detected symbols, provide the decoded data of the UE 104 to the data sink 360, and provide the decoded control information to the controller / processor 380.

[0066] Regarding an example uplink transmission, the UE 104 further includes a transmit processor 364, which can receive and process data from the data source 362 (e.g., for PUSCH) and control information from the controller / processor 380 (e.g., for the physical uplink control channel (PUCCH)). The transmit processor 364 can also generate reference symbols for reference signals (e.g., for sounding reference signals (SRS)). The symbols from the transmit processor 364 can be pre-coded by the TX MIMO processor 366 when applicable, further processed by the modulators in the transceivers 354a to 354r (e.g., for SC-FDM), and transmitted to the BS 102.

[0067] At the BS 102, the uplink signals from the UE 104 can be received by the antennas 334a to 334t, processed by the demodulators in the transceivers 332a to 332t, detected by the MIMO detector 336 when applicable, and further processed by the receive processor 338 to obtain the decoded data and decoded control information transmitted by the UE 104. The receive processor 338 can provide the decoded data to the data sink 339 and the decoded control information to the controller / processor 340.

[0068] The memories 342 and 382 can store data and program codes for the BS 102 and the UE 104, respectively.

[0069] The scheduler 344 can schedule the UE for data transmission on the downlink and / or uplink.

[0070] In various aspects, BS102 can be described as sending and receiving various types of data associated with the methods described herein. In these contexts, "sending" can refer to various mechanisms for outputting data, such as outputting data from data source 312, scheduler 344, memory 342, transmit processor 320, controller / processor 340, TX MIMO processor 330, transceivers 332a to 332t, antennas 334a to 334t, and / or other aspects described herein. Similarly, "receiving" can refer to various mechanisms for obtaining data, such as obtaining data from antennas 334a to 334t, transceivers 332a to 332t, RX MIMO detector 336, controller / processor 340, receive processor 338, scheduler 344, memory 342, and / or other aspects described herein.

[0071] In various aspects, UE 104 can similarly be described as sending and receiving various types of data associated with the methods described herein. In these contexts, "sending" can refer to various mechanisms for outputting data, such as outputting data from data source 362, memory 382, transmit processor 364, controller / processor 380, TX MIMO processor 366, transceivers 354a to 354t, antennas 352a to 352t, and / or other aspects described herein. Similarly, "receiving" can refer to various mechanisms for obtaining data, such as obtaining data from antennas 352a to 352t, transceivers 354a to 354t, RX MIMO detector 356, controller / processor 380, receive processor 358, memory 382, and / or other aspects described herein.

[0072] In some aspects, a processor can be configured to perform various operations (such as those associated with the methods described herein) and respectively send (output) data to another interface configured to send data or receive (obtain) data from another interface configured to receive data.

[0073] Figure 4A , Figure 4B , Figure 4C and Figure 4D depict aspects of data structures for a wireless communication network (such as Figure 1 the wireless communication network 100).

[0074] Specifically, Figure 4A is a diagram 400 that illustrates an example of a first subframe within a 5G (e.g., 5G NR) frame structure, Figure 4B is a diagram 430 that illustrates an example of a DL channel within a 5G subframe, Figure 4C is a diagram 450 that illustrates an example of a second subframe within a 5G frame structure, and Figure 4DFIG. 480 is an illustration showing an example of a UL channel within a 5G subframe.

[0075] A wireless communication system can utilize orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) with a cyclic prefix (CP) on both the uplink and downlink. Such a system can also support half-duplex operation using time division duplex (TDD). OFDM and single-carrier frequency division multiplexing (SC-FDM) divide the system bandwidth (e.g., as depicted in Figure 4B and Figure 4D ) into multiple orthogonal subcarriers. Each subcarrier can be modulated with data. Modulation symbols can be transmitted in the frequency domain using OFDM and / or in the time domain using SC-FDM.

[0076] A wireless communication frame structure can be frequency division duplex (FDD), where for a particular set of subcarriers, the subframes within that set of subcarriers are dedicated to either DL or UL. The wireless communication frame structure can also be time division duplex (TDD), where for a particular set of subcarriers, the subframes within that set of subcarriers are dedicated to both DL and UL.

[0077] In Figure 4A and Figure 4C , the wireless communication frame structure is TDD, where D is DL, U is UL, and X can be flexibly used between DL / UL. A UE can be configured with a slot format (dynamically configured via downlink control information (DCI) or semi-statically / statically configured via radio resource control (RRC) signaling) by a received slot format indicator (SFI). In the depicted example, a 10 ms frame is divided into 10 equal-sized 1 ms subframes. Each subframe can include one or more slots. In some examples, each slot can include 7 or 14 symbols, depending on the slot format. A subframe can also include mini-slots, which typically have fewer symbols than an entire slot. Other wireless communication technologies can have different frame structures and / or different channels.

[0078] In certain aspects, the number of slots within a subframe is based on the slot configuration and the numerology. For example, for slot configuration 0, different numerologies (μ) 0 to 5 allow 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, and 32 slots per subframe, respectively. For slot configuration 1, different numerologies 0 to 2 allow 2, 4, and 8 slots per subframe, respectively. Thus, for slot configuration 0 and numerology μ, there are 14 symbols / slot and 2μ slots / subframe. The subcarrier spacing and symbol length / duration are functions of the numerology. The subcarrier spacing can be equal to 2 μ × 15 kHz, where μ is numerology 0 to 5. Thus, numerology μ = 0 has a subcarrier spacing of 15 kHz, and numerology μ = 5 has a subcarrier spacing of 480 kHz. The symbol length / duration is negatively correlated with the subcarrier spacing. Figure 4A andFigure 4B , Figure 4C and Figure 4D provide an example of a time slot configuration 0 with 14 symbols per time slot and a parameter set μ = 2 with 4 time slots per subframe. The time slot duration is 0.25 ms, the subcarrier spacing is 60 kHz, and the symbol duration is approximately 16.67 μs.

[0079] As Figure 4A , Figure 4B , Figure 4C and Figure 4D depicted, a resource grid can be used to represent a frame structure. Each time slot includes a resource block (RB) (also known as a physical RB (PRB)) that extends, for example, over 12 consecutive subcarriers. The resource grid is divided into multiple resource elements (REs). The number of bits carried by each RE depends on the modulation scheme.

[0080] As Figure 4A illustrated, some of the REs in the REs carry reference (pilot) signals (RSs) for a UE (e.g., Figure 1 and Figure 3 UE 104). The RS may include a demodulation RS (DMRS) and / or a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) for channel estimation at the UE. The RS may also include a beam measurement RS (BRS), a beam refinement RS (BRRS), and / or a phase tracking RS (PT-RS).

[0081] Figure 4B illustrates an example of various DL channels within a subframe of a frame. The physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) carries DCI within one or more control channel elements (CCEs), each CCE including, for example, nine resource element groups (REGs), each REG including, for example, four consecutive REs in an OFDM symbol.

[0082] The primary synchronization signal (PSS) may be in symbol 2 of a specific subframe of a frame. The PSS is used by a UE (e.g., Figure 1 and Figure 3 104) to determine subframe / symbol timing and the physical layer identity.

[0083] The secondary synchronization signal (SSS) may be in symbol 4 of a specific subframe of a frame. The SSS is used by the UE to determine the physical layer cell identity group number and the radio frame timing.

[0084] Based on the physical layer identity and the physical layer cell identity group number, the UE can determine the physical cell identifier (PCI). Based on the PCI, the UE can determine the position of the aforementioned DMRS. The physical broadcast channel (PBCH) carrying the master information block (MIB) can be logically grouped with the PSS and SSS to form a synchronization signal (SS) / PBCH block. The MIB provides the system frame number (SFN) and the number of resource blocks (RBs) in the system bandwidth. The physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) carries user data, broadcast system information not sent via the PBCH (such as system information blocks (SIBs)) and / or paging messages.

[0085] As Figure 4C illustrated, some of the REs in a RE carry DMRS for channel estimation at the BS (indicated as R for one particular configuration, but other DMRS configurations are possible). The UE can send DMRS for the PUCCH and DMRS for the PUSCH. The PUSCH DMRS can be sent, for example, in the previous one or two symbols of the PUSCH. The PUCCH DMRS can be sent in different configurations depending on whether a short PUCCH or a long PUCCH is being sent and depending on the particular PUCCH format used. The UE104 can send a sounding reference signal (SRS). The SRS can be sent, for example, in the last symbol of a subframe. The SRS can have a comb structure, and the UE can send the SRS on one of the combs. The SRS can be used by the BS for channel quality estimation to enable frequency-dependent scheduling on the UL.

[0086] Figure 4D Examples of various UL channels within a subframe of a frame are illustrated. The PUCCH can be located at the position indicated in one configuration. The PUCCH carries uplink control information (UCI), such as a scheduling request, a channel quality indicator (CQI), a precoding matrix indicator (PMI), a rank indicator (RI), and HARQ ACK / NACK feedback. The PUSCH carries data and can additionally be used to carry a buffer status report (BSR), a power headroom report (PHR), and / or UCI.

[0087] Introduction to mmWave Wireless Communication

[0088] In wireless communication, the electromagnetic spectrum is typically subdivided into various categories, bands, channels, or other characteristics. The subdivision is typically provided based on wavelength and frequency, where frequency can also be referred to as carrier, subcarrier, channel, tone, or subband.

[0089] The 5th generation (5G) network can utilize several frequency ranges, which in some cases are defined by standards such as those of the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). For example, although the 3GPP technical standard TS 38.101 currently defines Frequency Range 1 (FR1) as including 600 MHz - 6 GHz, specific uplink and downlink allocations may fall outside of this general range. Thus, FR1 is commonly (and interchangeably) referred to as the "sub-6 GHz" band.

[0090] Similarly, although TS 38.101 currently defines Frequency Range 2 (FR2) as including 26 GHz - 41 GHz, again, specific uplink and downlink allocations may fall outside of this general range. FR2 is sometimes (and interchangeably) referred to as the "millimeter wave" ("mmW" or "mmWave") band, although it is different from the extremely high frequency (EHF) band (30 GHz - 300 GHz) that is identified by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) as the "millimeter wave" band, because the wavelengths at these frequencies are between 1 millimeter and 10 millimeters.

[0091] Compared to lower rate frequency communications, communications using mmWave / near mmWave radio frequency bands (e.g., 3 GHz–300 GHz) may have higher path loss and shorter range. As described above with respect to Figure 1 a base station (BS) (e.g., 180) configured to communicate using mmWave / near mmWave radio frequency bands can utilize beamforming (e.g., 182) with a user equipment (UE) (e.g., 104) to improve path loss and range.

[0092] Example Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) System and Antenna Grouping (AG) Technology

[0093] A multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system is a system that has multiple antennas at both the transmitter device and the receiver device. The multiple antennas in a MIMO system can be used in different ways, namely to create an efficient antenna diversity system and to use multiple antennas to transmit several parallel data streams to increase the capacity of the MIMO system.

[0094] Antenna diversity can be used in wireless systems to counter the effects of fading. When multiple independent copies of the same signal are available, these copies can be combined into a total signal with high quality. The different signal copies are linearly combined, i.e., weighted and summed. Then, the resulting signal at the output of the combiner can be demodulated and decoded in the usual way.

[0095] Antenna diversity processing improves the quality and reliability of a wireless link. For example, the process uses multiple antennas to enhance the quality and reliability of wireless communication. The multiple antennas may differ in functionality and performance to support higher-order antenna diversity. For example, it is generally not desirable to require that all antennas supporting higher-order antenna diversity should meet the same performance and / or functionality. For example, some antennas may be implemented with a higher insertion loss than others. In another example, the antennas may be positioned such that in a potential scenario where the antennas are blocked (e.g., due to a hand or body), not all antennas are blocked equally. Therefore, there is an incentive and benefit to group antennas based on differences in functionality and performance.

[0096] There are different techniques for performing antenna grouping. One antenna grouping (AG) technique is the adaptive receive diversity (ARD) technique. Another AG technique is the antenna switching diversity (ASDIV) technique.

[0097] The ARD technique can be implemented to perform various functions, such as selecting a subset of antennas for reception based on various conditions. For example, the ARD technique can be implemented to detect long-term antenna imbalance and turn off the weaker antenna if the imbalance is greater than an imbalance threshold. Turning off the weaker antenna can improve the power savings of a wireless device including these antennas and can also improve the performance of the wireless device. In another example, the ARD technique can be implemented to detect high antenna correlation and turn off one antenna if the correlation is greater than a correlation threshold. The correlation is based on an estimate of long-term antenna correlation. According to the ARD technique, reducing the number of active antennas (such as receive (Rx) antennas (e.g., from 4Rx to 2Rx)) used for operation can result in power savings for the wireless device. In some cases, when the wireless device operates with a reduced number of antennas, a subset of the reduced number of antennas can be selected (e.g., grouped) to optimize the performance of the antenna system of the wireless device.

[0098] The ASDIV technique performs switching of antennas of an antenna system of a wireless device (e.g., to achieve receive diversity for uplink communication or transmit diversity for downlink communication). There are various scenarios where different antennas of an antenna system that can be switched to be used as a main receive antenna and a diversity antenna. For example, the behavior of a wireless device including these antennas can vary depending on how the wireless device is held. For example, depending on the location of the wireless device, the main antenna may be blocked compared to the diversity antenna. Therefore, better transmission quality can be obtained when the transmit antenna of the antenna system is switched. Benefits of ASDIV include improved network capacity, reduced current consumption, lower transmit (Tx) power, and / or less power allocation to a channel under power control. In some cases, ASDIV can be implemented to improve uplink performance by transmitting using an antenna associated with the lowest path loss (e.g., the highest received signal strength received power (RSRP)). In some cases, ASDIV can be implemented to select an antenna for transmission based on an execution value of the antenna (e.g., the RSRP of the antenna).

[0099] In New Radio (NR), at least 2 downlink MIMO layers must be used and a maximum number of 4 downlink MIMO layers is allowed. MIMO layers correspond to data streams. The number of MIMO layers is always less than or equal to the number of antennas. Therefore, considering that the maximum number of DL MIMO layers allowed in a MIMO system is 4, higher-order Rx antenna diversity for a MIMO system can be achieved by using more than 4 Rx antennas. For example, 8Rx antenna diversity can be implemented for a MIMO system. Higher-order Rx antenna diversity can also be applicable to other numbers greater than 4, such as 6Rx antenna diversity, 12Rx antenna diversity, etc. To have higher-order antenna diversity in a MIMO system, the process of using 8 Rx antennas in a MIMO system (e.g., for 8Rx antenna diversity) is different from using ARD to select the best Rx antenna (e.g., because all 8 available Rx antennas in the MIMO system must be used simultaneously).

[0100] In some cases, using 8 Rx antennas in a MIMO system may increase processing complexity. Therefore, to reduce processing complexity, the 8 Rx antennas in the MIMO system can be divided into antenna blocks of an old size (e.g., two groups of 4 Rx antennas). This disclosure describes a new AG technique for managing the grouping of 8 Rx antennas of a MIMO system into two groups of 4 Rx antennas.

[0101] Aspects Related to New Antenna Grouping Technology

[0102] Aspects of the present disclosure provide an apparatus, a method, a processing system, and a computer-readable medium for managing antenna grouping in a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system.

[0103] For example, a new antenna grouping technique can be implemented to perform grouping the eight receive (Rx) antennas of a MIMO system into two groups of four Rx antennas. The process of how to group the eight Rx antennas into two groups of four Rx antennas is at least based on spectral efficiency (i.e., the spectral efficiency of each of the two groups of four Rx antennas and the combined spectral efficiency of the two groups of four Rx antennas).

[0104] The antenna grouping technique can improve the throughput performance of a MIMO system. For example, the antenna grouping technique can improve the downlink throughput performance (e.g., by maximizing the overall spectral efficiency). In another example, the antenna grouping technique can improve the uplink throughput performance (e.g., by allocating transmit (Tx) operations to the group of four Rx antennas that may have higher performance within the two groups of four Rx antennas).

[0105] The antenna grouping technique proposed in this article can be understood with reference to Figures 5 to 10 for understanding. Figure 5 An example method 500 for wireless communication is illustrated. Method 500 can be performed by, for example, a wireless device.

[0106] In one example, the wireless device can be a network entity (e.g., BS102 in a wireless communication network 100 such as Figure 1 . In such a case, method 500 is implemented as a software component that executes and runs on one or more processors (e.g., the controller / processor 340 of Figure 3 ). In addition, the sending and receiving of signals by the network entity in method 500 can be implemented by, for example, one or more antennas (e.g., the antenna 334 of Figure 3 ). In some aspects, the sending and / or receiving of signals by the network entity is implemented by obtaining and / or outputting signals via the bus interface of one or more processors (e.g., the controller / processor 340).

[0107] In another example, the wireless device can be a UE (e.g., UE104 in a wireless communication network 100 such as Figure 1 . In such a case, method 500 is implemented as a software component that executes and runs on one or more processors (e.g., the controller / processor 380 of Figure 3 ). In addition, the sending and receiving of signals by the UE in method 500 can be implemented by, for example, one or more antennas (e.g., the antenna 352 of Figure 3 ). In some aspects, the sending and / or receiving of signals by the UE is implemented by obtaining and / or outputting signals via the bus interface of one or more processors (e.g., the controller / processor 380).

[0108] Method 500 begins at 510 and evaluates multiple antenna group combinations based on one or more criteria. Each antenna group combination includes at least two antenna groups of multiple antennas, and the one or more criteria relate to a first performance value calculated separately for each antenna group in the antenna group combination being evaluated and a second performance value calculated jointly for the at least two antenna groups in the antenna group combination being evaluated.

[0109] In one example, a wireless device may use Figure 1 or Figure 3 the processor, antenna, and / or transmitter / transceiver components of the BS102 shown in Figure 1 or Figure 3 and / or the apparatus shown in FIG. 11 to evaluate multiple antenna group combinations. In another example, a wireless device may use

[0110] the antenna and / or receiver / transceiver components of the UE 104 shown in

[0111] and / or the apparatus shown in FIG. 11 to evaluate multiple antenna group combinations. Figure 1 or Figure 3 the processor, antenna, and / or transmitter / transceiver components of the BS102 shown in Figure 1 or Figure 3 and / or the apparatus shown in FIG. 11 to select an antenna group combination within the subset of multiple antenna group combinations. In another example, a wireless device may use

[0112] Note that Figure 5 this is merely an example of one method, and other methods consistent with the present disclosure and including fewer, additional, or alternative steps are possible.

[0113] Figure 6 Illustrates an example method 600 for wireless communication. Method 600 may be performed by, for example, a wireless device.

[0114] At 610, the wireless device determines the total number of antenna group combinations for multiple antennas (e.g., Rx antennas for Rx operations). Each antenna group combination includes at least two antenna groups of the multiple antennas. The at least two antenna groups for each antenna group combination include a primary antenna group and one or more secondary antenna groups. For example, the wireless device may determine a total of 70 antenna group combinations of a primary antenna group (e.g., having 4 antennas) and a secondary antenna group (e.g., having 4 antennas) for creating two antenna groups, each with 4 antennas, for a total of 8 antennas.

[0115] At 620, the wireless device performs pruning of the total number of antenna group combinations. For example, the wireless device may select a plurality of antenna group combinations that meet a predefined condition from the total number of antenna group combinations. The predefined condition is met when at least one antenna in at least one antenna group of the antenna group combination is configured for both Rx operations and Tx operations. For example, the wireless device may allow some of the total number of antenna group combinations for further evaluation due to meeting the predefined condition, and not allow some of the total number of antenna group combinations for further evaluation due to not meeting the predefined condition (e.g., when not all antennas in the primary antenna group can be used for both Rx operations and Tx operations, some antenna group combinations may not be allowed because this may impair downlink channel estimation performed by a network entity when sounding reference signal (SRS) antenna switching is enabled).

[0116] At 630, the wireless device calculates a first performance value individually for each antenna group within each antenna group combination among the multiple antenna group combinations. For example, the wireless device may calculate the first performance value individually for the primary antenna group and the secondary antenna group within each antenna group combination among the multiple antenna group combinations, such as a spectral efficiency value, a signal-to-noise ratio value, and / or a rank value. The wireless device may consider antenna correlation when calculating the spectral efficiency value.

[0117] The wireless device also calculates a second performance value jointly for at least two antenna groups within each antenna group combination among the multiple antenna group combinations. For example, the wireless device may calculate the second performance value jointly for the primary antenna group and the secondary antenna group within each antenna group combination among the multiple antenna group combinations, such as a spectral efficiency value, a signal-to-noise ratio value, and / or a rank value.

[0118] At 640, the wireless device selects a subset of the multiple antenna group combinations based on the second performance value for each antenna group combination among the multiple antenna group combinations. For example, based on the second performance value for each antenna group combination among the multiple antenna group combinations, the subset of the multiple antenna group combinations may be the top X% of the multiple antenna group combinations.

[0119] In some aspects, the wireless device selects an antenna group combination within a plurality of antenna group combinations based on a second performance value for each antenna group combination within the plurality of antenna group combinations. For example, the wireless device may select the antenna group combination within the plurality of antenna group combinations that may have the highest second performance value.

[0120] At 650, the wireless device selects an antenna group combination within a subset of the plurality of antenna group combinations based on a first performance value of the primary antenna group in each antenna group combination within the subset of the plurality of antenna group combinations. For example, the wireless device may select the antenna group combination within the subset of the plurality of antenna group combinations that may have the highest first performance value for the primary antenna group.

[0121] In some aspects, to support higher-order antenna diversity, the wireless device may group a plurality of antennas into a plurality of antenna subsets with different priorities. The priorities may be used to distinguish antennas based on functionality supporting uplink transmission, downlink or uplink performance, and / or functionality supporting certain physical channels.

[0122] In some aspects, the primary antenna group and the secondary antenna group for each antenna group combination within the total number of antenna group combinations include different antenna sets. For example, the primary antenna group and the secondary antenna group for each antenna group combination do not overlap in terms of antennas. For example, for a customer premises equipment (CPE) supporting 8 antennas, two groups can be created, each group having 4 antennas. That is, one group of 4 antennas serves as the primary antenna group, and the other group of 4 antennas serves as the secondary antenna group.

[0123] In some aspects, the primary antenna group and the secondary antenna group for each antenna group combination within the total number of antenna group combinations include at least the same subset of a plurality of antennas. For example, the primary antenna group and the secondary antenna group for each antenna group combination overlap in terms of some antennas.

[0124] In some aspects, a first set of antennas among the plurality of antennas in the primary antenna group for each antenna group combination within the total number of antenna group combinations is configured for both Rx operations and Tx operations. In some aspects, a second set of antennas among the plurality of antennas in the secondary antenna group for each antenna group combination is configured for Rx operations.

[0125] In some aspects, the first set of antennas among the plurality of antennas in the primary antenna group for each antenna group combination within the total number of antenna group combinations may support uplink MIMO operations (e.g., two simultaneous transmissions). In some aspects, the second set of antennas among the plurality of antennas in the secondary antenna group for each antenna group combination within the total number of antenna group combinations may not support uplink MIMO operations (e.g., only up to one transmission or no transmission).

[0126] In some aspects, a first set of antennas among the plurality of antennas in the primary antenna group for each antenna group combination within the total number of antenna group combinations may have at least one of a first performance value or a second performance value that exceeds a threshold. In some aspects, a second set of antennas among the plurality of antennas in the secondary antenna group for each antenna group combination within the total number of antenna group combinations may have at least one of a first performance value or a second performance value that is less than the threshold.

[0127] For example, the first set of antennas in the primary antenna group may have a higher downlink performance value or uplink performance value than the second set of antennas in the secondary antenna group. The downlink performance value may include a downlink reference signal receiver power value, a downlink signal-to-noise ratio value, and / or a downlink spectral efficiency value. The uplink performance value may include an uplink path loss estimate value (e.g., estimated based on the reciprocal of the downlink reference signal receiver power value) and / or a power margin value.

[0128] In some aspects, a first set of antennas among the plurality of antennas in the primary antenna group for each antenna group combination within the total number of antenna group combinations may support a first set of physical channels. In some aspects, a second set of antennas among the plurality of antennas in the secondary antenna group for each antenna group combination within the total number of antenna group combinations may support a second set of physical channels that is different from the first set of physical channels. For example, physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) transmission, reception, demodulation, and / or decoding is supported only on the first set of antennas in the primary antenna group. In another example, sidelink reference signal (SRS) transmission is supported only on the first set of antennas in the primary antenna group.

[0129] In some aspects, a wireless device may statically group a plurality of antennas to form at least two antenna groups for each antenna group combination within the total number of antenna group combinations based on the hardware design of the wireless device and / or one or more first measurement values during the setup of the wireless device.

[0130] In some aspects, a wireless device may semi-statically group a plurality of antennas to form at least two antenna groups for each antenna group combination within the total number of antenna group combinations based on information associated with the operation of connection establishment of the wireless device. This information may be obtained during the connection establishment of the wireless device but does not change for the remainder of the connection.

[0131] In some aspects, a wireless device may dynamically group a plurality of antennas to form at least two antenna groups for each antenna group combination within the total number of antenna group combinations. For example, the wireless device evaluates and periodically updates the antenna groups during the connection.

[0132] In some aspects, a wireless device may group multiple antennas to form at least two antenna groups for each antenna group combination within the total number of antenna group combinations based on the hardware design of the wireless device, one or more first measurements during the setup of the wireless device, and / or one or more second measurements during the operation of the wireless device.

[0133] In one example, the wireless device may group the multiple antennas based on antenna insertion loss to form at least two antenna groups for each antenna group combination.

[0134] In another example, the wireless device may perform grouping of the multiple antennas based on on-site measurements during the setup of the wireless device to form at least two antenna groups for each antenna group combination. For example, when installing a CPE, one or more tests may be performed to determine the optimal antenna group and keep the created antenna group fixed (e.g., until the CPE is serviced again next time).

[0135] In another example, the wireless device may perform grouping of the multiple antennas based on measurements during the operation of the wireless device to form at least two antenna groups for each antenna group combination. In one aspect, these measurements may include performance values measured during the connection establishment of the wireless device. In another aspect, these measurements may include performance values measured and updated periodically. This may result in dynamic updating of the created antenna groups. In another aspect, these measurements (e.g., regarding optimizing downlink and / or uplink performance) may include reference signal received power values of the antennas, signal-to-noise ratio values of the antennas, spectral efficiency values (e.g., estimated based on channel state information (CSI) reference signal (RS) values, downlink modulation reference signal (DMRS) values), and / or closed-loop values associated with the wireless device (e.g., modulation and coding scheme (MCS) values, channel rank values, and / or achieved throughput obtained by experimenting with the created antenna groups).

[0136] Figure 7 An 8Rx antenna MIMO receiver of a wireless device is depicted. In this example MIMO receiver, 4 out of the 8 Rx antennas are blocked. Thus, since only 4 Rx antennas are in operation, the maximum channel rank is 4 (i.e., up to 4 data streams).

[0137] Figure 8 An example 4Rx antenna MIMO receiver of a wireless device without antenna grouping is depicted. In these example MIMO receivers, 2 out of the 4 Rx antennas are blocked. Thus, since only 2 Rx antennas are in operation, the maximum channel rank of each MIMO receiver is 2 (i.e., up to 2 data streams).

[0138] Figure 9Depicts antenna grouping in a MIMO receiver of a wireless device. For example, 4 out of 8 Rx antennas of the MIMO receiver may be blocked. Since only 4 Rx antennas are in operation, the maximum channel rank is 4 (i.e., up to 4 data streams). The antenna grouping techniques proposed herein can be implemented to create 2 antenna groups. For example, the 4 unblocked Rx antennas can first be grouped (and processed) as the primary 4Rx group (p4Rx), while the other 4 blocked Rx antennas are grouped as the secondary 4Rx group (s4Rx). According to the antenna grouping techniques proposed herein, the 8 Rx antennas can then be regrouped to maximize the overall spectral efficiency and the p4Rx spectral efficiency. In operation, the wireless device can decode up to 4 layers through the 4 Rx antennas within the p4Rx. The p4Rx (which may also include the best 4 Rx antennas based on spectral efficiency values) can drive the loop and thus reflect better estimated parameters in the better performance of the MIMO receiver. In some cases, the Tx antennas for the uplink can be selected within the p4Rx (i.e., the antennas in the p4Rx can be used for Tx operations). This can result in better uplink performance. The s4Rx can add some diversity gain (e.g., high signal-to-noise ratio) to the performance of the MIMO receiver through the combined processing of both the p4Rx and the s4Rx.

[0139] Other examples of MIMO receivers can include different numbers of antennas that are blocked / faded (e.g., changing dynamically) and / or have a higher insertion loss (e.g., due to a static number of antennas based on the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) implementation).

[0140] Example Communication Device

[0141] Figure 10 Depicts aspects of an example communication device 1000. In some aspects, the communication device 1000 is a network entity, such as Figure 1 and Figure 3 the BS102 of Figure 2 or the decomposed BS as discussed with respect to Figure 1 and Figure 3 the UE 104 described above with respect to

[0142] The communication device 1000 includes a processing system 1002 coupled to a transceiver 1008 (e.g., a transmitter and / or a receiver). In some aspects (e.g., when the communication device 1000 is a network entity), the processing system 1002 can be coupled to a network interface that is configured to communicate via a communication link (such as, as described herein with respect to Figure 2Obtain and transmit the signals of the communication device 1000 via the described backhaul link, midhaul link, and / or fronthaul link. The transceiver 1008 is configured to transmit and receive signals for the communication device 1000 via the antenna 1010, such as the various signals described herein. The processing system 1002 may be configured to perform the processing functions of the communication device 1000, including processing the signals received and / or to be transmitted by the communication device 1000.

[0143] The processing system 1002 includes one or more processors 1020. In various aspects, one or more processors 1020 may represent one or more of the receive processor 358, transmit processor 364, TX MIMO processor 366, and / or controller / processor 380, as described with respect to Figure 3 that which is described. In various aspects, one or more processors 1020 may represent one or more of the receive processor 338, transmit processor 320, TX MIMO processor 330, and / or controller / processor 340, as described with respect to Figure 3 that which is described. The one or more processors 1020 are coupled to the computer-readable medium / memory 1030 via the bus 1006. In certain aspects, the computer-readable medium / memory 1030 is configured to store instructions (e.g., computer-executable code) that, when executed by the one or more processors 1020, cause the one or more processors 1020 to perform: the method 500 described with respect to Figure 5 or any aspect related thereto, and / or the method 600 described with respect to Figure 6 or any aspect related thereto. Note that the reference to a processor that performs the functions of the communication device 1000 may include one or more processors 1020 that perform the functions of the communication device 1000.

[0144] In the depicted example, the computer-readable medium / memory 1030 stores code (e.g., executable instructions), such as code 1031 for evaluation and code 1033 for selection. The processing of the code 1031 for evaluation and the code 1033 for selection may cause the communication device 1000 to perform: the method 500 described with respect to Figure 5 or any aspect related thereto, and / or the method 600 described with respect to Figure 6 that which is described.

[0145] The one or more processors 1020 include circuitry configured to implement (e.g., execute) the code stored in the computer-readable medium / memory 1030, including circuitry such as circuitry 1021 for evaluation and circuitry 1023 for selection. Processing using the circuitry 1021 for evaluation and the circuitry 1023 for selection may cause the communication device 1000 to perform: the method described with respect to Figure 5The method 500 described above or any aspect related thereto, and / or with respect to Figure 6 the method 600 described above.

[0146] The various components of the communication device 1000 can provide for performing with respect to Figure 5 the method 500 described above or any aspect related thereto, and / or with respect to Figure 6 the method 600 described above. For example, components for transmitting, conveying, or outputting for transmission can include Figure 3 the transceiver 354 and / or the antenna 352 of the illustrated UE 104, Figure 3 the transceiver 332 and / or the antenna 334 of the illustrated BS102 and / or the transceiver 1108 and the antenna 1010 of the communication device 1000 in FIG. 11. Components for receiving or obtaining can include Figure 3 the transceiver 354 and / or the antenna 352 of the illustrated UE 104, Figure 3 the transceiver 332 and / or the antenna 334 of the illustrated BS102 and / or Figure 10 the transceiver 1008 and the antenna 1010 of the communication device 1000 in

[0147] Example Clauses

[0148] Specific implementation examples are described in the following numbered clauses:

[0149] Clause 1: A method for wireless communication by a wireless device, the method comprising: evaluating a plurality of antenna group combinations based on one or more criteria, wherein each antenna group combination includes at least two antenna groups of a plurality of antennas, and the one or more criteria relate to a first performance value calculated separately for each antenna group in the antenna group combination being evaluated and a second performance value calculated jointly for the at least two antenna groups in the antenna group combination being evaluated; and selecting a subset of the plurality of antenna group combinations based on the evaluation.

[0150] Clause 2: The method as described alone or in combination with the first clause, the method further comprising selecting an antenna group combination within the subset of the plurality of antenna group combinations having at least one of the following: the highest first performance value or the highest second performance value.

[0151] Clause 3: The method as described alone or in combination with the first clause, the method further comprising: determining a total number of antenna group combinations for the plurality of antennas, wherein each antenna group combination includes the at least two antenna groups of the plurality of antennas; and selecting the plurality of antenna group combinations that satisfy a predefined condition from the total number of antenna group combinations, wherein the predefined condition is satisfied when at least one antenna in at least one antenna group of an antenna group combination is configured for both receiving operations and transmitting operations.

[0152] Clause 4: The method as described either alone or in combination with the first clause, wherein the at least two antenna groups for each antenna group combination include a main antenna group and one or more secondary antenna groups.

[0153] Clause 5: The method as described either alone or in combination with the first clause, wherein the first performance value and the second performance value correspond to spectral efficiency values.

[0154] Clause 6: The method as described either alone or in combination with the first clause, wherein the first performance value and the second performance value correspond to signal-to-noise ratio values.

[0155] Clause 7: The method as described either alone or in combination with the first clause, wherein the first performance value and the second performance value correspond to rank values of a radio channel.

[0156] Clause 8: The method as described either alone or in combination with the first clause, wherein each of the at least two antenna groups for each antenna group combination includes the same number of antennas.

[0157] Clause 9: The method as described either alone or in combination with the first clause, wherein the at least two antenna groups for each antenna group combination include at least the same subset of the plurality of antennas.

[0158] Clause 10: The method as described either alone or in combination with the first clause, wherein the at least two antenna groups for each antenna group combination include different antenna sets.

[0159] Clause 11: The method as described either alone or in combination with the fourth clause, wherein: a first set of antennas among the plurality of antennas in the main antenna group of the at least two antenna groups for each antenna group combination is configured for both receiving operations and transmitting operations; and a second set of antennas among the plurality of antennas in the one or more secondary antenna groups of the at least two antenna groups for each antenna group combination is configured for receiving operations.

[0160] Clause 12: The method as described either alone or in combination with the fourth clause, wherein: the first set of antennas among the plurality of antennas in the main antenna group of the at least two antenna groups for each antenna group combination has at least one of the first performance value or the second performance value that exceeds a threshold; and the second set of antennas among the plurality of antennas in the one or more secondary antenna groups of the at least two antenna groups for each antenna group combination has at least one of the first performance value or the second performance value that is less than the threshold.

[0161] Clause 13: The method as described either alone or in combination with Clause 4, wherein: a first set of antennas among the plurality of antennas in the main antenna group of the at least two antenna groups for each antenna group combination supports a first set of physical channels; and a second set of antennas among the plurality of antennas in the one or more secondary antenna groups of the at least two antenna groups for each antenna group combination supports a second set of physical channels.

[0162] Clause 14: The method as described either alone or in combination with Clause 1, the method further comprising statically grouping the plurality of antennas based on at least one of the following to form the at least two antenna groups for each antenna group combination: the hardware design of the wireless device or one or more first measurements during the setup of the wireless device.

[0163] Clause 15: The method as described either alone or in combination with Clause 1, the method further comprising semi-statically grouping the plurality of antennas based on information associated with the operation of connection establishment of the wireless device to form the at least two antenna groups for each antenna group combination.

[0164] Clause 16: The method as described either alone or in combination with Clause 1, the method further comprising dynamically grouping the plurality of antennas to form the at least two antenna groups for each antenna group combination.

[0165] Clause 17: The method as described either alone or in combination with Clause 1, the method further comprising grouping the plurality of antennas based on at least one of the following to form the at least two antenna groups for each antenna group combination: the hardware design of the wireless device; one or more first measurements during the setup of the wireless device; and one or more second measurements during the operation of the wireless device.

[0166] Clause 18: An apparatus, the apparatus comprising: a memory including executable instructions; and a processor configured to execute the executable instructions and cause the apparatus to perform the method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 17.

[0167] Clause 19: An apparatus, the apparatus comprising components for performing the method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 17.

[0168] Clause 20: A non-transitory computer-readable medium, the non-transitory computer-readable medium including executable instructions that, when executed by a processor of a device, cause the device to perform the method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 17.

[0169] Clause 21: A computer program product embodied on a computer-readable storage medium, the computer program product comprising: code for performing the method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 17.

[0170] Additional Notes

[0171] The foregoing description is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the various aspects described herein. The examples discussed herein do not limit the scope, applicability, or aspects set forth in the claims. Various modifications to these aspects will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other aspects. For example, the functions and arrangements of the elements discussed may be changed without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Various procedures or components may be omitted, replaced, or added as appropriate for each example. For example, the methods described may be performed in a different order than described, and various actions may be added, omitted, or combined. Additionally, the features described for some examples may be combined in some other examples. For example, any number of the aspects set forth herein may be used to implement a device or practice a method. Moreover, the scope of the present disclosure is intended to cover such devices or methods practiced using other structures, functionality, or a combination of structure and functionality in addition to or different from the aspects of the present disclosure set forth herein. It should be understood that any aspect of the disclosure herein may be embodied by one or more elements of the claims.

[0172] The various illustrative logical blocks, modules, and circuits described in connection with the present disclosure may be implemented or performed using a general purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an ASIC, an FPGA or other programmable logic device (PLD), discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor may be any commercially available processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. The processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, a system on a chip (SoC), or any other such configuration.

[0173] As used herein, the phrase referring to "at least one of" a list of items means any combination of those items (which includes a single member). By way of example, "at least one of a, b, or c" is intended to cover a, b, c, a - b, a - c, b - c, and a - b - c, as well as any combination having multiple identical elements (e.g., a - a, a - a - a, a - a - b, a - a - c, a - b - b, a - c - c, b - b, b - b - b, b - b - c, c - c, and c - c - c, or any other ordering of a, b, and c).

[0174] As used herein, the term "determine" encompasses a variety of actions. For example, "determine" can include operations, calculations, processing, derivation, investigation, lookups (e.g., lookups in a table, database, or another data structure), assertions, and the like. Additionally, "determine" can include receiving (e.g., receiving information), accessing (e.g., accessing data in a memory), etc. Additionally, "determine" can include parsing, selecting, picking, establishing, and the like.

[0175] The methods disclosed herein include one or more actions for implementing the methods. The method actions may be interchanged with one another without departing from the scope of the claims. In other words, unless a specific order of the actions is specified, the order and / or use of particular actions may be modified without departing from the scope of the claims. Additionally, the various operations of the methods described above may be performed by any suitable component capable of performing the corresponding functions. The component may include various hardware and / or software components and / or modules, including but not limited to circuits, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), or processors.

[0176] The following claims are not intended to be limited to the aspects shown herein, but should be accorded the full scope consistent with the claim language. In the claims, unless specifically stated otherwise, the recitation of an element in the singular is not intended to mean "one and only one" but "one or more." Unless otherwise specifically stated, the term "some" means one or more. No claim element is to be construed under the provisions of 35 U.S.C. § 112(f) unless the element is expressly recited using the phrase "means for." All structural and functional equivalents of the elements of the various aspects described throughout this disclosure that are known or later will be known to those of ordinary skill in the art are expressly incorporated herein by reference and are intended to be covered by the claims. Additionally, nothing disclosed herein is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether such disclosure is expressly recited in the claims.

Claims

1. A wireless device configured for wireless communication, the wireless device comprising: a memory including computer-executable instructions; and a processor configured to execute the computer-executable instructions and cause the wireless device to: evaluate a plurality of antenna group combinations based on one or more criteria, where each antenna group combination includes at least two antenna groups of a plurality of antennas, and the one or more criteria relate to a first performance value calculated separately for each antenna group in the antenna group combination being evaluated and a second performance value calculated jointly for the at least two antenna groups in the antenna group combination being evaluated; and select a subset of the plurality of antenna group combinations based on the evaluation.

2. The wireless device according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to execute the computer-executable instructions and further cause the wireless device to select an antenna group combination within the subset of the plurality of antenna group combinations having at least one of the following: the highest first performance value or the highest second performance value.

3. The wireless device according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to execute the computer-executable instructions and further cause the wireless device to: determine a total number of antenna group combinations for the plurality of antennas, where each antenna group combination includes the at least two antenna groups of the plurality of antennas; and select, from the total number of antenna group combinations, the plurality of antenna group combinations that satisfy a predefined condition, where the predefined condition is satisfied when at least one antenna in at least one antenna group of an antenna group combination is configured for both reception operations and transmission operations.

4. The wireless device according to claim 1, wherein the at least two antenna groups for each antenna group combination include a main antenna group and one or more secondary antenna groups.

5. The wireless device according to claim 1, wherein the first performance value and the second performance value correspond to spectral efficiency values.

6. The wireless device according to claim 1, wherein the first performance value and the second performance value correspond to signal-to-noise ratio values.

7. The wireless device according to claim 1, wherein the first performance value and the second performance value correspond to rank values of a radio channel.

8. The wireless device according to claim 1, wherein each antenna group of the at least two antenna groups for each antenna group combination includes the same number of antennas.

9. The wireless device according to claim 1, wherein the at least two antenna groups for each antenna group combination include at least the same subset of the plurality of antennas.

10. The wireless device according to claim 1, wherein the at least two antenna groups for each antenna group combination include different antenna sets.

11. The wireless device according to claim 4, wherein: a first set of antennas among the plurality of antennas in the main antenna group of the at least two antenna groups for each antenna group combination is configured for both reception operations and transmission operations; and a second set of antennas among the plurality of antennas in the one or more secondary antenna groups of the at least two antenna groups for each antenna group combination is configured for reception operations.

12. The wireless device according to claim 4, wherein: a first set of antennas among the plurality of antennas in the main antenna group of the at least two antenna groups for each antenna group combination has at least one of the first performance value or the second performance value that exceeds a threshold; and a second set of antennas among the plurality of antennas in the one or more secondary antenna groups of the at least two antenna groups for each antenna group combination has at least one of the first performance value or the second performance value that is less than the threshold.

13. The wireless device according to claim 4, wherein: a first set of antennas among the plurality of antennas in the main antenna group of the at least two antenna groups for each antenna group combination supports a first set of physical channels; and a second set of antennas among the plurality of antennas in the one or more secondary antenna groups of the at least two antenna groups for each antenna group combination supports a second set of physical channels.

14. The wireless device according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to execute the computer-executable instructions and further cause the wireless device to statically group the plurality of antennas to form the at least two antenna groups for each antenna group combination based on at least one of: the hardware design of the wireless device or one or more first measurements during the setup of the wireless device.

15. The wireless device according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to execute the computer-executable instructions and further cause the wireless device to semi-statically group the plurality of antennas to form the at least two antenna groups for each antenna group combination based on information associated with the operation of establishing a connection of the wireless device.

16. The wireless device according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to execute the computer-executable instructions and further cause the wireless device to dynamically group the plurality of antennas to form the at least two antenna groups for each antenna group combination.

17. The wireless device according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to execute the computer-executable instructions and further cause the wireless device to group the plurality of antennas to form the at least two antenna groups for each antenna group combination based on at least one of: the hardware design of the wireless device; one or more first measurements during the setup of the wireless device; and one or more second measurements during the operation of the wireless device.

18. A method for wireless communication by a wireless device, the method comprising: evaluating a plurality of antenna group combinations based on one or more criteria, wherein each antenna group combination includes at least two antenna groups of a plurality of antennas, and the one or more criteria relate to a first performance value calculated separately for each antenna group in the antenna group combination being evaluated and a second performance value calculated jointly for the at least two antenna groups in the antenna group combination being evaluated; and selecting a subset of the plurality of antenna group combinations based on the evaluation.

19. The method according to claim 18, the method further comprising selecting an antenna group combination within the subset of the plurality of antenna group combinations that has at least one of the following: the highest first performance value or the highest second performance value.

20. The method according to claim 18, the method further comprising: determining a total number of antenna group combinations for the plurality of antennas, wherein each antenna group combination includes at least two antenna groups of the plurality of antennas; and selecting, from the total number of antenna group combinations, the plurality of antenna group combinations that meet a predefined condition, wherein the predefined condition is met when at least one antenna in at least one antenna group of an antenna group combination is configured for both receiving operations and transmitting operations.

21. The method according to claim 18, wherein the at least two antenna groups for each antenna group combination include a main antenna group and one or more secondary antenna groups.

22. The method according to claim 18, wherein the first performance value and the second performance value correspond to spectral efficiency values.

23. The method according to claim 18, wherein the first performance value and the second performance value correspond to signal-to-noise ratio values.

24. The method according to claim 18, wherein the first performance value and the second performance value correspond to rank values of a radio channel.

25. The method according to claim 18, wherein each antenna group of the at least two antenna groups for each antenna group combination includes the same number of antennas.

26. The method according to claim 18, wherein the at least two antenna groups for each antenna group combination include at least the same subset of the plurality of antennas.

27. The method according to claim 18, wherein the at least two antenna groups for each antenna group combination include different antenna sets.

28. The method according to claim 21, wherein: a first set of antennas among the plurality of antennas in the main antenna group of the at least two antenna groups for each antenna group combination is configured for both receiving operations and transmitting operations; and a second set of antennas among the plurality of antennas in the one or more secondary antenna groups of the at least two antenna groups for each antenna group combination is configured for receiving operations.

29. A non-transitory computer-readable medium including computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor of a wireless device, cause the wireless device to perform a method of wireless communication, the method comprising: evaluating a plurality of antenna group combinations based on one or more criteria, wherein each antenna group combination includes at least two antenna groups of a plurality of antennas, and the one or more criteria relate to a first performance value calculated separately for each antenna group in the antenna group combination being evaluated and a second performance value calculated jointly for the at least two antenna groups in the antenna group combination being evaluated; and selecting a subset of the plurality of antenna group combinations based on the evaluation.

30. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 29, wherein the method further comprises selecting an antenna group combination within the subset of the plurality of antenna group combinations that has at least one of the following: the highest first performance value or the highest second performance value.

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