System and method for compliance with indoor / outdoor unlicensed band specification

Abstract

The disclosure relates to systems and methods for compliance with indoor / outdoor unlicensed band specifications. Techniques are provided for controlling a maximum transmit power utilized by a transmitter of a user equipment. More specifically, a base station may control a transmit power of a transmitter of a user equipment communicatively coupled to the base station such that the transmit power of the transmitter conforms to a specification of a geographic location where the user equipment is located. In addition to the base station, the user equipment may control the transmit power of the transmitter. In either case, the transmit power may be based on whether the user equipment is indoor or outdoor, whether the base station is deployed indoor or outdoor, or both.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of the invention patent application with application number 202210486381.3, application date May 6, 2022, and invention name “System and method for compliance with indoor / outdoor unlicensed band regulations”.

[0002] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0003] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 185,488, filed on May 7, 2021, entitled “SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR CONFORMING TO INDOOR / OUTDOOR REGULATIONS IN UNLICENSED BANDS,” which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety for all purposes. Background Art

[0004] The present disclosure as a whole relates to wireless communications between user equipment (e.g., cell phones, tablets) and a communication network (e.g., a cellular network). More specifically, radio frequency spectrum may include licensed spectrum (e.g., frequency ranges) allocated exclusively to network operators for independent use, and unlicensed spectrum allocated to users for non-exclusive use subject to certain regulations. The Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) allows radio frequency communications on unlicensed spectrum in the 5 gigahertz (GHz) band (e.g., the n46 band from 5150 megahertz (MHz) to 5925 megahertz (MHz) and the 6 GHz band (e.g., the n96 band from 5925 MHz to 7125 MHz), and is publicly studying how the unlicensed 60 GHz band may be used for wireless cellular communications. However, operating in unlicensed spectrum may require user equipment to comply with transmit power constraints that differ depending on whether the communication network is deployed indoors or outdoors. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The following describes a summary of certain embodiments disclosed herein. It should be understood that these aspects are presented merely to provide the reader with a concise summary of these specific embodiments, and that these aspects are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. In fact, the present disclosure may encompass a number of aspects that may not be described below.

[0006] In one embodiment, a base station includes a transceiver disposed within a structure and configured to transmit and receive data. The base station also includes processing circuitry communicatively coupled to the transceiver. The processing circuitry uses the transceiver to transmit a first instruction to transmit data using a first transmit power to user equipment communicatively coupled to the base station. The processing circuitry also receives an indication of whether the user equipment is located within or outside the structure. Furthermore, based on the indication indicating that the user equipment is located outside the structure, the processing circuitry uses the transceiver to transmit a second instruction to the user equipment using a second transmit power less than the first transmit power.

[0007] In another embodiment, a computer-implemented method includes receiving, at a receiver of user equipment, an instruction from a base station to configure a transmitter of the user equipment to transmit data at a first transmit power. The computer-implemented method also includes receiving, at the receiver, an indication from the base station that the base station is located indoors. Additionally, the computer-implemented method includes configuring, using at least one processor, the transmitter of the user equipment to transmit data at a second transmit power that is less than the first transmit power.

[0008] In yet another embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readable medium includes instructions that, when executed by a processing circuit, cause the processing circuit to: determine whether a base station is deployed indoors or outdoors and, based on determining that the base station is deployed indoors or outdoors, cause a transmitter of a user equipment to be configured to transmit data using a transmit power.

[0009] Various improvements to the above-described features may exist with respect to various aspects of the present invention. Other features may also be added to these various aspects. These improvements and additional features may exist individually or in any combination. For example, the various features associated with one or more of the illustrated embodiments discussed below may be incorporated into any of the above-described aspects of the present invention individually or in any combination. The brief summary presented above is intended only to familiarize the reader with the specific aspects and context of the disclosed embodiments and does not limit the claimed subject matter. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] Various aspects of the present disclosure may be better understood upon reading the following detailed description and referring to the drawings described hereinafter, wherein like numerals refer to like parts.

[0011] Figure 1 is a block diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0012] Figure 2 According to the embodiment of the present disclosure Figure 1 Functional diagram of the electronic equipment;

[0013] Figure 3 According to the embodiment of the present disclosure Figure 1 A block diagram of a transmitter of an electronic device;

[0014] Figure 4 According to the embodiment of the present disclosure Figure 1 A block diagram of a receiver of an electronic device;

[0015] Figure 5 is a diagram of a wireless communication network supported by a base station and communicatively coupled to user equipment according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the user equipment may include Figure 1 electronic equipment;

[0016] Figure 6 is a frequency diagram of several frequency bands including the n96 frequency band and frequency sub-bands associated with several different locations according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0017] Figure 7 is a user equipment according to an embodiment of the present disclosure such as Figure 1 FIG. 1 is a diagram of an electronic device of a user equipment located outdoors and communicatively coupled to a base station deployed outdoors;

[0018] Figure 8 is a diagram including indoor and outdoor user equipment communicatively coupled to a base station deployed indoors according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0019] Figure 9 According to the embodiment of the present disclosure Figure 7 and Figure 8 The base station can be executed to control Figure 7 and Figure 8 a flowchart of a process for determining a transmit power utilized by a user equipment of a base station, the transmit power initially defaulting to an assumption that the user equipment is indoors when the base station is indoors;

[0020] Figure 10 According to the embodiment of the present disclosure Figure 7 and Figure 8 The base station can be executed to control the Figure 7 and Figure 8 a flowchart of another process for determining a transmit power utilized by a user equipment according to the embodiment of the present invention, the transmit power depending on whether the base station and the user equipment are indoors or outdoors; and

[0021] Figure 11 According to the embodiment of the present disclosure Figure 7 and Figure 8 Flowchart of a process that may be utilized by user equipment to control transmit power utilized by the user equipment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] One or more specific embodiments will be described below. In order to provide a brief description of these embodiments, not all features of an actual implementation are described in this specification. It should be understood that in the development of any such actual implementation, as in any engineering or design project, many implementation-specific decisions must be made to achieve the developer's specific goals, such as meeting system-related and business-related constraints that may vary from one implementation to another. In addition, it should be understood that such development work may be complex and time-consuming, but it will still be a routine task of design, processing, and manufacturing for those of ordinary skill in the art who benefit from this disclosure.

[0023] When introducing the elements of the various embodiments of the present disclosure, the articles "one / an" and "the / said" are intended to mean that there are one or more of the elements. The terms "comprise", "comprising" and "having" are intended to be inclusive and mean that there may be additional elements in addition to the listed elements. Additionally, it should be understood that reference to "one embodiment" or "embodiment" of the present disclosure is not intended to be interpreted as excluding the existence of additional embodiments that also combine the features cited. In addition, specific features, structures or characteristics can be combined in one or more embodiments in any appropriate manner. The use of the terms "roughly", "close", "approximately", "near" and / or "substantially" should be understood to mean including close to a target (e.g., design, value, amount), such as within the limits of any suitable or conceivable error (e.g., within 0.1% of a target, within 1% of a target, within 5% of a target, within 10% of a target, within 25% of a target, etc.).

[0024] The present disclosure relates to controlling transmit power (e.g., maximum transmit power) utilized by circuitry, such as a transmitter or transceiver, that may be included in an electronic device to transmit data. More specifically, transmit power may be controlled by a base station or electronic device including a transmitter to comply with transmit power constraints that may vary between different geographic locations. For example, power constraints may be defined by regulations established by a country or group of countries (e.g., the European Union or member states of the European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT)), and these regulations may determine a number of transmit power values ​​(e.g., maximum transmit power values) that are permitted depending on whether the communication network, the electronic device, or both are deployed indoors or outdoors.

[0025] The embodiments herein provide various devices and techniques for controlling the transmission power utilized by a transmitter or electronic device. In fact, as described below, in some embodiments, a base station may control the transmission power (e.g., maximum transmission power) of a transmitter of an electronic device communicatively coupled to the base station. To this end, when the base station is deployed outdoors, when the electronic device is not configured to determine whether the electronic device is located indoors or outdoors, when the electronic device is located outdoors, or when a combination thereof occurs, the base station may cause the transmitter to use a relatively low transmission power (e.g., suitable for outdoor transmission). Conversely, when the base station is deployed indoors and the electronic device is also located indoors, the base station may enable the transmitter or transceiver of the electronic device to be configured to utilize a relatively high transmission power (e.g., suitable for indoor transmission). For another example, as discussed below, the electronic device may control the transmission power of the transmitter of the electronic device. More specifically, when the electronic device determines that the electronic device or the base station to which the electronic device is communicatively coupled is deployed outdoors, a relatively low transmission power may be utilized. However, when the electronic device determines that both the electronic device and the base station are indoors, the transmitter of the electronic device may utilize a relatively high transmission power.

[0026] Taking the foregoing into consideration, Figure 1 is a block diagram of an electronic device 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The electronic device 10 may include, among other things, one or more processors 12 (collectively referred to herein as a single processor for convenience, which may be implemented as any suitable form of processing circuitry), memory 14, non-volatile storage 16, a display 18, input structures 22, an input / output (I / O) interface 24, a network interface 26, and a power supply 29. Figure 1 The various functional blocks shown in the figure may include hardware elements (including circuits), software elements (including computer code stored on a computer-readable medium), or a combination of both hardware and software elements. The processor 12, memory 14, non-volatile storage device 16, display 18, input structure 22, input / output (I / O) interface 24, network interface 26 and / or power supply 29 may each be directly or indirectly communicatively coupled to each other (e.g., through or via another component, a communication bus, a network) to transmit and / or receive data between each other. It should be noted that Figure 1 It is merely one example of a particular implementation and is intended to illustrate the types of components that may be present in electronic device 10 .

[0027] By way of example, electronic device 10 may comprise any suitable computing device, including a desktop or laptop computer (e.g., a computer available from Apple Inc. of Cupertino, California). Pro, MacBook mini or Mac ), a portable electronic device or a handheld electronic device such as a wireless electronic device or a smart phone (e.g., in the form of a computer available from Apple Inc. in Cupertino, California models), tablet computers (e.g., in the form of the models), wearable electronic devices (e.g., in the form of Apple of the form) and other similar devices. It should be noted that Figure 1 The processor 12 and other related items in the may be generally referred to herein as "data processing circuitry." Such data processing circuitry may be embodied in whole or in part as software, hardware, or both. Furthermore, the processor 12 and Figure 1 Other related items in the may be single independent processing modules, or may be fully or partially incorporated into any of the other elements within the electronic device 10. The processor 12 may be implemented using a combination of a general-purpose microprocessor, a microcontroller, a digital signal processor (DSP), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a programmable logic device (PLD), a controller, a state machine, gated logic, discrete hardware components, a dedicated hardware finite state machine, or any other suitable entity that can perform calculations or other manipulations of information. The processor 12 may perform various functions described herein and below.

[0028] exist Figure 1 In the electronic device 10, the processor 12 may be operably coupled to the memory 14 and the non-volatile storage device 16 to execute various algorithms. Such programs or instructions executed by the processor 12 may be stored in any suitable article of manufacture including one or more tangible computer-readable media. The tangible computer-readable medium may include the memory 14 and / or the non-volatile storage device 16, individually or collectively, to store instructions or routines. The memory 14 and the non-volatile storage device 16 may include any suitable article of manufacture for storing data and executable instructions, such as random access memory, read-only memory, rewritable flash memory, hard drive, and optical disk. In addition, the program encoded on such a computer program product (e.g., an operating system) may also include instructions that can be executed by the processor 12 to enable the electronic device 10 to provide various functions.

[0029] In some embodiments, display 18 can facilitate a user viewing images generated on electronic device 10. In some embodiments, display 18 can include a touch screen that can facilitate user interaction with a user interface of electronic device 10. Furthermore, it should be understood that in some embodiments, display 18 can include one or more liquid crystal displays (LCDs), light emitting diode (LED) displays, organic light emitting diode (OLED) displays, active matrix organic light emitting diode (AMOLED) displays, or some combination of these and / or other display technologies.

[0030] The input structures 22 of the electronic device 10 may enable a user to interact with the electronic device 10 (e.g., pressing a button to increase or decrease the volume level). As with the network interface 26, the I / O interface 24 may enable the electronic device 10 to interact with various other electronic devices. In some embodiments, the I / O interface 24 may include an I / O port for a hardwired connection for charging and / or content manipulation using a standard connector and protocol such as the Lightning connector provided by Apple Inc. of Cupertino, California, a Universal Serial Bus (USB), or other similar connectors and protocols. The network interface 26 may include, for example, one or more interfaces for: a personal area network (PAN) such as Network; Local Area Network (LAN) or Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) such as one of the IEEE 802.11x family of protocols (e.g., ) networks; and / or wide area networks (WANs) such as any standards associated with the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), including, for example, third generation (3G) cellular networks, Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), fourth generation (4G) cellular networks, long term evolution (LTE), Cellular network, Long Term Evolution Licensed Assisted Access (LTE-LAA) cellular network, fifth generation (5G) cellular network and / or new radio (NR) cellular network, satellite network, etc. Specifically, the network interface 26 may include, for example, one or more interfaces for the Release-15 cellular communication standard of the 5G specification including the millimeter wave (mmWave) frequency range (e.g., 24.25-300 gigahertz (GHz)). The network interface 26 of the electronic device 10 may allow communication through the aforementioned networks (e.g., 5G, Wi-Fi, LTE-LAA, etc.).

[0031] The network interface 26 may also include, for example, one or more interfaces for: a broadband fixed wireless access network (eg, ), mobile broadband wireless network (mobile ), asynchronous digital subscriber lines (e.g., ADSL, VDSL), digital video terrestrial broadcasting Network and its extension DVB handheld Networks, ultra-wideband (UWB) networks, alternating current (AC) power lines, etc.

[0032] As shown, the network interface 26 may include a transceiver 30. In some embodiments, all or part of the transceiver 30 may be provided within the processor 12. The transceiver 30 may support communication via one or more antennas ( Figure 1 The power supply 29 of the electronic device 10 may include any suitable power source, such as a rechargeable lithium polymer (Li-poly) battery and / or an alternating current (AC) power converter. In some embodiments, the electronic device 10 may take the form of a computer, a portable electronic device, a wearable electronic device, or other types of electronic devices.

[0033] Figure 2 According to the embodiment of the present disclosure Figure 1 1 is a functional diagram of electronic device 10. As shown, processor 12, memory 14, transceiver 30, transmitter 52, receiver 54, and / or antenna 55 (shown as 55A-55N) may be communicatively coupled to one another, directly or indirectly (e.g., through or via another component, a communication bus, a network) to transmit and / or receive data therebetween.

[0034] The electronic device 10 may include a transmitter 52 and / or a receiver 54, which respectively enable data to be transmitted and received between the electronic device 10 and an external device via, for example, a network (e.g., including a base station) or a direct connection. As shown, the transmitter 52 and the receiver 54 may be combined into a transceiver 30. The electronic device 10 may also have one or more antennas 55A to 55N, which are electrically coupled to the transceiver 30. The antennas 55A-55N may be configured in an omnidirectional or directional configuration, a single beam, a dual beam, or a multi-beam arrangement, etc. Each antenna 55 may be associated with one or more beams and various configurations. In some embodiments, multiple antennas in the antennas 55A-55N of an antenna group or module may be communicatively coupled to the corresponding transceiver 30 and each transmit a radio frequency signal that may be advantageously and / or destructively combined to form a beam. Applicable to various communication standards, the electronic device 10 may include multiple transmitters, multiple receivers, multiple transceivers, and / or multiple antennas.

[0035] Transmitter 52 may wirelessly transmit packets having different packet types or functions. For example, transmitter 52 may transmit packets of different types generated by processor 12. Receiver 54 may wirelessly receive packets having different packet types. In some examples, receiver 54 may detect the type of packet being used and process the packet accordingly. In some embodiments, transmitter 52 and receiver 54 may transmit and receive information via other wired or wired systems or devices.

[0036] As shown, the various components of electronic device 10 can be coupled together via a bus system 56. Bus system 56 may include, for example, a data bus, as well as a power bus, a control signal bus, and a status signal bus in addition to the data bus. The components of electronic device 10 can be coupled together or receive or provide input to each other using some other mechanism.

[0037] Continuing with the attached picture, Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a transmitter 52 (e.g., transmit circuitry) according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown, the transmitter 52 can receive outgoing data 60 in the form of a digital signal to be transmitted via one or more antennas 55. A digital-to-analog converter (DAC) 62 of the transmitter 52 can convert the digital signal into an analog signal, and a modulator 64 can combine the converted analog signal with a carrier signal to generate radio waves. A power amplifier (PA) 66 receives the signal from the modulator 64, i.e., the modulated signal. The power amplifier 66 can amplify the modulated signal to a suitable level to drive the transmission of the signal via the one or more antennas 55. A filter 68 (e.g., filter circuitry and / or software) of the transmitter 52 can then remove undesirable noise from the amplified signal to generate transmit data 70 to be transmitted via the one or more antennas 55. The filter 68 can include one or more suitable filters for removing undesirable noise from the amplified signal, such as a bandpass filter, a bandstop filter, a lowpass filter, a highpass filter, and / or a decimation filter. In addition, the transmitter 52 may include any suitable additional components not shown, or may exclude some of the components shown, so that the transmitter 52 can transmit the outgoing data 60 via the one or more antennas 55. For example, the transmitter 52 may include a mixer and / or a digital upconverter. For another example, if the power amplifier 66 outputs the amplified signal within or approximately within the desired frequency range (such that filtering the amplified signal may not be necessary), the transmitter 52 may not include the filter 68.

[0038] Figure 48 is a schematic diagram of a receiver 54 (e.g., receiving circuitry) according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown, the receiver 54 can receive received data 80 from one or more antennas 55 in the form of an analog signal. A low noise amplifier (LNA) 82 can amplify the received analog signal to a suitable level for processing by the receiver 54. A filter 84 (e.g., filter circuitry and / or software) can remove unwanted noise, such as cross-channel interference, from the received signal. The filter 84 can also remove other signals received by the one or more antennas 55 at a frequency different from the desired signal. The filter 84 may include one or more suitable filters for removing unwanted noise or signals from the received signal, such as a bandpass filter, a bandstop filter, a low-pass filter, a high-pass filter, and / or a decimation filter. The demodulator 86 can remove the RF envelope from the filtered signal and / or extract a demodulated signal from the filtered signal for processing. An analog-to-digital converter (ADC) 88 can receive the demodulated analog signal and convert the signal into a digital signal of the incoming data 90 for further processing by the electronic device 10. Additionally, receiver 54 may include any suitable additional components not shown, or may exclude some of the shown components, such that receiver 54 can receive received data 80 via one or more antennas 55. For example, receiver 54 may include a mixer and / or a digital downconverter.

[0039] Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating a wireless communication network 95 supported by a base station 97 and communicatively coupled to a user equipment 96 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Specifically, the base station 97 may provide 5G / New Radio (NR) coverage (e.g., a next generation Node B (gNodeB or gNB) base station) via the wireless communication network 95. The user equipment 96 and the base station 97 may include Figure 1 and Figure 2 At least some of the components of the electronic device 10 shown in FIG, including one or more processors 12, memory 14, storage 16, transmitter 52, receiver 54, and Figure 3 and Figure 4 Base station 97 may allocate communication channels to user equipment 96, which may be within an unlicensed frequency band such as the n96 frequency band (eg, 5.925 GHz to 7.125 GHz, inclusive), discussed in further detail below.

[0040] As noted above, the present disclosure relates to controlling the transmit power (e.g., maximum transmit power) utilized by circuitry to transmit data, such as transmitter 52 or transceiver 30, which may be included in electronic device 10. More specifically, transmit power may be controlled by base station 97 or user equipment 96 including transmitter 52 or transceiver 30 to comply with transmit power constraints that may vary between different geographic locations. For example, power constraints may be defined by regulations established by a country or group of countries (e.g., the European Union and CEPT member states), and these regulations may determine a number of transmit power values ​​(e.g., maximum transmit power values) that are permitted depending on whether base station 97, user equipment 96, or both are deployed indoors or outdoors.

[0041] The embodiments herein provide various devices and techniques for controlling the transmit power utilized by the transmitter 52 of the user equipment 96. In practice, as described below, in some embodiments, the base station 97 may control the transmit power (e.g., maximum transmit power) of the transmitter 52 of the user equipment 96 communicatively coupled to the base station 97. To this end, when the base station 97 is deployed outdoors, when the user equipment 96 is not configured to determine whether the user equipment 96 is located indoors or outdoors, when the user equipment 96 is located outdoors, or when a combination thereof occurs, the base station 97 may cause the transmitter 52 to use a relatively low transmit power (e.g., suitable for outdoor transmission). Conversely, when the base station 97 is deployed indoors and the user equipment 96 is also located indoors, the base station 97 may enable the transmitter 52 of the user equipment 96 to be configured to utilize a relatively high transmit power (e.g., suitable for indoor transmission). As another example, as discussed below, the user equipment 96 may control the transmit power of the transmitter 52 of the user equipment 96. More specifically, when the user equipment 96 determines that the user equipment 96 or the base station 97 to which the user equipment 96 is communicatively coupled is deployed outdoors, a relatively low transmit power may be utilized. However, when the user equipment 96 determines that both the user equipment 96 and the base station 97 are indoors, the transmitter 52 of the user equipment 96 may utilize a relatively high transmit power.

[0042] Taking the foregoing into consideration, Figure 61 is a frequency diagram 100 of the n96 frequency band 102 and sub-bands (e.g., 102, 104, 106, 108, 110, 112) associated with several different locations according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Specifically, the n96 frequency band may be described and defined in the Third Generation Partnership Project 3GPP Technical Standard (TS) 38.101 as a frequency band within a frequency range 1 (FR1) ranging from 5.925 GHz to 7.125 GHz (inclusive). Frequency band 102 may be a licensed or unlicensed frequency band, meaning that an operator of a user equipment 96 (e.g., electronic device 10) that transmits a signal having a frequency within an unlicensed frequency band may utilize the user equipment 96, for example, without directly registering the user equipment 96 with an entity (e.g., a government agency) associated with the particular geographic area in which the user equipment 96 is used.

[0043] This means that different geographic locations may have different regulations regarding the sub-bands of the frequency band 102 that the user equipment 96 may utilize, such as the transmit power levels (e.g., effective isotropically radiated power (EIRP) and EIRP density values) that the user equipment 96 may utilize to transmit data. More specifically, different geographic regions (e.g., countries, unions, continents) may have regulations governing maximum power levels depending on whether the user equipment 96 is located indoors or outdoors. As used herein, the terms "outdoor" and "indoor" may have different meanings depending on the regulations associated with a particular jurisdiction. For example, a location that is considered "indoor" in some jurisdictions may be considered "outdoor" in another jurisdiction. For example, a location covered by a temporary structure that is open to the outside (e.g., a covering that does not include walls, such as an awning extending from a building) may be considered indoors in one jurisdiction and outdoor in another jurisdiction. This means that "outdoors" generally includes uncovered environments located outside of a building, such as a house, other residential building, commercial building, industrial building, or any other type of building. Conversely, "indoor" generally includes environments located inside of a permanent structure. For environments that fall outside of these descriptions, they may be characterized according to the rules and regulations of the jurisdiction (e.g., country, union, continent) that encompasses such environments. Table 1 below provides information on power levels permitted in the United States, EU / CEPT, South Korea, and Brazil. It should be noted that the values ​​included in Table 1 may change in the future.

[0044] Table 1

[0045]

[0046]

[0047]

[0048]

[0049] As generally indicated in Table 1, different countries and regions may permit user equipment 96 to transmit data (e.g., by emitting electromagnetic radiation having a frequency within an unlicensed band, such as band 102) using different power levels (e.g., maximum EIRP values ​​and maximum EIRP density values). As implied by the designations of the power levels utilized by the EU / CEPT and South Korea (e.g., Low Power Indoor (LPI) and Very Low Power Indoor / Outdoor (VLP)) and the associated maximum EIRP values ​​and maximum EIRP density values ​​for the power levels, user equipment 96 located indoors is generally permitted higher transmit power relative to user equipment 96 located outdoors. For example, in EU and CEPT member countries, LPI—having a maximum EIRP of 23 decibel milliwatts (dBm) and a maximum EIRP density of 10 dBm / megahertz (MHz)—may be utilized by user equipment 96 located indoors, while VLP—having a maximum EIRP of 14 dBm and a maximum EIRP density of 1 dBm / MHz—may be utilized by user equipment 96 located indoors as well as by user equipment 96 located outdoors.

[0050] With reference to the discussion of Table 1, the portion of frequency band 102 that user equipment 96 can utilize in various locations (e.g., countries, unions, continents) can also be regulated and, in some cases, subdivided. For example, frequency band 104 indicates a frequency range permitted for utilization in the United States. More specifically, frequency band 104 includes Unlicensed National Information Infrastructure (U-NII) 5, 6, 7, and 8 (i.e., U-NII-5, U-NII-6, U-NII-7, and U-NII-8). Thus, the entire frequency band 102 is available for utilization in the United States.

[0051] As another example of a jurisdiction, frequency band 106 corresponds to Brazil. As shown, frequency band 106 occupies the entire frequency band 102. That is, frequency band 106 also includes the entire n96 frequency band. Furthermore, as indicated by frequency band 106, the LPI and VLP defined by Brazilian regulations can be utilized within the entire n96 frequency band.

[0052] Frequency band 108 corresponds to South Korea. Similar to the United States (as indicated by frequency band 104) and Brazil (as indicated by frequency band 106), frequency band 108 includes the entire frequency band 102. Therefore, in South Korea, user equipment 96 can utilize the entire n96 frequency band. In addition, frequency band 108 includes an LPI portion and an LPI / VLP portion, which respectively indicate 1) frequencies in the n96 frequency band that can be utilized outdoors and 2) frequencies in the n96 frequency band that can be utilized both outdoors and indoors. The transmit power values ​​associated with the LPI and VLP power levels are the values ​​associated with South Korea as indicated in Table 1.

[0053] Frequency bands 110, 111, and 112 correspond to frequency bands applicable to the EU and CEPT member states. Specifically, frequency bands 110 and 112 are frequency bands that include frequencies permitted for utilization, while frequency band 111 includes frequencies that are not permitted (e.g., 6.425 GHz to 7.125 GHz). Frequency band 110 includes LPI and VLP power levels associated with the EU and CEPT member states as indicated in Table 1. Frequency band 112 corresponds to an Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) band as described in International Telecommunication Union (ITU) report ITU-R M.2445-0 entitled "Intelligent transport systems (ITS) usage." Figure 6 As shown in , a portion of frequency band 112 falls within the n96 frequency band (ie, frequency band 102).

[0054] As described below, the maximum transmit power that can be utilized by user equipment 96 can be controlled based on several factors, such as whether the user equipment 96 is located indoors or outdoors and / or whether the base station 97 to which the user equipment 96 is communicatively coupled is deployed indoors or outdoors. The discussion below is general with respect to geographic or geo-locations. In other words, the examples and techniques described below can be used in any suitable region (e.g., a country, a union, a continent), and the manner in which the techniques are performed can be accomplished in a location-specific manner. For example, for a user equipment 96 located in the United States, maximum transmit power values ​​(e.g., maximum EIRP values ​​and maximum EIRP density values) such as those provided in Table 1 can be utilized, while in another location (e.g., an EU / CEPT member state, Brazil, South Korea, or any other location outside the United States), the techniques can be performed in a similar manner using the maximum transmit power values ​​associated with the other location.

[0055] To help provide more context for situations where the maximum transmit power of user equipment 96 may be controlled, the following discussion will be made. Figure 7 and Figure 8 . Figure 7 User equipment 140A, which may include electronic device 10, is shown communicatively coupled to a wireless communication network via base station 142A. Figure 7 Also included are buildings 144, 146, which may be structures such as houses, apartment buildings, offices, other forms or residential or commercial buildings, or industrial buildings. In other words, each of the buildings 144, 146 may be a permanent structure.

[0056] More specifically, Figure 7A scenario is shown in which user equipment 140A is located outdoors and is communicatively coupled to a base station (i.e., base station 142A) that is also located outdoors. As used herein, the terms "outdoor" and "indoor" may have different meanings depending on regulations associated with a particular jurisdiction. For example, a location that is considered "indoor" in some jurisdictions may be considered "outdoor" in another jurisdiction. For example, a location covered by a temporary structure that is open to the outside (e.g., a covering that does not include walls, such as an awning extending from a building) may be considered indoor in one jurisdiction and outdoor in another jurisdiction. This means that "outdoors" generally includes uncovered environments located outside of buildings (such as buildings 144, 146, houses, other residential buildings, commercial buildings, industrial buildings, or any other type of building). In contrast, "indoors" generally includes environments located inside permanent structures (such as buildings 144, 146). Environments that fall outside these descriptions may be characterized according to the rules and regulations of the jurisdiction (e.g., country, union, continent) that includes such environments. Additionally, the terms "indoor" and "outdoor" may refer to characteristics (including physical characteristics) of a base station (e.g., 142A, 142B, collectively 142). For example, in some jurisdictions, the manner in which certain components or circuitry included in a base station are packaged, protected (e.g., protected by a lock), or powered (e.g., battery-powered, as opposed to powered by an electrical outlet or other grid-based power source) may determine whether a particular base station is "indoors" or "outdoors," regardless of where the particular base station is physically located. For example, in some jurisdictions, a base station 142 may be considered indoors if it is not battery-powered or weatherproof. All of the foregoing indicates that a base station 142 may be configured to be indoors or outdoors based on parameters (e.g., configuration data) set by an installer or manufacturer for the base station 142. Thus, there may be situations in which the value to which a parameter is set (e.g., indoors or outdoors) is what determines whether the base station 142 is indoors or outdoors. Thus, as used herein, a base station “deployed outdoors” (e.g., 142A) may refer to base station 142A having parameters set to indicate that it is outdoors, and a base station “deployed indoors” (e.g., 142B) may refer to base station 142B having parameters set to indicate that it is indoors.

[0057] As discussed above, when operating on an unlicensed spectrum, the user equipment 140A is typically permitted to use a lower maximum transmit power when the user equipment 140A is located outdoors than when the user equipment 140A is located indoors. One particular reason for this is that, because when the user equipment 140A is indoors, the signal transmitted by the user equipment 140A may pass through walls or other interfering materials that the signal would not otherwise pass through when the user equipment 140A is located indoors. That is, when operating on an unlicensed spectrum, in order for the signal transmitted by the user equipment 140A to reach a base station located indoors (e.g., Figure 8 In the example of FIG. 1 , the transmitter (or transceiver) of the user equipment 140A may utilize a higher transmit power to better enable the signal to be transmitted through the walls of the building to reach the base station 142B.

[0058] For example, in Figure 8 140B and 140C are communicatively coupled to a base station 142B deployed indoors (e.g., inside a building 144). User equipment 140B and user equipment 140C may include electronic device 10. Like base station 142B, user equipment 140C is located indoors (e.g., inside building 144). As noted above, in the case of operating on an unlicensed spectrum, regulations generally permit user equipment 140 (e.g., user equipment 140A, 140B, 140C) to utilize relatively higher transmit power when indoors compared to devices located outdoors. Thus, when operating on an unlicensed spectrum, user equipment 140C can utilize relatively higher transmit power to communicate with base station 142B and still operate in accordance with rules or regulations specific to the geographic location of user equipment 140C.

[0059] However, in some cases, user equipment 140B located outdoors may also communicate with base station 142B using the same (indoor) maximum transmit power as user equipment 140C (e.g., instead of using a lower outdoor) maximum transmit power). A more specific example of this situation may be when user equipment 140 located outdoors (e.g., despite being coupled to an indoor base station) should be transmitting data using VLP, but user equipment 140 utilizes LPI to transmit data. Thus, there are situations where user equipment (e.g., 140B) may be operating at a transmit power higher than the maximum transmit power permitted for use in the area in which the user equipment is geographically located (e.g., outdoors). As described below with respect to Figures 9 to 11 As described, several techniques (e.g., processes) may be employed to cause a user equipment (e.g., 140B) to comply with regulations when operating in an unlicensed band, even when the user equipment 140B is located outdoors and the base station (e.g., 142B) to which the user equipment 140B is coupled is deployed indoors.

[0060] Figure 9 FIG1 is a flow chart of a process 170 that may be employed by a base station (e.g., 142A, 142B, collectively 142) to control the transmit power utilized by user equipment (e.g., 140A, 140B, 140C, collectively 140), according to embodiments of the present disclosure, with the transmit power initially defaulted to assume the user equipment is indoors when the base station is indoors. Any suitable device (e.g., a controller) that can control components of base station 142 (such as processor 12) may perform process 170. In some embodiments, process 170 may be implemented by using processor 12 to execute instructions stored in a tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium, such as memory 14 or storage device 16. For example, process 170 may be performed, at least in part, by one or more software components (e.g., an operating system of one or more of base stations 142, one or more software applications of base station 142, etc.). Furthermore, while process 170 is described using a particular order of steps, it should be understood that the present disclosure contemplates that the steps may be performed in an order different from that shown, and that some of the steps may be skipped or not performed in full.

[0061] At decision block 172, processor 12 (e.g., including processor 12) determines whether base station 142 is deployed indoors or outdoors. To make this determination, processor 12 may examine one or more values ​​stored in memory 14 or storage device 16 that indicate whether base station 142 is an outdoor base station or an indoor base station. For example, at setup time (e.g., when a technician or engineer initializes or resets base station 142), one or more bit values ​​may be stored (e.g., stored in memory 14 or storage device 16) that indicate whether base station 142 has been configured as an indoor space base station or an outdoor base station. Thus, processor 12 may determine whether base station 142 is deployed indoors or outdoors based on this value. Furthermore, it should be noted that the operations described above with respect to decision block 172 may be initiated in response to user equipment 140 attempting to establish or successfully establishing a wireless connection to base station 142 including processor 12.

[0062] If, at decision block 172, the processor determines that base station 142 is deployed outdoors, then at process block 174, processor 12 causes user equipment 140 to be configured with low transmit power. Specifically, processor 12 may cause base station 142 to send an instruction (e.g., a radio resource control (RRC) connection reconfiguration message, a medium access control (MAC) control element (MAC-CE), etc.) to user equipment 140 to reconfigure transmitter 52 of user equipment 140 to transmit at low transmit power. More specifically, the instruction may indicate one or more maximum transmit power values ​​(e.g., maximum EIRP, maximum EIRP density, or both) that transmitter 52 of user equipment 140 may utilize to transmit data.

[0063] As noted above, different geographic locations may have different regulations including different maximum transmit power values. When executing process block 174, the maximum transmit power value that the user equipment 140 may be configured to use may include one or more of the values ​​discussed above with respect to Table 1 (e.g., maximum EIRP, maximum EIRP density, or both), which may correspond to Figure 6 , or both. For example, if the base station 142 executing process block 174 is located in the United States, the instructions transmitted by the base station 142 may indicate one or more subbands of frequency band 104 (e.g., one or more of U-NII-5, U-NII-6, U-NII-7, and U-NII-8) that the transmitter 52 of the user equipment 140 should use to transmit signals, as well as one or more maximum transmit power values ​​(e.g., according to Table 1). The maximum transmit power value may include an EIRP value that can be achieved using automatic frequency control (AFC), such as 21 dBm, which may be lower than another EIRP value that can be used in other situations (e.g., when both the user equipment 140 and the base station 142 are indoors, as discussed below). The maximum transmit power value may also include a maximum EIRP density value that may be lower than a different EIRP density value that is utilized when both the user equipment 140 and the base station 142 are indoors.

[0064] As examples involving other jurisdictions, in Brazil, South Korea, and the European Union (and CEPT member states), instructions transmitted by the base station 142 may indicate which sub-bands 104, 106, 108 of the frequency band are to be used, respectively. Furthermore, these instructions may indicate that a VLP setting should be used. Thus, a maximum EIRP value associated with a geographic location (e.g., a country, union, or continent), a maximum EIRP density value associated with the geographic location, or both may also be indicated by instructions sent by the base station 142 to the user equipment 140.

[0065] However, if at decision block 172 the processor determines that base station 142 is deployed indoors, then at decision block 176 the processor 12 determines whether the user equipment 140 supports outdoor detection. In other words, the processor 12 determines whether the user equipment 140 is configured or otherwise capable of determining whether the user equipment 140 is located outdoors. When the user equipment 140 attempts to establish communication with the base station 142, the processor 12 may determine whether the user equipment 140 supports outdoor detection based on data received by the processor 12 from the user equipment 140. In other words, the processor 12 may receive an indication of whether the user equipment 140 supports outdoor detection (or data indicating whether the user equipment 140 supports outdoor detection). For example, the user equipment 140 may transmit data indicating what type of device the user equipment 140 is (e.g., a particular model of phone or tablet or other electronic device). In some embodiments, storage device 16 may include data indicating whether such a device supports outdoor detection (or one or more capabilities, such as Global Positioning System (GPS), Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR), ambient light detection, temperature sensors, etc.), and processor 12 may utilize this data to determine whether outdoor detection is supported by user equipment 140. In response to determining that user equipment 140 does not support outdoor detection, at process block 174, processor 12 causes user equipment 140 to be configured with a low transmit power.

[0066] If, on the other hand, the processor 12 determines at decision block 176 that the user equipment 140 supports outdoor detection, then at process block 178, the processor 12 initially defaults to causing the user equipment 140 to be configured to transmit data using one or more maximum power values ​​greater than the maximum power values ​​discussed above with respect to process block 174. For example, in Brazil, South Korea, and the European Union (and CEPT member countries), the base station 142 may transmit instructions indicating that the transmitter 52 of the user equipment 140 should be configured to utilize a maximum EIRP value, a maximum EIRP density value, or both according to the LPI defined in these jurisdictions. For another example, in the case of the United States, the instructions may indicate an EIRP value greater than 21 dBm, an EIRP density value greater than -1 dBm / MHz, or both. In any case, it should also be noted that the instructions may indicate a frequency or frequency range (e.g., a sub-band or channel) of the frequency band 102 that the user equipment 140 should utilize when transmitting data.

[0067] At process block 180, processor 12 receives an indication of the location of user equipment 140. More specifically, processor 12 receives (e.g., from user equipment 140) data indicating whether user equipment 140 is located indoors or outdoors. For example, user equipment 140 may determine (as described below with respect to Figure 11 246 of the decision block 246) determines whether the user equipment 140 is located indoors or outdoors and provides an indication of such determination to the processor 12 of the base station 142.

[0068] Based on the received indication, processor 12 determines whether user equipment 140 is located indoors or outdoors at decision block 182. Upon determining that user equipment 140 is outdoors, processor 12 causes user equipment 140 to be configured with a low transmit power at process block 174.

[0069] However, if at decision block 182, processor 12 determines that user equipment 140 is located indoors, then at process block 184, processor 12 may cause user equipment 140 to maintain the ability to transmit data at high power. In one embodiment, to perform process block 184, processor 12 may take no action in response to determining that the user equipment is located indoors. Thus, process 170 enables base station 142 to control one or more maximum transmit power levels (e.g., EIRP values, EIRP density values, or both), frequency ranges, or both, utilized by transmitter 52 of user equipment 140 to enable user equipment 140 to comply with local rules and regulations. For example, if base station 142 is outdoors, user equipment 140 is outdoors, user equipment 140 does not support outdoor detection, or any combination thereof, base station 142 may cause user equipment 140 to utilize a relatively low maximum transmit power value. Conversely, if both base station 142 and user equipment 140 are indoors, base station 142 may enable user equipment 140 to be configured to utilize a relatively large maximum transmit power value.

[0070] Continuing with the attached picture, Figure 10 FIG2 is a flow diagram of another process, process 200, that base station 142 may perform to control the transmit power of transmitter 52 of user equipment 140, according to embodiments of the present disclosure. Any suitable device (e.g., a controller) that may control a component of base station 142, such as processor 12, may perform process 200. In some embodiments, process 200 may be implemented by using processor 12 to execute instructions stored in a tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium, such as memory 14 or storage 16. For example, process 200 may be performed, at least in part, by one or more software components, such as an operating system of one or more of base stations 142, one or more software applications of base station 142, or the like. Furthermore, while process 200 is described using a particular order of steps, it should be understood that the present disclosure contemplates that the steps may be performed in an order different from that shown, and that certain steps may be skipped or not performed in their entirety.

[0071] At decision block 202, the processor 12 determines whether the base station 142 is deployed indoors or outdoors. The processor 12 may be associated with the above description of Figure 9This determination is made in the same manner as discussed above with respect to decision block 172 of process 170. If, at decision block 202, processor 12 determines that base station 142 is deployed outdoors, then at process block 204, processor 12 causes user equipment 140 to be configured with a low transmit power, as described above with respect to Figure 9 170 is discussed at process block 174 of process 170 .

[0072] However, if at decision block 202 the processor 12 determines that the base station 142 is deployed indoors, then at decision block 206 the processor 12 determines whether the user equipment 140 supports outdoor detection. The processor 12 may be similar to the one described above with respect to Figure 9 This determination is made in the same manner discussed with respect to decision block 176 of process 170. In response to determining that the user equipment 140 does not support outdoor detection, at process block 204, the processor 12 causes the transmitter 52 of the user equipment 140 to be configured with a low transmit power.

[0073] If, on the other hand, at decision block 206, the processor 12 determines that the user equipment 140 supports outdoor detection, then at process block 208, the processor 12 receives an indication of the location of the user equipment 140. For example, as described above with respect to Figure 9 As discussed at process block 180 of process 170 , processor 12 may receive data from user equipment 140 indicating whether user equipment 140 is located indoors or outdoors.

[0074] Based on the received indication, at decision block 210, the processor 12 determines whether the user equipment 140 is located indoors or outdoors. Upon determining that the user equipment 140 is outdoors, at process block 204, the processor 12 causes the transmitter 52 of the user equipment 140 to be configured with a low transmit power. Specifically, the processor 12 may cause the transmitter 52 of the user equipment 140 to be configured to use one or more of the following parameters: Figure 9 The base station 142 may transmit data at a maximum power value that is less than the maximum power value discussed at process block 174 of process 170. Thus, the base station 142 may perform process 200 to control one or more maximum transmit power levels (e.g., EIRP values, EIRP density values, or both), frequency ranges, or both utilized by the transmitter 52 of the user equipment 140 to enable the user equipment 140 to comply with local rules and regulations.

[0075] However, in response to determining that the user equipment 140 is indoors, at process block 212, the processor 12 causes the transmitter 52 of the user equipment 140 to be configured to use one or more of the following parameters: Figure 9The base station 142 may transmit data at a maximum power value greater than the maximum power value discussed at process block 178 of process 170. Thus, the base station 142 may perform process 200 to control one or more maximum transmit power levels (e.g., EIRP values, EIRP density values, or both), frequency ranges, or both utilized by the transmitter 52 of the user equipment 140 to enable the user equipment 140 to comply with local rules and regulations.

[0076] In some embodiments, user equipment 140 may control the transmit power of transmitter 52. In practice, Figure 11 FIG2 is a flow chart of a process 240 that a user equipment 140 (e.g., electronic device 10) may perform to control the transmit power utilized by a transmitter 52 of the user equipment 140, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Any suitable device (e.g., a controller) that can control a component of the user equipment 140, such as the processor 12, may perform the process 240. In some embodiments, the process 240 may be implemented by using the processor 12 to execute instructions stored in a tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium, such as the memory 14 or the storage device 16. For example, the process 240 may be performed at least in part by one or more software components (such as an operating system of the user equipment 140, one or more software applications of the user equipment 140, etc.). Furthermore, while the process 240 is described using a particular order of steps, it should be understood that the present disclosure contemplates that the steps may be performed in an order different from that shown, and that some of the steps may be skipped or not performed in full. Furthermore, before proceeding to discuss the operations included in the process 240, it should be noted that the process 240 may be performed in response to the user equipment 140 attempting to establish or establishing wireless communication with the base station 142.

[0077] At decision block 242, the processor 12 of the user equipment 140 determines or receives an indication of whether the base station 142 is deployed indoors or outdoors. Based on instructions received from the base station 142 indicating one or more maximum transmit power values ​​(e.g., maximum EIRP, maximum EIRP density, or both) that the transmitter 52 of the user equipment 140 may utilize when transmitting data utilizing the unlicensed frequency band, the processor 12 of the user equipment 140 may determine whether the base station 142 is deployed indoors or outdoors. These maximum transmit power values ​​may be considered "original," "initial," or "default" transmit powers (e.g., the first maximum transmit power that the transmitter 52 of the user equipment 140 may utilize after being communicatively coupled to the base station 142). The instructions themselves may indicate whether the base station 142 is deployed indoors or outdoors, as the maximum transmit power indicated by the instructions may indicate whether the base station 142 is deployed indoors or outdoors. In other words, a specific maximum transmit power value may be used based on the location of the base station 142 (e.g., indoor or outdoor deployment, geographic location, or both). For example, when base station 142 is deployed indoors, the "default" maximum transmit power may be a relatively higher value or range or value than a different maximum transmit power that a different base station 142 deployed outdoors would instruct user equipment 140 to use. Furthermore, the memory 14 or storage device 16 of user equipment 140 may include data (e.g., one or more lookup tables) indicating the values ​​of the "default" maximum transmit power values ​​and, for each of the "default" maximum transmit power values, indicating whether the value is associated with an indoor or outdoor deployment of base station 142. The lookup table may also indicate one or more geographic regions (e.g., a country or group of countries) associated with a particular value. Thus, the processor 12 of user equipment 140 may utilize one or more lookup tables to determine whether the maximum transmit power indicated by an instruction received from base station 142 is associated with an indoor or outdoor deployment of base station 142, in order to determine whether base station 142 is deployed indoors or outdoors.

[0078] In response to determining or receiving an indication that the base station 142 is deployed outdoors, at process block 244, the processor 12 of the user equipment 140 may configure the transmitter 52 of the user equipment 140 to operate at low power. Specifically, the processor 12 of the user equipment 140 may limit or reduce the maximum transmit power of the transmitter 52. For example, the processor 12 may reduce or limit the maximum transmit power of the transmitter 52 by causing the transmitter 52 to switch from using a "default" maximum transmit power to using a different maximum transmit power that is less than the "default" maximum transmit power. In some embodiments, the processor 12 may cause the transmitter 52 of the user equipment 140 to be configured to use one or more of the following maximum transmit powers: Figure 9The user equipment 140 may transmit data at a maximum power value that is less than the maximum power value discussed at process block 174 of process 170. Thus, the user equipment 140 may perform process 200 to control one or more maximum transmit power levels (e.g., EIRP values, EIRP density values, or both), frequency ranges, or both, utilized by the transmitter 52 of the user equipment 140 to enable the user equipment 140 to comply with local rules and regulations.

[0079] In an additional or alternative embodiment, the processor 12 of the user equipment 140 may limit the maximum transmit power of the transmitter 52 of the user equipment 140 in accordance with the Power Management Maximum Power Reduction (P-MPR) framework described in the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) Technical Specification (TS) 136 101 V10.24.1 (also known as 3GPP TS 36.101 Version 10.24.1). For another example, the user processor 12 may limit the maximum transmit power of the transmitter 52 of the user equipment 140 to use P-Max according to the Maximum Power (P-Max) framework described in 3GPP TS 36.101 and 3GPP TS 36.331 (entitled "Requirements for support of radio resource management"). For another example, the processor 12 changes the power level that may be defined in executable instructions (e.g., algorithms) executable by the processor 12 stored in the memory 14 or storage device 16. For example, the instructions of the algorithm may define several different maximum transmit power values ​​(e.g., several power levels) that the transmitter 52 may use. The processor 12 may limit the maximum transmit power of the transmitter 52 of the user equipment 140 by executing the instructions to cause the maximum transmit power to be changed from one value to a lower value. In other words, the processor 12 may cause the transmitter 52 to switch from utilizing a higher power level to utilizing a lower power level. Furthermore, it should be noted that when executing process block 244, the processor 12 may also cause the user equipment 140 to indicate to the base station 142 (e.g., by transmitting data) that the maximum transmit power of the user transmitter 52 has been limited or reduced. More specifically, the processor 12 may cause the user equipment 140 to indicate to the base station 142 that the maximum transmit power of the transmitter 52 has been limited or reduced using RRC signaling (described in 3GPP TS 38.331 entitled “Radio Resource Control (RRC); Protocol Specification”), MAC-CE (e.g., using a MAC header bit or an extension of the power headroom framework), or the physical layer (PHY) of the transmitted data (e.g., using a bit in the physical layer as a feedback bit to indicate that the user equipment 140 has modified the maximum transmit power).

[0080] However, if, at decision block 242, the processor 12 of the user equipment 140 determines that the base station is deployed indoors, then at decision block 246, the processor 12 may determine whether the user equipment 140 is located indoors or outdoors. To make this determination, the user equipment 140 may utilize, as non-limiting examples, GPS, LiDAR, indoor positioning beacons, or a combination thereof. For example, the processor 12 may compare the reception level of the GPS signal with a threshold to determine whether the user equipment 140 is indoors. In this example, when the reception level of the GPS signal is below the threshold, the processor 12 may determine that the user equipment 140 is located indoors. In another example, the user equipment 140 may determine that the GPS location of the user equipment 140 corresponds to a structure (e.g., a building) and assume that the user equipment 140 is located indoors. As another example, the processor 12 may utilize LiDAR data collected by sensors of the user equipment 140 to determine whether the user equipment 140 is located indoors or outdoors. For example, the LiDAR data may indicate the presence of walls or other structural elements included in a building. When the LiDAR data indicates the presence of a wall or other structural element included in a building, the processor 12 may determine that the user equipment 140 is located indoors. When the LiDAR data indicates the absence of a wall or other structural element included in a building, the processor 12 may determine that the user equipment 140 is outdoors. For another example, when the processor 12 detects the presence of an indoor positioning beacon, the processor 12 may determine that the user equipment 140 is indoors. Conversely, when the processor 12 determines that there is no indoor positioning beacon, the processor 12 may determine that the user equipment 140 is outdoors.

[0081] In response to determining that the user equipment 140 is outdoors, the processor 12 may cause the maximum transmit power available to the transmitter 52 of the user equipment 140 to be limited or reduced, as discussed above with respect to process block 244. Conversely, if at decision block 246 the processor 12 determines that the user equipment 140 is indoors, then at process block 248 the processor 12 may configure or maintain the transmitter 52 of the user equipment 140 to operate at high power. Specifically, the processor 12 may cause the transmitter 52 of the user equipment 140 to utilize available transmit power. For example, as noted above, the instructions sent by the base station 142 indicate one or more maximum transmit power values ​​(e.g., maximum EIRP, maximum EIRP density, or both) that the transmitter 52 of the user equipment 140 may utilize to transmit data. In some cases, the base station 142 may transmit a selected maximum transmit power value based on the location of the base station 142 (e.g., indoor or outdoor deployment, geographic location, or both), which may cause the transmitter 52 of the user equipment 140 to be configured to utilize a "default" maximum transmit power (which may correspond to one or more "default" transmit power values ​​included or indicated in instructions sent by the base station 142). In other words, the transmitter 52 of the user equipment 140 may initially be configured to utilize the "default" transmit power value indicated by the instructions received from the base station 142. However, when the processor 12 executes process block 248, the processor 12 may refrain from taking action and allow the transmitter 52 to continue to be configured to transmit data according to the "default" transmit power. Thus, by utilizing process 240, the user equipment 140 may control the transmit power of the transmitter 52 to maintain compliance with rules and regulations associated with different geographic locations (e.g., a country or group of countries).

[0082] Thus, the techniques described herein enable electronic devices to transmit data in an unlicensed frequency range in accordance with regulations associated with the geographic location that the electronic device is located in. More specifically, as discussed above, base stations and user equipment may implement techniques that enable control of the power of a transmitter of the user equipment to operate in accordance with local rules or regulations, such as those relating to permissible transmit power levels based on whether the base station and / or user equipment is indoors or outdoors.

[0083] The above specific embodiments have been shown by way of example, and it should be understood that these embodiments are susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms. It should also be understood that the claims are not intended to be limited to the specific forms disclosed, but are intended to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives that fall within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

[0084] It is understood that the use of personally identifiable information should be subject to privacy policies and practices that are generally recognized to meet or exceed industry or government requirements for maintaining user privacy. Specifically, personally identifiable information data should be managed and processed to minimize the risk of unintentional or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of authorized use should be clearly stated to users.

[0085] The technology described and claimed herein is cited and applied to specific examples of a tangible and practical nature that significantly advance the art and is therefore not abstract, intangible, or purely theoretical. Furthermore, if any claim appended to the end of this specification contains one or more elements designated as "means for [performing] [the function]..." or "a step for [performing] [the function]...", then those elements will be construed under 35 U.S.C. § 112(f). However, for any claim containing elements designated in any other manner, those elements will not be construed under 35 U.S.C. § 112(f).

Claims

1. A base station configured to be deployed indoors, comprising: a transceiver configured to transmit and receive data; as well as a processing circuit communicatively coupled to the transceiver and configured to: receiving, using the transceiver, from user equipment a first indication of whether the user equipment is configured to detect whether the user equipment is located inside or outside a building, and Based on the user equipment being configured to detect whether the user equipment is located inside or outside the building: receiving, using the transceiver, a second indication from the user equipment, the second indication indicating whether the user equipment is located inside or outside the building, Based on the user equipment being located outside, using the transceiver to send a first instruction to the user equipment to transmit data using a first transmission power, and Based on the user equipment being located inside the building, a second instruction is sent to the user equipment using the transceiver to transmit data using a second transmission power greater than the first transmission power.

2. The base station of claim 1 , wherein the processing circuit is configured to, based on the user equipment not being configured to detect whether the user equipment is located inside or outside the building, send a third instruction to the user equipment using the transceiver to transmit data using the first transmit power.

3. The base station of claim 1, wherein the user equipment is configured to transmit data using a frequency ranging from 5.925 GHz to 7.125 GHz. The base station according to claim 1 , wherein The first transmit power corresponds to a first maximum effective isotropic radiated power (EIRP) value, a first maximum EIRP density value, or both, and The second transmit power corresponds to a second maximum EIRP value, a second maximum EIRP density value, or both.

5. The base station according to claim 4, wherein The first transmit power corresponds to a first maximum EIRP density value, and The second transmit power corresponds to a second maximum EIRP density value. 6 . The base station of claim 5 , wherein the first maximum EIRP density value is less than or equal to −1 dBm / Megahertz (MHz), and the second maximum EIRP density value is less than or equal to 17 dBm / MHz.

7. The base station according to claim 4, wherein The first transmit power corresponds to the first maximum EIRP value and the first maximum EIRP density value, and The second transmit power corresponds to the second maximum EIRP value and the second maximum EIRP density value.

8. The base station of claim 7, wherein the first maximum EIRP value is greater than or equal to 21 decibel milliwatts (dBm) and less than or equal to 24 dBm, and the second maximum EIRP value is greater than 24 dBm and less than or equal to 30 dBm.

9. A computer-implemented method comprising: sending a first indication from a transmitter of a user equipment to a base station configured to be deployed indoors, the first indication indicating that the user equipment is configured to detect whether the user equipment is located indoors or outdoors; as well as Based on the first instruction: sending, from the transmitter to the base station, a second indication indicating whether the user equipment is located indoors or outdoors; receiving, at a receiver of the user equipment, a first instruction from the base station based on the second indication indicating that the user equipment is located outdoors, the first instruction instructing the user equipment to transmit data at a first transmission power; receiving, at the receiver of the user equipment, a second instruction from the base station based on the second indication indicating that the user equipment is located indoors, the second instruction instructing the user equipment to transmit data at a second transmit power greater than the first transmit power; as well as The transmitter of the user equipment is configured, using at least one processor of the user equipment, to transmit data based on the first transmit power of the first indication or based on the second transmit power of the second indication.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, comprising: receiving, at the receiver, from the base station, a third indication that the base station is located indoors; and The first indication is sent from the transmitter of the user equipment based on a third indication that the base station is located indoors.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the first transmit power, the second transmit power, or both are based on a geographic location of the user equipment.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, comprising, after sending the first indication, receiving the first instruction from the base station based on the first indication indicating that the user equipment is not configured to detect whether the user equipment is located indoors or outdoors.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a processing circuit, cause the processing circuit to: receiving, from user equipment, a first indication of whether the user equipment is configured to detect whether the user equipment is located inside a building or outside the building; as well as Based on the first instruction: receiving a second indication from the user equipment of whether the user equipment is located inside or outside the building; sending a first instruction to the user equipment to transmit data using a first transmit power based on the second indication that the user equipment is located outside the building; as well as Based on the second indication that the user equipment is located inside the building, a second instruction is sent to the user equipment to transmit data using a second transmit power greater than the first transmit power.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the processing circuit to send a third instruction to the user equipment to transmit the first indication based on a base station deployed inside the building.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the base station comprises the non-transitory computer-readable medium, the processing circuit, or both.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the processing circuit to send the first instruction to the user equipment to transmit data using the first transmit power based on the base station deployed inside the building and the first indication indicating that the user equipment is not configured to determine whether the user equipment is located inside or outside the building.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the user equipment to be configured to transmit data using a frequency ranging from 5.925 gigahertz to 7.125 gigahertz.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the first transmit power and the second transmit power are based on a geographic location of the user equipment.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the first transmit power corresponds to a first maximum effective isotropically radiated power (EIRP) value greater than or equal to 21 decibel milliwatts (dBm) and less than or equal to 24 dBm, and the second transmit power corresponds to a second maximum EIRP value greater than 24 dBm and less than or equal to 30 dBm.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the first transmit power corresponds to a first maximum EIRP density value less than or equal to -1 dBm / Megahertz (MHz), and the second transmit power corresponds to a second maximum EIRP density value less than or equal to 17 dBm / MHz.

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