Signaling for reconfigurable smart surface (RIS) with sparse metal element array

Abstract

Techniques for wireless communication are disclosed. In an aspect, a wireless node may obtain capability information indicating one or more meta-element array arrangements supported by a reconfigurable smart surface (RIS), the one or more meta-element array arrangements including at least one or more sparse meta-element arrays. The wireless node may select a meta-element arrangement of the one or more meta-element arrangements based on one or more characteristics of the one or more meta-element arrangements and one or more conditions set forth for a positioning procedure. The wireless node may transmit configuration information to the RIS, the configuration information configuring the RIS based on a selected one of the one or more meta-element arrangements.

Description

Background Technology 1. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] All aspects of this disclosure relate to wireless communications.

[0003] 2. DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART

[0004] Wireless communication systems have evolved through many generations, including first-generation analog radiotelephone service (1G), second-generation (2G) digital radiotelephone service (including transitional 2.5G and 2.75G networks), third-generation (3G) high-speed data, wireless services with internet capabilities, and fourth-generation (4G) services (e.g., Long Term Evolution (LTE) or WiMax). Currently, many different types of wireless communication systems are in use, including cellular systems and Personal Communication Services (PCS) systems. Known examples of cellular systems include cellular analog Advanced Mobile Phone Systems (AMPS), as well as digital cellular systems based on Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), and others.

[0005] The fifth-generation (5G) wireless standard, known as New Radio (NR), delivers higher data transfer speeds, more connections, better coverage, and other improvements. According to the Next Generation Mobile Networks Alliance (NGC), the 5G standard is designed to provide higher data rates, more accurate positioning (e.g., based on Positioning Reference Signals (RS-P), such as downlink, uplink, or sidelink Positioning Reference Signals (PRS)), and other technological enhancements compared to previous standards. These enhancements, along with the use of higher frequency bands, advancements in the PRS process and technology, and the high-density deployment of 5G, enable high-accuracy positioning based on 5G. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The following is a simplified summary of the invention relating to one or more aspects disclosed herein. Therefore, this summary should not be considered an exhaustive overview relating to all conceived aspects, nor should it be considered to identify key or decisive elements relating to all conceived aspects or to depict the scope associated with any particular aspect. Thus, the sole purpose of this summary is to present, in a simplified form, certain concepts relating to one or more aspects involving the mechanisms disclosed herein, prior to the detailed description presented below.

[0007] In one aspect, a method of operating a wireless node includes: obtaining capability information indicating one or more element array arrangements supported by a reconfigurable smart surface (RIS), the one or more element array arrangements including at least one or more sparse element arrays; selecting one element arrangement from the one or more element arrangements based on one or more characteristics of the one or more element arrangements and one or more conditions described for a positioning process; and transmitting configuration information to the RIS, the configuration information configuring the RIS based on the selected element arrangement from the one or more element arrangements.

[0008] In one aspect, a method of operating a reconfigurable smart surface (RIS) includes: providing a wireless node with capability information indicating one or more element array arrangements supported by the RIS, the one or more element array arrangements including at least one or more sparse element arrays; receiving configuration information from the wireless node, the configuration information configuring the RIS based on a selected element arrangement of the one or more element arrangements; and configuring the RIS based on the configuration information.

[0009] In one aspect, a wireless node includes: one or more memories; one or more transceivers; and one or more processors communicatively coupled to the one or more memories and the one or more transceivers, the one or more processors being individually or in combination configured to: obtain capability information indicating an arrangement of one or more element arrays supported by a reconfigurable smart surface (RIS), the one or more element arrays including at least one or more sparse element arrays; select one element arrangement from the one or more element arrangements based on one or more characteristics of the one or more element arrangements and one or more conditions described for a positioning process; and transmit configuration information to the RIS via the one or more transceivers, the configuration information configuring the RIS based on the selected element arrangement from the one or more element arrangements.

[0010] In one aspect, a reconfigurable smart surface (RIS) includes: one or more memories; one or more transceivers; and one or more processors communicatively coupled to the one or more memories and the one or more transceivers, the one or more processors being individually or in combination configured to: provide a wireless node with capability information indicating one or more element array arrangements supported by the RIS, the one or more element array arrangements including at least one or more sparse element arrays; receive configuration information from the wireless node via the one or more transceivers, the configuration information configuring the RIS based on a selected element arrangement of the one or more element arrangements; and configure the RIS based on the configuration information.

[0011] In one aspect, a wireless node includes: means for obtaining capability information indicating one or more element array arrangements supported by a reconfigurable smart surface (RIS), the one or more element array arrangements including at least one or more sparse element arrays; means for selecting one element arrangement from the one or more element arrangements based on one or more characteristics of the one or more element arrangements and one or more conditions described for a positioning process; and means for transmitting configuration information to the RIS, the configuration information configuring the RIS based on the selected element arrangement from the one or more element arrangements.

[0012] In one aspect, a reconfigurable smart surface (RIS) includes: means for providing a wireless node with capability information indicating one or more element array arrangements supported by the RIS, the one or more element array arrangements including at least one or more sparse element arrays; means for receiving configuration information from the wireless node, the configuration information configuring the RIS based on a selected element arrangement of the one or more element arrangements; and means for configuring the RIS based on the configuration information.

[0013] In one aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium stores computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a wireless node, cause the wireless node to: obtain capability information indicating an arrangement of one or more element arrays supported by a reconfigurable smart surface (RIS), the one or more element arrays comprising at least one or more sparse element arrays; select one element arrangement from the one or more element arrangements based on one or more characteristics of the one or more element arrangements and one or more conditions set forth for a positioning process; and transmit configuration information to the RIS, the configuration information configuring the RIS based on the selected element arrangement from the one or more element arrangements.

[0014] In one aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium stores computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a reconfigurable smart surface (RIS), cause the RIS to: provide a wireless node with capability information indicating one or more element array arrangements supported by the RIS, the one or more element array arrangements including at least one or more sparse element arrays; receive configuration information from the wireless node, the configuration information configuring the RIS based on a selected element arrangement of the one or more element arrangements; and configure the RIS based on the configuration information.

[0015] Based on the accompanying drawings and detailed description, other objects and advantages associated with the aspects disclosed herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Attached Figure Description

[0016] The accompanying drawings are provided to help describe various aspects of this disclosure, and are provided for illustrative purposes only and not to limit the aspects.

[0017] FIG. 1 Example wireless communication systems according to various aspects of this disclosure are illustrated.

[0018] FIG. 2A , FIG. 2B and FIG. 2C Example wireless network architectures based on various aspects of this disclosure are illustrated.

[0019] FIG. 3A , FIG. 3B and FIG. 3C It is a simplified block diagram of several examples of components that can be used in user equipment (UE), base stations and network entities and configured to support communications as taught herein.

[0020] FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B Different types of radar are illustrated.

[0021] FIG. 5 Example systems for wireless communication using reconfigurable smart surfaces (RIS) are illustrated according to various aspects of this disclosure.

[0022] FIG. 6A to FIG. 6C Various scenarios in which the RIS-assisted localization process is performed according to various aspects of this disclosure are illustrated.

[0023] FIG. 7 This is a diagram illustrating an example architecture of RIS based on various aspects of this disclosure.

[0024] FIG. 8A A general model of beamforming by RIS according to various aspects of this disclosure is illustrated.

[0025] FIG. 8B A far-field model of beamforming performed by RIS according to various aspects of this disclosure is illustrated.

[0026] FIG. 9A An example RIS having elements arranged in a uniform array according to various aspects of this disclosure is illustrated.

[0027] FIG. 9B An example RIS having elements arranged in a sparse array according to various aspects of this disclosure is illustrated.

[0028] FIG. 10A to FIG. 10D The array factor curves of example sparse arrays and two example uniform arrays according to various aspects of this disclosure were compared.

[0029] FIG. 11A This is a diagram illustrating the positioning of antenna elements in an example sparse array according to various aspects of this disclosure.

[0030] FIG. 11B and FIG. 11C This illustrates various aspects according to this disclosure. FIG. 11A The example sparse array is illustrated with differential common array (DCA) and effective DCA.

[0031] FIG. 11D This illustrates various aspects according to this disclosure. FIG. 11A A diagram illustrating the weighting function of the DCA for an example sparse array.

[0032] FIG. 12A to FIG. 12C The diagram illustrates an example minimal redundancy array (MRA) according to various aspects of this disclosure, which is a type of sparse array.

[0033] FIG. 13A to FIG. 13C The diagram illustrates an example nested array based on various aspects of this disclosure, which is another type of sparse array.

[0034] FIG. 14A to FIG. 14C The diagram illustrates an example coprime array based on various aspects of this disclosure, which is yet another type of sparse array.

[0035] FIG. 15 This is a process flowchart illustrating an example of signaling for a RIS with an array of sparse elements according to various aspects of this disclosure.

[0036] FIG. 16A and FIG. 16B This is an illustration of an example two-dimensional sparse array based on various aspects of this disclosure.

[0037] FIG. 17A to FIG. 17D This is a diagram illustrating the antenna gain of sparse arrays and uniform arrays, based on comparative examples of various aspects of this disclosure.

[0038] FIG. 18 Example methods for operating a wireless node (e.g., a gNB) according to various aspects of this disclosure are illustrated.

[0039] FIG. 19 Example methods for operating RIS according to various aspects of this disclosure are illustrated. Detailed Implementation

[0040] Various aspects of this disclosure are provided below in the description and accompanying drawings of various examples provided for illustrative purposes. Alternative aspects may be devised without departing from the scope of this disclosure. Additionally, well-known elements of this disclosure will not be described in detail or will be omitted so as not to obscure the relevant details of this disclosure.

[0041] The various aspects as a whole relate to signaling for reconfigurable smart surfaces (RIS) with sparse element arrays. Some aspects are more specifically related to particular protocol and / or signaling designs to enable RIS beamforming based on sparse element arrays. In some examples, signaling may include a wireless node receiving capability information from the RIS and then the wireless node sending configuration information to the RIS.

[0042] Specific aspects of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented to achieve one or more of the following potential advantages. In some examples, through the specific protocol and / or signaling designs described in this disclosure, the described techniques can be used to implement RIS beamforming based on sparse element arrays, enabling flexible and optimized performance-overhead trade-offs in RIS-based sensing and localization processes.

[0043] The terms “exemplary” and / or “example” are used herein to mean “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any aspect described herein as “exemplary” and / or “example” is not necessarily to be construed as superior to or better than other aspects. Similarly, the term “aspects of this disclosure” does not require that all aspects of this disclosure include the features, advantages, or modes of operation discussed.

[0044] Those skilled in the art will understand that any of a variety of different techniques and methods can be used to represent the information and signals described below. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be mentioned throughout the following description can be represented by voltage, current, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or magnetic particles, light fields or optical particles, or any combination thereof, depending in part on the specific application, in part on the desired design, in part on the corresponding technology, and so on.

[0045] Furthermore, many aspects are described according to a sequence of actions to be performed by elements of, for example, a computing device. It will be appreciated that the various actions described herein can be performed by specific circuitry (e.g., an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC)), by program instructions executed by one or more processors, or by a combination of both. Additionally, the sequence of actions described herein can be considered to be entirely embodied in any form of non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a corresponding set of computer instructions that, when executed, will cause or command the associated processor of the device to perform the functionality described herein. Therefore, various aspects of this disclosure can be embodied in a variety of different forms, all of which are contemplated within the scope of the claimed subject matter. Furthermore, for each aspect described herein, the corresponding form of any such aspect can be described herein as, for example, "logic configured to perform the described actions."

[0046] As used herein, unless otherwise stated, the terms “User Equipment” (UE) and “Base Station” are not intended to be specific or otherwise limited to any particular Radio Access Technology (RAT). Generally, a UE can be any wireless communication device used by a user to communicate over a wireless communication network (e.g., mobile phone, router, tablet computer, laptop computer, consumer asset positioning device, wearable device (e.g., smartwatch, glasses, augmented reality (AR) / virtual reality (VR) headset, etc.), vehicle (e.g., car, motorcycle, bicycle, etc.), Internet of Things (IoT) device, etc.). A UE can be mobile or can (e.g., at certain times) be stationary and can communicate with a Radio Access Network (RAN). As used herein, the term “UE” can be interchangeably referred to as “Access Terminal” or “AT,” “Client Equipment,” “Wireless Equipment,” “Subscriber Equipment,” “Subscriber Terminal,” “Subscriber Station,” “User Terminal” or “UT,” “Mobile Equipment,” “Mobile Terminal,” “Mobile Station,” or variations thereof. Generally, a UE can communicate with a core network via the RAN, and through the core network, a UE can connect to external networks such as the Internet and to other UEs. Of course, other mechanisms for connecting to the core network and / or the Internet are also possible for the UE, such as through wired access networks, wireless local area network (WLAN) networks (e.g., based on the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standard, etc.).

[0047] A base station may operate according to one of several RATs to communicate with the UE, depending on the network in which it is deployed, and may alternatively be referred to as an Access Point (AP), Network Node, Node B, Evolved Node B (eNB), Next Generation eNB (ng-eNB), New Radio (NR) Node B (also referred to as gNB or gNodeB), etc. The base station may primarily be used to support the UE's radio access, including supporting data, voice, and / or signaling connections for the supported UE. In some systems, the base station may only provide edge node signaling functions, while in others, it may provide additional control and / or network management functions. The communication link through which the UE can transmit signals to the base station is called an uplink (UL) channel (e.g., reverse traffic channel, reverse control channel, access channel, etc.). The communication link through which the base station can transmit signals to the UE is called a downlink (DL) or forward link channel (e.g., paging channel, control channel, broadcast channel, forward traffic channel, etc.). As used herein, the term “Traffic Channel (TCH)” may refer to the uplink / reverse traffic channel or the downlink / forward traffic channel.

[0048] The term "base station" can refer to a single physical transmit / receive point (TRP) or multiple physical TRPs that may or may not be co-located. For example, when the term "base station" refers to a single physical TRP, the physical TRP can be the antenna of a base station corresponding to a cell (or several cell sectors) of the base station. When the term "base station" refers to multiple co-located physical TRPs, the physical TRP can be the antenna array of the base station (e.g., as in a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system or where the base station employs beamforming). When the term "base station" refers to multiple non-co-located physical TRPs, the physical TRP can be a distributed antenna system (DAS) (a network of spatially separated antennas connected via a transmission medium to a common source) or a remote radio headend (RRH) (a remote base station connected to a serving base station). Alternatively, a non-co-located physical TRP can be the serving base station from which the UE receives measurement reports and a neighboring base station where the UE is measuring its reference radio frequency (RF) signal. Because, as used herein, a TRP is the point by which a base station transmits and receives radio signals, references to transmitting from or receiving at a base station should be understood to refer to a specific TRP of the base station.

[0049] In some specific implementations supporting UE positioning, the base station may not support the UE's radio access (e.g., it may not support data, voice, and / or signaling connections for the UE), but may instead transmit reference signals to the UE for measurement and / or receive and measure signals transmitted by the UE. Such a base station may be referred to as a positioning beacon (e.g., in the case of transmitting signals to the UE) and / or as a location measurement unit (e.g., in the case of receiving and measuring signals from the UE).

[0050] An “RF signal” refers to an electromagnetic wave of a given frequency that transmits information across the space between a transmitter and a receiver. As used herein, a transmitter may send a single “RF signal” or multiple “RF signals” to a receiver. However, due to the propagation characteristics of RF signals through multipath channels, a receiver may receive multiple “RF signals” corresponding to each transmitted RF signal. The same transmitted RF signal on different paths between the transmitter and receiver may be referred to as a “multipath” RF signal. As used herein, where the context clearly indicates that the term “signal” refers to a wireless signal or RF signal, an RF signal may also be referred to as a “wireless signal” or simply a “signal.”

[0051] FIG. 1An example wireless communication system 100 according to various aspects of this disclosure is illustrated. The wireless communication system 100 (which may also be referred to as a wireless wide area network (WWAN)) may include various base stations 102 (labeled "BS") and various UEs 104. Base station 102 may include macro cell base stations (high-power cellular base stations) and / or small cell base stations (low-power cellular base stations). In one aspect, the macro cell base station may include an eNB and / or an ng-eNB (wherein the wireless communication system 100 corresponds to an LTE network), or a gNB (wherein the wireless communication system 100 corresponds to an NR network), or a combination of both, and the small cell base station may include femtocells, picocells, microcells, etc.

[0052] Base station 102 can collectively form a RAN and interface with core network 170 (e.g., evolved packet core (EPC) or 5G core (5GC)) via backhaul link 122, and interface with one or more location servers 172 (e.g., location management function (LMF) or secure user plane location (SUPL) location platform (SLP)) via core network 170. Location server 172 can be part of core network 170 or can be external to core network 170. Location server 172 can be integrated with base station 102. UE 104 can communicate with location server 172 directly or indirectly. For example, UE 104 can communicate with location server 172 via base station 102 currently serving UE 104. UE 104 can also communicate with location server 172 via another path, such as via application server (not shown), via another network, such as via wireless local area network (WLAN) access point (AP) (e.g., AP 150 described below), etc. For signaling purposes, communication between UE 104 and location server 172 can be represented as an indirect connection (e.g., via core network 170, etc.) or a direct connection (e.g., as shown via direct connection 128), wherein intermediate nodes (if present) are omitted from the signaling diagram for clarity.

[0053] In addition to other functions, base station 102 may perform functions associated with one or more of the following: transmitting user data, radio channel encryption and decryption, integrity protection, header compression, mobility control functions (e.g., handover, dual connectivity), inter-cell interference coordination, connection establishment and release, load balancing, distribution of non-access stratum (NAS) messages, NAS node selection, synchronization, RAN sharing, multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBMS), subscriber and equipment tracking, RAN information management (RIM), paging, location, and delivery of warning messages. Base stations 102 may communicate with each other directly or indirectly (e.g., via EPC / 5GC) on backhaul link 134, which may be wired or wireless.

[0054] Base station 102 can wirelessly communicate with UE 104. Each base station in base station 102 can provide communication coverage for a corresponding geographic coverage area 110. In one aspect, one or more cells can be supported by base station 102 in each geographic coverage area 110. A “cell” is a logical communication entity used to communicate with a base station (e.g., via a frequency resource, which is referred to as a carrier frequency, component carrier, carrier, frequency band, etc.) and can be associated with an identifier (e.g., Physical Cell Identifier (PCI), Enhanced Cell Identifier (ECI), Virtual Cell Identifier (VCI), Cell Global Identifier (CGI), etc.) used to distinguish cells operating via the same or different carrier frequencies. In some cases, different cells can be configured according to different protocol types that can provide access for different types of UEs (e.g., Machine Type Communication (MTC), Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT), Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB), or other protocol types). Because a cell is supported by a specific base station, the term “cell” can refer to either or both of the logical communication entity and the base station supporting the logical communication entity, depending on the context. Furthermore, since the TRP is typically the physical transmission point of a cell, the terms "cell" and "TRP" can be used interchangeably. In some cases, the term "cell" can also refer to the geographical coverage area of ​​a base station (e.g., a sector), as long as the carrier frequency can be detected and used for communication within a portion of the geographical coverage area 110.

[0055] While the geographic coverage areas 110 of adjacent macro cell base stations 102 may partially overlap (e.g., in a handover area), some areas within geographic coverage areas 110 may substantially overlap with larger geographic coverage areas 110. For example, a small cell base station 102' (labeled "SC" for "small cell") may have a geographic coverage area 110' that substantially overlaps with the geographic coverage areas 110 of one or more macro cell base stations 102. A network that includes both small cell base stations and macro cell base stations may be referred to as a heterogeneous network. A heterogeneous network may also include a home eNB (HeNB) that can provide service to a restricted group referred to as a Closed Subscriber Group (CSG).

[0056] The communication link 120 between base station 102 and UE 104 may include uplink (also known as reverse link) transmission from UE 104 to base station 102 and / or downlink (DL) (also known as forward link) transmission from base station 102 to UE 104. The communication link 120 may use MIMO antenna techniques, including spatial multiplexing, beamforming, and / or transmit diversity. The communication link 120 may use one or more carrier frequencies. Carrier allocation may be asymmetric for the downlink and uplink (e.g., more or fewer carriers may be allocated to the downlink compared to the uplink).

[0057] The wireless communication system 100 may also include a WLAN access point (AP) 150 that communicates with a wireless local area network (WLAN) station (STA) 152 via a communication link 154 in unlicensed spectrum (e.g., 5 GHz). When communicating in unlicensed spectrum, the WLAN STA 152 and / or WLAN AP 150 may perform a free channel assessment (CCA) or listen-before-talk (LBT) process before communication to determine whether the channel is available.

[0058] Small cell base station 102' can operate in licensed and / or unlicensed spectrum. When operating in unlicensed spectrum, small cell base station 102' can employ LTE or NR technology and use the same 5GHz unlicensed spectrum as WLAN AP 150. Small cell base station 102' employing LTE / 5G in unlicensed spectrum can improve the coverage and / or increase the capacity of the access network. NR in unlicensed spectrum may be referred to as NR-U. LTE in unlicensed spectrum may be referred to as LTE-U, Licensed Assisted Access (LAA), or MULTEFIRE. ® .

[0059] The wireless communication system 100 may also include a millimeter-wave (mmW) base station 180, which can operate at mmW and / or near-mmW frequencies to communicate with the UE 182. Extremely high frequency (EHF) is a portion of the electromagnetic spectrum that contains radio frequency (RF). EHF has a range of 30 GHz to 300 GHz, with wavelengths between 1 mm and 10 mm. Radio waves in this band are referred to as millimeter waves. Near-mmW extends down to frequencies of 3 GHz with wavelengths of 100 mm. Ultra-high frequency (SHF) bands extend between 3 GHz and 30 GHz, and are also referred to as centimeter waves. Communication using mmW / near-mmW radio bands has high path loss and relatively short range. The mmW base station 180 and the UE 182 can utilize beamforming (transmit and / or receive) on the mmW communication link 184 to compensate for the extremely high path loss and short range. Furthermore, it should be understood that, in alternative configurations, one or more base stations 102 may also use mmW or near-mmW and beamforming for transmission. Therefore, it should be understood that the foregoing examples are merely illustrative and should not be construed as limiting the various aspects disclosed herein.

[0060] Transmit beamforming is a technique used to focus RF signals in a specific direction. Traditionally, when a network node (e.g., a base station) broadcasts an RF signal, it broadcasts the signal in all directions (omnidirectionally). Using transmit beamforming, the network node determines where a given target device (e.g., a UE) is located (relative to the transmitting network node) and projects a stronger downlink RF signal in that specific direction, thus providing the receiving device with a faster and stronger RF signal (in terms of data rate). To change the directivity of the RF signal during transmission, the network node can control the phase and relative amplitude of the RF signal at each of one or more transmitters broadcasting the RF signal. For example, the network node can use an array of antennas (called a "phased array" or "antenna array") that forms an RF beam that can be "manipulated" to be pointed in different directions without actually moving the antennas. Specifically, RF currents from the transmitters are fed to individual antennas with the correct phase relationship, such that radio waves from the individual antennas add up in the desired direction to increase radiation, while canceling out in the undesired direction to suppress radiation.

[0061] Transmit beams can be quasi-co-located, meaning they appear to the receiver (e.g., the UE) as having the same parameters regardless of whether the network node's own transmit antennas are physically co-located. In NR, there are four types of quasi-co-located (QCL) relationships. Specifically, a given type of QCL relationship means that certain parameters of a second reference RF signal on a second beam can be derived based on information about the source reference RF signal on the source beam. Therefore, if the source reference RF signal is QCL type A, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the Doppler shift, Doppler spread, average delay, and delay spread of the second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is QCL type B, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the Doppler shift and Doppler spread of the second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is QCL type C, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the Doppler shift and average delay of the second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is of type QCL D, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the spatial reception parameters of a second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel.

[0062] In receive beamforming, a receiver uses a receive beam to amplify an RF signal detected on a given channel. For example, the receiver may increase the gain setting of an antenna array in a particular direction and / or adjust the phase setting of the antenna array in a particular direction to amplify the RF signal received from that direction (e.g., increase its gain level). Therefore, when a receiver is described as performing beamforming in a certain direction, it means that the beam gain in that direction is high relative to the beam gain along other directions, or that the beam gain in that direction is the highest compared to the beam gain of all other receive beams available to the receiver in that direction. This results in a stronger received signal strength (e.g., reference signal received power (RSRP), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR), etc.) of the RF signal received from that direction.

[0063] The transmit and receive beams can be spatially correlated. Spatial correlation means that parameters for a second beam (e.g., transmit or receive beam) for a second reference signal can be derived based on information about a first beam (e.g., receive or transmit beam) for a first reference signal. For example, a UE can use a specific receive beam to receive a reference downlink reference signal (e.g., a synchronization signal block (SSB)) from a base station. The UE can then form a transmit beam for transmitting an uplink reference signal (e.g., a sounding reference signal (SRS)) to that base station based on the parameters of the receive beam.

[0064] It is important to note that, depending on the entity forming the "downlink" beam, the beam can be either a transmit beam or a receive beam. For example, if the base station is forming a downlink beam to transmit a reference signal to the UE, the downlink beam is a transmit beam. However, if the UE is forming a downlink beam, the downlink beam is a receive beam for receiving the downlink reference signal. Similarly, depending on the entity forming the "uplink" beam, the beam can be either a transmit beam or a receive beam. For example, if the base station is forming an uplink beam, the uplink beam is an uplink receive beam, while if the UE is forming an uplink beam, the uplink beam is an uplink transmit beam.

[0065] The electromagnetic spectrum is typically subdivided into various categories, bands, channels, etc., based on frequency / wavelength. In 5G NR, two initial operating bands have been designated as frequency ranges FR1 (410MHz to 7.125GHz) and FR2 (24.25GHz to 52.6GHz). It should be understood that although a portion of FR1 is greater than 6 GHz, in various documents and articles, FR1 is often (interchangeably) referred to as the "sub-6 GHz" band. A similar naming issue sometimes occurs with FR2, which is often (interchangeably) referred to as the "millimeter wave" band in documents and articles, although this differs from the designation used by the International Telecommunication Union.® Extremely high frequency (EHF) bands (30 GHz to 300 GHz) are designated as “millimeter wave” bands.

[0066] The frequencies between FR1 and FR2 are generally referred to as mid-band frequencies. Recent 5G NR studies have identified the operating bands used for these mid-band frequencies as the frequency range designation FR3 (7.125 GHz to 24.25 GHz). Bands falling within FR3 can inherit FR1 and / or FR2 characteristics, thus effectively extending the features of FR1 and / or FR2 to mid-band frequencies. Furthermore, higher frequency bands are currently being explored to extend 5G NR operation beyond 52.6 GHz. For example, three higher operating frequency bands have been identified as the frequency range designations FR4a or FR4-1 (52.6 GHz to 71 GHz), FR4 (52.6 GHz to 114.25 GHz), and FR5 (114.25 GHz to 300 GHz). Each of these higher frequency bands falls within the EHF band.

[0067] In light of the above, unless otherwise specifically stated, it should be understood that when the term "below 6 GHz" is used herein, it can broadly refer to frequencies that are less than 6 GHz, within FR1, or may include intermediate frequency band frequencies. Furthermore, unless otherwise specifically stated, it should be understood that when the term "millimeter wave" is used herein, it can broadly refer to frequencies that may include intermediate frequency band frequencies, within FR2, FR4, FR4-a or FR4-1 and / or FR5, or within the EHF band.

[0068] In multi-carrier systems such as 5G, one of the carrier frequencies is referred to as the "primary carrier," "anchor carrier," "primary serving cell," or "PCell," and the remaining carrier frequencies are referred to as "secondary carriers," "secondary serving cells," or "SCell." In carrier aggregation, the anchor carrier is the carrier operating on the primary frequency (e.g., FR1) utilized by UE 104 / 182 and the cell, where UE 104 / 182 performs an initial Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection establishment procedure or initiates an RRC connection re-establishment procedure. The primary carrier carries all common and UE-specific control channels and can be a carrier on a licensed frequency (however, this is not always the case). The secondary carrier is a carrier operating on a second frequency (e.g., FR2) that can be configured and used to provide additional radio resources once an RRC connection is established between UE 104 and the anchor carrier. In some cases, the secondary carrier can be a carrier on an unlicensed frequency. Secondary carriers may contain only the necessary signaling information and signals. For example, since the primary uplink and primary downlink carriers are typically UE-specific, the UE-specific signaling information and signals may not be present in the secondary carrier. This means that different UEs 104 / 182 within a cell can have different downlink primary carriers. The same applies to the uplink primary carrier. The network can change the primary carrier of any UE 104 / 182 at any time. This is done, for example, to balance the load on different carriers. Since a "serving cell" (whether PCell or SCell) corresponds to the carrier frequency / component carrier through which a base station communicates, the terms "cell," "serving cell," "component carrier," and "carrier frequency" can be used interchangeably.

[0069] For example, still refer to FIG. 1 One of the frequencies used by the macro cell base station 102 can be an anchor carrier (or "PCell"), and the other frequencies used by the macro cell base station 102 and / or the mmW base station 180 can be secondary carriers ("SCell"). Simultaneous transmission and / or reception on multiple carriers allows the UE 104 / 182 to significantly increase its data transmission and / or data reception rates. For example, compared to the data rate obtained by a single 20MHz carrier, two aggregated 20MHz carriers in a multi-carrier system would theoretically result in a doubling of the data rate (i.e., 40MHz).

[0070] The wireless communication system 100 may also include a UE 164, which can communicate with the macro cell base station 102 via communication link 120 and / or with the mmW base station 180 via mmW communication link 184. For example, the macro cell base station 102 may support PCells and one or more SCells for the UE 164, and the mmW base station 180 may support one or more SCells for the UE 164.

[0071] In some cases, UE 164 and UE 182 may be able to communicate via sidelink. A sidelink-capable UE (SL-UE) can communicate with base station 102 via communication link 120 using the Uu interface (i.e., the air interface between the UE and the base station). SL-UEs (e.g., UE 164, UE 182) can also communicate directly with each other via radio sidelink 160 using the PC5 interface (i.e., the air interface between sidelink-capable UEs). Radio sidelink (or simply "sidelink") is an adaptation of core cellular network (e.g., LTE, NR) standards that allows direct communication between two or more UEs without the need for communication through a base station. Sidelink communication can be unicast or multicast and can be used for device-to-device (D2D) media sharing, vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication (e.g., cellular V2X (cV2X) communication, enhanced V2X (eV2X) communication, emergency rescue applications, etc. One or more SL-UEs in a group of SL-UEs utilizing sidelink communication may be located within the geographical coverage area 110 of base station 102. Other SL-UEs in this group may be outside the geographical coverage area 110 of base station 102, or may be unable to receive transmissions from base station 102 for other reasons. In some cases, the groups of SL-UEs communicating via sidelink communication may utilize a one-to-many (1:M) system, where each SL-UE transmits to every other SL-UE in the group. In some cases, base station 102 facilitates the scheduling of resources used for sidelink communication. In other cases, sidelink communication is performed between the individual SL-UEs without involving base station 102.

[0072] On one hand, the sidelink 160 can operate via a wireless communication medium of interest that can be shared with other vehicles and / or infrastructure access points and other RATs for wireless communication. "Medium" can include one or more time, frequency, and / or space communication resources (e.g., covering one or more channels across one or more carriers) associated with wireless communication between one or more transmitter / receiver pairs. On another hand, the medium of interest may correspond to at least a portion of unlicensed frequency bands shared among various RATs. While different licensed frequency bands have been reserved for certain communication systems (e.g., by government entities such as the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC), these systems (particularly those employing small cell access points) have recently expanded their operation to unlicensed frequency bands such as those used by wireless local area network (WLAN) technologies (most notably the IEEE 802.11x WLAN technology commonly referred to as "Wi-Fi"). Example systems of this type include various variants of CDMA, TDMA, FDMA, orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA), single-carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA), and so on.

[0073] It should be noted that, although FIG. 1 Only two of these UEs are exemplified as SL-UEs (i.e., UE 164 and UE 182), but any UE exemplified can be an SL-UE. Furthermore, although only UE 182 is described as capable of beamforming, any UE exemplified (including UE 164) can be capable of beamforming. When SL-UEs are capable of beamforming, they can beamform towards each other (i.e., towards other SL-UEs), towards other UEs (e.g., UE 104), towards base stations (e.g., base station 102, base station 180, small cell 102', access point 150), etc. Therefore, in some cases, UE 164 and UE 182 can utilize beamforming via sidelink 160.

[0074] exist FIG. 1 In the example, the UE shown (for simplicity, in) FIG. 1Any UE (shown as a single UE 104) can receive signal 124 from one or more Earth-orbiting spacecraft (SV) 112 (e.g., satellites). In one aspect, SV 112 may be part of a satellite positioning system that allows UE 104 to use as an independent source of location information. Satellite positioning systems typically include a system of transmitters (e.g., SV 112) positioned such that a receiver (e.g., UE 104) can determine its location on or above the Earth based at least in part on positioning signals (e.g., signal 124) received from the transmitters. Such transmitters typically transmit signals marked with a set number of repeating pseudo-random noise (PN) codes. While typically located in SV 112, transmitters may sometimes be located at ground-based control stations, base stations 102, and / or other UEs 104. UE 104 may include one or more dedicated receivers specifically designed to receive signal 124 in order to derive geographic location information from SV 112.

[0075] In a satellite positioning system, the use of signal 124 can be enhanced by various satellite-based augmentation systems (SBAS), which may be associated with or otherwise made capable of being used with one or more global and / or regional navigation satellite systems. For example, SBAS may include augmentation systems that provide integrity information, differential correction, etc., such as Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS), European Geosynchronous Navigation Coverage Service (EGNOS), Multifunctional Satellite Augmentation System (MSAS), GPS-assisted Geographic Augmentation Navigation, or GPS and Geographic Augmentation Navigation System (GAGAN). Therefore, as used herein, a satellite positioning system may include any combination of one or more global and / or regional navigation satellites associated with such one or more satellite positioning systems.

[0076] On one hand, SV 112 may additionally or alternatively be part of one or more non-terrestrial networks (NTNs). In an NTN, SV 112 connects to an earth station (also referred to as a ground station, NTN gateway, or gateway), which in turn connects to elements in the 5G network, such as a modified base station 102 (without a ground antenna) or a network node in a 5GC. This element, in turn, provides access to other elements in the 5G network and ultimately to entities outside the 5G network, such as internet web servers and other user equipment. Thus, as a replacement or supplement to communication signals from ground base station 102, UE 104 can receive communication signals (e.g., signal 124) from SV 112.

[0077] The wireless communication system 100 may also include one or more UEs, such as UE 190, which are indirectly connected to one or more communication networks via one or more device-to-device (D2D) peer-to-peer (P2P) links (referred to as "side links"). FIG. 1 In one example, UE 190 has a D2D P2P link 192 with one of UEs 104 connected to one of the base stations in base station 102 (e.g., UE 190 can indirectly obtain cellular connectivity through this D2D P2P link), and has a D2D P2P link 194 with a WLAN STA 152 connected to WLAN AP 150 (UE 190 can indirectly obtain WLAN-based Internet connectivity through this D2D P2P link). In one example, D2D P2P links 192 and 194 can utilize any known D2D RAT (such as LTE Direct (LTE-D), Wi-Fi Direct). ® ,Bluetooth ® (etc.) to support.

[0078] FIG. 2A An example wireless network architecture 200 is illustrated. For instance, the 5GC 210 (also referred to as the Next Generation Core (NGC)) can be functionally viewed as control plane (C-plane) functions 214 (e.g., UE registration, authentication, network access, gateway selection, etc.) and user plane (U-plane) functions 212 (e.g., UE gateway functions, access to data networks, IP routing, etc.), which work together to form the core network. The user plane interface (NG-U) 213 and the control plane interface (NG-C) 215 connect the gNB 222 to the 5GC 210, specifically to user plane functions 212 and control plane functions 214, respectively. In an additional configuration, the ng-eNB 224 can also connect to the 5GC 210 via the NG-C 215 to the control plane function 214 and the NG-U 213 to the user plane function 212. Furthermore, the ng-eNB 224 can communicate directly with the gNB 222 via a backhaul connection 223. In some configurations, the next-generation RAN (NG-RAN) 220 may have one or more gNBs 222, while other configurations include one or more of both ng-eNBs 224 and gNBs 222. Either or both of the gNBs 222 or ng-eNBs 224 can communicate with one or more UEs 204 (e.g., any of the UEs described herein).

[0079] Another optional aspect may include a location server 230 that can communicate with the 5GC 210 to provide location assistance to the UE 204. The location server 230 may be implemented as multiple separate servers (e.g., physically separate servers, different software modules on a single server, different software modules distributed across multiple physical servers, etc.), or alternatively, each may correspond to a single server. The location server 230 may be configured to support one or more location services for the UE 204 that can be connected to the location server 230 via the core network, the 5GC 210, and / or via the Internet (not illustrated). Furthermore, the location server 230 may be integrated into a component of the core network, or alternatively, may be located outside the core network (e.g., a third-party server, such as an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) server or a service server).

[0080] FIG. 2B Another example wireless network architecture 240.5GC 260 is illustrated (which can be used with...). FIG. 2AThe 5GC 210 (corresponding to 5GC 210) can be functionally considered as a control plane function provided by the Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) 264 and a user plane function provided by the User Plane Function (UPF) 262, which work together to form the core network (i.e., 5GC 260). The functions of AMF 264 include: registration management, connection management, reachability management, mobility management, lawful interception, transmission of session management (SM) messages between one or more UEs 204 (e.g., any of the UEs described herein) and the Session Management Function (SMF) 266, a transparent proxy service for routing SM messages, access authentication and access authorization, transmission of short message service (SMS) messages between UE 204 and the Short Message Service Function (SMSF) (not shown), and Secure Anchoring Functionality (SEAF). AMF 264 also interacts with the Authentication Server Function (AUSF) (not shown) and UE 204 and receives an intermediate key established as a result of the UE 204's authentication process. In the case of UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) Subscriber Identity Module (USIM) authentication, AMF 264 retrieves security material from the AMF. AMF 264 also includes Security Context Management (SCM). The SCM receives a key from the SEAF and uses this key to derive an access network-specific key. AMF 264 functionality also includes location service management for regulatory services, transmission of location service messages between UE 204 and Location Management Function (LMF) 270 (which acts as location server 230), transmission of location service messages between NG-RAN 220 and LMF 270, Evolved Packet System (EPS) bearer identifier allocation for EPS interoperability, and UE 204 mobility event notification. Furthermore, AMF 264 also supports non-3GPP... ® (Third Generation Partner Program) Access network functionality.

[0081] The functions of UPF 262 include: acting as an anchor point for intra-RAT / inter-RAT mobility (where applicable), acting as an external Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session point interconnecting to a data network (not shown), providing packet routing and forwarding, packet inspection, user plane policy rule enforcement (e.g., strobing, redirection, traffic steering), lawful eavesdropping (user plane collection), traffic usage reporting, quality of service (QoS) processing for the user plane (e.g., uplink / downlink rate enforcement, reflective QoS marking in the downlink), uplink traffic verification (Service Data Flow (SDF) to QoS flow mapping), transport-level packet marking in the uplink and downlink, downlink packet buffering and downlink data notification triggering, and delivering and forwarding one or more "end markers" to the source RAN node. UPF 262 can also support the delivery of location service messages between UE 204 and location servers (such as SLP 272) on the user plane.

[0082] The functions of SMF 266 include session management, UE Internet Protocol (IP) address allocation and management, selection and control of user plane functions, service orientation configuration at UPF 262 for routing services to the correct destination, partial control of policy enforcement and QoS, and downlink data notification. The interface through which SMF 266 communicates with AMF 264 is called the N11 interface.

[0083] Another optional aspect may include an LMF 270, which can communicate with the 5GC 260 to provide location assistance to the UE 204. The LMF 270 can be implemented as multiple separate servers (e.g., physically separate servers, different software modules on a single server, different software modules distributed across multiple physical servers, etc.), or alternatively, each can correspond to a single server. The LMF 270 can be configured to support one or more location services for the UE 204, which can connect to the LMF 270 via the core network, the 5GC 260, and / or via the Internet (not illustrated). SLP 272 can support similar functions to LMF 270, but while LMF 270 can communicate with AMF 264, NG-RAN 220, and UE 204 on the control plane (e.g., using interfaces and protocols designed to deliver signaling messages rather than voice or data), SLP 272 can communicate with UE 204 and external clients (e.g., third-party server 274) on the user plane (e.g., using protocols designed to carry voice and / or data, such as Transmit Control Protocol (TCP) and / or IP).

[0084] Another optional aspect may include a third-party server 274 that can communicate with LMF 270, SLP 272, 5GC 260 (e.g., via AMF 264 and / or UPF 262), NG-RAN 220, and / or UE 204 to obtain location information (e.g., location estimation) of UE 204. Therefore, in some cases, the third-party server 274 may be referred to as a Location Services (LCS) client or an external client. The third-party server 274 may be implemented as multiple separate servers (e.g., physically separate servers, different software modules on a single server, different software modules distributed across multiple physical servers, etc.), or alternatively, each may correspond to a single server.

[0085] User plane interface 263 and control plane interface 265 connect 5GC 260, and specifically connect UPF 262 and AMF 264 to one or more gNB 222 and / or ng-eNB 224 in NG-RAN 220. The interface between gNB 222 and / or ng-eNB 224 and AMF 264 is referred to as the "N2" interface, while the interface between gNB 222 and / or ng-eNB 224 and UPF 262 is referred to as the "N3" interface. The gNB 222 and / or ng-eNB 224 of NG-RAN 220 can communicate directly with each other via backhaul connection 223, referred to as the "Xn-C" interface. One or more of gNB 222 and / or ng-eNB 224 can communicate with one or more UEs 204 via a radio interface referred to as the "Uu" interface.

[0086] The functionality of the gNB 222 is divided among the gNB Central Unit (gNB-CU) 226, one or more gNB Distributed Units (gNB-DU) 228, and one or more gNB Radio Units (gNB-RU) 229. The gNB-CU 226 is a logical node that includes base station functions other than those specifically allocated to the gNB-DU 228, including user data delivery, mobility control, radio access network sharing, location, session management, etc. More specifically, the gNB-CU 226 typically hosts the Radio Resource Control (RRC), Serving Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP), and Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) protocols of the gNB 222. The gNB-DU 228 is a logical node that typically hosts the Radio Link Control (RLC) and Media Access Control (MAC) layers of the gNB 222. Its operation is controlled by the gNB-CU 226. One gNB-DU 228 can support one or more cells, and a cell is supported by only one gNB-DU 228. The interface 232 between gNB-CU 226 and one or more gNB-DU 228 is referred to as the "F1" interface. The physical (PHY) layer functionality of gNB 222 is typically managed by one or more independent gNB-RU 229s, which perform functions such as power amplification and signal transmission / reception. The interface between gNB-DU 228 and gNB-RU 229 is referred to as the "Fx" interface. Therefore, UE 204 communicates with gNB-CU 226 via the RRC, SDAP, and PDCP layers, with gNB-DU 228 via the RLC and MAC layers, and with gNB-RU 229 via the PHY layer.

[0087] Communication systems, such as 5G NR systems, can be deployed in various ways with a variety of components or parts. In a 5G NR system or network, network nodes, network entities, network mobility elements, RAN nodes, core network nodes, network elements, or network equipment (such as base stations or one or more units (or components) performing base station functions) can be implemented in aggregated or decomposed architectures. For example, base stations (such as Node B (NB), evolved NB (eNB), NR base stations, 5GNB, access points (APs), transmit / receive points (TRPs), or cells) can be implemented as aggregated base stations (also known as self-contained base stations or monolithic base stations) or decomposed base stations.

[0088] Aggregated base stations can be configured to utilize a radio protocol stack that is physically or logically integrated within a single RAN node. Decentralized base stations can be configured to utilize a protocol stack that is physically or logically distributed across two or more units, such as one or more central or centralized units (CUs), one or more distributed units (DUs), or one or more radio units (RUs). In some respects, the CU may be implemented within a RAN node, and one or more DUs may co-located with the CU, or alternatively, may be geographically or virtually distributed across one or more other RAN nodes. DUs may be implemented to communicate with one or more RUs. Each of the CUs, DUs, and RUs may also be implemented as a virtual unit, namely a virtual central unit (VCU), a virtual distributed unit (VDU), or a virtual radio unit (VRU).

[0089] Base station type operation or network design can consider the aggregation characteristics of base station functionality. For example, decomposed base stations can be used in Integrated Access Backhaul (IAB) networks, Open Radio Access Networks (O-RAN) (such as those developed by the O-RAN Alliance), and other similar networks. ® This can be used in proposed network configurations or virtualized radio access networks (vRAN, also known as cloud radio access networks (C-RAN)). Decomposition can include distributing functionality across two or more units in various physical locations, as well as virtually distributing the functionality of at least one unit, which allows for flexibility in network design. Various units in a decomposed base station or decomposed RAN architecture can be configured to communicate wirelessly with at least one other unit.

[0090] FIG. 2C An example disaggregated base station architecture 250 according to various aspects of this disclosure is illustrated. The disaggregated base station architecture 250 may include one or more central units (CUs) 280 (e.g., gNB-CU 226) that can communicate directly with the core network 267 (e.g., 5GC 210, 5GC 260) via a backhaul link, or indirectly with the core network 267 via one or more disaggregated base station units (such as a near real-time (near-RT) RAN intelligent controller (RIC) 259 via an E2 link or a non-real-time (non-RT) RIC 257 associated with a Service Management and Orchestration (SMO) framework 255, or both). CUs 280 may communicate with one or more duplex units (DUs) 285 (e.g., gNB-DU 228) via a corresponding midhaul link (e.g., an F1 interface). DUs 285 may communicate with one or more radio units (RUs) 287 (e.g., gNB-RU 229) via a corresponding fronthaul link. RU 287 can communicate with the corresponding UE 204 via one or more radio frequency (RF) access links. In some implementations, UE 204 can be served by multiple RU 287s simultaneously.

[0091] Each of the units (i.e., CU 280, DU 285, RU 287, and near-RT RIC 259, non-RT RIC 257, and SMO frame 255) may include or be coupled to one or more interfaces configured to receive or transmit signals, data, or information (collectively, signals) via wired or wireless transmission media. Each unit in the unit, or an associated processor or controller providing instructions to the communication interfaces of these units, may be configured to communicate with one or more other units via transmission media. For example, these units may include wired interfaces configured to receive signals or transmit signals to one or more other units via wired transmission media. Additionally, these units may include wireless interfaces that may include receivers, transmitters, or transceivers (such as RF transceivers) configured to receive signals via wireless transmission media or transmit signals to one or more other units, or both.

[0092] In some aspects, the CU 280 can host one or more higher-level control functions. Such control functions may include RRC, PDCP, Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP), etc. Each control function can be implemented using an interface configured to communicate signaling with other control functions hosted by the CU 280. The CU 280 can be configured to handle user plane functionality (i.e., Central Unit-User Plane (CU-UP)), control plane functionality (i.e., Central Unit-Control Plane (CU-CP)), or a combination thereof. In some implementations, the CU 280 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 can communicate bidirectionally with the CU-CP units via an interface such as an E1 interface. The CU 280 may be implemented to communicate with the DU 285 for network control and signaling, as needed.

[0093] DU 285 may correspond to a logic unit that includes one or more base station functions for controlling the operation of one or more RU 287s. In some aspects, DU 285 may be at least partially based on functional partitioning (such as that provided by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP)). ® The DU285 is a functional partition defined to host one or more of the RLC layer, MAC layer, and one or more high PHY layers (such as modules for forward error correction (FEC) encoding and decoding, scrambling, modulation and demodulation, etc.). In some respects, the DU285 may also host one or more low PHY layers. Each layer (or module) can be implemented using an interface configured to communicate signals with other layers (and modules) hosted by the DU285 or with control functions hosted by the CU280.

[0094] Lower-layer functionality can be implemented by one or more RU 287s. In some deployments, an RU287 controlled by a DU 285 may correspond to a logical node that is at least partially based on functional decomposition, such as lower-layer functional decomposition, to 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, or both). In this architecture, the RU 287 may be implemented to handle over-the-air (OTA) communications with one or more UEs 204. In some specific implementations, the real-time and non-real-time aspects of control plane and user plane communications with the RU 287 may be controlled by the corresponding DU 285. In some scenarios, this configuration enables the implementation of the DU 285 and CU 280 in a cloud-based RAN architecture, such as a vRAN architecture.

[0095] SMO framework 255 can be configured to support RAN deployment and provisioning of both non-virtualized and virtualized network elements. For non-virtualized network elements, SMO framework 255 can be configured to support the deployment of dedicated physical resources for RAN coverage requirements, which can be managed via operation and maintenance interfaces such as the O1 interface. For virtualized network elements, SMO framework 255 can be configured to interact with cloud computing platforms such as Open Cloud (O-Cloud) 269 to perform network element lifecycle management (such as instantiating virtualized network elements) via cloud computing platform interfaces such as the O2 interface. Such virtualized network elements may include, but are not limited to, CU 280, DU 285, RU 287, and near-RT RIC 259. In some implementations, SMO framework 255 can communicate with the hardware aspects of the 4G RAN (such as Open eNB (O-eNB) 261) via the O1 interface. Additionally, in some implementations, SMO framework 255 can communicate directly with one or more RU 287s via the O1 interface. SMO framework 255 may also include a non-RT RIC 257 configured to support the functionality of SMO framework 255.

[0096] The non-RT RIC 257 can be configured to include logical functions enabling non-real-time control and optimization of RAN elements and resources, including artificial intelligence / machine learning (AI / ML) workflows for model training and updates, or policy-based guidance for applications / features in the near-RT RIC 259. The non-RT RIC 257 can be coupled to or communicate with the near-RT RIC 259, such as via an A1 interface. The near-RT RIC 259 can be configured to include logical functions enabling near real-time control and optimization of RAN elements and resources via data collection and actions through an interface such as an E2 interface, connecting one or more CU 280s, one or more DU 285s, or both, and O-eNBs to the near-RT RIC 259.

[0097] In some implementations, to generate AI / ML models to be deployed in the near-RT RIC 259, the non-RT RIC 257 may receive parameters or external enrichment information from an external server. This information can be utilized by the near-RT RIC 259 and may be received from non-network data sources or network functions at the SMO framework 255 or the non-RT RIC 257. In some examples, the non-RT RIC 257 or the near-RT RIC 259 may be configured to tune RAN behavior or performance. For example, the non-RT RIC 257 may monitor long-term trends and patterns of performance and perform corrective actions using the AI / ML model via the SMO framework 255 (such as reconfiguration via O1) or by creating RAN management policies (such as A1 policies).

[0098] FIG. 3A , FIG. 3B and FIG. 3C Examples are shown that can be incorporated into UE 302 (which may correspond to any UE described herein), base station 304 (which may correspond to any base station described herein), and network entity 306 (which may correspond to or embody any network function described herein, including location server 230 and LMF 270, or alternatively may be independent of...). FIG. 2A and FIG. 2BSeveral example components (represented by corresponding boxes) in the NG-RAN 220 and / or 5GC 210 / 260 infrastructure (such as private networks) depicted herein support the operation as described herein. It should be understood that these components may be implemented in different specific implementations in different types of devices (e.g., in ASICs, in System-on-Chip (SoCs), etc.). The illustrated components may also be incorporated into other devices in a communication system. For example, other devices in the system may include components similar to those described as providing similar functionality. Furthermore, a given device may contain one or more of these components. For example, a device may include multiple transceiver components that enable the device to operate on multiple carriers and / or communicate via different technologies.

[0099] UE 302 and base station 304 each include one or more Wireless Wide Area Network (WWAN) transceivers 310 and 350, which provide components (e.g., components for transmitting, components for receiving, components for measuring, components for tuning, components for blocking transmission, etc.) for communication via one or more wireless communication networks (not shown), such as NR networks, LTE networks, GSM networks, etc. WWAN transceivers 310 and 350 may each be connected to one or more antennas 316 and 356 for communication with other network nodes (such as other UEs, access points, base stations (e.g., eNB, gNB), etc.) via at least one designated RAT (e.g., NR, LTE, GSM, etc.) through a wireless communication medium of interest (e.g., a time / frequency resource set in a specific spectrum). WWAN transceivers 310 and 350 can be configured in various ways, according to a specified RAT, to transmit and encode signals 318 and 358 (e.g., messages, indications, information, etc.), and conversely, to receive and decode signals 318 and 358 (e.g., messages, indications, information, pilots, etc.). Specifically, WWAN transceivers 310 and 350 each include: one or more transmitters 314 and 354 for transmitting and encoding signals 318 and 358, respectively; and one or more receivers 312 and 352 for receiving and decoding signals 318 and 358, respectively.

[0100] In at least some cases, UE 302 and base station 304 each further include one or more short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360, respectively. Short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360 can be connected to one or more antennas 326 and 366, respectively, and provide access over a wireless communication medium of interest via at least one designated RAT (e.g., Wi-Fi, LTE Direct, Bluetooth). ® ZIGBEE ® Z-WAVE ® Components for communicating with other network nodes (such as other UEs, access points, base stations, etc.) including PC5, Dedicated Short-Range Communication (DSRC), Wireless Access for Vehicle Environments (WAVE), Near Field Communication (NFC), Ultra-Wideband (UWB), etc. These components include (e.g., components for transmitting, components for receiving, components for measuring, components for tuning, components for blocking transmission, etc.). Short-range transceivers 320 and 360 can be configured in various ways according to a specified RAT to transmit and encode signals 328 and 368 (e.g., messages, indications, information, etc.), and conversely, to receive and decode signals 328 and 368 (e.g., messages, indications, information, pilots, etc.). Specifically, the short-range wireless transceiver 320 and short-range wireless transceiver 360 each include: one or more transmitters 324 and 364 respectively for transmitting and encoding signals 328 and 368, and one or more receivers 322 and 362 respectively for receiving and decoding signals 328 and 368. As a specific example, the short-range wireless transceiver 320 and short-range wireless transceiver 360 can be Wi-Fi transceivers, Bluetooth transceivers, etc. ® Transceiver, Zigbee ® and / or Z-WAVE ® Transceivers, NFC transceivers, UWB transceivers, or vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and / or vehicle-to-everything (V2X) transceivers.

[0101] In at least some cases, UE 302 and base station 304 also include satellite signal receivers 330 and 370. Satellite signal receivers 330 and 370 can be connected to one or more antennas 336 and 376 respectively, and can provide components for receiving and / or measuring satellite positioning / communication signals 338 and 378 respectively. Where satellite signal receivers 330 and 370 are satellite positioning system receivers, satellite positioning / communication signals 338 and 378 can be Global Positioning System (GPS) signals, Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS) signals, etc. ®The signals received include Galileo signals, BeiDou signals, Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (NAVIC), Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS), etc. When satellite signal receivers 330 and 370 are non-terrestrial network (NTN) receivers, satellite positioning / communication signals 338 and 378 can be communication signals originating from a 5G network (e.g., carrying control and / or user data). Satellite signal receivers 330 and 370 can include any suitable hardware and / or software for receiving and processing satellite positioning / communication signals 338 and 378, respectively. Satellite signal receivers 330 and 370 may request information and operations from other systems as needed, and in at least some cases, use measurements obtained by any suitable satellite positioning system algorithm to perform calculations to determine the locations of UE 302 and base station 304, respectively.

[0102] Base station 304 and network entity 306 each include one or more network transceivers 380 and 390, which provide components (e.g., transmitting components, receiving components, etc.) for communicating with other network entities (e.g., other base stations 304, other network entities 306). For example, base station 304 may use one or more network transceivers 380 to communicate with other base stations 304 or network entities 306 via one or more wired or wireless backhaul links. Similarly, network entity 306 may use one or more network transceivers 390 to communicate with one or more base stations 304 via one or more wired or wireless backhaul links, or to communicate with other network entities 306 via one or more wired or wireless core network interfaces.

[0103] Transceivers can be configured to communicate via wired or wireless links. A transceiver (whether wired or wireless) includes transmitter circuitry (e.g., transmitters 314, 324, 354, 364) and receiver circuitry (e.g., receivers 312, 322, 352, 362). In some embodiments, the transceiver may be an integrated device (e.g., implementing transmitter and receiver circuitry in a single device), in some embodiments it may include separate transmitter and receiver circuitry, or in other embodiments it may be implemented in a different manner. The transmitter and receiver circuitry of a wired transceiver (e.g., network transceiver 380 and network transceiver 390 in some embodiments) may be coupled to one or more wired network interface ports. Wireless transmitter circuitry (e.g., transmitters 314, 324, 354, 364) may include or be coupled to multiple antennas (e.g., antennas 316, 326, 356, 366), such as an antenna array, which allows the corresponding device (e.g., UE 302, base station 304) to perform transmit beamforming, as described herein. Similarly, wireless receiver circuitry (e.g., receivers 312, 322, 352, 362) may include or be coupled to multiple antennas (e.g., antennas 316, 326, 356, 366), such as an antenna array, which allows the corresponding device (e.g., UE 302, base station 304) to perform receive beamforming, as described herein. In one aspect, the transmitter and receiver circuitry may share the same multiple antennas (e.g., antennas 316, 326, 356, 366), such that the corresponding device may perform only receive or only transmit at a given time, rather than both receive and transmit simultaneously. Wireless transceivers (e.g., WWAN transceivers 310 and 350, short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360) may also include network listening modules (NLMs) for performing various measurements.

[0104] As used herein, various wireless transceivers (e.g., transceivers 310, 320, 350, and 360 in some specific embodiments, and network transceivers 380 and 390) and wired transceivers (e.g., network transceivers 380 and 390 in some specific embodiments) may generally be described as "transceiver," "at least one transceiver," or "one or more transceivers." Therefore, whether a particular transceiver is a wired or wireless transceiver can be inferred from the type of communication performed. For example, backhaul communication between network devices or servers typically involves signaling via a wired transceiver, while wireless communication between a UE (e.g., UE 302) and a base station (e.g., base station 304) will typically involve signaling via a wireless transceiver.

[0105] UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 also include other components that can be used in conjunction with the operations disclosed herein. UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 each include one or more processors 332, 384, and 394 for providing functionality related to, for example, wireless communication, and for providing other processing functionality. Thus, processors 332, 384, and 394 may provide components for processing, such as components for determining, components for calculating, components for receiving, components for transmitting, components for indicating, etc. In one aspect, processors 332, 384, and 394 may include, for example, one or more general-purpose processors, multi-core processors, central processing units (CPUs), ASICs, digital signal processors (DSPs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), other programmable logic devices, or processing circuitry, or various combinations thereof.

[0106] UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 each include memory circuitry implementing memories 340, 386, and 396 (e.g., each including a memory device) for maintaining information (e.g., information indicating reserved resources, thresholds, parameters, etc.). Therefore, memories 340, 386, and 396 can provide components for storage, retrieval, maintenance, etc. In some cases, UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 may each include positioning components 342, 388, and 398. Positioning components 342, 388, and 398 may be hardware circuitry that is part of or coupled to processors 332, 384, and 394, respectively, which, when executed, cause UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 to perform the functionality described herein. In other aspects, positioning components 342, 388, and 398 may be external to processors 332, 384, and 394 (e.g., part of a modem processing system, integrated with another processing system, etc.). Alternatively, positioning components 342, 388, and 398 may be memory modules stored in memories 340, 386, and 396, respectively, which, when executed by processors 332, 384, and 394 (or modem processing system, another processing system, etc.), enable UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 to perform the functionality described herein. FIG. 3A Possible locations for the positioning component 342 are illustrated. The positioning component may be part of, for example, one or more WWAN transceivers 310, memory 340, one or more processors 332, or any combination thereof, or may be a standalone component. FIG. 3BPossible locations for the positioning component 388 are illustrated. The positioning component may be part of, for example, one or more WWAN transceivers 350, memory 386, one or more processors 384, or any combination thereof, or may be a standalone component. FIG. 3C Possible locations for the positioning component 398 are illustrated. The positioning component may be part of, for example, one or more network transceivers 390, memory 396, one or more processors 394, or any combination thereof, or may be a standalone component.

[0107] UE 302 may include one or more sensors 344 coupled to one or more processors 332 to provide components for sensing or detecting motion and / or orientation information independent of motion data derived from signals received by one or more WWAN transceivers 310, one or more short-range wireless transceivers 320, and / or satellite signal receivers 330. By way of example, sensor 344 may include accelerometers (e.g., microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) devices), gyroscopes, geomagnetic sensors (e.g., compasses), altimeters (e.g., barometric altimeters), and / or any other type of motion detection sensor. Furthermore, sensor 344 may include multiple different types of devices and combine their outputs to provide motion information. For example, sensor 344 may use a combination of multi-axis accelerometers and orientation sensors to provide the ability to calculate positioning in two-dimensional (2D) and / or three-dimensional (3D) coordinate systems.

[0108] In addition, UE 302 includes a user interface 346 that provides components for providing instructions to a user (e.g., audible and / or visual instructions) and / or for receiving user input (e.g., when the user actuates a sensing device such as a keypad, touchscreen, microphone, etc.). Although not shown, base station 304 and network entity 306 may also include user interfaces.

[0109] Referring more specifically to one or more processors 384, in the downlink, IP packets from network entity 306 can be provided to processor 384. One or more processors 384 can implement functionality for the RRC layer, Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer, Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, and Media Access Control (MAC) layer. One or more processors 384 may provide: RRC layer functionality associated with broadcasting system information (e.g., Master Information Block (MIB), System Information Block (SIB)), RRC connection control (e.g., RRC connection paging, RRC connection establishment, RRC connection modification, and RRC connection release), inter-RAT mobility, and measurement configuration for UE measurement reporting; PDCP layer functionality associated with header compression / decompression, security (encryption, decryption, integrity protection, integrity verification), and handover support functions; RLC layer functionality associated with the delivery of upper-layer PDUs, error correction via Automatic Repeat Request (ARQ), concatenation, segmentation, and reassembly of RLC Service Data Units (SDUs), resegmentation of RLC data PDUs, and reordering of RLC data PDUs; and MAC layer functionality associated with mapping between logical channels and transport channels, scheduling information reporting, error correction, priority handling, and logical channel priority ordering.

[0110] Transmitter 354 and receiver 352 implement Layer 1 (L1) functionality associated with various signal processing functions. Layer 1, including the physical (PHY) layer, may include: error detection on the transport channel, forward error correction (FEC) decoding / decoding of the transport channel, interleaving, rate matching, mapping to the physical channel, modulation / demodulation of the physical channel, and MIMO antenna processing. Transmitter 354 processes the mapping to the signal constellation based on various modulation schemes (e.g., binary phase shift keying (BPSK), quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK), M-phase shift keying (M-PSK), M-quadrature amplitude modulation (M-QAM)). The decoded and modulated symbols can then be split into parallel streams. Each stream can then be mapped to orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) subcarriers, multiplexed with a reference signal (e.g., pilot) in the time and / or frequency domains, and then combined using inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) to produce a physical channel carrying a stream of time-domain OFDM symbols. The OFDM symbol stream is spatially pre-decoded to generate multiple spatial streams. Channel estimates from a channel estimator can be used to determine the decoding and modulation scheme, as well as for spatial processing. These channel estimates can be derived from a reference signal transmitted by UE 302 and / or channel condition feedback. Each spatial stream can then be provided to one or more different antennas 356. Transmitter 354 can use the corresponding spatial stream to modulate an RF carrier for transmission.

[0111] At UE 302, receiver 312 receives signals via its corresponding antenna 316. Receiver 312 recovers the information modulated onto the RF carrier and provides this information to one or more processors 332. Transmitter 314 and receiver 312 implement Layer 1 functionality associated with various signal processing functions. Receiver 312 can perform spatial processing on the information to recover any spatial streams destined for UE 302. If multiple spatial streams are destined for UE 302, they can be combined by receiver 312 into a single OFDM symbol stream. Receiver 312 then uses a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) to transform the OFDM symbol stream from the time domain to the frequency domain. The frequency domain signal includes a separate OFDM symbol stream for each subcarrier of the OFDM signal. The symbols on each subcarrier, along with the reference signal, are recovered and demodulated by determining the most probable signal constellation points transmitted by base station 304. These soft decisions can be based on channel estimates calculated by a channel estimator. The soft decisions are then decoded and deinterleaved to recover the data and control signals originally transmitted by base station 304 on the physical channel. Then, data and control signals are provided to one or more processors 332, which implement layer 3 (L3) and layer 2 (L2) functionality.

[0112] In the downlink, one or more processors 332 provide demultiplexing, packet reassembly, decryption, header decompression, and control signal processing between the transport and logical channels to recover IP packets from the core network. One or more processors 332 are also responsible for error detection.

[0113] Similar to the functionality described in conjunction with downlink transmissions performed by base station 304, one or more processors 332 provide: RRC layer functionality associated with system information (e.g., MIB, SIB) acquisition, RRC connectivity, and measurement reporting; PDCP layer functionality associated with header compression / decompression and security (encryption, decryption, integrity protection, integrity verification); RLC layer functionality associated with the delivery of upper-layer PDUs, error correction via ARQ, concatenation, segmentation, and reassembly of RLC SDUs, resegmentation of RLC data PDUs, and reordering of RLC data PDUs; and MAC layer functionality associated with mapping between logical channels and transport channels, multiplexing of MAC SDUs onto transport blocks (TBs), demultiplexing of MAC SDUs from TBs, scheduling information reporting, error correction via Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ), priority handling, and logical channel priority ordering.

[0114] The channel estimate derived by the channel estimator from the reference signal or feedback transmitted by the base station 304 can be used by the transmitter 314 to select an appropriate decoding and modulation scheme and facilitate spatial processing. The spatial stream generated by the transmitter 314 can be provided to different antennas 316. The transmitter 314 can use the corresponding spatial stream to modulate the RF carrier for transmission.

[0115] Uplink transmissions are processed at base station 304 in a manner similar to that described in conjunction with the receiver function at UE 302. Receiver 352 receives signals via its corresponding antenna 356. Receiver 352 recovers the information modulated onto the RF carrier and provides that information to one or more processors 384.

[0116] In the uplink, one or more processors 384 provide demultiplexing, packet reassembly, decryption, header decompression, and control signal processing between the transport channel and the logical channel to recover IP packets from UE 302. IP packets from one or more processors 384 can be provided to the core network. One or more processors 384 are also responsible for error detection.

[0117] For convenience, UE 302, base station 304 and / or network entity 306 are in FIG. 3A , FIG. 3B and FIG. 3C The document is shown as including various components that can be configured according to the various examples described herein. However, it should be understood that the illustrated components may have different functionalities in different designs. In particular, FIG. 3A to FIG. 3C Various components are optional in alternative configurations, and various aspects include configurations that can vary due to design choices, cost, equipment usage, or other considerations. For example, in FIG. 3A In certain cases, specific implementations of UE 302 may omit WWAN transceiver 310 (e.g., wearable devices, tablets, personal computers (PCs), or laptops may have Wi-Fi and / or Bluetooth). ® (e.g., cellular only), or the short-range wireless transceiver 320 can be omitted (e.g., cellular only), or the satellite signal receiver 330 can be omitted, or the sensor 344 can be omitted, etc. For example, in FIG. 3B In certain cases, specific implementations of base station 304 may omit WWAN transceiver 350 (e.g., a Wi-Fi "hotspot" access point without cellular capabilities), or short-range wireless transceiver 360 (e.g., cellular only), or satellite signal receiver 370, etc. For the sake of brevity, examples of various alternative configurations are not provided herein, but will be readily understood by those skilled in the art.

[0118] Various components of UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 can be communicatively coupled to each other via data buses 334, 382, ​​and 392, respectively. In one aspect, data buses 334, 382, ​​and 392 can form or be part of the communication interfaces of UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306, respectively. For example, in cases where different logical entities are embodied in the same device (e.g., gNB and location server functionality integrated into the same base station 304), data buses 334, 382, ​​and 392 can provide communication between these different logical entities.

[0119] FIG. 3A , FIG. 3B and FIG. 3C The components can be implemented in various ways. In some specific implementations, FIG. 3A , FIG. 3B and FIG. 3C The components can be implemented in one or more circuits, such as, for example, one or more processors and / or one or more ASICs (which may include one or more processors). Here, each circuit may use and / or combine at least one memory component for storing information or executable code used by the circuit to provide that functionality. For example, some or all of the functionalities represented by blocks 310 to 346 may be implemented by the processor and memory components of UE 302 (e.g., by executing appropriate code and / or by appropriate configuration of the processor components). Similarly, some or all of the functionalities represented by blocks 350 to 388 may be implemented by the processor and memory components of base station 304 (e.g., by executing appropriate code and / or by appropriate configuration of the processor components). Furthermore, some or all of the functionalities represented by blocks 390 to 398 may be implemented by the processor and memory components of network entity 306 (e.g., by executing appropriate code and / or by appropriate configuration of the processor components). For simplicity, various operations, actions, and / or functions are described herein as being performed "by the UE," "by the base station," "by the network entity," etc. However, as will be understood, such operations, actions and / or functions can actually be performed by specific components or combinations of components of the UE 302, base station 304, network entity 306, etc. (such as processors 332, 384, 394, transceivers 310, 320, 350 and 360, memory 340, 386 and 396, positioning components 342, 388 and 398, etc.).

[0120] In some designs, network entity 306 may be implemented as a core network component. In other designs, network entity 306 may operate differently from the network operator or cellular network infrastructure (e.g., NG RAN 220 and / or 5GC 210 / 260). For example, network entity 306 may be a component of a private network that can be configured to communicate with UE 302 via base station 304 or independently of base station 304 (e.g., via a non-cellular communication link such as Wi-Fi).

[0121] Wireless communication signals transmitted between the UE and the base station (e.g., radio frequency (RF) signals configured to carry orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols according to wireless communication standards such as LTE, NR, etc.) can be used for environmental sensing (also known as "RF sensing" or "radar"). Environmental sensing using wireless communication signals can be considered as consumer-grade radar with advanced detection capabilities, enabling contactless / device-free interaction with devices / systems, etc. Wireless communication signals can be cellular communication signals, such as LTE or NR signals, WLAN signals such as Wi-Fi signals, etc. As a specific example, wireless communication signals can be OFDM waveforms as utilized in LTE and NR. High-frequency communication signals, such as millimeter-wave (mmW) RF signals, are particularly advantageous for use as radar signals because higher frequencies provide at least more accurate ranging (distance) detection.

[0122] Potential uses for RF sensing include: health monitoring, such as heart rate detection and respiratory rate monitoring; gesture recognition, such as human activity recognition, keystroke detection, and sign language recognition; context information acquisition, such as location detection / tracking, direction finding, and distance estimation; and automotive radar, such as intelligent cruise control and collision avoidance.

[0123] There are different types of sensing, including single-station sensing (also known as "active sensing") and dual-station sensing (also known as "passive sensing"). FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B These different types of sensing are illustrated. Specifically, FIG. 4A This is illustration 400 illustrating a single-station sensing scenario, and FIG. 4B This is illustration 430, illustrating a dual-station sensing scenario. FIG. 4AIn this configuration, the transmitter (Tx) and receiver (Rx) are co-located in the same sensing device 404 (e.g., a UE). The sensing device 404 transmits one or more RF sensing signals 434 (e.g., uplink or sidelink positioning reference signals (PRS) in the case of a UE), and some of the RF sensing signals 434 are reflected from a target object 406. The sensing device 404 can measure various properties of the reflection 436 of the RF sensing signals 434 (e.g., time of arrival (ToA), angle of arrival (AoA), phase shift, etc.) to determine the characteristics of the target object 406 (e.g., size, shape, speed, motion state, etc.).

[0124] exist FIG. 4B In this architecture, the transmitter (Tx) and receiver (Rx) are not co-located; that is, they are separate devices (e.g., the UE and the base station). It should be noted that although... FIG. 4B The example illustrates the use of a downlink RF signal as the RF sensing signal 432, but uplink or sidelink RF signals can also be used as the RF sensing signal 432. In the downlink scenario, as shown in the figure, the transmitter is the base station and the receiver is the UE, while in the uplink scenario, the transmitter is the UE and the receiver is the base station.

[0125] For more detailed information, please refer to [link / reference]. FIG. 4B Transmitter device 402 sends RF sensing signals 432 and 434 (e.g., a positioning reference signal (PRS)) to sensing device 404, but some of the RF sensing signals 434 are reflected from the target object 406. Sensing device 404 (also referred to as a "sensing device") can measure the time of arrival (ToA) of the RF sensing signal 432 received directly from the transmitter device and the time of reflection 436 of the RF sensing signal 434 reflected from the target object 406.

[0126] More specifically, as described above, a transmitter device (e.g., a base station) may transmit a single RF signal or multiple RF signals to a sensing device (e.g., a UE). However, due to the propagation characteristics of RF signals through multipath channels, a receiver may receive multiple RF signals corresponding to each transmitted RF signal. Each path may be associated with a cluster of one or more channel taps. Typically, the time when the receiver detects the first channel tap cluster is considered to be the ToA of the RF signal on the site line (LOS) path (i.e., the shortest path between the transmitter and receiver). Subsequent channel tap clusters are considered to have been reflected by objects between the transmitter and receiver, and therefore have been along a non-LOS (NLOS) path between the transmitter and receiver.

[0127] Therefore, return to the reference. FIG. 4BRF sensing signal 432 follows the LOS path between transmitter device 402 and sensing device 404, while RF sensing signal 434 follows the NLOS path between transmitter device 402 and sensing device 404 due to reflection from target object 406. Transmitter device 402 may have transmitted multiple RF sensing signals 432 and 434, some of which follow the LOS path and others follow the NLOS path. Alternatively, transmitter device 402 may have transmitted a single RF sensing signal in a sufficiently wide beam, a portion of which follows the LOS path (RF sensing signal 432) and a portion of which follows the NLOS path (RF sensing signal 434).

[0128] Based on the ToA of the LOS path, the ToA of the NLOS path, and the speed of light, sensing device 404 can determine the distance to a target object. For example, sensing device 404 can calculate the distance to the target object as the difference between the ToA of the LOS path and the ToA of the NLOS path multiplied by the speed of light. Furthermore, if sensing device 404 is capable of receiving beamforming, it can determine the approximate direction to the target object as the direction (angle) of the receiving beam that receives the RF sensing signal following the NLOS path. That is, sensing device 404 can determine the direction to the target object as the angle of arrival (AoA) of the RF sensing signal, which is the angle of the receiving beam used to receive the RF sensing signal. Sensing device 404 can then optionally report this information to transmitter device 402, its serving base station, application server associated with the core network, external client, third-party application, or some other sensing entity. Alternatively, sensing device 404 may report the ToA measurement to transmitter device 402 or other sensing entities (e.g., if sensing device 404 itself does not have the processing capability to perform the calculation), and transmitter device 402 may determine the distance to target object 406 and optionally determine the direction to the target object.

[0129] It should be noted that if the RF sensing signal is an uplink RF signal sent by the UE to the base station, the base station will perform object detection based on the uplink RF signal, just as the UE does based on the downlink RF signal.

[0130] Similar to conventional radar, radar signals based on wireless communication can be used to estimate the range (distance), velocity (Doppler), and angle (AoA) of a target. However, performance (e.g., resolution and maximum values ​​of range, velocity, and angle) can depend on the design of the reference signal.

[0131] FIG. 5An example system 500 for wireless communication using a reconfigurable smart surface (RIS) 510 according to various aspects of this disclosure is illustrated. The RIS (e.g., RIS 510) is a two-dimensional surface comprising a large number of low-cost, low-power near-passive reflective elements whose properties are reconfigurable (e.g., via software or control signals) rather than static. For example, the scattering, absorption, reflection, and diffraction properties of the RIS can be changed over time by carefully tuning the phase shift of the reflective elements (e.g., using software or control signals). In this way, the electromagnetic (EM) properties of the RIS can be engineered to collect wireless signals from a transmitter (e.g., a base station, UE, etc.) and passively beamform them toward a target receiver (e.g., another base station, another UE, etc.). FIG. 5 In the example, the first base station 502-1 controls the reflection properties of the RIS 510 in order to communicate with the first UE 504-1.

[0132] The goal of RIS technology is to create intelligent radio environments where wireless propagation conditions are co-engineered with physical layer signaling. This enhanced functionality of System 500 can provide technical benefits in multiple scenarios.

[0133] As a first example scenario, such as FIG. 5 As shown, a first base station 502-1 (e.g., any base station described herein) attempts to transmit downlink radio signals to a first UE 504-1 and a second UE 504-2 (e.g., any two UEs described herein, collectively referred to as UE 504) on multiple downlink transmit beams (labeled “0”, “1”, “2”, and “3”). However, unlike the second UE 504-2, the first UE 504-1 is behind an obstacle 520 (e.g., a building, hill, or other type of obstacle), and therefore cannot receive radio signals on what would normally be the line-of-sight (LOS) beam from the first base station 502-1 (i.e., the downlink transmit beam labeled “2”). In this scenario, the first base station 502-1 may instead use the downlink transmit beam labeled “1” to transmit radio signals to a RIS 510, and configure the RIS 510 to reflect / beamform the incoming radio signal toward the first UE 504-1. Thus, the first base station 502-1 can transmit wireless signals around the obstacle 520.

[0134] It should be noted that the first base station 502-1 can also configure the RIS 510 for use by the first UE 504-1 in the uplink. In this case, the first base station 502-1 can configure the RIS 510 to reflect uplink signals from the first UE 504-1 back to the first base station 502-1, thereby enabling the first UE 504-1 to transmit uplink signals around the obstacle 520.

[0135] As another example scenario where system 500 can provide a technological advantage, the first base station 502-1 is aware that obstacle 520 can create a "blind zone," that is, a geographical area where the downlink radio signal from the first base station 502-1 is attenuated too much to be reliably detected by a UE (e.g., the first UE 504-1) within that area. In this scenario, the first base station 502-1 can configure RIS 510 to reflect the downlink radio signal into the blind zone to provide coverage to UEs that may be located there (including UEs unknown to the first base station 502-1).

[0136] A RIS (e.g., RIS 510) can be designed to operate in either a first mode (referred to as "Mode 1") or a second mode (referred to as "Mode 2"). In the first mode, the RIS operates as a reconfigurable mirror, and in the second mode, the RIS operates as both a receiver and transmitter (similar to the amplification and forwarding functionality of a relay node). Some RISs can be designed to operate in either Mode 1 or Mode 2, while others can be designed to operate only in either Mode 1 or Mode 2. Assume that a Mode 1 RIS has negligible hardware set latency, while a Mode 2 RIS has non-negligible hardware set latency due to its limited baseband processing capabilities. Because a Mode 2 RIS has greater processing capabilities than a Mode 1 RIS, in some cases the latter may be able to calculate and report its transmit-to-receive (Tx-Rx) time difference measurement (i.e., the difference between the time it takes for a signal to be reflected towards the UE and the time it takes to receive the signal returned from the UE). FIG. 5 In the example, RIS 510 can be either a Mode 1 RIS or a Mode 2 RIS.

[0137] FIG. 5A second base station 502-2 is also illustrated, capable of transmitting downlink radio signals to one or both UEs 504. As an example, the first base station 502-1 may be the serving base station of UE 504, and the second base station 502-2 may be a neighboring base station. The second base station 502-2 may transmit downlink positioning reference signals to one or both UEs 504 as part of a positioning process involving UE 504. Alternatively or additionally, the second base station 502-2 may be a secondary cell for one or both UEs 504. In some cases, the second base station 502-2 may also be able to reconfigure the RIS 510, assuming that the RIS was not controlled by the first base station 502-1 at that time.

[0138] It should be noted that, although FIG. 5 An example is shown of a RIS 510 and a base station (i.e., a first base station 502-1) that controls the RIS 510, but the first base station 502-1 can control multiple RIS 510s. In addition, the RIS 510 can be controlled by multiple base stations 502 (e.g., both the first base station 502-1 and the second base station 502-2, and possibly more base stations).

[0139] like FIG. 5 As shown, when performing the positioning process to determine the estimated location of UE 504-1, RIS 510 can be used to provide a signal path that can circumvent LOS obstruction caused by obstacle 520. FIG. 6A to FIG. 6C Various scenarios in which the RIS-assisted localization process is performed according to various aspects of this disclosure are illustrated.

[0140] like FIG. 6A As shown, base station 602 participates in the positioning process to determine the location of target 604. Base station 602 can sense the distance to target 604 via a first signal path 606 corresponding to the LOS signal path between base station 602 and target 604 (e.g., in...). FIG. 6A The distance D1 is depicted as a circle in the diagram. When the RIS 610 is configured as an anchor point, the base station 602 can also sense the distance between the target 604 and the RIS 610 via the second signal path 608 (e.g., in...). FIG. 6A The distance D2 (described as a circle in the diagram) corresponds to the RIS auxiliary signal path from base station 602 via RIS 610 to target 604.

[0141] like FIG. 6BAs shown, considering signal strength attenuation and / or signal-to-noise ratio degradation, base station 622 can be configured to reach coverage area R1. For example, signals from base station 622 may not be able to effectively reach target 624, located outside coverage area R1, via LOS signal path 626. When RIS 630 is configured as a refocusing device, considering signal strength attenuation and / or signal-to-noise ratio degradation, RIS 630 can collect and refocus signals from base station 622 to effectively extend the coverage area of ​​base station 622, thereby further including coverage area R2. Therefore, target 624 can be reached via RIS auxiliary signal path 628 from base station 622 through RIS 630 to target 624.

[0142] like FIG. 6C As shown, base station 642 and user equipment 643 can be configured to perform a localization process based on bistation sensing to detect the location of target 644. Sensing signals from base station 642 can be transmitted based on beam B1, and the spatial resolution of beam B1 decreases with increasing signal propagation distance. When RIS 650 is configured as a beamforming device, RIS 650 can reflect signals from base station 642 based on beam B2. Since RIS 650 can be positioned closer to target 644 than base station 642, or beam B2 can be configured as an extremely narrow beam, beam B2 can enhance the spatial resolution regarding the relative orientation of target 644 to RIS 650 and / or user equipment 643. In some aspects, if the target is a person, the enhanced spatial resolution can even be used to detect object shape and / or body posture or gestures.

[0143] In some aspects, such as reference FIG. 5 to FIG. 6C All the benefits of the RIS-assisted localization process discussed can be realized by introducing RIS. In some respects, this is achieved by adding additional base stations, relay stations, or roadside units. FIG. 5 to FIG. 6C Compared to any of the enhancements described above, adding RIS can be a lower-cost solution in terms of deployment, hardware, radio resources, and network power consumption.

[0144] FIG. 7 This is a diagram illustrating an example architecture of the RIS 700 based on various aspects of this disclosure. It can correspond to... FIG. 5 RIS510 in FIG. 6A RIS 610 in FIG. 6B RIS 630 and / or FIG. 6C The RIS 650 and RIS 700 in the RIS can be mode 1 RIS. For example... FIG. 7 As shown, the RIS 700 mainly consists of a flat surface 710 and a controller 720. The flat surface 710 may be composed of one or more material layers. FIG. 7In the example, the flat surface 710 may consist of three layers. In this case, the outer layer has a large number of reflective elements 712 printed on a dielectric substrate to directly act on the incident signal. The middle layer is a copper plate to prevent signal / energy leakage. The last layer is a circuit board used to tune the reflection coefficient of the reflective elements 712 and operated by a controller 720. The controller 720 may be a low-power processor, such as a field-programmable gate array (FPGA). In some aspects, the reflective element 712 of the RIS 700 may also be referred to in this disclosure as an element, antenna element, or component.

[0145] In typical operating scenarios, the optimal reflectivity of the RIS 700 is at the base station (e.g., FIG. 5 The reflection coefficient is calculated at the first base station 502-1 and then transmitted to the controller 720 via a dedicated control link. The design of the reflection coefficient depends on the channel state information (CSI), which is updated only when the CSI changes, and the CSI change is on a much longer timescale than the duration of the data symbol. Therefore, low-rate information exchange is sufficient for the dedicated control link, which can be implemented using low-cost copper wire or a simple, cost-effective wireless transceiver.

[0146] Each reflective element 712 is coupled to a positive-intrinsic-negative (PIN) diode 714. Furthermore, a bias line 716 connects each reflective element 712 in the column to a controller 720. By controlling the voltage across the bias line 716, the PIN diode 714 can be switched between an "on" and an "off" mode. This achieves a phase shift difference of radians π (pi). To increase the number of phase shift levels, more PIN diodes 714 can be coupled to each reflective element 712. Alternatively, the reflective elements 712 can be grouped into subsets of reflective elements, which may also be referred to as sub-panels. In this case, the reflective characteristics of the RIS 700 can be controllable on a sub-panel basis, where each sub-panel can be considered a micro-RIS co-located with other sub-panels.

[0147] RIS (such as the RIS 700) offer significant advantages for practical implementation. For example, the reflective element 712 passively reflects the incoming signal without requiring any complex signal processing operations that would otherwise necessitate RF transceiver hardware. Therefore, the RIS 700 can operate at several orders of magnitude lower cost in terms of hardware and power consumption compared to conventional active transmitters. Additionally, due to the passive nature of the reflective element 712, the RIS 700 can be manufactured with a lightweight design and limited layer thickness, and thus can be easily mounted on walls, ceilings, signs, streetlights, etc. Furthermore, the RIS 700 can operate in full-duplex (FD) mode without self-interference or thermal noise. Therefore, it can achieve higher spectral efficiency than active half-duplex (HD) repeaters, although its signal processing complexity is lower than that of active FD repeaters requiring complex self-interference cancellation.

[0148] FIG. 8A A general model of beamforming performed by the RIS 810 according to various aspects of this disclosure is illustrated. For example... FIG. 8A As shown, the RIS 810 may include, for example, N reflective elements or components 812-1, 812-2, 812-3, ..., 712-N. In FIG. 8A In this configuration, every two adjacent components are separated by a distance d, which corresponds to the operating wavelength. Half of it. FIG. 8A In this paper, the RIS 810, having four components 812-1, 812-2, 812-3, and 812-N, is depicted as a non-limiting example. In some aspects, the RIS 810 may include more or fewer than four components.

[0149] When transmitted from transmitter 832 toward receiver 834 via N components 812-1, 812-2, 812-3, ..., 812-N (depicted as solid arrows), a wavelength is... The total equivalent reflection gain of the RIS 810 signal 820 is .here, This represents the distance from transmitter 832 to the (n+1)th element. This represents the distance from receiver 834 to the (n+1)th element, where n ranges from 0 to (N-1). Furthermore, This represents the reflection coefficient of the (n+1)th element.

[0150] FIG. 8B A far-field model of beamforming performed by RIS 810 according to various aspects of this disclosure is illustrated. FIG. 8B Zhongyu FIG. 8A Components that are identical or similar to those depicted in the figures are given the same reference numerals, and therefore their detailed descriptions may be omitted. In some respects, when the distance... and When large enough, FIG. 8A Signal 820 in the diagram can be simplified to parallel propagation (described as signal 820'), and therefore can have the same angle of incidence. Send towards N components 812-1, 812-2, 812-3, ..., 812-N and at the same redirection angle. Reflection. According to the far-field model, the total equivalent reflection gain of the RIS 810 is... .

[0151] Furthermore, the components of a RIS can be arranged in a uniform or non-uniform array. In some respects, a uniform array can correspond to all its components being equally spaced. In other respects, a non-uniform array can correspond to some of its components being unequally spaced.

[0152] FIG. 9A An example RIS910 with elements arranged in a uniform array according to various aspects of this disclosure is illustrated. In this example, the RIS910 has 16×16 elements (depicted as a grid of lines) uniformly arranged along the x and y directions.

[0153] In some respects, when a RIS (e.g., RIS 910) with elements arranged in a spatially uniform linear array (ULA) or uniform planar array (UPA) is configured for use in higher frequencies (such as frequency range 2 (FR2, ranging from 24.25 GHz to 71.0 GHz) or the THz range), the wavelength of the signal becomes smaller, and the spacing between elements (e.g., based on half-wavelength spacing) and / or the total surface size of the RIS also becomes smaller. In some respects, if the spacing between elements is greater than half a wavelength, aliasing beams may exist and cause ambiguity in the sensing results. In some respects, if the spacing between elements is kept at half a wavelength to reduce spatial ambiguity of the beams, the surface size of the RIS may be limited, and therefore the spatial resolution may be reduced.

[0154] FIG. 9B An example RIS920 with elements arranged in a sparse array is illustrated according to various aspects of this disclosure. In some aspects, the sparse array may be of the type of non-uniform array. In this example, although the candidate locations for placing the elements are still arranged based on a 16×16 grid similar to the element locations of the RIS910, the elements of the RIS920 (depicted as lined squares) are placed only in a portion of the candidate locations, leaving the other portion of the candidate locations empty (depicted as dotted squares).

[0155] In some respects, given the problems with uniform arrays as discussed above, RIS can be configured based on sparse arrays (e.g., RIS920) to balance the performance and cost of the RIS. In some respects, a sparse array-based RIS (e.g., RIS920) can include significantly fewer elements than its uniform array counterpart (e.g., RIS910) to achieve lower hardware costs and lower power consumption. A sparse array-based RIS (e.g., RIS920) can be configured to have the same array aperture and minimum inter-element spacing as its uniform array counterpart (e.g., RIS910) to achieve substantially the same spatial resolution and direction-of-arrival (DoA) estimation accuracy. In some respects, the aforementioned benefits of sparse arrays compared to uniform array counterparts may be obtained at the cost of higher processing complexity at the receiver (e.g., UE or gNB) and / or lower beamforming gain of the RIS.

[0156] FIG. 10A to FIG. 10D The array factor curves of example sparse arrays and two example uniform arrays according to various aspects of this disclosure were compared. Specifically, FIG. 10A Figure 1010 shows the positioning of the antenna elements of the first example uniform array, wherein the positioning of the antenna elements is depicted as circles at the locations indicated by indices 0 to 6. FIG. 10B Figure 1020 illustrates the positioning of the antenna elements in an example sparse array, where the positioning of the antenna elements is depicted as circles indicating the locations indicated by indices 0, 1, 4, and 6. Furthermore, FIG. 10C Figure 1030 shows the positioning of the antenna elements of the second example uniform array, wherein the positioning of the antenna elements is depicted as circles at the locations indicated by indices 0, 1, 2 and 3. FIG. 10A to FIG. 10C The interval between adjacent locations in the index positioning is λ / 2 (of the operating frequency).

[0157] In some respects, the first example uniform array in Figure 1010 and the second example uniform array in Figure 1030 can be uniform linear arrays (ULA). In some respects, the first example uniform array in Figure 1010 can be represented as ULA(7)={0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6}; the second example uniform array in Figure 1030 can be represented as ULA(4)={0, 1, 2, 3}; and the example sparse array in Figure 1020 can be represented as sparse(4)={0, 1, 4, 6}.

[0158] FIG. 10D This illustrates various aspects according to this disclosure. FIG. 10A to FIG. 10CThe diagram 1040 illustrates the array factor curves for the example arrays. The vertical axis shows the array factor values ​​in decibels (dB), while the horizontal axis shows the azimuth in degrees, where the normal direction of the antenna array is zero degrees. In diagram 1040, curve 1042 corresponds to the array factor of the first example uniform array; curve 1044 corresponds to the array factor of the example sparse array; and curve 1046 corresponds to the array factor of the second example uniform array.

[0159] As shown in Figure 1040, comparing curves 1042 and 1044, the beamwidth of the main lobe of the example sparse array is approximately the same as that of the first example uniform array, but it has larger side lobes. Furthermore, comparing curves 1044 and 1046, the beamwidth of the main lobe of the example sparse array is narrower than that of the second example uniform array. Therefore, as... FIG. 10D As shown, the example sparse array can achieve a similar spatial resolution to the first example uniform array while using a smaller number of antenna elements.

[0160] Furthermore, differential co-array (DCA) domain analysis is an analytical tool used to evaluate and / or configure sparse arrays for estimating DoA. For example, FIG. 11A Figure 1110 illustrates the positioning of antenna elements in an example sparse array according to various aspects of this disclosure. The positioning of the antenna elements is depicted as circles indicating the locations indicated by indices 0, 2, 3, 4, 6, and 9. In some aspects, the example sparse array in Figure 1110 can be represented as... ={0, 2, 3, 4, 6, 9}. Furthermore, FIG. 11A The interval between adjacent locations in the index positioning is λ / 2 (of the operating frequency).

[0161] FIG. 11B This illustrates various aspects according to this disclosure. FIG. 11A Figure 1120 illustrates a differential common array (DCA) of an example sparse array. In some aspects, each element of the DCA can be determined based on the difference between the locations of two antenna elements of the example sparse array (also known as spatial hysteresis based on indexed location representation). FIG. 11B As shown, the spatially lagging localization is depicted as circles at the locations indicated by indices -9, -7, -6, -5, -4, -3, -2, -1, 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 9. In some respects, the DCA of the example sparse array shown in Figure 1120 can be represented as... ={-9, -7, , 0, , 7,9}. In some respects, the degrees of freedom (DoF) of a DCA can be The cardinality of can be represented as | |, and in this example it can be 17. DCA is symmetrical with respect to location 0 (e.g., , ).

[0162] FIG. 11C This illustrates various aspects according to this disclosure. FIG. 11A Figure 1130 illustrates an example of an effective DCA for a sparse array. In some respects, an effective DCA can be represented as... And it can be DCA A subset of. In some respects, an effective DCA corresponds to a continuous portion of the DCA. For example... FIG. 11C As shown, the location of the components is depicted as circles at the locations indicated by indices -7, -6, -5, -4, -3, -2, -1, 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7. In some respects, the effective DCA of the example sparse array shown in Figure 1130 can be represented as ={-7, , 0, , 7}. In some respects, the DoF of an effective DCA can be The cardinality of can be represented as | |, and in this example, it can be 15. In some respects, the DoF based on the effective DCA can be identified. An unrelated source.

[0163] FIG. 11D This illustrates various aspects according to this disclosure. FIG. 11A Figure 1140 illustrates the weighting function of the DCA for an example sparse array. In some respects, the weighting function of the DCA is determined based on the number of antenna element pairs corresponding to each spatial lag (denoted as a "weight value"). The weighting function provides additional information about the characteristics of the DCA and the sparse array on which the DCA is based.

[0164] Many types of sparse arrays are available. Using a one-dimensional array as a non-limiting example, various types of sparse arrays can include minimal redundancy arrays (MRA), minimal hole arrays (MHA), nested arrays, or coprime arrays.

[0165] FIG. 12A Figure 1210 illustrates the positioning of antenna elements in an example MRA according to various aspects of this disclosure. The positioning of the antenna elements is depicted as circles indicating the locations indicated by indices 0, 1, 4, and 6. In some aspects, the example MRA in Figure 1210 can be represented as sparse (4) = {0, 1, 3, 6}, where the number of antenna elements N = 4, and the spatial lag (index positioning) is from 0 to L (L = 6). Furthermore, FIG. 11A The interval between adjacent locations in the index location is λ / 2.

[0166] FIG. 12B This illustrates various aspects according to this disclosure. FIG. 12A Figure 1220 shows the weighting function of the DCA in the MRA. Furthermore, FIG. 12C This illustrates various aspects according to this disclosure. FIG. 12A The example MRA's array factor curve is shown in Figure 1230. The vertical axis shows the array factor value in decibels (dB), while the horizontal axis shows the azimuth in degrees, where the normal direction of the antenna array is zero degrees.

[0167] In some respects, an MRA can be a sparse array with just enough antenna elements to provide all spatial hysteresis from 0 to L (i.e., with hole-free DCA). In some respects, an MRA with each spatial hysteresis generated once can be called a zero-redundancy MRA. In some respects, an MRA in which each spatial hysteresis is generated at least twice can be called a robust MRA (RMRA).

[0168] In some respects, an MHA can also be referred to as a non-redundant array or a Golomb array / scale. In some respects, an MHA can be a sparse array, where each spatial lag is generated at most once. In some respects, an MHA in which each spatial lag from index 0 to L is generated once can be called a perfect MHA. In some respects, an MHA may not be able to generate all spatial lags from index 0 to L, and therefore may not have a hole-free DCA.

[0169] In some respects, a zero-redundancy MRA can be a perfect MHA when the number of antenna elements N is equal to or less than 4. In other respects, neither a zero-redundancy MRA nor a perfect MHA may exist when N is greater than 4.

[0170] FIG. 13A Figure 1310 illustrates the positioning of antenna elements in an example nested array according to various aspects of this disclosure. Generally, a nested array may comprise two uniform arrays, which are represented as having N1 antenna elements. and having N2 antenna elements The total number of antenna elements in the nested array will be N = N1 + N2. In some respects, for even numbers N, N1 can be equal to N2 and can be equal to... In some respects, for odd numbers N, N1 can be equal to... And N2 can be equal to .

[0171] like FIG. 13AAs shown, the antenna elements are located as points corresponding to indices 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 11, 17, 23, and 29. In some respects, the example nested array in Figure 1310 can be represented as sparse (10) = {0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 11, 17, 23, 29}, where the number of antenna elements N = 10. Furthermore, the antenna elements can be divided into two uniform arrays, including a first uniform array at location 1312 and a second uniform array at location 1314. The first uniform array can be represented as... ={0, 1, 2, 3, 4}, and the second uniform array can be represented as ={5, 11, 17, 23,29}. Furthermore, FIG. 13A The interval between adjacent locations in the index location is λ / 2.

[0172] FIG. 13B This illustrates various aspects according to this disclosure. FIG. 13A Figure 1320 illustrates the weighting function of the DCA for nested arrays. Furthermore, FIG. 13C This illustrates various aspects according to this disclosure. FIG. 13A The example nested array is illustrated in Figure 1330, which shows the array factor curves. The vertical axis represents the array factor values ​​in decibels (dB), while the horizontal axis represents the azimuth in degrees, with the normal direction of the antenna array at zero degrees. FIG. 13B As shown, the example nested array can have high redundancy at low index space lag (e.g., space lag in circle 1322).

[0173] FIG. 14A Figure 1410 illustrates the positioning of antenna elements in an example coprime array according to various aspects of this disclosure. Generally, a coprime array may include N antenna elements, where N = 2P + Q – 1. P and Q may be coprime integers, and P may be less than Q. In some aspects, the coprime array may include two uniform arrays, including… = and = .

[0174] like FIG. 14A As shown, the antenna elements are located as points corresponding to indices 0, 2, 3, 4, 6, and 9. In some respects, the example coprime array in Figure 1410 can be represented as sparse(6) = {0, 2, 3, 4, 6, 9}, where P = 2 and Q = 3. Furthermore, the antenna elements can be divided into two uniform arrays, including those that can be represented as... The first uniform array of {0, 2, 4} can be represented as: The second uniform array = {0, 3, 6, 9}. Furthermore, FIG. 14A The interval between adjacent locations in the index location is λ / 2.

[0175] FIG. 14B This illustrates various aspects according to this disclosure. FIG. 14A Figure 1420 illustrates the weighting function of the DCA for nested arrays. Furthermore, FIG. 14C This illustrates various aspects according to this disclosure. FIG. 14A The example of a nested array is illustrated in Figure 1430, which shows the array factor curves. The vertical axis represents the array factor values ​​in decibels (dB), while the horizontal axis represents the azimuth in degrees, where the normal direction of the antenna array is zero degrees. In some respects, FIG. 14A The DCA of a nested array in the diagram can be represented as: ={-9, -7, , 0, , 7, 9}, and FIG. 14A The effective DCA of a nested array in the diagram can be represented as: ={-7, , 0, , 7}. For example FIG. 14B As shown, the example nested array may have holes 1422 and 1424 at spatial lags of index -8 and index 8.

[0176] In some aspects, this disclosure may correspond to signaling of a RIS based on a sparse element array (the elements of the RIS are arranged according to a sparse array). In some aspects, since there may be multiple forms of sparse arrays and arrangements for each form as discussed above, this disclosure may further exemplify protocol and signaling designs for supporting reflective beamforming performed by a RIS based on a sparse element array. In some aspects, the protocol may include RIS capability information reporting, RIS sparse array arrangement determination and configuration, and / or RIS sparse array reflection coefficient indication. In some aspects, a RIS based on a sparse element array can be used for RIS-based sensing. In some aspects, the advantages of a RIS based on a sparse element array compared to a RIS based on a uniform array may include higher spatial resolution and / or higher spatial accuracy, as well as lower cost and / or lower power consumption.

[0177] FIG. 15This is a process flowchart 1500 illustrating an example of signaling for a RIS with an array of sparse elements according to various aspects of this disclosure. In this example, gNB 1502 may communicate with RIS 1504 to prepare RIS 1504 for a location process of target object 1506. In some aspects, gNB 1502 may correspond to base station 304, base station 602, base station 622, base station 642, or any base station or gNB described in this disclosure. In some aspects, RIS 1504 may correspond to RIS 610, RIS 630, RIS 650, RIS 700, or any RIS described in this disclosure. In some aspects, target object 1506 may correspond to target 604, target 624, target 644, or any target undergoing a location process described in this disclosure to determine its estimated location.

[0178] In some respects, a portion of the operations performed by the gNB 1502 can be performed by a server device or computing device communicatively coupled to the gNB 1502. For illustrative purposes, such operations are collectively referred to as being performed by... FIG. 15 Execute gNB 1502 in the middle.

[0179] In phase 1510, gNB 1502 may obtain capability information indicating one or more element array arrangements supported by RIS 1504, wherein the one or more element array arrangements supported by RIS 1504 may include at least one or more sparse element arrays. In some aspects, the capability information may indicate the type and size of the element array arrangements supported by RIS 1504. In some aspects, each sparse element array arrangement may correspond to a specific spatial resolution and a specific reflection beamforming gain, such as... FIG. 12A to FIG. 14C The illustrated example. In some aspects, the capability information may further indicate the positioning of the elements in the corresponding sparse element array for each of the one or more sparse element arrays. In some aspects, the capability information may further indicate the aperture of the corresponding sparse element array, the beamforming gain of the corresponding sparse element array, or a combination thereof for each of the one or more sparse element arrays.

[0180] In some aspects, one or more sparse element arrays may include minimum redundancy arrays, minimum hole arrays, nested arrays, coprime arrays, or combinations thereof. In some aspects, each of the one or more sparse element arrays may correspond to a one-dimensional sparse array or a two-dimensional sparse array.

[0181] In some respects, the RIS 1504 may provide capability information through the following means, and / or the gNB 1502 may obtain capability information through the following means: a first message sent based on a query message from the gNB 1502; a second message sent based on the establishment of a connection between the RIS 1504 and the gNB 1502; a third message broadcast or multicast by a network device within an area based on the location of the RIS 1504 (and the capability information may be provided to the network device by the RIS 1504); or a combination thereof. In some respects, the RIS 1504 may transmit capability information to the gNB 1502 based on RRC signaling.

[0182] For example, regarding the availability of sparse component arrays based on the RIS 1504, the RIS 1504 can report one of three capability types. Type 1 capability indicates that the RIS 1504 supports uniform component arrays, but not sparse component arrays. Type 2 capability indicates that the RIS 1504 can support both uniform component arrays and one or more forms of sparse component arrays. Type 3 capability indicates that the RIS 1504 supports sparse component arrays, but not uniform sparse component arrays.

[0183] In some aspects, when the RIS 1504 reports Type 2 or Type 3 capabilities as described above, the reported capability information may also include parameters regarding the available sparse element arrays. In some aspects, parameters regarding the type of sparse element array may include the structure of the sparse element array, such as whether the sparse element array is a one-dimensional array, an independent one-dimensional sparse element array per row or per column, or a combined two-dimensional array.

[0184] In some aspects, for an independent one-dimensional sparse array per row or column, RIS 1504 can report the sparse array structure for one row and one column. In some aspects, if a nested array formula is used for a row / column, RIS 1504 can report the number (N) of sparse elements in that row / column. gNB 1502 can be based on a reference... FIG. 13A to FIG. 13C The illustrated formula is used to calculate the location of each element. In some respects, if the coprime array formula is used for rows / columns, the RIS 1504 can report the values ​​of the two prime numbers (P, Q) in that row / column. The gNB 1502 can be based on a reference... FIG. 14A to FIG. 14C The illustrated formulas are used to calculate the location of each element. In some respects, for joint two-dimensional sparse arrays, RIS 1504 can report the sparse array structure for each row and each column.

[0185] In some respects, when the RIS1504 is a two-dimensional array (a collection of independent one-dimensional sparse element arrays per row and / or per column, or a joint two-dimensional array), the horizontal spatial resolution and / or vertical spatial resolution may depend on the horizontal aperture and / or vertical aperture (i.e., the distance between the first and last elements in the sparse array). In some respects, the beamforming gain of the RIS1504 may depend on the total number of elements in the two-dimensional sparse array.

[0186] In stage 1520, gNB 1502 can select one of the one or more element arrangements based on one or more characteristics of the one or more element arrangements and one or more conditions described for the positioning process. In some aspects, gNB 1502 can determine one or more reflection coefficients or one or more refractive coefficients for the positioning process based on one or more codeword indices of the codebook of the selected element arrangement from the one or more element arrangements supported by RIS 1504 and the positioning of the elements of the selected element arrangement from the one or more element arrangements.

[0187] In some respects, different sparse arrays can have different spatial resolutions, reflection beamforming gains, and / or sidelobe characteristics (positioning, intensity, beamwidth, etc.). In some respects, if the positioning process requires higher spatial resolution (e.g., DoA estimation accuracy), the gNB 1502 can select a sparse array with a larger aperture. In some respects, if the positioning process requires higher beamforming gain, the gNB 1502 can select a sparse array with denser elements (i.e., more elements for a fixed aperture). In some respects, if the positioning process requires lower non-target intensity, the gNB 1502 can select a sparse array with lower sidelobe intensity or a sparse array whose sidelobe directions do not point towards the non-target direction.

[0188] In some aspects, one or more conditions described for the positioning process may correspond to prioritizing enhanced spatial resolution over enhanced beamforming gain or reducing the signal strength of non-target return signals in the positioning process. In such a scenario, one element arrangement from one or more element arrangements may be selected based on prioritizing an element array arrangement with a larger aperture than the remaining element arrangements in the one or more element arrangements.

[0189] In some respects, one or more conditions described for the positioning process may correspond to prioritizing enhanced beamforming gain over enhanced spatial resolution or reducing non-target return signals in the positioning process. In such a scenario, one element arrangement from one or more element array arrangements may be selected based on prioritizing an element array arrangement with a higher element density than the remaining element arrangements in the one or more element array arrangements.

[0190] In some respects, one or more conditions described for the localization process may correspond to prioritizing the reduction of the signal strength of non-target return signals over enhancing spatial resolution or enhancing the beamforming gain of the localization process. In such a scenario, one element arrangement from one or more element array arrangements may be selected based on prioritizing an element array arrangement with lower sidelobe strength than the remaining element arrangements in the one or more element array arrangements.

[0191] In stage 1530, gNB 1502 may transmit configuration information to RIS 1504. In some aspects, the configuration information may be used to configure RIS 1504 based on a selected element arrangement in one or more element arrangements. In some aspects, the configuration information may be used to configure RIS 1504 based on one or more determined reflection coefficients or one or more refractive coefficients (relative to RIS 1504) for performing a positioning process.

[0192] In some aspects, if the RIS 1504 reports a list of multiple sparse element arrays supported by the RIS 1504, the gNB 1502 may indicate the index of the selected sparse element array. In some aspects, the gNB 1502 may further indicate (explicitly indicated by codeword indexes or implicitly indicated by providing horizontal / vertical incident and exit angles) one or more reflection coefficients or one or more refractive coefficients. For example, configuration information may indicate the incident direction of the sense signal, the reflection direction of the sense signal, the refractive direction of the sense signal, or a combination thereof, relative to the RIS 1504 used for the positioning process. Furthermore, configuration information may indicate one or more reflection coefficients or one or more refractive coefficients for the positioning process based on one or more codeword indices of the codebook of a selected element arrangement from one or more element arrangements supported by the RIS 1504.

[0193] In some aspects, to allow gNB 1502 to provide configuration information based on explicitly indicated codeword indices, sufficient detail regarding RIS 1504 may need to be provided in stage 1510. In some aspects, sparse element array selection information and reflection / refractive coefficients may be provided in an integrated message or multiple messages. In some aspects, gNB 1502 may transmit configuration information based on RRC signaling, MAC Control Element (MAC CE) messages, Downlink Control Information (DCI) messages, or combinations thereof. In some aspects, configuration information may include indices indicating the arrangement of the selected sparse element array. In some aspects, configuration information may include codewords and / or incident / exit angles of two subcodebooks.

[0194] In some respects, example specialized codebooks for configuring arrays of sparse elements (such as nested arrays or coprime structures) are further described below. (See reference...) FIG. 13A to FIG. 14C As illustrated, nested arrays or coprime arrays can be viewed as a combination of two uniform arrays (with different element spacing). In some aspects, the codebook for sparse element arrays may also include two sub-codebooks, one for each of the two uniform arrays.

[0195] In some respects, the sizes of the two subcodebooks can be based on the size of the configured sparse element array. In some respects, for nested sparse arrays, the sizes of the subcodebooks can be N1 and N2 as illustrated above. In some respects, for coprime sparse arrays, the sizes of the subcodebooks can be 2P and Q as illustrated above.

[0196] In some respects, the construction of the two subcodebooks can be based on Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) or on the reflection angle, and can be regulated by the standard, configured by the gNB 1502, or both. In some respects, depending on the FFT-based subcodebook, for a row or column of elements in the RIS1504, each codeword in the first or second subcodebook can have the following form: ,in , , or In some respects, according to the subcodebook based on the reflection angle, for a row or column of elements in the RIS 1504, each codeword in the first or second subcodebook has the following form: ,in , , or .here, and These represent the angle of incidence and the angle of exit, respectively.

[0197] In some respects, gNB 1502 can separately indicate the codeword indices of the two subcodebooks. and codeword index In some respects, gNB 1502 can indicate combination factors. This allows the reflection coefficient of the sparse array to be... .

[0198] In phase 1540, the RIS 1504 can apply configuration information from the gNB 1502 to prepare the RIS 1504 for the upcoming positioning process.

[0199] In stage 1552, gNB 1502 can send a sensing signal to RIS 1504. In stage 1554, RIS 1504 can redirect the sensing signal by reflection or refraction, as configured based on configuration information. In stage 1555, the redirected sensing signal reaches the target object 1506, and a return signal is generated by reflecting or scattering the sensing signal from RIS 1504 back to RIS 1504. In stage 1556, RIS 1504 can redirect the return signal to gNB 1502 by reflection or refraction. In stage 1558, gNB 1502 can receive the return signal from RIS 1504.

[0200] In stage 1560, gNB 1502 may participate in the localization process to determine the estimated localization of target object 1506 based on the sensed signal from gNB 1502 via RIS 1504 to target object 1506, the return signal from target object 1506 via RIS 1504 to gNB 1502, or both the sensed signal and the return signal. In some aspects, the localization process may be based on: delay analysis based on the sensed signal and the return signal; direction of arrival analysis based on a first beam formed by RIS for the sensed path from RIS to target object and a second beam formed by RIS for the return path from target object to RIS; Doppler analysis based on the sensed signal and the return signal; or a combination thereof.

[0201] In some respects, FIG. 15 The illustrated example is based on monostation sensing (i.e., the returned signal is picked up by the entity that sent the transmission signal). In some aspects, it can be modified based on bistation sensing. FIG. 15 In the illustrated example, the return signal can be received by another device. Based on dual-station sensing, gNB 1502 or another server device can collect information about the sensing signals and the return signal, and then participate in the positioning process to determine the estimated location of the target object 1506.

[0202] Furthermore, relative to stage 1510, reference FIG. 16A and FIG. 16B The example of a two-dimensional sparse array and how to report capability information are further described. FIG. 16AFigure 1610 shows an example of a two-dimensional nested array according to various aspects of this disclosure. In this example, the sparse array of each row and each column is a nested array, which is represented as sparse(6)={0, 1, 2, 3, 7, 11}. Therefore, RIS 1504 can report the following information in stage 1510: type=nested array, N_rows=N_columns=6. FIG. 16B Figure 1620 shows an example two-dimensional coprime array according to various aspects of this disclosure. In this example, the sparse array of each row and each column is a coprime array, which is represented as sparse(6)={0, 2, 3, 4, 6, 9}. Therefore, RIS 1504 can report the following information in stage 1510: type=coprime, P_row=P_column=2, Q_row=Q_column=3.

[0203] Furthermore, compared to stage 1520, different sparse arrays can have different spatial resolutions, reflection beamforming gains, and / or sidelobe characteristics (positioning, intensity, beamwidth, etc.). FIG. 17A to FIG. 17D This is a diagram comparing the antenna gain of an example sparse array and a uniform array based on an incident angle of -30 degrees and a reflection angle of 45 degrees.

[0204] FIG. 17A Figure 1710 shows a comparative example of antenna gain for nested arrays and uniform arrays according to various aspects of this disclosure. In Figure 1710, curve 1712 corresponds to the antenna gain of a uniform array with seven antenna elements; and curve 1714 corresponds to the antenna gain of a nested array with four antenna elements. FIG. 17B Figure 1720 shows a comparative example of antenna gain for nested arrays and uniform arrays according to various aspects of this disclosure. In Figure 1720, curve 1722 corresponds to the antenna gain of a uniform array with ten antenna elements; and curve 1724 corresponds to the antenna gain of a nested array with six antenna elements. FIG. 17C Figure 1730 shows a comparative example of the antenna gain of a coprime array and a uniform array according to various aspects of this disclosure. In Figure 1730, curve 1732 corresponds to the antenna gain of a uniform array with ten antenna elements; and curve 1734 corresponds to the antenna gain of a coprime array with six antenna elements. FIG. 17D Figure 1740 shows a comparative example of the antenna gain of a nested array and a uniform array according to various aspects of this disclosure. In Figure 1740, curve 1742 corresponds to the antenna gain of a uniform array having thirty (30) antenna elements; and curve 1744 corresponds to the antenna gain of a nested array having ten antenna elements.

[0205] In some aspects, such as FIG. 17A to FIG. 17DAs shown in the curve, a sparse array-based reflective beam can have the same beamwidth (e.g., corresponding to spatial resolution) as a uniform array-based reflective beam with the same aperture, but can have lower beamforming gain and higher sidelobe intensity.

[0206] In some respects, RIS beamforming based on sparse element arrays can achieve the same spatial resolution and lower hardware cost / power consumption as uniform element arrays, but with lower beamforming gain and higher sidelobe intensity. The protocols and signaling described in this disclosure enable RIS beamforming based on sparse element arrays, allowing for flexible and optimized performance-overhead tradeoffs in RIS-based sensing and localization processes.

[0207] FIG. 18 Example method 1800 for operating a wireless node (e.g., a gNB) according to various aspects of this disclosure is illustrated. In one aspect, method 1800 may be performed by a gNB or a base station (such as base station 304, base station 602, base station 622, base station 642, gNB 1502, or any base station or gNB described in this disclosure). In another aspect, method 1800 may be performed by one or more WWAN transceivers 350, one or more processors 384, a memory 386, and / or a positioning component 388, any or all of which may be considered as components for performing one or more of the following operations of method 1800.

[0208] At operation 1810, the wireless node (e.g., gNB 1502) can obtain capability information indicating the arrangement of one or more element arrays supported by the RIS (e.g., RIS 1504). In some aspects, the arrangement of one or more element arrays may include at least one or more sparse element arrays. In some aspects, the one or more sparse element arrays may include minimal redundancy arrays, minimal hole arrays, nested arrays, coprime arrays, or combinations thereof. In some aspects, each of the one or more sparse element arrays may correspond to a one-dimensional sparse array or a two-dimensional sparse array.

[0209] In some aspects, capability information may indicate the location of elements in the corresponding sparse element array for each of one or more sparse element arrays. In some aspects, capability information may further indicate the aperture of the corresponding sparse element array, the beamforming gain of the corresponding sparse element array, or a combination thereof, for each of one or more sparse element arrays.

[0210] In some respects, capability information may be obtained based on: a first message from the RIS sent based on a query message from a wireless node; a second message from the RIS sent based on the establishment of a connection between the RIS and the wireless node; a third message broadcast or multicast by a network device within an area based on the RIS's location; or a combination thereof.

[0211] In some respects, operation 1810 may be performed by one or more WWAN transceivers 350, one or more processors 384, memory 386 and / or positioning components 388, any one or all of which may be regarded as components for performing operation 1810.

[0212] At operation 1820, the wireless node (e.g., gNB 1502) can select one of the one or more component arrangements based on one or more characteristics of the one or more component arrangements and one or more conditions described for the positioning process. In some aspects, operation 1820 can be performed by one or more WWAN transceivers 350, one or more processors 384, memory 386, and / or positioning components 388, any or all of which can be considered as components for performing operation 1820.

[0213] In some aspects, one or more conditions described for the positioning process correspond to prioritizing enhanced spatial resolution over enhanced beamforming gain or reduced signal strength of non-target return signals in the positioning process, and one element arrangement in one or more element arrangements may be selected based on prioritizing an element array arrangement with a larger aperture than the remaining element arrangements in one or more element arrangements. In some aspects, one or more conditions described for the positioning process may correspond to prioritizing enhanced beamforming gain over enhanced spatial resolution or reduced non-target return signals in the positioning process, and one element arrangement in one or more element arrangements may be selected based on prioritizing an element array arrangement with a higher element density than the remaining element arrangements in one or more element arrangements. In some aspects, one or more conditions described for the positioning process may correspond to prioritizing reduced signal strength of non-target return signals over enhanced spatial resolution or enhanced beamforming gain in the positioning process, and one element arrangement in one or more element arrangements may be selected based on prioritizing an element array arrangement with a lower sidelobe intensity than the remaining element arrangements in one or more element arrangements.

[0214] At operation 1830, a wireless node (e.g., gNB 1502) may transmit configuration information to the RIS, wherein the configuration information can be used to configure the RIS based on a selected element arrangement from one or more element arrangements. In some aspects, operation 1830 may be performed by one or more WWAN transceivers 350, one or more processors 384, memory 386, and / or positioning components 388, any or all of which may be considered as components for performing operation 1830.

[0215] In some aspects, configuration information may indicate the incident direction of the sensed signal, the reflection direction of the sensed signal, the refraction direction of the sensed signal, or a combination thereof, relative to the RIS used for the positioning process; one or more reflection coefficients or one or more refraction coefficients for the positioning process based on one or more codeword indices of the codebook of a selected element arrangement in one or more element arrangements supported by the RIS; or a combination thereof. In some aspects, the wireless node may determine one or more reflection coefficients or one or more refraction coefficients for the positioning process based on one or more codeword indices of the codebook of a selected element arrangement in one or more element arrangements supported by the RIS and the positioning of the elements of the selected element arrangement in one or more element arrangements.

[0216] In some aspects, after operation 1830, the wireless node (e.g., gNB 1502) can participate in the localization process to determine the estimated location of the target object based on the sensed signal from the wireless node via the RIS to the target object, the return signal from the target object via the RIS to the wireless node, or both. In some aspects, the localization process may be based on: delay analysis based on the sensed signal and the return signal; direction of arrival (DoA) analysis based on one or more of the first beam formed by the RIS for the sensed path from the RIS to the target object or the second beam formed by the RIS for the return path from the target object to the RIS; Doppler analysis based on the sensed signal and the return signal; or a combination thereof.

[0217] As will be understood, the technical advantage of method 1800 is that it provides a specific protocol and / or signaling design for implementing RIS beamforming based on sparse element arrays. Therefore, the gNB and RIS can communicate with each other efficiently and explicitly, enabling a flexible and optimized performance-overhead trade-off in RIS-based sensing and localization processes.

[0218] FIG. 19An example method 1900 for operating a RIS according to various aspects of this disclosure is illustrated. In one aspect, method 1900 may be performed by a RIS (such as RIS 610, RIS 630, RIS 650, RIS 700, or RIS 1504, or any RIS described in this disclosure). In another aspect, method 1900 may be performed by a controller 720, which may be considered as a component for performing one or more of the following operations of method 1900.

[0219] At operation 1910, the RIS (e.g., RIS 1504) can provide the wireless node (e.g., gNB 1502) with capability information indicating the arrangement of one or more element arrays supported by the RIS. In some aspects, the arrangement of one or more element arrays includes at least one or more sparse element arrays. In some aspects, the one or more sparse element arrays may include minimal redundancy arrays, minimal hole arrays, nested arrays, coprime arrays, or combinations thereof. In some aspects, each of the one or more sparse element arrays may correspond to a one-dimensional sparse array or a two-dimensional sparse array.

[0220] In some aspects, capability information may indicate the location of elements in the corresponding sparse element array for each of one or more sparse element arrays. In some aspects, capability information may further indicate the aperture of the corresponding sparse element array, the beamforming gain of the corresponding sparse element array, or a combination thereof, for each of one or more sparse element arrays.

[0221] In some respects, providing capability information to a wireless node may include: sending a first message based on a query message from the wireless node; sending a second message based on the establishment of a connection between the RIS and the wireless node; providing capability information to a network device to be sent in a third message, which is broadcast or multicast by the network device within an area based on the RIS's location; or a combination thereof.

[0222] In some respects, operation 1910 can be performed by controller 720 (which can be regarded as a component for performing operation 1910).

[0223] At operation 1920, the RIS (e.g., RIS 1504) can receive configuration information from (e.g., gNB 1502). In some aspects, the configuration information configures the RIS based on a selected element arrangement from one or more element arrangements. In some aspects, operation 1920 can be performed by a controller 720 (which can be considered as a component for performing operation 1920).

[0224] In some respects, the configuration information may indicate, relative to the RIS used for the positioning process, the incident direction of the sensing signal, the reflection direction of the sensing signal, the refraction direction of the sensing signal, or a combination thereof; one or more reflection coefficients or one or more refraction coefficients for the positioning process based on one or more codeword indices of a codebook of a selected element arrangement in one or more element arrangements supported by the RIS; or a combination thereof.

[0225] In some aspects, the configuration information indicates the incident direction of the sensed signal, the reflection direction of the sensed signal, the refraction direction of the sensed signal, or a combination thereof, relative to the RIS used for the positioning process. In some aspects, the RIS may further determine one or more reflection coefficients or one or more refractive coefficients based on the incident direction of the sensed signal, the reflection direction of the sensed signal, the refraction direction of the sensed signal, or a combination thereof.

[0226] At operation 1930, the RIS (e.g., RIS 1504) can be configured based on configuration information. In some respects, operation 1930 can be executed by controller 720 (which can be regarded as a component for performing operation 1930).

[0227] As will be understood, the technical advantage of method 1900 is that it provides a specific protocol and / or signaling design for implementing RIS beamforming based on sparse element arrays. Therefore, the gNB and RIS can communicate with each other efficiently and explicitly, enabling a flexible and optimized performance-overhead trade-off in RIS-based sensing and localization processes.

[0228] Specific implementation examples are described in the following numbered clauses:

[0229] Clause 1. A method of operating a wireless node, the method comprising: obtaining capability information indicating one or more element array arrangements supported by a reconfigurable smart surface (RIS), the one or more element array arrangements comprising at least one or more sparse element arrays; selecting one element arrangement from the one or more element arrangements based on one or more characteristics of the one or more element arrangements and one or more conditions described for a positioning process; and transmitting configuration information to the RIS, the configuration information configuring the RIS based on the selected element arrangement from the one or more element arrangements.

[0230] Clause 2. The method according to Clause 1, the method further comprising: participating in the positioning process to determine the estimated location of the target object based on a sensing signal from the wireless node via the RIS to the target object, a return signal from the target object via the RIS to the wireless node, or both.

[0231] Clause 3. The method according to Clause 2, wherein the configuration information indicates: the incident direction of the sensing signal, the reflection direction of the sensing signal, the refraction direction of the sensing signal, or a combination thereof, relative to the RIS used for the positioning process; one or more reflection coefficients or one or more refraction coefficients for the positioning process based on one or more codeword indices of a codebook of a selected element arrangement in one or more element arrangements supported by the RIS; or a combination thereof.

[0232] Clause 4. The method according to any one of Clauses 2 to 3, wherein the positioning process is based on: delay analysis based on the sensing signal and the return signal; direction of arrival (DoA) analysis based on one or more of a first beam formed by the RIS for a sensing path from the RIS to the target object or a second beam formed by the RIS for a return path from the target object to the RIS; Doppler analysis based on the sensing signal and the return signal; or a combination thereof.

[0233] Clause 5. The method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 4, wherein the one or more sparse element arrays comprise: a minimum redundancy array; a minimum void array; a nested array; a coprime array; or a combination thereof.

[0234] Clause 6. The method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 5, wherein each of the one or more sparse element arrays corresponds to: a one-dimensional sparse array; or a two-dimensional sparse array.

[0235] Clause 7. The method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 6, wherein: the capability information further indicates the location of the element in the corresponding sparse element array for each of the one or more sparse element arrays.

[0236] Clause 8. The method according to Clause 7, wherein the capability information further indicates, for each of the one or more sparse element arrays, the aperture of the corresponding sparse element array; the beamforming gain of the corresponding sparse element array; or a combination thereof.

[0237] Clause 9. The method according to any one of Clauses 7 to 8, the method further comprising: determining one or more reflection coefficients or one or more refractive coefficients for the positioning process based on one or more codeword indices of a codebook of a selected element arrangement in the one or more element arrangements supported by the RIS and the positioning of the element in the selected element arrangement in the one or more element arrangements.

[0238] Clause 10. The method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 9, wherein: the one or more conditions set forth for the positioning process correspond to prioritizing enhanced spatial resolution over enhanced beamforming gain or reducing the signal strength of the non-target return signal of the positioning process, and the selection of one of the one or more element arrangements is based on prioritizing an element array arrangement in the one or more element array arrangements that has a larger aperture than the remaining element arrangements in the one or more element arrangements.

[0239] Clause 11. The method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 9, wherein: the one or more conditions set forth for the positioning process correspond to prioritizing enhanced beamforming gain over enhanced spatial resolution or reducing non-target return signals of the positioning process, and the selection of one of the one or more element arrangements is based on prioritizing an element array arrangement in the one or more element array arrangements that has a higher element density than the remaining element arrangements in the one or more element arrangements.

[0240] Clause 12. The method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 9, wherein: the one or more conditions set forth for the positioning process correspond to prioritizing the reduction of the signal strength of the non-target return signal over the enhancement of spatial resolution or the enhancement of the beamforming gain of the positioning process, and the selection of one of the one or more element arrangements is based on prioritizing an element array arrangement in the one or more element array arrangements that has a lower sidelobe strength than the remaining element arrangements in the one or more element arrangements.

[0241] Clause 13. The method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 12, wherein the capability information is obtained based on: a first message from the RIS sent based on a query message from the wireless node; a second message from the RIS sent based on the establishment of a connection between the RIS and the wireless node; a third message broadcast or multicast by a network device within an area based on the location of the RIS; or a combination thereof.

[0242] Clause 14. A method of operating a reconfigurable smart surface (RIS), the method comprising: providing to a wireless node capability information indicating one or more element array arrangements supported by the RIS, the one or more element array arrangements including at least one or more sparse element arrays; receiving from the wireless node configuration information configuring the RIS based on a selected element arrangement of the one or more element arrangements; and configuring the RIS based on the configuration information.

[0243] Clause 15. The method according to Clause 14, wherein the configuration information indicates: the incident direction of the sensing signal for the positioning process, the reflection direction of the sensing signal, the refraction direction of the sensing signal, or a combination thereof, relative to the RIS for the positioning process; one or more reflection coefficients or one or more refraction coefficients for the positioning process based on one or more codeword indices of a codebook of a selected element arrangement in one or more element arrangements supported by the RIS; or a combination thereof.

[0244] Clause 16. The method according to Clause 15, wherein: the configuration information indicates, relative to the RIS used for the positioning process, the incident direction of the sensing signal, the reflection direction of the sensing signal, the refraction direction of the sensing signal, or a combination thereof, and the method further comprises: determining the one or more reflection coefficients or the one or more refraction coefficients based on the incident direction of the sensing signal, the reflection direction of the sensing signal, the refraction direction of the sensing signal, or a combination thereof.

[0245] Clause 17. The method according to any one of Clauses 14 to 16, wherein the one or more sparse element arrays comprise: a minimum redundancy array; a minimum void array; a nested array; a coprime array; or a combination thereof.

[0246] Clause 18. The method according to any one of Clauses 14 to 17, wherein each of the one or more sparse element arrays corresponds to: a one-dimensional sparse array; or a two-dimensional sparse array.

[0247] Clause 19. The method according to any one of Clauses 14 to 18, wherein: the capability information further indicates the location of the element in the corresponding sparse element array for each of the one or more sparse element arrays.

[0248] Clause 20. The method according to Clause 19, wherein the capability information further indicates for each of the one or more sparse element arrays: the aperture of the corresponding sparse element array; the beamforming gain of the corresponding sparse element array; or a combination thereof.

[0249] Clause 21. The method according to any one of Clauses 14 to 20, wherein providing the capability information to the wireless node comprises: sending a first message based on a query message from the wireless node; sending a second message based on the establishment of a connection between the RIS and the wireless node; providing the capability information to a network device for transmission in a third message, the third message being broadcast or multicast by the network device within an area based on the location of the RIS; or a combination thereof.

[0250] Clause 22. A wireless node comprising: one or more memories; one or more transceivers; and one or more processors communicatively coupled to the one or more memories and the one or more transceivers, the one or more processors being individually or in combination configured to: obtain capability information indicating one or more element array arrangements supported by a reconfigurable smart surface (RIS), the one or more element array arrangements comprising at least one or more sparse element arrays; select one element arrangement from the one or more element arrangements based on one or more characteristics of the one or more element arrangements and one or more conditions set forth for a positioning process; and transmit configuration information to the RIS via the one or more transceivers, the configuration information configuring the RIS based on the selected element arrangement from the one or more element arrangements.

[0251] Clause 23. The wireless node as described in Clause 22, wherein the one or more processors are further configured individually or in combination to participate in the localization process to determine the estimated location of the target object based on a sensing signal from the wireless node via the RIS to the target object, a return signal from the target object via the RIS to the wireless node, or both.

[0252] Clause 24. The wireless node according to Clause 23, wherein the configuration information indicates: the incident direction of the sensing signal, the reflection direction of the sensing signal, the refraction direction of the sensing signal, or a combination thereof, relative to the RIS used for the positioning process; one or more reflection coefficients or one or more refraction coefficients for the positioning process based on one or more codeword indices of a codebook of a selected element arrangement supported by the RIS; or a combination thereof.

[0253] Clause 25. A wireless node according to any one of Clauses 23 to 24, wherein the positioning process is based on: delay analysis based on the sensing signals and the return signals; direction of arrival (DoA) analysis based on one or more of a first beam formed by the RIS for a sensing path from the RIS to the target object or a second beam formed by the RIS for a return path from the target object to the RIS; Doppler analysis based on the sensing signals and the return signals; or a combination thereof.

[0254] Clause 26. A wireless node according to any one of Clauses 22 to 25, wherein the one or more sparse element arrays comprise: a minimum redundancy array; a minimum hole array; a nested array; a coprime array; or a combination thereof.

[0255] Clause 27. A wireless node according to any one of Clauses 22 to 26, wherein each of the one or more sparse element arrays corresponds to: a one-dimensional sparse array; or a two-dimensional sparse array.

[0256] Clause 28. A wireless node according to any one of Clauses 22 to 27, wherein: the capability information further indicates the location of the element in the corresponding sparse element array for each of the one or more sparse element arrays.

[0257] Clause 29. The wireless node according to Clause 28, wherein the capability information further indicates, for each of the one or more sparse element arrays, the aperture of the corresponding sparse element array; the beamforming gain of the corresponding sparse element array; or a combination thereof.

[0258] Clause 30. A wireless node according to any one of Clauses 28 to 29, wherein the one or more processors are further configured individually or in combination to determine one or more reflection coefficients or one or more refractive coefficients for the positioning process based on one or more codeword indices of a codebook of a selected element arrangement in the one or more element arrangements supported by the RIS and the positioning of the element in the selected element arrangement in the one or more element arrangements.

[0259] Clause 31. A wireless node according to any one of Clauses 22 to 30, wherein: the one or more conditions set forth for the positioning process correspond to prioritizing enhanced spatial resolution over enhanced beamforming gain or reducing the signal strength of the non-target return signal of the positioning process, and the selection of one of the one or more element arrangements is based on prioritizing an element array arrangement in the one or more element array arrangements that has a larger aperture than the remaining element arrangements in the one or more element arrangements.

[0260] Clause 32. A wireless node according to any one of Clauses 22 to 30, wherein: the one or more conditions set forth for the localization process correspond to prioritizing enhanced beamforming gain over enhanced spatial resolution or reducing non-target return signals of the localization process, and the selection of one of the one or more element arrangements is based on prioritizing an element array arrangement in the one or more element array arrangements that has a higher element density than the remaining element arrangements in the one or more element arrangements.

[0261] Clause 33. A wireless node according to any one of Clauses 22 to 30, wherein: the one or more conditions set forth for the localization process correspond to prioritizing the reduction of the signal strength of the non-target return signal over the enhancement of spatial resolution or the enhancement of the beamforming gain of the localization process, and the selection of one of the one or more element arrangements is based on prioritizing an element array arrangement in the one or more element array arrangements that has a lower sidelobe strength than the remaining element arrangements in the one or more element arrangements.

[0262] Clause 34. A wireless node according to any one of Clauses 22 to 33, wherein the capability information is obtained based on: a first message from the RIS sent based on a query message from the wireless node; a second message from the RIS sent based on the establishment of a connection between the RIS and the wireless node; a third message broadcast or multicast by a network device within an area based on the location of the RIS; or a combination thereof.

[0263] Clause 35. A reconfigurable smart surface (RIS) comprising: one or more memories; one or more transceivers; and one or more processors communicatively coupled to the one or more memories and the one or more transceivers, the one or more processors being individually or in combination configured to: provide a wireless node with capability information indicating one or more element array arrangements supported by the RIS, the one or more element array arrangements comprising at least one or more sparse element arrays; receive configuration information from the wireless node via the one or more transceivers, the configuration information configuring the RIS based on a selected element arrangement of the one or more element arrangements; and configure the RIS based on the configuration information.

[0264] Clause 36. The RIS as described in Clause 35, wherein the configuration information indicates: the incident direction of the sensing signal for the positioning process, the reflection direction of the sensing signal, the refraction direction of the sensing signal, or a combination thereof, relative to the RIS for the positioning process; one or more reflection coefficients or one or more refraction coefficients for the positioning process based on one or more codeword indices of a codebook of a selected element arrangement in one or more element arrangements supported by the RIS; or a combination thereof.

[0265] Clause 37. The RIS as described in Clause 36, wherein: the configuration information indicates, relative to the RIS used for the positioning process, the incident direction of the sensing signal, the reflection direction of the sensing signal, the refraction direction of the sensing signal, or a combination thereof, and the one or more processors are further configured individually or in combination to determine the one or more reflection coefficients or the one or more refraction coefficients based on the incident direction of the sensing signal, the reflection direction of the sensing signal, the refraction direction of the sensing signal, or a combination thereof.

[0266] Clause 38. The RIS according to any one of Clauses 35 to 37, wherein the one or more sparse element arrays comprise: a minimum redundancy array; a minimum hole array; a nested array; a coprime array; or a combination thereof.

[0267] Clause 39. The RIS according to any one of Clauses 35 to 38, wherein each of the one or more sparse element arrays corresponds to: a one-dimensional sparse array; or a two-dimensional sparse array.

[0268] Clause 40. The RIS according to any one of Clauses 35 to 39, wherein: the capability information further indicates the location of the element in the corresponding sparse element array for each of the one or more sparse element arrays.

[0269] Clause 41. The RIS as described in Clause 40, wherein the capability information further indicates, for each of the one or more sparse element arrays,: the aperture of the corresponding sparse element array; the beamforming gain of the corresponding sparse element array; or a combination thereof.

[0270] Clause 42. The RIS according to any one of Clauses 35 to 41, wherein providing the capability information to the wireless node comprises: sending a first message via the one or more transceivers based on a query message from the wireless node; sending a second message via the one or more transceivers based on the establishment of a connection between the RIS and the wireless node; providing the capability information to a network device for transmission in a third message, the third message being broadcast or multicast by the network device within an area based on the location of the RIS; or a combination thereof.

[0271] Clause 43. A wireless node comprising: means for obtaining capability information indicating one or more element array arrangements supported by a reconfigurable smart surface (RIS), the one or more element array arrangements comprising at least one or more sparse element arrays; means for selecting one element arrangement from the one or more element arrangements based on one or more characteristics of the one or more element arrangements and one or more conditions described for a positioning process; and means for transmitting configuration information to the RIS, the configuration information configuring the RIS based on the selected element arrangement from the one or more element arrangements.

[0272] Clause 44. The wireless node as described in Clause 43 further includes: a component for participating in the positioning process to determine the estimated location of the target object based on a sensing signal from the wireless node via the RIS to the target object, a return signal from the target object via the RIS to the wireless node, or both.

[0273] Clause 45. The wireless node according to Clause 44, wherein the configuration information indicates: the incident direction of the sensing signal, the reflection direction of the sensing signal, the refraction direction of the sensing signal, or a combination thereof, relative to the RIS used for the positioning process; one or more reflection coefficients or one or more refraction coefficients for the positioning process based on one or more codeword indices of a codebook of a selected element arrangement supported by the RIS; or a combination thereof.

[0274] Clause 46. A wireless node according to any one of Clauses 44 to 45, wherein the positioning process is based on: delay analysis based on the sensing signals and the return signals; direction of arrival (DoA) analysis based on one or more of a first beam formed by the RIS for a sensing path from the RIS to the target object or a second beam formed by the RIS for a return path from the target object to the RIS; Doppler analysis based on the sensing signals and the return signals; or a combination thereof.

[0275] Clause 47. A wireless node according to any one of Clauses 43 to 46, wherein the one or more sparse element arrays comprise: a minimum redundancy array; a minimum hole array; a nested array; a coprime array; or a combination thereof.

[0276] Clause 48. A wireless node according to any one of Clauses 43 to 47, wherein each of the one or more sparse element arrays corresponds to: a one-dimensional sparse array; or a two-dimensional sparse array.

[0277] Clause 49. A wireless node according to any one of Clauses 43 to 48, wherein: the capability information further indicates the location of the element in the corresponding sparse element array for each of the one or more sparse element arrays.

[0278] Clause 50. The wireless node pursuant to Clause 49, wherein the capability information further indicates, for each of the one or more sparse element arrays,: the aperture of the corresponding sparse element array; the beamforming gain of the corresponding sparse element array; or a combination thereof.

[0279] Clause 51. The wireless node according to any one of Clauses 49 to 50, the wireless node further comprising: a component for determining one or more reflection coefficients or one or more refractive coefficients for the positioning process based on one or more codeword indices of a codebook of a selected element arrangement in the one or more element arrangements supported by the RIS and the positioning of the element in the selected element arrangement in the one or more element arrangements.

[0280] Clause 52. A wireless node according to any one of Clauses 43 to 51, wherein: the one or more conditions set forth for the positioning process correspond to prioritizing enhanced spatial resolution over enhanced beamforming gain or reducing the signal strength of the non-target return signal of the positioning process, and the component for selecting one of the one or more element arrangements is based on giving preference to an element array arrangement in the one or more element array arrangements that has a larger aperture than the remaining element arrangements in the one or more element arrangements.

[0281] Clause 53. A wireless node according to any one of Clauses 43 to 51, wherein: the one or more conditions set forth for the positioning process correspond to prioritizing enhanced beamforming gain over enhanced spatial resolution or reducing non-target return signals of the positioning process, and the component for selecting one of the one or more element arrangements is based on giving preference to an element array arrangement in the one or more element array arrangements that has a higher element density than the remaining element arrangements in the one or more element arrangements.

[0282] Clause 54. A wireless node according to any one of Clauses 43 to 51, wherein: the one or more conditions set forth for the localization process correspond to prioritizing the reduction of the signal strength of the non-target return signal over the enhancement of spatial resolution or the enhancement of the beamforming gain of the localization process, and the component for selecting one of the one or more element arrangements is based on giving preference to an element array arrangement in the one or more element array arrangements that has a lower sidelobe strength than the remaining element arrangements in the one or more element arrangements.

[0283] Clause 55. A wireless node according to any one of Clauses 43 to 54, wherein the capability information is obtained based on: a first message from the RIS sent based on a query message from the wireless node; a second message from the RIS sent based on the establishment of a connection between the RIS and the wireless node; a third message broadcast or multicast by a network device within an area based on the location of the RIS; or a combination thereof.

[0284] Clause 56. A reconfigurable smart surface (RIS), the reconfigurable smart surface (RIS) comprising: means for providing a wireless node with capability information indicating one or more element array arrangements supported by the RIS, the one or more element array arrangements comprising at least one or more sparse element arrays; means for receiving configuration information from the wireless node, the configuration information configuring the RIS based on a selected element arrangement of the one or more element arrangements; and means for configuring the RIS based on the configuration information.

[0285] Clause 57. The RIS as described in Clause 56, wherein the configuration information indicates: the incident direction of the sensing signal for the positioning process, the reflection direction of the sensing signal, the refraction direction of the sensing signal, or a combination thereof, relative to the RIS for the positioning process; one or more reflection coefficients or one or more refraction coefficients for the positioning process based on one or more codeword indices of a codebook of a selected element arrangement in one or more element arrangements supported by the RIS; or a combination thereof.

[0286] Clause 58. The RIS as described in Clause 57, wherein: the configuration information indicates, relative to the RIS used for the positioning process, the incident direction of the sensing signal, the reflection direction of the sensing signal, the refraction direction of the sensing signal, or a combination thereof, and the RIS further includes: a component for determining the one or more reflection coefficients or the one or more refractive coefficients based on the incident direction of the sensing signal, the reflection direction of the sensing signal, the refraction direction of the sensing signal, or a combination thereof.

[0287] Clause 59. The RIS according to any one of Clauses 56 to 58, wherein the one or more sparse element arrays comprise: a minimum redundancy array; a minimum hole array; a nested array; a coprime array; or a combination thereof.

[0288] Clause 60. The RIS according to any one of Clauses 56 to 59, wherein each of the one or more sparse element arrays corresponds to: a one-dimensional sparse array; or a two-dimensional sparse array.

[0289] Clause 61. The RIS according to any one of Clauses 56 to 60, wherein: the capability information further indicates the location of the element in the corresponding sparse element array for each of the one or more sparse element arrays.

[0290] Clause 62. The RIS as described in Clause 61, wherein the capability information further indicates, for each of the one or more sparse element arrays,: the aperture of the corresponding sparse element array; the beamforming gain of the corresponding sparse element array; or a combination thereof.

[0291] Clause 63. The RIS according to any one of Clauses 56 to 62, wherein the components for providing the capability information to the wireless node include: components for sending a first message based on a query message from the wireless node; components for sending a second message based on the establishment of a connection between the RIS and the wireless node; components for providing the capability information to a network device for sending in a third message, the third message being broadcast or multicast by the network device within an area based on the location of the RIS; or a combination thereof.

[0292] Clause 64. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions, which, when executed by a wireless node, cause the wireless node to: obtain capability information indicating one or more element array arrangements supported by a reconfigurable smart surface (RIS), the one or more element array arrangements comprising at least one or more sparse element arrays; select one element arrangement from the one or more element arrangements based on one or more characteristics of the one or more element arrangements and one or more conditions set forth for a positioning process; and transmit configuration information to the RIS, the configuration information configuring the RIS based on the selected element arrangement from the one or more element arrangements.

[0293] Clause 65. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as described in Clause 64 further includes computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the wireless node, cause the wireless node to: participate in the localization process to determine the estimated location of the target object based on a sensing signal from the wireless node via the RIS to the target object, a return signal from the target object via the RIS to the wireless node, or both.

[0294] Clause 66. The non-transitory computer-readable medium pursuant to Clause 65, wherein the configuration information indicates: the incident direction of the sensing signal, the reflection direction of the sensing signal, the refraction direction of the sensing signal, or a combination thereof, relative to the RIS used for the positioning process; one or more reflection coefficients or one or more refraction coefficients for the positioning process based on one or more codeword indices of a codebook of a selected element arrangement in one or more element arrangements supported by the RIS; or a combination thereof.

[0295] Clause 67. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any one of Clauses 65 to 66, wherein the positioning process is based on: delay analysis based on the sensing signal and the return signal; direction of arrival (DoA) analysis based on one or more of a first beam formed by the RIS for a sensing path from the RIS to the target object or a second beam formed by the RIS for a return path from the target object to the RIS; Doppler analysis based on the sensing signal and the return signal; or a combination thereof.

[0296] Clause 68. A nontransitory computer-readable medium according to any one of Clauses 64 to 67, wherein the one or more sparse element arrays comprise: a minimum redundancy array; a minimum hole array; a nested array; a coprime array; or a combination thereof.

[0297] Clause 69. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any one of Clauses 64 to 68, wherein each of the one or more sparse element arrays corresponds to: a one-dimensional sparse array; or a two-dimensional sparse array.

[0298] Clause 70. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any one of Clauses 64 to 69, wherein: the capability information further indicates the location of elements in the corresponding sparse element array for each of the one or more sparse element arrays.

[0299] Clause 71. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to Clause 70, wherein the capability information further indicates, for each of the one or more sparse element arrays,: the aperture of the corresponding sparse element array; the beamforming gain of the corresponding sparse element array; or a combination thereof.

[0300] Clause 72. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any one of Clauses 70 to 71, the non-transitory computer-readable medium further comprising computer-executable instructions, which, when executed by the wireless node, cause the wireless node to: determine one or more reflection coefficients or one or more refractive coefficients for the positioning process based on one or more codeword indices of a codebook of a selected element arrangement in the one or more element arrangements supported by the RIS and the positioning of the element in the selected element arrangement in the one or more element arrangements.

[0301] Clause 73. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any one of Clauses 64 to 72, wherein: the one or more conditions set forth for the positioning process correspond to prioritizing enhanced spatial resolution over enhanced beamforming gain or reducing the signal strength of non-target return signals of the positioning process, and the computer-executable instructions, when executed by the wireless node, cause the wireless node to select one of the one or more element arrangements based on prioritizing an element array arrangement in the one or more element array arrangements that has a larger aperture than the remaining element arrangements in the one or more element arrangements.

[0302] Clause 74. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any one of Clauses 64 to 72, wherein: the one or more conditions set forth for the positioning process correspond to prioritizing enhanced beamforming gain over enhanced spatial resolution or reducing non-target return signals of the positioning process, and the computer-executable instructions, when executed by the wireless node, cause the wireless node to select one of the one or more element arrangements based on prioritizing an element array arrangement in the one or more element array arrangements that has a higher element density than the remaining element arrangements in the one or more element arrangements.

[0303] Clause 75. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any one of Clauses 64 to 72, wherein: the one or more conditions set forth for the localization process correspond to prioritizing the reduction of the signal strength of the non-target return signal over the enhancement of spatial resolution or the enhancement of the beamforming gain of the localization process, and the computer-executable instructions, when executed by the wireless node, cause the wireless node to select the one of the one or more element arrangements based on prioritizing an element array arrangement in the one or more element array arrangements that has a lower sidelobe intensity than the remaining element arrangements in the one or more element arrangements.

[0304] Clause 76. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any one of Clauses 64 to 75, wherein the capability information is obtained based on: a first message from the RIS sent based on a query message from the wireless node; a second message from the RIS sent based on the establishment of a connection between the RIS and the wireless node; a third message broadcast or multicast by a network device within an area based on the location of the RIS; or a combination thereof.

[0305] Clause 77. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions, which, when executed by a reconfigurable smart surface (RIS), cause the RIS to: provide a wireless node with capability information indicating one or more element array arrangements supported by the RIS, the one or more element array arrangements comprising at least one or more sparse element arrays; receive configuration information from the wireless node, the configuration information configuring the RIS based on a selected element arrangement of the one or more element arrangements; and configure the RIS based on the configuration information.

[0306] Clause 78. The non-transitory computer-readable medium pursuant to Clause 77, wherein the configuration information indicates: an incident direction of a sensing signal for the positioning process, a reflection direction of the sensing signal, a refraction direction of the sensing signal, or a combination thereof, relative to the RIS used for the positioning process; one or more reflection coefficients or one or more refraction coefficients for the positioning process based on one or more codeword indices of a codebook of a selected element arrangement supported by the RIS; or a combination thereof.

[0307] Clause 79. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to Clause 78, wherein: the configuration information indicates, relative to the RIS used for the positioning process, the incident direction of the sensing signal, the reflection direction of the sensing signal, the refraction direction of the sensing signal, or a combination thereof, and the computer-executable instructions further include computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the RIS, cause the RIS to: determine the one or more reflection coefficients or the one or more refraction coefficients based on the incident direction of the sensing signal, the reflection direction of the sensing signal, the refraction direction of the sensing signal, or a combination thereof.

[0308] Clause 80. A nontransitory computer-readable medium according to any one of Clauses 77 to 79, wherein the one or more sparse element arrays comprise: a minimum redundancy array; a minimum hole array; a nested array; a coprime array; or a combination thereof.

[0309] Clause 81. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any one of Clauses 77 to 80, wherein each of the one or more sparse element arrays corresponds to: a one-dimensional sparse array; or a two-dimensional sparse array.

[0310] Clause 82. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any one of Clauses 77 to 81, wherein: the capability information further indicates the location of elements in the corresponding sparse element array for each of the one or more sparse element arrays.

[0311] Clause 83. The non-transitory computer-readable medium pursuant to Clause 82, wherein the capability information further indicates, for each of the one or more sparse element arrays,: the aperture of the corresponding sparse element array; the beamforming gain of the corresponding sparse element array; or a combination thereof.

[0312] Clause 84. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any one of Clauses 77 to 83, wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed by the wireless node, cause the wireless node to provide the capability information to the wireless node, further include computer-executable instructions, when executed by the RIS, causing the RIS to perform the following operations: sending a first message based on a query message from the wireless node; sending a second message based on the establishment of a connection between the RIS and the wireless node; providing the capability information to a network device for transmission in a third message, the third message being broadcast or multicast by the network device within an area based on the location of the RIS; or a combination thereof.

[0313] Those skilled in the art will understand that information and signals can be represented using any of a variety of different techniques and arts. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be mentioned throughout the above description can be represented by voltage, current, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or magnetic particles, light fields or optical particles, or any combination thereof.

[0314] Furthermore, those skilled in the art will understand that the various exemplary logic blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithm steps described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein can be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or a combination of both. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability between hardware and software, various exemplary components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have been described above in general terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends on the specific application and the design constraints imposed on the overall system. Those skilled in the art may implement the described functionality in different ways for each specific application, but such specific implementation decisions should not be construed as departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0315] The various exemplary logic blocks, modules, and circuits described in conjunction with the aspects disclosed herein may be implemented or performed using a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an ASIC, a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic components, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in alternative embodiments, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. The processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors combined with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

[0316] The methods, sequences, and / or algorithms described in conjunction with the aspects disclosed herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or a combination of both. The software module may reside in random access memory (RAM), flash memory, read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable ROM (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), registers, hard disks, removable disks, CD-ROMs, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. Example storage media are coupled to a processor such that the processor can read information from and write information to the storage medium. Alternatively, the storage medium may be integral with the processor. The processor and storage medium may reside in an ASIC. The ASIC may reside in a user terminal (e.g., a UE). Alternatively, the processor and storage medium may reside as discrete components in the user terminal.

[0317] In one or more examples, the described functionality may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, the functionality may be stored as one or more instructions or code on or transmitted via a computer-readable medium. A computer-readable medium includes both computer storage media and communication media, which includes any medium that facilitates the transfer of a computer program from one place to another. A storage medium may be any available medium accessible to a computer. By way of example and not limitation, such computer-readable media may include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disc storage, disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store the desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and is accessible to a computer. Furthermore, any connection is appropriately referred to as a computer-readable medium. For example, if the software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave, then coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave are included within the definition of a medium. As used herein, disks and optical discs include: compact optical discs (CDs), laser discs, optical discs, digital versatile optical discs (DVDs), floppy disks, and Blu-ray discs. Disks typically reproduce data magnetically, while optical discs reproduce data optically using lasers. Combinations of these should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0318] While the foregoing disclosure illustrates exemplary aspects of this disclosure, it should be noted that various changes and modifications may be made herein without departing from the scope of this disclosure as defined by the appended claims. Furthermore, the functions, steps, and / or actions of the method claims according to the aspects of this disclosure described herein need not be performed in any particular order. Additionally, although elements of this disclosure may be described or claimed in the singular, the plural form may also be considered unless expressly stated as limited to the singular.

Claims

1. A method of operating a wireless node, the method comprising: obtaining capability information indicating one or more meta-element array arrangements supported by a reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS), the one or more meta-element array arrangements including at least one or more sparse meta-element array; selecting one of the one or more meta-element arrangements based on one or more characteristics of the one or more meta-element arrangements and one or more conditions stated for a positioning procedure; and transmitting, to the RIS, configuration information that configures the RIS based on the selected one of the one or more meta-element arrangements.

2. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising: participating in the positioning procedure to determine an estimated position of a target object based on a sensing signal from the wireless node via the RIS to the target object, a return signal from the target object via the RIS to the wireless node, or both.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the configuration information indicates: an incident direction of the sensing signal, a reflection direction of the sensing signal, a refraction direction of the sensing signal, or a combination thereof, relative to the RIS for the positioning procedure; one or more reflection coefficients or one or more refraction coefficients for the positioning procedure based on one or more codeword indices of a codebook of the selected one of the one or more meta-element arrangements supported by the RIS; or a combination thereof.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the positioning procedure is based on: delay analysis based on the sensing signal and the return signal; direction of arrival (DoA) analysis based on one or more of a first beam formed by the RIS for a sensing path from the RIS to the target object or a second beam formed by the RIS for a return path from the target object to the RIS; Doppler analysis based on the sensing signal and the return signal; or a combination thereof.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more sparse meta-element arrays include: a minimum redundancy array; a minimum hole array; a nested array; a co-prime array; or a combination thereof.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the one or more sparse meta-element arrays corresponds to: a one-dimensional sparse array; or a two-dimensional sparse array.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein: the capability information further indicates, for each of the one or more sparse meta-element arrays, a position of a meta-element in the corresponding sparse meta-element array.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the capability information further indicates, for each of the one or more sparse meta-element arrays, the corresponding sparse meta-element array: an aperture of the corresponding sparse meta-element array; a beamforming gain of the corresponding sparse meta-element array; or a combination thereof.

9. The method of claim 7, the method further comprising: ​ ​ ​ one or more reflection coefficients or one or more refraction coefficients for the positioning procedure based on one or more code word indices of a codebook of a selected one of the one or more meta-element arrangements supported by the RIS and the positioning of the meta-elements of the selected one of the one or more meta-element arrangements.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein: the one or more conditions stated for the positioning procedure correspond to prioritizing enhancing spatial resolution over enhancing beamforming gain or reducing signal strength of non-target return signals of the positioning procedure, and selecting the one of the one or more meta-element arrangements is based on prioritizing meta-element array arrangements of the one or more meta-element array arrangements that have a larger aperture than the remaining ones of the one or more meta-element arrangements.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein: the one or more conditions stated for the positioning procedure correspond to prioritizing enhancing beamforming gain over enhancing spatial resolution or reducing non-target return signals of the positioning procedure, and selecting the one of the one or more meta-element arrangements is based on prioritizing meta-element array arrangements of the one or more meta-element array arrangements that have a higher meta-element density than the remaining ones of the one or more meta-element arrangements.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein: the one or more conditions stated for the positioning procedure correspond to prioritizing reducing signal strength of non-target return signals over enhancing spatial resolution or enhancing beamforming gain of the positioning procedure, and selecting the one of the one or more meta-element arrangements is based on prioritizing meta-element array arrangements of the one or more meta-element array arrangements that have a lower side lobe strength than the remaining ones of the one or more meta-element arrangements.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the capability information is obtained based on: a first message from the RIS sent based on a query message from the wireless node; a second message from the RIS sent based on establishment of a connection between the RIS and the wireless node; a third message broadcast or multicast by a network device within a zone based on a location of the RIS; or a combination thereof.

14. A method of operating a reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS), the method comprising: providing capability information to a wireless node indicating one or more meta-element array arrangements supported by the RIS, the one or more meta-element array arrangements including at least one or more sparse meta-element arrays; receiving configuration information from the wireless node, the configuration information configuring the RIS based on a selected one of the one or more meta-element arrangements; and configuring the RIS based on the configuration information.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the configuration information indicates: one or more code word indices of a codebook of a selected one of the one or more meta-element arrangements supported by the RIS and the positioning of the meta-elements of the selected one of the one or more meta-element arrangements. an incident direction of a sensing signal for the positioning procedure, a reflection direction of the sensing signal, a refraction direction of the sensing signal, or a combination thereof relative to the RIS for the positioning procedure; one or more reflection coefficients or one or more refraction coefficients for the positioning procedure based on one or more code word indices of a codebook of a selected one of the one or more meta-element arrangements supported by the RIS; or a combination thereof.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein: the configuration information indicates the incident direction of the sensing signal, the reflection direction of the sensing signal, the refraction direction of the sensing signal, or the combination thereof of the sensing signal relative to the RIS for the positioning procedure; and the method further comprises determining the one or more reflection coefficients or the one or more refraction coefficients based on the incident direction of the sensing signal, the reflection direction of the sensing signal, the refraction direction of the sensing signal, or the combination thereof.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the one or more sparse meta-element arrays comprise: a minimal redundancy array; a minimal hole array; a nested array; a coprime array; or a combination thereof.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein each of the one or more sparse meta-element arrays corresponds to: a one-dimensional sparse array; or a two-dimensional sparse array.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein: the capability information further indicates, for each of the one or more sparse meta-element arrays, a positioning of a meta-element in the corresponding sparse meta-element array.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the capability information further indicates, for each of the one or more sparse meta-element arrays: an aperture of the corresponding sparse meta-element array; a beamforming gain of the corresponding sparse meta-element array; or a combination thereof.

21. The method of claim 14, wherein providing the capability information to the wireless node comprises: sending a first message based on a query message from the wireless node; sending a second message based on establishment of a connection between the RIS and the wireless node; providing the capability information to a network device for sending in a third message, the third message broadcast or multicast by the network device within a zone based on a location of the RIS; or a combination thereof.

22. A wireless node, the wireless node comprising: one or more memories; one or more transceivers; and one or more processors communicatively coupled to the one or more memories and the one or more transceivers, the one or more processors, individually or in combination, configured to: obtain capability information indicating one or more meta-element array arrangements supported by a reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS), the one or more meta-element array arrangements comprising at least one or more sparse meta-element arrays; ​ selecting one of the one or more meta-element arrangements based on one or more characteristics of the one or more meta-element arrangements and one or more conditions stated for a positioning procedure; and transmitting, via the one or more transceivers, configuration information to the RIS, the configuration information configuring the RIS based on the selected one of the one or more meta-element arrangements.

23. The wireless node of claim 22, wherein the one or more processors, individually or in combination, are further configured to: participate in the positioning procedure to determine an estimated positioning of a target object based on a sensing signal from the wireless node via the RIS to the target object, a return signal from the target object via the RIS to the wireless node, or both.

24. The wireless node of claim 22, wherein the one or more sparse meta-element arrays comprise: a minimum redundancy array; a minimum hole array; a nested array; a co-prime array; or a combination thereof.

25. The wireless node of claim 22, wherein the capability information further indicates, for each of the one or more sparse meta-element arrays: a positioning of meta-elements in a corresponding sparse meta-element array; an aperture of the corresponding sparse meta-element array; a beamforming gain of the corresponding sparse meta-element array; or a combination thereof.

26. The wireless node of claim 25, wherein the one or more processors, individually or in combination, are further configured to: determine one or more reflection coefficients or one or more refraction coefficients for the positioning procedure based on one or more codeword indices of a codebook of the selected one of the one or more meta-element arrangements supported by the RIS and the positioning of the meta-elements of the selected one of the one or more meta-element arrangements.

27. A reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS), the reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) comprising: one or more memories; one or more transceivers; and one or more processors communicatively coupled to the one or more memories and the one or more transceivers, the one or more processors, individually or in combination, configured to: provide, to a wireless node, capability information indicating one or more meta-element array arrangements supported by the RIS, the one or more meta-element array arrangements comprising at least one or more sparse meta-element arrays; receive, via the one or more transceivers, configuration information from the wireless node, the configuration information configuring the RIS based on a selected one of the one or more meta-element arrangements; and configure the RIS based on the configuration information.

28. The RIS of claim 27, wherein the configuration information indicates: an incident direction of a sensing signal for a positioning procedure, a reflection direction of the sensing signal, a refraction direction of the sensing signal, or a combination thereof relative to the RIS for the positioning procedure. one or more reflection coefficients or one or more refraction coefficients for the positioning procedure based on one or more code word indices of a codebook of a selected one of the one or more metacomponent arrangements supported by the RIS; or combinations thereof.

29. The RIS of claim 28, wherein: the configuration information indicates the direction of incidence of the sensing signal, the direction of reflection of the sensing signal, the direction of refraction of the sensing signal, or the combination thereof relative to the RIS for the positioning procedure; and the one or more processors are further configured to determine the one or more reflection coefficients or the one or more refraction coefficients based on the direction of incidence of the sensing signal, the direction of reflection of the sensing signal, the direction of refraction of the sensing signal, or the combination thereof, individually or in combination.

30. The RIS of claim 27, wherein the one or more sparse metacomponent arrays comprise: a minimal redundancy array; a minimal hole array; a nested array; a coprime array; or combinations thereof.

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