Apparatus, method, apparatus and computer readable medium for massive multiple-input multiple-output

Abstract

Apparatuses, methods, apparatuses, and computer-readable media for massive multiple-input multiple-output are disclosed. An example communication device for massive multiple-input multiple-output may include at least one processor and at least one memory. The at least one memory may store instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, may cause the communication device to perform at least: build a mapping between each traffic load threshold and each antenna element to be muted, wherein the mapping is constructed in the following way: dividing an antenna array of the communication equipment into four horizontally and vertically symmetrical quadrants; according to the service load, one or more antenna elements in one of the four quadrants are determined to be muted; and determining to mute antenna elements of the other three quadrants mirrored with the one or more antenna elements in the one quadrant determined to be muted.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Various example embodiments relate to devices, methods, apparatuses, and computer-readable media for massively multi-input multiple-output (MIMO). Background Technology

[0002] Massive MIMO significantly benefits from the use of arrays with a large number of antennas, which can also lead to a significant increase in energy consumption / power consumption. Because traffic load varies significantly over time and space, the high peak capacity provided by massive MIMO is not always necessary. Antenna muting is a technique to reduce energy consumption / power consumption by shrinking the antenna array size under low traffic load. Assuming the antenna array in massive MIMO is an (M, N, P) array, where M is the number of rows, N is the number of columns, and P is the polarization number, if the granularity used for antenna muting is the upper or lower half of the array, when one of the half-arrays is muted under low traffic load, it will change the vertical beamwidth and cause beamforming gain asymmetry. If the granularity used for antenna muting is per row or per column, the muting granularity is still unsatisfactory because traffic load quantization errors can reach up to half the granularity. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The following provides a brief overview of various exemplary embodiments to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the various embodiments. It should be noted that this overview is not intended to identify key features of the basic elements or define the scope of the embodiments, and its sole purpose is to introduce some concepts in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description provided below.

[0004] In a first aspect, a communication device for massive MIMO is disclosed. The communication device may include at least one processor and at least one memory. The at least one memory may store instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the communication device to at least: construct a mapping between various traffic load thresholds and antenna elements to be muted, wherein the mapping is constructed in such a way as to: divide the antenna array of the communication device into four horizontally and vertically symmetrical quadrants; determine, based on the traffic load, to mute one or more antenna elements in one of the four quadrants; and determine to mute antenna elements in the other three quadrants that are mirror images of the one or more antenna elements determined to be muted in the first quadrant.

[0005] In a second aspect, a method for massive MIMO performed by a communication device is disclosed. The method may include: constructing a mapping between various traffic load thresholds and antenna elements to be muted, wherein the mapping is constructed by: dividing the antenna array of the communication device into four horizontally and vertically symmetrical quadrants; determining, based on the traffic load, to mute one or more antenna elements in one of the four quadrants; and determining to mute antenna elements in the other three quadrants that are mirror images of the one or more antenna elements determined to be muted in the first quadrant.

[0006] In a third aspect, an apparatus is disclosed. The apparatus, as a communication device for massive MIMO, may include: means for constructing a mapping between thresholds for various traffic loads and antenna elements to be muted, wherein the mapping is constructed in such a manner as: dividing the antenna array of the communication device into four horizontally and vertically symmetrical quadrants; determining, based on the traffic load, to mute one or more antenna elements in one of the four quadrants; and determining to mute antenna elements in the other three quadrants that are mirror images of the one or more antenna elements determined to be muted in the first quadrant.

[0007] In a fourth aspect, a computer-readable medium is disclosed. The computer-readable medium may include program instructions that, when executed by a communication device for massive MIMO, cause the communication device to at least: construct a mapping between various traffic load thresholds and antenna elements to be muted, wherein the mapping is constructed in such a way as to: divide the antenna array of the communication device into four horizontally and vertically symmetrical quadrants; determine, based on the traffic load, to mute one or more antenna elements in one of the four quadrants; and determine to mute antenna elements in the other three quadrants that are mirror images of the one or more antenna elements determined to be muted in the first quadrant.

[0008] Other features and advantages of the various exemplary embodiments of this disclosure will also become apparent from the following description of specific embodiments when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the principles of the various exemplary embodiments of this disclosure by way of example. Attached Figure Description

[0009] Some exemplary embodiments will now be described by way of non-limiting examples with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0010] Figure 1 Exemplary scenarios are shown that can implement various example embodiments of this disclosure.

[0011] Figure 2An exemplary flowchart 200 is shown for muting AEs in massive MIMO according to various example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0012] Figure 3 Exemplary antenna arrays that can implement various example embodiments of this disclosure are shown.

[0013] Figure 4 Exemplary mirror relationships are shown according to various example embodiments of this disclosure.

[0014] Figure 5 Exemplary beams that can implement various example embodiments of this disclosure are shown.

[0015] Figure 6 Exemplary adjacency relationships are shown according to various example embodiments of this disclosure.

[0016] Figure 7 An exemplary flowchart 700 shows a preferred spread spectrum process according to various example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0017] Figures 8A to 8D Exemplary implementations according to various example embodiments of this disclosure are shown.

[0018] Figure 9 A flowchart of an example method 900 for large-scale MIMO according to various example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0019] Figure 10 A block diagram of an example device 1000 for massive MIMO according to various example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0020] Figure 11 A block diagram of an example device 1100 for massive MIMO according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0021] Throughout the accompanying drawings, the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements. Repeated descriptions of the same elements will be omitted. Detailed Implementation

[0022] Hereinafter, some exemplary embodiments are described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following description includes specific details intended to provide a thorough understanding of various concepts. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that these concepts can be practiced without these specific details. In some cases, well-known circuits, technologies, and components are shown in block diagram form to avoid obscuring the described concepts and features.

[0023] The various exemplary embodiments of this disclosure provide a solution for muting antenna elements (AEs) in massive MIMO. According to the various exemplary embodiments of this disclosure, load quantization errors can be further reduced, and energy / power efficiency can be improved. Furthermore, the various exemplary embodiments of this disclosure can achieve improved sidelobe suppression (SLS). The arrays or antenna arrays in the various exemplary embodiments of this disclosure may also be referred to as panels or antenna panels. An AE in the various exemplary embodiments of this disclosure refers to the antenna of a transceiver (TRX), and in the various embodiments of this disclosure, two co-located antennas with different polarizations may be referred to as one AE. Therefore, an (M, N, P) antenna array can be considered as an (M, N) antenna array.

[0024] The various example embodiments of this disclosure can be implemented by a communication device using a massive MIMO antenna array. The communication device can be on the network side, for example, a network device used as a base station (BS). The BS can be, for example, an evolved Node B (eNB), a next-generation Node B (gNB), a non-terrestrial network (NTN) device such as a satellite, a high-altitude platform station (HAPS), etc. The communication device can also be a user equipment (UE).

[0025] Figure 1 Exemplary scenarios are shown that can implement various example embodiments of this disclosure. References Figure 1 The horizontal axis represents time, and the vertical axis represents traffic load and the corresponding transmit (Tx) power. For example... Figure 1 As shown, the nominal power of the communication equipment is divided into S parts, which can be referred to as S steps, namely steps 1, 2, ..., S-3, S-2, S-1, and S. The nominal power can also be considered as step 0, and the lower limit of step S is 0. The S steps can have the same length or different lengths. In the case of different lengths, the length of one step can be an integer multiple of the length of the other step. Corresponding to the S steps, Figure 1 The thresholds H1, ..., H1 used for business load are displayed. S H i and H i-1 The service load between these parameters may require Tx power at step i, and the fully buffered service load of the communication equipment requires nominal power, which can be considered as H0. When the service load is 0 and equal to H... S At that time, the required Tx power is 0. Therefore, the fully buffered service load is calculated according to the service load thresholds H1, ..., H2. S The load is divided into S levels, and each of the S load levels corresponds to an S step of the required Tx power. The curve illustrates the load and required Tx power.

[0026] The communication equipment can perform AE (Active Anti-Mute) on the antenna array based on the service load. The service load is divided into S levels, and therefore the AE mute process can be referred to as S-step mute. For example, the communication equipment can perform AE mute at various thresholds H1, ..., H2 for the service load. S A mapping is established between the AEs to be muted and the AEs to be muted. For example, the communication device can assign each threshold H1, ..., H... S Mapped to AE index sets Q1, ..., Q respectively S Then, the communication device can determine which thresholds the measured traffic load falls between, and mute the AE using the corresponding index based on the thresholds between which the measured traffic load falls.

[0027] Figure 2 An exemplary flowchart 200 for muting an AE in massive MIMO is shown according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure. The exemplary flowchart 200 can be executed by a communication device. Where the communication device is a network device, it may be, for example, a Layer 3 (L3) Operation, Management and Maintenance (OAM) entity.

[0028] refer to Figure 2 In operation 210, the communication device can measure the service load. Then, in operation 220, the communication device can determine a service load threshold to which the measured service load falls. In some embodiments, if the duration for which the measured service load falls within a service load threshold is longer than a time threshold, the communication device determines that the measured service load falls within the service load threshold. The time threshold may be determined by the communication device or specified in a specification.

[0029] Assuming the measured service load is less than or equal to H i-1 And higher than H i In operation 230, the communication device can access the AE index set Q. i-1 Mute one or more AEs in the set Q. For example, L3 OAM can mute the AE index set Q. i-1 Send to the Layer 2 (L2) Radio Unit (RU) module to enable mute. Assume that in the antenna array, the AE index group is J1, J2, ..., J... S It corresponds to S Tx power steps 1, 2, ..., S, and corresponds to the order i of the Tx power step, index group J i-1 The AE will be muted; and corresponding to Tx power = 0, index group J S The AE will be muted. That is, the AE index set Q i-1 Including J1, J2, ..., J i-1 That is, Qi-1=[J1, J2, ..., J i-1 ].

[0030] Come back for reference Figure 1 If the measured load is below or equal to H0 and above H1, the AE of index group J0 will be muted. This means that since there is no index group J0, the AE will not be muted. If the measured load is below or equal to H1, the AE will be muted. S-1 And higher than H S Then the index groups J1, J2, ..., J S-1 The AE will be muted, i.e., indexed in Q. S-1 The AE in the middle will be muted, and the index group J S The AE is still in use. If the measured business load equals H... S This means there is no business load, so the index is Q. S The AEs will be muted, meaning all AEs in the array will be muted.

[0031] The following example embodiments provide a way to construct a mapping between various service load thresholds and antenna elements to be muted.

[0032] Figure 3 Exemplary antenna arrays that can implement various example embodiments of this disclosure are shown. Assuming... Figure 3 The antenna array shown is an (M, N) array, where M is the number of rows and N is the number of columns. Because in the various example embodiments of this disclosure, the two polarizations are handled together in silence and therefore do not need to be considered separately. Therefore, in the various example embodiments of this disclosure, unless otherwise specifically described, one AE in the various example embodiments of this disclosure, for example, is... Figure 3 One ring in the diagram represents one AE, which can actually be two co-located antennas with different polarizations.

[0033] Communication equipment can divide its antenna array into four horizontally and vertically symmetrical quadrants, for example... Figure 3 The diagram shows quadrants 1, 2, 3, and 4. Assume (m, n) are the coordinates of an AE, where 0 ≤ m < M and 0 ≤ n < N, and (0, 0) is the coordinate of the lower left AE. Due to horizontal and vertical symmetry, a quadrant can be searched first for silence, such as the lower left quadrant 1, where 0 ≤ m < M / 2 and 0 ≤ n < N / 2. Then, the AEs to be silenced in quadrant 1 can be mirrored into the entire symmetrical antenna array. Each AE in quadrant 1 can have indices 1, 2, ..., M*N / 4, and each index corresponds to a specific coordinate. The indices of AEs in other quadrants also correspond to specific coordinates.

[0034] Figure 4Exemplary mirror relationships according to various example embodiments of this disclosure are shown. If an AE with coordinates (m, n) in quadrant 1 is to be silenced, then the AEs with coordinates (M-1-m, n) in quadrant 2, (M-1-m, N-1-n) in quadrant 3, and (m, N-1-n) in quadrant 4, which are mirror images of the AE with coordinates (m, n) in quadrant 1, are to be silenced. Those skilled in the art will understand that the silencing process can begin by searching quadrants other than quadrant 1, and then the AE coordinates can be mirrored to the other three quadrants.

[0035] In some embodiments, when the antenna array of a communication device is divided into four horizontally and vertically symmetrical quadrants, the communication device can determine the number of traffic load thresholds based on the number of AEs in the antenna array divided by four. For example, the communication device can determine the number of traffic load thresholds as S = M * N / 4. Therefore, the silence granularity can be one AE in a quadrant, i.e., four AEs in the antenna array. The silence granularity is much finer than a row or a column.

[0036] In some embodiments, the communication device can divide its fully buffered traffic load into S traffic load levels using S thresholds for traffic load, and divide its nominal Tx power into S Tx power steps. The S Tx power steps correspond to the S traffic load levels and to the AEs to be muted. For example, a specific traffic load requires a corresponding Tx power, and for the required Tx power, the corresponding AE can be muted. Therefore, the communication device can map the thresholds for traffic load to the AEs to be muted. The thresholds H1, ..., H2 for traffic load can be constructed. S Mapping between the AEs to be muted and the AEs to be muted.

[0037] In some embodiments, the communication device may construct thresholds H1, ..., H2 for service load. S A mapping is established between the AEs to be muted via the preferred spread spectrum (OS) process. This mapping can be in the form of a mapping table (MT) or a lookup table (LUT). The communication device can then mute the corresponding AE by checking the MT or LUT. SLS is also considered during the mapping process.

[0038] Figure 5Exemplary beams that can implement various example embodiments of this disclosure are shown. According to 3GPP Technical Report (TR) 37.842, the beam will consist of a main lobe and several side lobes. Side lobe suppression refers to how many decibels the lobes above / below the main lobe are lower than the maximum value of the main lobe. This is important from the perspective of neighboring cell interference. The SLS in this report is defined in both horizontal and vertical directions (3D space), rather than only in one unidirectional horizontal or vertical direction, to represent 3D beamforming characteristics. The main lobe is located in the target transmission direction, and the equivalent isotropic radiated power (EIRP) is the maximum gain of the Tx AE. The example embodiments of this disclosure can achieve maximum SLS in AE silence.

[0039] Figure 6 Exemplary adjacency relationships according to various example embodiments of this disclosure are shown. For example... Figure 6 As shown, in quadrant 1, for an AE with coordinates (m, n), the AE with coordinates (m+1, n) and the AE with coordinates (m, n+1) are adjacent. That is, in quadrant 1, adjacent AEs to the up and to the right are adjacent. This adjacency relationship can be used for OS processing, which will be described in detail later.

[0040] Figure 7 An exemplary flowchart 700 for OS processing according to various example embodiments of this disclosure is shown. References Figure 7 S is the number of service load thresholds and also the number of Tx power steps. In some embodiments, S can be the number of AEs in quadrant 1. i represents the current Tx power step i in the OS process, G represents the set of silent AE coordinates in quadrant 1 of the AE array, and F represents the set of silent AE coordinates for the entire antenna array, including all four quadrants.

[0041] Initially, in operation 710, G is empty, i=2, and the OS procedure can start from coordinate AE at (0,0). For example, using... Figure 1 and Figure 2 As explained, as an option, in the case of Tx power step 1, the communication device can determine that AEs should not be muted. Therefore, for quadrant 1, the communication device can sequentially determine the AEs to be muted in the cases of Tx power steps 2, 3, ..., S, and finally determine the last AE to be muted in the case of no service load (i.e., required Tx power = 0).

[0042] In operation 720, the communication device can determine whether i ≤ S. If i ≤ S (the "yes" branch of operation 720), and in operation 730, if AEs and (m, n) of G are muted (where (m, n) is one of the neighboring AEs of G), the communication device can return the coordinates (m, n) with the maximum SLS. That is, the determination of AE muting in object limit 1 can be performed as follows: after determining that at least one AE is muted, it is determined that one of the neighboring AEs of said at least one AE is muted if the one neighboring AE and said at least one AE generate the maximum sidelobe. For example, among the neighboring AEs of each AE in G, (m, n) and each AE in G can generate the maximum sidelobe.

[0043] Referenced Figure 6 The concept of adjacent AEs has been explained. In operation 720, the adjacent AEs of all AEs in G can be considered. For example, the SLS calculation can be performed one by one on each AE in G plus each adjacent AE in G. If the maximum SLS is calculated on each AE in G plus one adjacent AE, then one adjacent AE in G is selected.

[0044] SLS calculations can be performed using general methods as defined in, for example, Balanis, CA Antenna Theory, Analysis and Design, Chapter 2, sec 2.3-2.6, and Wiley. In this report, SLS is calculated using, for example, Matlab Antenna Toolbox. SLS can also be calculated using other languages ​​or tools without losing its generality.

[0045] Then, in operation 740, the communication device can include the coordinates (m, n) in G. The communication device can then increment i by 1 and execute operation 720 again. When i > S (the "No" branch of operation 720), in operation 750, the communication device can include the last unmute AE in G, which will be muted when the required Tx power = 0. Therefore, the set G includes the AE coordinates in quadrant 1, which can be sequentially muted as the Tx power changes from the nominal power to 0.

[0046] Then, in operation 760, the communication device can mirror the coordinates in G from quadrant 1 to the other three quadrants. (This is already done.) Figure 4 The mirroring has been explained. Therefore, the communication device can complete the entire array coordinate set F.

[0047] By converting the coordinates in F into the corresponding AE index, the communication device can construct the service load thresholds H1, ..., H2. SMapping between the AEs to be muted and the AEs to be muted.

[0048] At each service load threshold H1, ..., H S In the mapping between each AE to be muted, H1 can correspond to the index of the AE to be muted in the case of Tx power step 2, H i The index of the silent AE can correspond to the power step i+1 of Tx, ... and H S This can correspond to the index of the silent AE when Tx power = 0. Therefore, H1, ..., H S It can be mapped to the AE index set Q1, ..., Q S Q i =[J1, J2, ..., J i ], i=2, ..., S, index group J i-1 Each AE will be muted corresponding to the Tx power step i, and when Tx power = 0, each AE of index group JS will be muted.

[0049] According to various example embodiments of this disclosure, more traffic load thresholds / more Tx power steps generate finer mute granularity. Since the two polarizations are processed together rather than considered separately, the array size can be referred to as (M, N), for example (8, 16). Each AE can be modeled according to, for example, 3GPP TR 38.901 mode, and the gain is set to 8dBi without loss of generality. Taking a 128 (8, 16) array as an example, Table 1 below shows a comparison of mute granularity between column-by-column mute and mute according to various example embodiments of this disclosure.

[0050]

[0051] From left to right, the numbers in Table 1 represent the number of AEs muted when the required Tx power falls into the next lower Tx power step, and the rightmost number is the number of AEs muted when the required Tx power is the non-zero minimum Tx power. The muting granularity is 8 for column-based muting, 16 for row-based muting, and 4 according to the various example embodiments of this disclosure. Therefore, when the load is the non-zero minimum, 16 or 8 AEs are still in use when muted by row or column, and only 4 AEs are in use according to the various example embodiments of this disclosure.

[0052] Assuming the nominal Tx power is the same in the three cases in Table 1, the step size range for column- or row-wise mute is much larger than that in the example embodiments of this disclosure, and the number of mute AEs per step in column- or row-wise mute is much larger than that in the example embodiments of this disclosure. Because traffic loads are constantly changing, power consumption cannot adapt well to traffic loads in column- or row-wise mute. With finer mute granularity, transmit power can be matched to traffic loads with smaller gaps. This can further reduce traffic load quantization errors and improve energy / power efficiency.

[0053] The exemplary embodiments of this disclosure can also achieve even higher SLS levels. Taking an array with M=8 and N=16 as an example, to mute half the array, the number of muted AEs is 64. Through simulation, with the entire array as a baseline, where the beamforming gain is 29 dB and the SLS is 13.4 dB, when half the array is muted row-by-row, the beamforming gain is 26 dB and the SLS is 13.4 dB. Through the OS process according to the exemplary embodiments of this disclosure, when half the array is muted, the beamforming gain is 26 dB and the SLS is 23.3 dB, which translates to a gain of 9.9 dB.

[0054] Taking an array with M=4 and N=8 as an example, to mute half of the array, the number of muted array elements (AEs) is 16. Through simulation, with the entire array as the baseline, where the beamforming gain is 23dB and the SLS is 13.5dB, when half of the array is muted row-by-row, the beamforming gain is 20dB and the SLS is 13.5dB. Through the OS procedures according to the various example embodiments of this disclosure, when half of the array is muted, the beamforming gain is 20dB and the SLS is 17.8dB, which translates to a gain of 4.3dB.

[0055] The exemplary embodiments of this disclosure require only minimal implementation costs. The OS processes according to the exemplary embodiments of this disclosure can be computed offline and used by communication devices, such as base stations, via very small LUTs, one table per RU type. Therefore, the implementation costs are minimal.

[0056] Figures 8A to 8D Exemplary implementations according to various example embodiments of this disclosure are shown. Figures 8A to 8D Example antenna arrays with M=4 and N=8 are shown, along with the arrays corresponding to the four Tx power steps.

[0057] Index_q1 represents the silent AE index in quadrant 1, which can be mirrored to the indices in the other three quadrants. Figure 8A Showing examples Figure 1 The array corresponding to the Tx power step 2 shown is shown, where Index_q1=[1]. Figure 8B Showing examples Figure 1 The array corresponding to the Tx power step 3 shown is shown, where Index_q1=[1 5]. Figure 8C Showing examples Figure 1 The array corresponding to the Tx power step 4 shown is shown, where Index_q1 = [1 5 9]. Figure 8D Showing examples Figure 1 The array corresponding to the Tx power step 5 shown is shown, where Index_q1 = [1 5 9 2].

[0058] For a 4×8 array, there are a total of 8 steps, and in the i-th step, quadrant 1 has i-1 index values. Therefore, the LUT will contain 28 integer values ​​for the total 8 steps. Alternatively, the LUT may include the last index to be muted when Tx power = 0, and in this case, the LUT will contain 32 integer values. This is a very low load for communication equipment, especially for the BS, and such a low load allows support for a large number of RU types.

[0059] According to the various example embodiments of this disclosure, the implementation is symmetrical and does not change the AE spacing, so beamforming algorithms based on beam grid (GoB) or probe reference signal (SRS) can be easily adapted to it.

[0060] Figure 9 A flowchart illustrating an example method 900 for massive MIMO according to various example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. Example method 900 can be performed, for example, by a communication device such as a communication device using the massive MIMO antenna array described above. The communication device can be a network device acting as a BS or UE.

[0061] refer to Figure 9 Example method 900 may include: operation 910, constructing a mapping between each traffic load threshold and each AE to be silenced, wherein the mapping may be constructed in the following manner: operation 912, dividing the antenna array of the communication device into four horizontally and vertically symmetrical quadrants; operation 914, determining to silence one or more AEs in one of the four quadrants based on the traffic load; and operation 916, determining to silence AEs in the other three quadrants that are mirror images of the one or more AEs determined to be silenced in the first quadrant.

[0062] In some embodiments, example method 900 may also include an operation of determining the number S for a traffic load threshold based on the number of AEs in the antenna array divided by four.

[0063] In some embodiments, the construction of the mapping may include: dividing the full buffer service load of the communication device into S service load levels by S service load thresholds; dividing the nominal transmit power of the communication device into S transmit power steps corresponding to the S service load levels and corresponding to each AE to be muted; and mapping the service load thresholds to each AE to be muted.

[0064] In some embodiments, determining to mute one or more AEs in one quadrant may be performed in the following manner: after determining to mute at least one AE, determining to mute a neighboring AE of the at least one AE if the neighboring AE and the at least one AE generate a maximum sidelobe.

[0065] In some embodiments, the mapping may be in the form of a LUT or an MT.

[0066] In some embodiments, the communication device may be a network device.

[0067] In some embodiments, the communication device may be a UE.

[0068] Figure 10 A block diagram illustrating an example device 1000 for massive MIMO according to various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For example, the device may be at least a portion of a communication device such as a communication device using a massive MIMO antenna array as described in the examples above. The communication device may be a network device used as a BS or UE.

[0069] like Figure 10 As shown, the example device 1000 may include at least one processor 1010 and at least one memory 1020 capable of storing instructions 1030. When the instructions 1030 are executed by at least one processor 1010, the device 1000 may perform at least the example method 900 described above.

[0070] In various example embodiments, at least one processor 1010 in example device 1000 may include, but is not limited to, at least one hardware processor, which includes at least one microprocessor such as a central processing unit (CPU), a portion of at least one hardware processor, and any other suitable dedicated processor, such as a processor developed based on, for example, a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) and an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). Furthermore, at least one processor 1010 may also include... Figure 10 At least one other circuit or element not shown in the diagram.

[0071] In various example embodiments, at least one memory 1020 in example device 1000 may include at least one storage medium of various forms, such as volatile memory and / or non-volatile memory. Volatile memory may include, but is not limited to, random access memory (RAM), cache, etc. Non-volatile memory may include, but is not limited to, read-only memory (ROM), hard disk, flash memory, etc. The term "non-transitory" as used herein refers to a limitation on the medium itself (i.e., tangible, not tactile), rather than a limitation on the persistence of data storage (e.g., RAM versus ROM). Furthermore, at least memory 1020 may include, but is not limited to, electrical, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor systems, devices, or any combination thereof.

[0072] In addition, in various example embodiments, example device 1000 may also include at least one other circuit, element, and interface, such as at least one I / O interface, at least one antenna element, etc.

[0073] In various example embodiments, the circuits, components, elements, and interfaces in the example device 1000, which includes at least one processor 1010 and at least one memory 1020, may be coupled together in any suitable manner, such as electrical, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, etc., via any suitable connection including but not limited to buses, switching lines, wiring, and / or wireless lines.

[0074] It should be understood that the structure of the equipment on the communication equipment side is not limited to the example equipment 1000 described above.

[0075] Figure 11 A block diagram illustrating an example device 1100 for massive MIMO according to various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For example, the device may be at least a portion of a communication device such as a communication device using a massive MIMO antenna array as described in the examples above. The communication device may be a network device used as a BS or UE.

[0076] like Figure 11 As shown, example device 1100 may include: device 1110 for constructing a mapping between various service load thresholds and AEs to be muted, wherein the mapping may be constructed in the following manner: device 1112 for dividing the antenna array of the communication device into four horizontal and vertical symmetrical quadrants; device 1114 for determining to mute one or more AEs in one of the four quadrants based on service load; and device 1116 for determining to mute AEs in the other three quadrants that are mirror images of the one or more AEs determined to be muted in the first quadrant.

[0077] In some embodiments, the device 1100 may further include means for determining a service load threshold number S based on the number of AEs in the antenna array divided by four.

[0078] In some embodiments, the construction of the mapping may include: dividing the full buffer service load of the communication device into S service load levels using the S service load thresholds; dividing the nominal transmit power of the communication device into S transmit power steps corresponding to the S service load levels and each AE to be muted; and mapping the service load thresholds to each AE to be muted.

[0079] In some embodiments, determining to mute the one or more AEs in the one quadrant can be performed in such a way that, after determining to mute at least one AE, one of the adjacent AEs of the at least one AE is determined to be mute if the one adjacent AE and the at least one AE generate a maximum sidelobe.

[0080] In some embodiments, the mapping may be in the form of a LUT or an MT.

[0081] In some embodiments, the communication device may be a network device.

[0082] In some embodiments, the communication device may be a UE.

[0083] In some example embodiments, examples of the devices in example device 1100 may include circuitry. For example, examples of device 1110 may include circuitry configured to perform operation 910 of example method 900, examples of device 1112 may include circuitry configured to perform operation 912 of example method 900, examples of device 1114 may include circuitry configured to perform operation 914 of example method 900, and examples of device 1116 may include circuitry designed to perform operation 916 of example method 900.

[0084] Example device 1100 may also include means of circuitry configured to perform example method 900. In some example embodiments, the means may also include software modules and any other suitable functional entities.

[0085] Various example embodiments of this disclosure also provide a computer-readable medium including program instructions that, when executed by a communication device such as a communication device using a massive MIMO antenna array in the examples above, cause the communication device to perform at least: constructing a mapping between various traffic load thresholds and various AEs to be muted, wherein the mapping can be constructed in such a way as: dividing the antenna array of the communication device into four horizontally and vertically symmetrical quadrants; determining, based on the traffic load, to mute one or more AEs in one of the four quadrants; and determining to mute AEs in the other three quadrants that are mirror images of the one or more AEs determined to be muted in the first quadrant.

[0086] In some embodiments, the computer-readable medium may include instructions that, when executed by a communication device, cause the communication device to further perform: determining a service load threshold number S based on the number of AEs in the antenna array divided by four.

[0087] In some embodiments, the construction of the mapping may include: dividing the full buffer service load of the communication device into S service load levels using the S service load thresholds; dividing the nominal transmit power of the communication device into S transmit power steps corresponding to the S service load levels and to each AE to be muted; and mapping the service load thresholds to each AE to be muted.

[0088] In some embodiments, determining the method of silencing the one or more AEs in the one quadrant can be performed in such a way that, after determining to silence at least one AE, a neighboring AE of the at least one AE is determined to be silenced if the neighboring AE and the at least one AE generate a maximum sidelobe.

[0089] In some embodiments, the mapping may be in the form of a LUT or an MT.

[0090] In some embodiments, the communication device may be a network device.

[0091] In some embodiments, the communication device may be a UE.

[0092] As used herein, “at least one of the following: ” and “at least one of ” and similar wording (where the list of two or more elements is connected by “and” or “or”) refers to at least any one element, or at least any two or more elements, or at least all elements.

[0093] The term "terminal device" refers to any end device capable of wireless communication. By way of example and not limitation, a terminal device may also be referred to as a communication device, user equipment (UE), subscriber station (SS), portable subscriber station, mobile station (MS), or access terminal (AT). The terminal devices may include, but are not limited to, mobile phones, cellular phones, smartphones, Voice over IP (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones, tablets, wearable terminal devices, personal digital assistants (PDAs), portable computers, desktop computers, image capture terminal devices (such as digital cameras), gaming terminal devices, music storage and playback devices, in-vehicle wireless terminal devices, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, laptop-embedded equipment (LEE), laptop-mounted equipment (LME), USB dongles, smart devices, wireless customer premises equipment (CPE), Internet of Things (IoT) devices, watches or other wearable devices, head-mounted displays (HMDs), vehicles, drones, medical devices and applications (e.g., remote surgery), industrial equipment and applications (e.g., robots and / or other wireless devices operating in industrial and / or automated processing chain environments), consumer electronics devices, and devices operating on commercial and / or industrial wireless networks. The terminal devices may also correspond to the mobile terminal (MT) portion of an IAB node (also known as a relay node). In the above description, the terms "terminal equipment", "communication equipment", "terminal", "user equipment" and "UE" are used interchangeably.

[0094] Throughout this disclosure, the term "circuit" may refer to one or more of the following: (a) a hardware-only circuit implementation (such as an implementation in analog and / or digital-only circuits); and (b) a combination of hardware circuitry and software, such as (if applicable) (i) a combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuitry with software / firmware, and (ii) any portion of a hardware processor with software (including digital signal processors), software, and memory, which work together to enable a device such as a mobile phone or server to perform various functions; and (c) a hardware circuitry and / or processor, such as a microprocessor or a portion thereof, which requires software (e.g., firmware) to operate, but may be absent when the software is not required to operate. This definition of circuitry applies throughout this disclosure, including one or all of the use of the term in any claim. As a further example, as used in this disclosure, the term circuitry also encompasses implementations of hardware circuitry or processors (or processors) or portions thereof and their accompanying software and / or firmware. The term "circuit" also covers, for example and if applicable, baseband integrated circuits or processor integrated circuits for mobile devices or similar integrated circuits in servers, cellular network devices or other computing or networking devices.

[0095] Another example embodiment may involve computer program code or instructions that enable a device to perform at least the methods described above. Another example embodiment may involve a computer-readable medium having such computer program code or instructions stored thereon. In some example embodiments, such a computer-readable medium may include at least one storage medium of various forms, such as volatile memory and / or non-volatile memory. Volatile memory may include, but is not limited to, for example, RAM, cache, etc. Non-volatile memory may include, but is not limited to, ROM, hard disk, flash memory, etc. Non-volatile memory may also include, but is not limited to, electrical, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor systems, devices, or apparatuses, or any combination thereof.

[0096] Unless the context explicitly requires otherwise, throughout the specification and claims, the terms "comprising," "including," etc., shall be interpreted in an inclusive rather than specific or exhaustive sense; that is, in the sense of "including but not limited to." As commonly used herein, the term "coupled" refers to two or more elements that may be directly connected or connected via one or more intermediate elements. Similarly, as commonly used herein, the term "connected" refers to two or more elements that may be directly connected or connected via one or more intermediate elements. Furthermore, the terms "here," "above," "below," and terms with similar meanings used in this application shall refer to the entire application and not any particular part thereof. Where the context permits, singular or plural terms used in the specification may also include the plural or singular, respectively. The term "or" refers to a list of two or more items, and this term encompasses all of the following interpretations of the term: any item in the list, all items in the list, and any combination of items in the list.

[0097] Furthermore, the conditional language used herein, such as “may,” “can,” “possibly,” “may,” “for example,” “like,” “e.g.,” “for instance,” “such as,” etc., unless otherwise specifically stated or otherwise understood in the context in which they are used, is generally intended to convey that certain embodiments include certain features, elements, and / or states, while other embodiments do not. Therefore, such conditional language is not generally intended to imply that features, elements, and / or states are required in any way by one or more embodiments, or that one or more embodiments necessarily include logic for determining whether such features, elements, or states are included or will be performed in any particular embodiment, with or without author input or prompting.

[0098] As used herein, the term “determine / confirm” (and its grammatical variations) can include at least the following: calculation, operation, processing, derivation, measurement, investigation, lookup (e.g., searching in a table, database, or other data structure), confirmation, etc. Furthermore, “determine” can include receiving (e.g., receiving information), accessing (e.g., accessing data in memory), obtaining, etc. Additionally, “determine / confirm” can include parsing, selecting, choosing, establishing, etc.

[0099] While some embodiments have been described, these embodiments are presented by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure. In fact, the apparatuses, methods, and systems described herein can be embodied in a variety of other forms; furthermore, various omissions, substitutions, and changes can be made to the form of the methods and systems described herein without departing from the spirit of this disclosure. For example, although the blocks are presented in a given arrangement, alternative embodiments may utilize different components and / or circuit topologies to perform similar functions, and some blocks may be deleted, moved, added, subdivided, combined, and / or modified. At least one of these blocks can be implemented in a variety of different ways. The order of these blocks may also be changed. Any suitable combination of elements and actions of the above embodiments can be combined to provide further embodiments. The appended claims and their equivalents are intended to cover such forms or modifications falling within the scope and spirit of this disclosure.

[0100] The abbreviations used in the instruction manual and / or drawings are defined as follows:

[0101] 3GPP TR Third Generation Partner Project Technical Report

[0102] AE antenna elements

[0103] BS base station

[0104] EIRP equivalent isotropic radiated power

[0105] eNB Evolution Node B

[0106] GoB BeamGrid

[0107] gNB Next Generation Node B

[0108] HAPS Aerial Platform Station

[0109] L2 Floor 2

[0110] L3 Floor 3

[0111] LUT Lookup Table

[0112] MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output)

[0113] MT mapping table

[0114] NTN non-terrestrial networks

[0115] OAM Operation, Management and Maintenance

[0116] OS Preferred Spread Spectrum

[0117] RU radio unit

[0118] SLS Sidelobe Suppression

[0119] SRS Detection Reference Signal

[0120] TRX transceiver

[0121] Tx transmitter

[0122] UE User Equipment

Claims

1. A communication device for massive MIMO, comprising: At least one processor; as well as At least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the communication device to perform at least the following: A mapping is constructed between each service load threshold and each antenna element to be muted, wherein the mapping is constructed in the following manner: The antenna array of the communication device is divided into four horizontally and vertically symmetrical quadrants; Based on the service load, determine whether to mute one or more antenna elements in one of the four quadrants; as well as Determine whether to mute antenna elements in the other three quadrants that are mirror images of the one or more antenna elements determined to be muted in the first quadrant.

2. The communication device as described in claim 1, wherein, When the instruction is executed by the at least one processor, the communication device further performs the following: The number of service load thresholds S is determined by dividing the number of antenna elements in the antenna array by four.

3. The communication device as described in claim 2, wherein, The construction of the mapping includes: The full buffered service load of the communication device is divided into S service load levels by using the S service load thresholds; The nominal transmit power of the communication device is divided into S transmit power steps corresponding to the S service load levels and the antenna element to be muted; and The respective service load thresholds are mapped to the respective antenna elements to be muted.

4. The communication device as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, The determination to mute one or more antenna elements in one quadrant is performed as follows: after determining to mute at least one antenna element, it is determined to mute an adjacent antenna element of the at least one antenna element if the adjacent antenna element and the at least one antenna element generate a maximum sidelobe.

5. The communication device as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein, The mapping is in the form of a lookup table or a mapping table.

6. The communication device as described in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein, The communication device is a network device.

7. The communication device as described in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein, The communication equipment is a user equipment.

8. A method for large-scale multiple-input multiple-output (MMI) performed by a communication device, comprising: A mapping is constructed between each service load threshold and each antenna element to be muted, wherein the mapping is constructed in the following manner: The antenna array of the communication device is divided into four horizontally and vertically symmetrical quadrants; Based on the service load, determine whether to mute one or more antenna elements in one of the four quadrants; as well as Determine whether to mute antenna elements in the other three quadrants that are mirror images of the one or more antenna elements determined to be muted in the first quadrant.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising: The number of service load thresholds S is determined by dividing the number of antenna elements in the antenna array by four.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein, The construction of the mapping includes: The full buffered service load of the communication device is divided into S service load levels using the S service load thresholds; The nominal transmit power of the communication device is divided into S transmit power steps corresponding to S service load levels and the antenna element to be muted; and Map the traffic load threshold to the antenna element to be muted.

11. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 10, wherein, The determination to mute one or more antenna elements in one quadrant is performed as follows: after determining to mute at least one antenna element, it is determined to mute an adjacent antenna element of the at least one antenna element if the adjacent antenna element and the at least one antenna element generate a maximum sidelobe.

12. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 11, wherein, The mapping is in the form of a lookup table or a mapping table.

13. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 12, wherein, The communication device is a network device.

14. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 12, wherein, The communication equipment is a user equipment.

15. An apparatus for use as a communication device for large-scale multiple-input multiple-output communication, comprising means for performing the method of any one of claims 8 to 14.

16. A computer-readable medium comprising program instructions that, when executed by a communication device for massively multi-input multiple-output, cause the communication device to perform at least the method of any one of claims 8 to 14.

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