Wireless communications systems

Abstract

A method, apparatus, and system performed in a wireless communications system including a user equipment, UE, and a base station, BS, configured to provide one or more serving beam(s) to the UE include at the BS, providing one or more serving beam(s) from the BS to the UE, determining a movement of the UE, receiving, at the UE, an analysis signal from a remote source along a first direction, generating a local signal, generating a correlation signal by correlating the local signal with the received analysis signal, providing motion compensation of at least one of the local signal, the received analysis signal, and the correlation signal based on the determined movement of the UE, generating UE state data that comprise at least one of UE motion data, and UE environment data, and at the BS, selectively updating the serving beam(s) based on the UE state data.

Description

WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMSCROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims benefit of and priority to UK Application Serial No. 2300951.7 filed 23 January 2023, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.FIELD

[0002] Embodiments of the present principles generally relate to wireless communication systems and methods performed therein and, in particular, has particular application in massive multiple input, multiple output (massive MIMO) systems for 5th generation (5G) cellular networks.BACKGROUND

[0003] In cellular networks, wireless user equipment (UE) devices within a cell area communicate with a serving base station via radio waves. With the ever-increasing demand on wireless communications systems, one of the key features of 5G technology is to utilize higher frequency radio bands than are currently implemented, including millimeter waves (above 24GHz), in order to increase system bandwidth.

[0004] However, although the use of higher frequency bands enables increased bandwidth and download speeds, higher frequency radio waves, particularly millimeter waves, suffer from short range and poor propagation characteristics as the waves are readily attenuated by objects such as buildings and trees. One way in which this problem can be overcome is by using beamforming massive MIMO systems. MIMO technology uses multiple antenna elements at the transmitter and receiver in order to exploit multipath propagation. Such arrangement in MIMO systems enables a base station to communicate with multiple user equipment devices on the same channel and enables multiple data streams between the base station and each device. This enhances the spectral efficiency of the communication system. In massive MIMO, the base station comprises a number of antenna elements much greater than the number of served receivers, typically 64 antenna elements or more. Such base stations are capable of performing beamformingtechniques in order to provide directional beams to the user equipment devices within the cell area. In this way, the resulting beamforming gain at the UE devices combats the poor propagation characteristics of high frequency radio waves. However, beamforming in a massive MIMO system requires a complex channel estimation procedure, necessitating high computational resource consumption.

[0005] There is therefore a desire to reduce the computational load within wireless communication systems such as massive MIMO systems.SUMMARY

[0006] Embodiments of the present principles generally relate to wireless communication systems and methods performed therein and, in particular, has particular application in massive multiple input, multiple output (massive MIMO) systems for 5th generation (5G) cellular networks.

[0007] Various features and advantages of the present disclosure may be appreciated from a review of the following detailed description of the present disclosure, along with the accompanying figures in which like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] So that the manner in which various features of the present principles can be understood in detail, a more particular description of the principles, briefly summarized above, may be had by reference to embodiments, some of which are illustrated in the appended drawings. It is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate only typical embodiments in accordance with the present principles and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope, for the principles may admit to other equally effective embodiments.

[0009] Figure 1 depicts a high-level block diagram of a wireless communications system in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present principles;

[0010] Figure 2A depicts an embodiment of an environment in which UE’s of the present principles can be implemented in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present principles;

[0011] Figure 2B depicts an embodiment of an environment in which UE’s of the present principles can be implemented in accordance with at least one alternate embodiment of the present principles;

[0012] Figure 3 depicts a high-level block diagram of a base station in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present principles;

[0013] Figure 4 depicts a high-level block diagram of user equipment in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present principles;

[0014] Figure 5 depicts a flow diagram of a method performed in the base station in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present principles; and

[0015] Figure 6 depicts a flow diagram of a method performed in the user equipment in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present principles.

[0016] To facilitate understanding, identical reference numerals have been used, where possible, to designate identical elements that are common to the figures. The figures are not drawn to scale and may be simplified for clarity. It is contemplated that elements and features of one embodiment may be beneficially incorporated in other embodiments without further recitation.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0017] Embodiments of the present principles generally relate to methods, apparatuses and systems in a wireless communications system for generating UE state data that comprises at least one of UE motion data that is indicative of a motion state of the UE, and UE environment data that is indicative of an environment context of the UE at the BS for selectively updating the serving beam(s) based on the UE state data. While the concepts of the present principles are susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof are shown by wayof example in the drawings and are described in detail below. It should be understood that there is no intent to limit the concepts of the present principles to the particular forms disclosed. On the contrary, the intent is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives consistent with the present principles and the appended claims.

[0018] In embodiments of the present principles, user equipment (UE) state data can include UE environment data. In such embodiments, the UE environment data is indicative of a likelihood of the UE receiving a signal component from a base station (BS) that has not travelled along a straight-line path between the UE and the BS. In accordance with the present principles, such a determination is based on the number of reflected copies of the same signal that are being received at the UE. As will be explained further herein, the UE environment data can be generated based on signals received at the UE from the base station (e.g. the serving beam(s)), or from signals received from a different remote source (e.g., a positioning satellite).

[0019] In some embodiments, the greater the number of reflected copies of the same signal being received at the UE, the higher the complexity of the UE’s signal environment and the lower the confidence that a straight-line (“line-of-sight” (LOS)) path between the base station and the UE without reflections is available. On the other hand, if there are no reflected copies of a signal being received at the UE, then this is indicative of an “open sky” environment and consequently a low likelihood of signal components being received at the UE that have not travelled along the LOS path between the base station and the UE.

[0020] In embodiments of the present principles, the likelihood of the UE receiving a signal component from the BS that has not travelled along a straight-line path between the UE and the BS can be represented in the form of a numerical value, or in the form of a classification, for example “open sky”, “urban”, “urban canyon”, “indoor”.

[0021] In some embodiments, UE environment data is indicative of the presence or absence of beam-interacting objects in the vicinity of the UE. As used in the teachings herein, “beam- interacting objects” include objects that can block, diffract, attenuate, change the phase of, or reflect transmitted beams. Such objects includebuildings, vehicles, foliage, people, animals, terrain and other objects that interact with electromagnetic radiation. The beam-interacting objects need not be located between the base station and the UE but are located in close enough proximity to the UE such that signals reflected off (or otherwise interacted with) can be received at the UE. Depending on the height of the UE above the ground, the ground itself may or may not act as a beam-interacting object. In this manner, the UE environment data can be considered to be indicative of the complexity of the signal environment of the UE.

[0022] In embodiments of the present principles, the UE environment data can be generated based on a signal quality metric of the motion-compensated correlation signal. The signal quality metric can be a signal-to-noise (SNR) ratio of the motion-compensated correlation signal. The signal quality metric (e.g. SNR) is typically indicative of the signal power being received along the direction in which the motion compensation is applied. For example, in some embodiment, if the first direction along which motion compensation is applied is a straight line direction between the UE and the remote source, and the SNR of the motion-compensated correlation signal is above a predetermined threshold (e.g. corresponding to the expected power of an unimpeded signal from the remote source), this can indicate that the signal has been received along the first direction without reflection, or at least that a line-of-sight path to the remote source is available. From this it may be inferred that the UE is in an “open sky” (no reflection) environment.

[0023] In some embodiments, a method of the present principles can include providing motion compensation of at least one of the local signal, the received analysis signal, and the correlation signal based on the determined movement of the UE along a plurality of further directions different from the first direction so as to generate a respective plurality of further motion-compensated correlation signals, and wherein the UE environment data is generated based on the plurality of further motion-compensated correlation signals. As such, by analyzing the plurality of further motion-compensated correlation signals in order to determine the directions along which signal power is being received at the UE, the UE environment data can be generated with increased confidence. The plurality of further directions can each bedefined by an azimuth and an elevation angle for substantially all directions in which a signal may be received.

[0024] In some embodiments, the UE environment data can be generated based on a signal quality metric (e.g. SNR) of the further motion compensated correlation signals. For example, if the SNR of a further motion-compensated correlation signal corresponding to a second direction that is not the line-of-sight (LOS) direction between the UE and the remote source is greater than a predetermined threshold, then this indicates that a reflected copy of the signal is being received at the UE along the second direction. From this information, it can be determined that it is likely that there are beam-interacting objects in the vicinity of the UE from which signals are being reflected.

[0025] The use of motion compensation in accordance with the present principles is particularly advantageous as the UE environment data can be generated without the use of 3D map aiding to predict the presence of reflected signals. This is advantageous as embodiments of the present principles do not require the creation of or access to topographic (e.g., three dimensional) maps (which can be 3D city maps) or large databases of building data that are required in such 3D map aiding techniques. The use of motion compensation in accordance with the present principles also advantageously enables the detection of reflected signals from dynamic beam-interacting objects (e.g., vehicles) that may not be present on a 3D city map. Furthermore, the use of motion compensation in accordance with the present principles advantageously means that the UE environment data can be obtained using a single antenna element at the UE, due to the differential correlation gain for different directions that are provided by the motion compensation process.

[0026] Alternatively or in addition, in some embodiments other means of generating UE environment data can be implemented, including 3D city map models, using imagery from cameras on the UE, using multiple antenna elements on the UE, and / or analyzing a polarity of received signals that can be indicative of reflections.

[0027] In some embodiments in which the UE state data comprises UE environment data, the UE environment data is indicative of a low likelihood (e.g. zero or below a predetermined threshold) of the UE receiving a signal component from the base station that has not travelled along a straight-line path between the UE and the BS. In such embodiments, the serving beam(s) can be updated to provide a straight-line beam directed to the UE. The UE environment data can be indicative of an absence of beam-interacting objects in the vicinity of the UE (e.g., an “open sky” classification). Such a straight-line beam can be formed at the base station using two-dimensional or three-dimensional beamforming technique. The type of beamforming process that can be implemented can be determined based on the number and arrangement of antenna elements of the base station. In some embodiments, the straight-line beam can be steered by the base station based on the UE motion data, for example to adjust the beam in azimuth, elevation and / or range, dependent on the motion of the UE.

[0028] In some embodiments, the UE environment data can be indicative of a high likelihood (e.g. equal to or above a predetermined threshold) of the UE receiving a signal component from the base station that has not travelled along a straight-line path between the UE and the base station. In such embodiments, the serving beam(s) can be updated using a multipath propagation procedure (e.g. in which signals are intentionally reflected from surfaces before reaching the UE). For example, the UE environment data can be indicative of the presence of beaminteracting objects in the vicinity of the UE (e.g. an “urban canyon” classification). In such a multipath propagation procedure, a plurality of beams can be broadcast by the base station and configured to serve the UE (e.g., be received at the UE) substantially simultaneously. An example of a multipath propagation procedure that can be implemented in embodiments of the present principles includes MIMO and / or massive MIMO procedures.

[0029] In some embodiments, the UE state data can include UE motion data. That is, the UE motion data can include at least one of a position (e.g. three-dimensional) and a velocity of the UE, calculated based on the motion-compensated correlation signal (e.g., corresponding to the LOS between the UE and the remote source). Inaccordance with the present principles, the UE motion data can be used to predict the position or trajectory of the UE, and the serving beam(s) can be selectively updated in accordance with the present principles described herein.

[0030] In accordance with the present principles, the use of motion compensation provides increased gain for signals received along the direction in which motion compensation is applied. When motion compensation is applied along the LOS direction between the UE and remote source (e.g., positioning satellite), the increased gain can lead to improved accuracy of positioning and other navigation / tracking metrics such as UE velocity when compared to conventional approaches. For example, conventional approaches may “lock on” to the loudest signal (i .e. , signal with the largest SN R) even if the loudest signal is not received along the LOS direction, leading to erroneous ranging calculations. Therefore, the use of motion compensation in accordance with the present principles advantageously provides improved accuracy of the UE’s position and / or velocity that can be included as the UE motion data of the UE state data. In some embodiments, the UE state data can include only the UE motion data or only the UE environment data. Alternatively, in some embodiments, the UE state data can include both the UE motion data and the UE environment data.

[0031] In some embodiments, the UE state data can further include a placement context of the UE. Examples of placement contexts include whether the UE is being carried by a pedestrian, or is positioned in or on a vehicle such as a car, train, bicycle etc. In some embodiments the placement context can have a secondary (increased) level of detail, for example indicating that the UE is in a pedestrian’s pocket or in a pedestrian’s hand. The placement context can be established by using patterns of data from sensors on the UE using techniques known in the art. The placement context of the present principles can, in some embodiments, be based on the motion-compensated correlation signal(s) described herein. In embodiments in which the UE state data comprises a placement context of the UE, such information can be used by the BS to predict the UE motion in following epochs in order to aid the selective updating of the serving beam(s) in accordance with the present principles.

[0032] In some embodiments, the UE state data can further include UE operating data that is indicative of an operation state of the UE, wherein the UE operating data can include at least one of: a battery state of the UE, a UE clock offset parameter, a UE clock drift parameter, an operational capability of the UE and the like.

[0033] In some embodiments, the step of selectively updating the serving beam(s) can include selecting (e.g., at the base station) a beam forming procedure based on the UE state data. For example, the beam forming procedure can be a two- dimensional beam forming procedure, a three-dimensional beam forming procedure, and / or a multipath propagation beam forming procedure dependent upon the UE state data. In such embodiments, the beamforming can be performed using known analog beamforming techniques, digital beamforming techniques and / or hybrid beamforming techniques, depending on the antenna array of the base station and the selected beam(s).

[0034] In some embodiments, the step of selectively updating the serving beam(s) can include calculating (e.g., at the base station) one or more beam forming parameters. The beam forming parameters can be used to form one or more beam(s) in order to serve a given UE. Examples of beam forming parameters that can be calculated (e.g., based on the UE state data) include, but are not limited to, the elevation, power, azimuth, range, timing, bandwidth, and / or other parameters that improve a robustness of the communications channel of the serving beam(s). In some embodiments, the one or more serving beams can include directional radio frequency signal beams, for example 3G, 4F, LTE, 5G or NR beams.

[0035] In some embodiments, the serving beam(s) can be based on a channel estimation process utilizing pilot sequence(s) transmitted between the UE and the base station. In such embodiments, the pilot sequence(s) can be transmitted from the UE to the base station. By obtaining the UE state data, the channel estimation process can be significantly reduced in complexity based on the information provided by the UE state data.

[0036] In some embodiments, the UE state data is generated by or at the UE. In such embodiments, a method of the present principles can further include transmitting the UE state data to the BS. Typically, in such embodiments, each of the steps of the method are performed by or at the UE. In other embodiments, the UE state data can be generated at the base station itself or by one or more processors that are separate from either the UE or the BS.

[0037] In some embodiments, UE state data can be transmitted (e.g. wirelessly) from the UE to the BS using protocols known in the art. In such embodiments, the UE state data can be transmitted (e.g. “coupled”) to the base station at a rate of between 1 Hz (1 update per second) and 1 kHz. In embodiments, the rate at which the UE state data is transmitted to the base station can be substantially the same as the rate which channel state information (CSI) is calculated. In embodiments, the UE state data can be transmitted to the base station at a rate that is dependent on the motion state of the UE. For example, for a relatively higher determined speed of the UE, the UE state data can be transmitted to the BS at a relatively faster rate. Conversely, for a relatively slower speed of the UE, the UE state data can be transmitted to the base station at a relatively slower rate.

[0038] In some embodiments, a remote source of the present principles from which an analysis signal can be received can be the base station. In other words, motion compensation in accordance with the present principles can be applied to signals received from the base station itself in order to generate the UE state data (for example, in some embodiments, the analysis signal can be a received serving beam). In some embodiments, a remote source from which the analysis signal is received can be a trusted remote source that may or may not be the base station. In such embodiments, the term “trusted remote source”, includes a remote source from which data can be trusted (i.e., assumed to be correct). For example, in some embodiments, the remote source can be a different remote source from the BS, wherein the remote source is a positioning satellite (e.g. one or more GNSS positioning satellites). Utilizing an analysis signal from a different remote source than the base station can provide processing advantages at the UE. For example, a GNSS positioning signal may require less processing power than a signal received fromthe base station. In some embodiments, a received analysis signal can include a pattern of transmitted information, either digital or analogue, that can be found within a broadcast signal by a cross-correlation process using a local copy of the same pattern. The received analysis signal can be encoded with a chipping code that can be used for ranging. Examples of such received signals include GPS signals, which include Gold Codes encoded within the radio transmission. Another example can include the Extended Training Sequences used in GSM cellular transmissions. In a further example, the received analysis signals can include pilot symbol sequences that can be used for correlation, such as those used in orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM), long term evolution (LTE) and digital video broadcasting (DVB) standards.

[0039] In some embodiments, the wireless communications system comprises more than one user equipment. In such embodiments, the base station can obtain UE state data corresponding to each UE and selectively update the serving beam(s) accordingly. For example, in some embodiments, each UE can generate and transmit UE state data to the BS accordingly.

[0040] In some embodiments, the user equipment can be provided on a single user equipment device, such as an electronic user device such as a smartphone, smartwatch, Internet of Things (loT) device, mobile computer, tablet, control system for autonomous vehicles and the like. Alternatively, various units of the UE could be provided separately so that the UE is configured as a distributed system. For example, certain calculations can be performed by processors in a network. As such, an electronic UE device can offload calculations / processing to other processors in a network where appropriate and in the interests of efficiency.

[0041] Figure 1 depicts a high level block diagram of a wireless communications system 1000 in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present principles. In the embodiment of Figure 1 , the wireless communications system 1000 includes a broadband cellular network which employs existing techniques and protocols as appropriate (i.e.. 3G, 4G, LTE, 5G, NR). The wireless communications system 1000 of Figure 1 illustratively includes a base station (BS) 200 that comprises an antennaarray 280 and that is configured to perform beamforming. In embodiments of the present principles, the base station 200 can be adapted to provide analogue beamforming, digital beamforming and / or hybrid beamforming.

[0042] In the embodiment of Figure 1 , the BS 200 serves one or more user equipment devices (UE), each having a receiving unit that is configured to receive signal beams from the BS 200. In the embodiment of Figure 1 , the BS 200 forms and transmits directional serving beams B-1, B-2, B-3, B-4 to UEs 100-1 , 100-2, 100-3, 100-4, respectively. The configuration of the serving beams B-1 , B-2, B-3, B-4 is based on state data of the UEs 100-1 , 100-2, 100-3, 100-4, which in the embodiment of Figure 1 is received at the BS 200 from each UE (represented by wireless communications U-1 , U2, U3, U4) as will be explained further herein.

[0043] Figure 2A depicts an embodiment of an environment in which UE’s of the present principles can be implemented in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present principles. In Figure 2A, a UE 100 is located in an “open sky” environment. In the embodiment of Figure 2A, there are no beam-interacting objects in the vicinity of the UE 100, and therefore the UE does not receive multiple copies of the same signal B-1 from the BS 200. A clear line-of-sight between the UE 100 and the BS 200 is also available. As is also illustrated in Figure 2A, the UE 100 is capable of receiving an analysis signal A1 from a remote source that is different from the BS 200; in the embodiment of Figure 2A a GNSS satellite 90. In the embodiment of Figure 2A, in the same manner as for the signal B-1 received from the BS 200, due to the UE 100 being in the open sky environment, the analysis signal A1 is received along the available line-of-sight (LOS) direction (D1) from the GNSS satellite 90 with no reflected copies being received.

[0044] Figure 2B depicts an embodiment of an environment in which UE’s of the present principles can be implemented in accordance with at least one alternate embodiment of the present principles. That is, Figure 2B depicts an example in which the UE 100 is located within an environment that contains a beam-interacting object 50 (e.g., in the form of a tall building) within its vicinity. In the embodiment of Figure 2B, the UE 100 receives multiple copies of the same signaldue to reflections off the building 50. That is, in the embodiment of Figure 2B, the UE 100 receives two copies of the same signal from the GNSS satellite 90, a LOS component A1-1 received along the LOS direction D1 , and a reflected component A1-2 that is received along direction D2 following reflection off of the building 50. In such an environment where reflections are prevalent, the BS 200 can implement a multipath propagation beamforming technique in order to transmit multiple beams (here schematically shown at B-1a, B1-b) of the same signal that are phased so as to constructively interfere when received at the UE 100.

[0045] Figure 3 depicts a high-level block diagram of a base station 200 in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present principles. The BS 200 of the embodiment of Figure 3 illustratively comprises a receiving unit 210 configured to obtain UE state data from each UE it is serving, and a beamforming unit 220. In the embodiment of Figure 3, the beamforming unit 220 comprises a beam selection unit 222 and a beamforming parameter calculation unit 224. The beamforming unit 220 is logically coupled to the antenna array 280. As is schematically illustrated in Figure 3, the antenna array comprises an array of N antenna elements 282-1 , 282-2, 282- 3, 282-4 282-N which can be configured by the beamforming unit 220 to generate the desired beam(s) in order to serve the UE or UEs within a cell of the BS 200. Each of the above-described units of the BS 200 is in logical communication with a processor 260, which is operable to control the operation of the various units in accordance with executed software or firmware.

[0046] Figure 4 depicts a high-level block diagram of user equipment 100 in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present principles. In the embodiment of the UE of Figure 4, a receiving unit 2 is coupled to an antenna 1 that is configured to receive signals from the BS (e.g. signals within the 4G or 5G frequency bands). The antenna 1 is also configured to receive GNSS signals (e.g., signals in the GPS L1 or L5 bands), although it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that, in some embodiments, the UE 1 00 ca n i n cl ud e se pa rate dedicated antennas for receiving such signals. In the embodiment of the UE 100 of Figure 4, the signal received at the antenna 1 can include an analogue signal which can be amplified, down-converted to baseband, and / or lower frequency and converted to digital formby an analogue to digital converter. These processes can take place in the receiving unit 2. In the embodiment of Figure 4, the UE 100 comprises exactly one antenna, and as such is not capable of performing beamforming. However, in alternate embodiments, a UE of the present principle can include an antenna array of multiple antenna elements and thus able to perform beamforming operations.

[0047] In the embodiment of Figure 4, the received signal is correlated in a correlation unit 8 against a local replica of that signal generated by the local signal generator 10. In the embodiment of Figure 4, the correlation unit 8 comprises a correlator. The local signal generator 10 is configured to generate local copies of known correlation sequences (e.g., pseudorandom number (PRN) codes for GNSS satellites) using a frequency or phase reference of a local oscillator 12. In some embodiments, the signal generator 10 can include a frequency synthesizer. The local oscillator 12 can be simple and low cost, especially when the positioning device is implemented on a handheld electronic device such as a smartphone. For example, the local oscillator 12 can comprise a quartz crystal.

[0048] In the embodiment of the UE 100 of Figure 4, a motion unit 4 includes sensors that can measure the motion of the UE 100 and in particular, the motion of the antenna 1. The motion unit 4 can include inertial sensors such as accelerometers and gyroscopic sensors, data from which can be used to determine the motion of the UE 100 / antenna 1. The motion unit 4 can include an inertial measurement unit (IMU) comprising inertial sensors, although other means of determining a motion of the UE 100 can alternatively or additionally be used, such as GNSS, barometers, magnetometers and / or visual odometry systems. In some embodiments, the motion unit 4 can include a trained machine learning model (not shown) that can predict the motion of the UE, for example based on patterns of motion in previous epochs.

[0049] In the embodiment of Figure 4, a motion compensation unit 6 derives motion compensation phasors indicative of the amplitude and / or phase changes introduced into a received signal as a result of the motion of the UE 100 / antenna 1 as determined by the motion unit 4. Motion compensation phasors calculatedby the motion compensation unit 6 can be applied to at least one of the local signal from the local signal generator 10, the received signal, and the correlation signal from the correlation unit 8 in order to generate a motion-compensated correlation signal as will be described in further detail below. In the embodiment of Figure 4, the UE 100 comprises a signal processing unit 14 that is configured to analyze the motion-compensated correlation signal(s), and in some cases the data from the motion unit 4, as will be described in further detail below.

[0050] In the embodiment of Figure 4, the UE 100 further comprises a UE state data unit 16 that is configured to generate UE state data based on the output from the signal processing unit 14. The UE state data can be broadcast to the BS by a transmitting unit 18 that is coupled to the antenna 1 . It will be noted that although the receiving unit 2 and transmitting unit 18 are described as separate units, in some embodiments of the present principles, the receiving unit 2 and the transmitting unit 18 can be implemented as a single unit.

[0051] In the embodiment of the UE 100 of Figure 4, each of the above-described units of the UE 100 is in logical communication with a processor 20, which is operable to control the operation of the various units in accordance with executed software or firmware. For example, in some embodiments of the present principles, the units (or “modules”) can be provided within a single user equipment device 100, which can be a smartphone, smartwatch, loT device, mobile computer, tablet, autonomous vehicle control system or the like. It should be appreciated that the illustrated arrangement of the various units is exemplary only, and the units can be arranged in accordance with a particular UE device, as required. In alternative embodiments the various units of a communication system can be provided in a distributed fashion across a network.

[0052] Figure 5 depicts a flow diagram of a method of the present principles that can be performed in a base station in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present principles. The method of Figure 5 will be described with reference to the configuration of the BS 200 depicted in Figure 3, above. The method of Figure 5 can begin at step S101 , in which a base station provides one or more serving beam(s)to a UE. I n some embodiments, depending on the current state of service, a serving beam could be, for example, a single straight-line (“pencil” beam) that is directed along the line-of-sight to the UE in an open sky environment as depicted in Figure 2A. Alternatively, in a current serving epoch, the BS could broadcast a plurality of beams to serve a particular UE in a multi-path propagation procedure, for example in the scenario described above with reference to Figure 2B.

[0053] At step S102, the BS obtains UE state data from the UE at the receiving unit 210. The UE state data can be transmitted from the UE to the BS, for example using a conventional wireless uplink transmission protocol. The UE state data received at the base station comprises at least one of UE motion data and UE environment data. The generation of the UE state data by the UE will be discussed in further detail below.

[0054] At step S103, the BS selectively updates the serving beam(s) based on the UE state data. This determination can be performed at the beamforming unit 220. If the UE state data comprises UE motion data, then the BS will update the serving beam(s) based on the received motion information of the UE. For example, in some embodiments, the parameter calculation unit 224 of the BS can calculate the parameters required to provide the serving beam(s) to the UE, based on a predicted trajectory of the UE derived from position and velocity information contained within / determined from the UE motion data. Such parameters can include one or more of the elevation, azimuth, power, range, timing and bandwidth of the serving beam(s). An update to the serving beam(s) in accordance with embodiments of the present principles is computationally less expensive than calculating the required beam(s) and associated beam forming parameters “from scratch” for each epoch.

[0055] The UE state data obtained by the BS can include UE environment data. The UE environment data is indicative of a likelihood of the UE receiving a signal component from the BS that has not travelled along a straight-line path between the UE and the BS. As such, the UE environment data is indicative of the complexity of the local environment of the UE, for example whether or not there are any beam-interacting objects such as buildings, trees, vehicles or the likein the vicinity of the UE. Based on such data, the beam selection unit 222 of the BS can determine whether to update the type of serving beam(s). Such techniques are advantageous for changes in environment context. For example, if the UE moves from a complex signal environment with several beam-interacting objects 50 (e.g., an “urban canyon” as in Figure 2) to an “open sky” environment where it is unlikely that the UE will receive multiple copies of the same signal, the beam selection unit 222 can determine that a two-dimensional or three-dimensional beamforming procedure can be performed (i.e., to generate a single “pencil beam”), rather than a complex multi-path beamforming technique. As such, the computational load at the BS is reduced since the full multi-path channel estimation procedure need not be performed. The base station 200 can then broadcast the serving beam(s) in accordance with the determination made by the beamforming unit 220. The serving beam(s) are generated by the antenna array 280 using techniques known in the art. For example, in some embodiments, if an analogue beamforming procedure is used, the same signal can be output by each antenna element 282, with the phases and amplitudes of the individual antenna elements adjusted in the RF domain in order to adjust the radiation pattern and gain of the antenna array 280. Analogue beamforming can be utilized to generate a single 2D or 3D beam serving a single UE for example. If a digital beamforming procedure is implemented, amplitude and phase modifications to the signal can be pre-coded in the digital domain before RF transmission. Each antenna element transmits its own signal, which allows multipath propagation to be utilized and a plurality of UEs to be served simultaneously. In some embodiments digital beamforming can be used in MIMO and massive MIMO antenna arrays for example. In some embodiments, hybrid beamforming can implement both digital and analogue techniques.

[0056] In some embodiments, the method of the present principles can be performed iteratively (as schematically illustrated by the return arrow from step S103 to S101 ), enabling the BS to continue to efficiently provide the serving beam(s) to the UE over time. In some embodiments the rate at which the UE state data is generated and received at the BS is in the range of 1 Hz to 1 kHz.

[0057] Figure 6 depicts a flow diagram of a method that can be performed in the user equipment (UE) in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present principles and will be described with reference to the configuration of the user equipment of Figure 4. The method can begin at step S201 during which the UE receives the one or more serving signal beam(s) from the BS as described above. At step S203, the motion unit 4 determines a movement of the UE. As described above, the UE motion is typically determined using inertial sensor(s) such as accelerometers or gyroscopic sensors, although other ways of determining the UE motion can be used, such as a machine learning model that has been trained using patterns of UE motion in previous epochs.

[0058] At step S205, the UE receives an analysis signal from a satellite, for example a GNSS positioning satellite 90. In this example embodiment, the analysis signal that is received at the UE has been transmitted from a trusted remote source (i.e., a GNSS positioning satellite) that is different from the BS. However, in alternative embodiments, the analysis signal can be received from the BS itself. For example, the analysis signal can be one of the serving beam(s) received at the UE from the BS.

[0059] At step S207, a plurality of motion-compensated correlation signals for a plurality of respective different directions are generated. The motion compensation unit 6 receives the determined movement of the UE from the motion unit 4 and generates a plurality of phasor sequences in accordance with the UE component of motion for a plurality of directions including the line of sight (straight line) direction between the UE and satellite 90. In some embodiments, each phasor sequence, c|>, generated by the motion compensation unit 6 comprises a plurality of phasors, with each phasor typically having the same time duration as a sample of the received signal.

[0060] In some embodiments of the present principles, there is a same number, N, of phasors (|)i (I = 1..N) in a generated phasor sequence as there are samples of the received signal and samples of the local signal during the time period within which the signal is received and the UE movement is measured. Each phasor <|)irepresents a phase and amplitude compensation (e.g. each phasor contains a phase angle and an amplitude) based upon the motion of the UE at a time, t, such that a phasor sequence made up of a plurality of phasors is indicative of the UE motion along a particular direction as a function of time. As such, in some embodiments, each phasor sequence is indicative of the phase and / or amplitude changes introduced into the received signal as a result of the motion of the UE. For example, a velocity of the UE derived from the motion unit 4 can be used to determine a Doppler frequency shift introduced into the received signal due to the motion of the UE along a particular direction, such as the line-of-sight direction. The Doppler frequency shift can then be integrated over time in order to estimate a phase value. As such, each phasor sequence can be referred to as a “motion- compensated” phasor sequence.

[0061] In accordance with the present principles, a phasor (|)i is a transformation in phase space and is complex valued, producing the in-phase component of the motion-compensated phasor sequence via its real value, and the quadrature phase component of the motion-compensated phasor sequence via its imaginary value. The phasor <|)i is a cyclic phasor and can be expressed in a number of different ways, for example as a clockwise rotation from the real axis or as an anti-clockwise rotation from the imaginary axis. As described above, the phasor sequence for each direction is indicative of the determined movement of the UE along that direction.

[0062] Referring now back to Figure 2B, with regard to signals received from satellite 90, the motion compensation unit 6 is configured to construct a phasor sequence indicative of the UE motion along the LOS direction D1. The LOS direction can be known or estimated based on an initial estimate of the UE’s position and from broadcast orbital data or ephemeris from the satellite constellation. Alternatively or in addition, an initial estimate of the UE’s position can be determined using conventional GNSS ranging calculations based on the signals that are available. An initial estimate of position can also be determined based on cellular data if available (i.e., where the UE is provided as a smartphone). In general, an initial estimate of position of the UE / antenna can be determined using conventional techniques having an accuracy of within than meters, depending on the UE’s environment.

[0063] From motion data, a motion-compensated correlation signal is generated for the received analysis signal along the LOS direction D1 between the UE and the satellite 200a. The correlation unit 8 correlates the local signal produced by the local signal generator 10 with the received signal, with motion compensation being applied to at least one of the local signal, the received signal, and the resulting correlation signal, based on the determined movement of the UE along the LOS direction D1 as determined by the motion unit 4. In some embodiments, motion compensation can be performed by combining (e.g. mixing) the corresponding phasor sequence for that direction derived by the motion compensation unit 6 with at least one of the received signal, the local signal, and the correlation signal. It should be noted that the exact construction of the phasor sequence can vary depending on whether motion compensation is applied to the received signal, local signal, correlation signal, or a combination thereof.

[0064] In accordance with the present principles, motion-compensated correlation signals can also generated for further directions different from the LOS direction described above, using respective phasor sequences generated by the motion compensation unit 6. In some embodiments the signal processing unit 14 is configured to determine one or more candidate directions along which a reflected signal can be received by the UE. By generating motion compensation phasor sequences indicative of the UE motion along these candidate directions and then generating motion-compensated correlation signals corresponding to these directions in accordance with the present principles, it can be established whether or not reflected signals were received along the candidate directions. In some embodiments, the candidate directions can be determined using a 3D topographical model, for example a 3D city model, of the UE’s environment, based on the UE’s initial estimate of position and the facts already established. Such a 3D model can be stored in addressable memory or retrieved over an internet or other data connection.

[0065] In some embodiments in which the UE does not have access to a 3D model, the signal processing unit 14 can determine candidate directions based on a “brute force” search of the sky. In such embodiments, a plurality of candidate directions, for example each being defined by an azimuth angle and an elevationangle, can be determined for substantially all directions in which a signal can be received. By generating a motion-compensated correlation signal for each possible direction, a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of each motion-compensated correlation signal can be analyzed in order to infer the likelihood that a reflected signal is received along that direction. For example, referring back to Figure 2B, the UE can receive an analysis signal from the satellite 90 along the LOS direction D1 , as well as from along reflected direction D2. Therefore, the SNR values of motion- compensated correlation signals for each of those directions will be above a predetermined threshold and an indication can be generated that signal power is being received at the UE along both the LOS (D1) and reflected (D2) directions. Conversely, in the environment of Figure 2A, only motion compensated correlation signals for the LOS direction D1 will have an indication that power is being received along that direction. Thus, in the open sky environment of Figure 2A, a SNR of a motion-compensated correlation signal for the candidate direction D2 would be unlikely to be above the noise floor, indicating that no power is being received along that direction.

[0066] Therefore, in some embodiments, a method of the present principles can include generating a plurality of motion-compensated correlation signals to measure signal power arriving at the UE from a plurality of respective different directions. The plurality of motion- compensated correlations signals (and therefore the subsequent determination of the directions of arrival of signal power) can be generated substantially simultaneously by applying different phasor sequences generated by the motion compensation unit 6 corresponding to the different candidate directions to a correlation bank. The different correlation signals are sensitive to energy arriving from different directions, even when a single omnidirectional antenna (e.g., as shown in Figure 4) is used.

[0067] In some embodiments, a technique for performing motion-compensated correlation using motion information in accordance with of the present principles can include SUPERCORRELATION™ which is described in commonly assigned patent publications WO2017 / 163042, WO2019 / 008327, WO2019 / 063983, and WO201 9 / 058119, which are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

[0068] Referring back the method of Figure 6, at step S209, the signal processing unit calculates UE motion data based on the motion-compensated correlation signal corresponding to the LOS direction, D1 , between the UE and the positioning satellite 90. In some embodiments, the signal processing unit 14 can calculate a velocity and a position of the UE based on the motion-compensated correlation signal, using GNSS positioning techniques. As has been described above, the use of motion compensation in accordance with the present principles provides increased gain for signals received along the direction in which motion compensation is applied. The increased gain can lead to improved accuracy of positioning and other navigation / tracking metrics, such as the velocity of the UE, when compared to conventional approaches.

[0069] At step S211 , the signal processing unit 14 determines, based on the plurality of motion-compensated correlation signals generated, a likelihood of the UE receiving a signal component from the BS that has not travelled along a straight-line path between the UE and the BS. In some embodiments, this can be determined based on the number of directions for which the corresponding motion- compensated correlation signal indicates that power is being received at the UE. In the embodiment of Figure 2B, motion compensation performed along both the LOS direction, D1 , and the reflected direction, D2, both result in a motion-compensated correlation signal having an SNR above a predetermined threshold indicating that power is being received along each of those directions. From this information, the signal processing unit 14 can infer that there is a high likelihood (e.g., high confidence) that there are beam-interacting objects 50 in the vicinity of the UE and that therefore it is likely that in this environment a UE will receive a signal component from the BS that has not travelled along a straight-line path between the UE and the BS. On the other hand, for a UE environment such as that shown in Figure 2A, from the information received from the correlation unit 8 by the signal processing unit 14, it can be determined that only one direction, D1 , (i.e., the LOS direction to the GNSS satellite 90) provides a motion compensated correlation signal with a SNR indicating that power is being received. From this, the signal processing unit 14 can infer that there is a low likelihood that the UE is receiving signal components fromdifferent directions (e.g., there is a low likelihood of beam-interacting objects being in the vicinity of the UE).

[0070] In some embodiments, there is a possibility that the LOS signal, D1 , can be blocked or strongly attenuated by a beam-interacting object, and that the UE may receive power along only one reflected direction. However, due to the directionality provided by the motion-compensation process described above, the signal processing unit 14 is capable of determining that in such a case the received power is from a direction that is not the LOS, and therefore indicative of a signal environment in which beam-interacting objects are present with a high likelihood of signals being received at the UE that are not received along a straight-line direction between the BS and the UE. In such embodiments, the likelihood of the UE receiving a non-line-of- sight signal can be generated based on analysis signals received from a GNSS satellite constellation rather than from the BS. However, analysis of the GNSS signals will still be indicative of the local environment, for example, for inference of the presence of beam-interacting objects in the vicinity of the UE. The use of GNSS signals for performing the analysis of the local environment can be advantageous as the signal processing may require less computation load compared to, for example, processing high bandwidth 5G signals broadcast from the BS. However, the local environment analysis described above in steps S207 and 211 can, in some embodiments, be performed based on signals (e.g. the serving beam(s)) received from the BS.

[0071] At step S213, the signal processing unit 14 generates UE environment data based on the analysis performed in step S211. In some embodiments, the UE environment data can be in the form of a categorization (e.g. “open sky”, urban” or “urban canyon”) based on a predefined categorization correspondence with the number of reflected signals being received at the UE. In some embodiments, the UE environment data can include further information based on analysis performed by the signal processing unit 14. For example, in some embodiments a 3D building model can be implemented to predict the position of various buildings in the local vicinity of the UE based on its position and the analysis of the motion- compensated correlation signals.

[0072] At step S215, the signal processing unit 14 generates a placement context of the UE. The placement context can take the form of a classification, for example indicating that the UE is being carried by a pedestrian or is positioned in or on a vehicle such as a car, train, bicycle, etc. The placement context of the UE can be generated by the signal processing unit 14 based on data obtained from the motion unit 4. For example, patterns of inertial data can be indicative of a repetitive motion such as walking or jogging, indicating the UE is being carried by a pedestrian; or can indicate a constant straight-line velocity, indicating that the UE is located on a train. The placement context of the present principles can include a primary classification (e.g. “pedestrian”, “car”, “train”, “bicycle” as discussed above) indicating a high-level indication of the UE’s context. In some embodiments, the placement context of the present principles can also include a secondary classification having an increased level of detail, for example indicating whether the UE is positioned in a pedestrian’s pocket or in their hand. Such an inference can be determined from light-level measurements made by a light-level sensor, or from images obtained from a camera, for example. In general, the placement context of the UE of the present principles can be detected using the inertial sensors and techniques, for example, including the use of machine learning algorithms and the techniques disclosed in commonly assigned patent publications WO2019 / 081944 and W02020 / 074921 , which are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entirities.

[0073] The placement context information generated in accordance with the present principle by the signal processing unit 14 can be used to aid prediction of a probable future motion of the UE, and the impact of the motion on signal reception. For example, a placement context that indicates that the UE is positioned a vehicle in an urban environment can indicate that the UE is expected to travel along roads at typical driving speeds with predictable signal propagation paths in front and to the sides with respect to the forward direction of travel. This knowledge can be used to predict updates to the signal propagation path between the BS and UE as the vehicle travels along the route, including when the UE changes direction such as turning left or right at a junction. A previously determined propagation path can be blocked due to the change in the UE’s orientation, but knowledge of theplacement context and the motion state (e.g. a change in direction of travel) of the UE enables an estimation of a new preferred propagation path by the BS, and a corresponding update to the serving beam(s). Similarly, a smartphone held to the user’s head during a phone call also gives well understood clear and blocked directions. For example, if the phone is being held against the pedestrian’s right ear it is likely that signals coming from the left side of the user will be blocked by their head, whereas signals arriving from the user’s right side will still be visible. Similarly, and with reference to the previous example, should the pedestrian user change their direction of travel, the directions from which signals are blocked or are visible will also change. Additionally, a user can move the phone to different placement contexts relative to their body and direction of travel (i.e., from being held to their ear to being placed in a pocket). As such, in embodiments of the present principles, the placement context of the UE (and, over time, changes to the placement context) can be implemented to better predict or constrain updates to a preferred signal propagation path.

[0074] Referring back to Figure 6, at step S217, the UE state data unit 16 receives the UE environment data, the UE motion data, and placement context from the signal processing unit 14, and generates UE state data including a combination of all received data. In some embodiments, the UE state data unit 16 can use the data to predict an upcoming change in an UE environment using, for example, ray tracing based on the known UE and BS positions and the current motion of the UE.

[0075] In some embodiments, the UE state data can further include UE operating data that is indicative of an operation state of the UE. For example, the UE operation data can include at least one of: a battery state of the UE, a UE clock offset parameter, a UE clock drift parameter, an operational capability of the UE, and the like. In some embodiments, such parameters can be established by the UE using techniques known in the art.

[0076] At step S219, the transmitting unit 18 broadcasts the UE state data to the BS. In some embodiments, the UE state data can be transmitted to the BS using a conventional wireless uplink protocol. The BS can receive the UE state data (e.g., step S102 in Figure 5) and selectively update the serving beam based on the UEstate data, as has been described herein. As indicated by the return step in the flowchart of Figure 6, the method can be performed iteratively within the UE such that UE state data for a plurality of (e.g., contiguous) time epochs are broadcast by the UE. In some embodiments, the UE state data can be generated and transmitted by the UE at a rate of between 1 Hz and 1 kHz. Alternatively or in addition, in some embodiments, the UE state data can be transmitted to the BS at a rate that is dependent on the motion state of the UE. For example, for a relatively higher speed of the UE, the UE state data can be transmitted to the BS at a relatively faster rate than for a relatively lower speed of the UE. This enables the base station to update the serving beam(s) at a rate that is sufficient to serve the UE dependent on its motion.

[0077] In the above-described embodiments, the UE state data can be generated at the UE and then transmitted to the BS wherein the BS can selectively update the one or more serving beam(s) to the UE accordingly. Alternatively or in addition, in some embodiments, some or all of the calculations performed for generating the UE state data can be performed at the BS. For example, in some embodiments, the motion unit 4 of the UE can determine the movement of the UE from one or more inertial sensors and then transmit the determined information to the base station. The base station can then perform the steps S207 to S217 set out in Figure 6 in order to generate the UE state data in the manner described above, instead of the UE state data being generated at the UE and subsequently transmitted to the BS. For example, in some embodiments, the BS can include a local signal generator, correlation unit, motion compensation unit, signal processing unit and UE state data unit as described above with respect to Figure 4. Such embodiments of the present principles can reduce the computational load at the UE.

[0078] In some embodiments of the present principles, there is provided a method, performed in a base station, BS, of a wireless communications system, the method including (a) providing one or more serving beam(s) to a user equipment, UE; (b) obtaining UE state data that includes at least one of UE motion data that is indicative of a motion state of the UE, and UE environment data that is indicative of an environment context of the UE, wherein the UE state data is based at least in part on a motion-compensated correlation signal that is generated by: (i) generating a local signal; (II) generating a correlation signal by correlating the local signal withan analysis signal received at the UE; and (iii) providing motion compensation of at least one of the local signal, the received analysis signal, and the correlation signal based on a determined movement of the UE along a first direction; and (c) selectively updating the serving beam(s) based on the obtained UE state data.

[0079] In some embodiments, the UE state data is received at the base station from the UE. However, as discussed above, in some embodiments, the UE state data can be generated at the BS. As such, the steps (i) to (iii) described above and that are performed in order to generate the motion-compensated correlation signal can instead be performed at the BS.

[0080] In some embodiments of the present principles, there is provided a method, performed in a user equipment, UE, of a wireless communications system, the method comprising: (a) determining a movement of the UE; (b) receiving, at the UE, an analysis signal from a remote source along a first direction; (c) generating a local signal; (d) generating a correlation signal by correlating the local signal with the received analysis signal; (e) providing motion compensation of at least one of the local signal, the received analysis signal, and the correlation signal based on the determined movement of the UE along the first direction so as to generate a motion- compensated correlation signal; (f) generating UE state data that comprise at least one of UE motion data that are indicative of a motion state of the UE, and UE environment data that are indicative of an environment context of the UE; wherein the UE state data are based at least in part on the motion-compensated correlation signal; and (g) transmitting the UE state data to a base station, BS, that is configured to provide one or more serving beam(s) to the UE (e.g. whereby the BS can selectively update the serving beam(s) based on the UE state data).

[0081] In some embodiments, the movement of the UE in step (a) can be determined based on measurements from which position or movement can be inferred. In such embodiments, the UE movement is based on data from at least one inertial sensor, for example an accelerometer (configured to measure linear acceleration) or gyroscope (configured to measure rotational velocity). The inertial sensor(s) can be part of an inertial measurement unit (IMU) located on the UE. Other examples of sensors that can provide measurements from which the UEmotion data can be generated include magnetometers, barometers, GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) modules, and camera-or visual odometry-based systems. In some embodiments, the movement of the UE can be predicted based on patterns of movement in previous epochs, for example using a trained machine leaning model such as a neural network.

[0082] In some embodiments of the present principles, there is provided a base station (e.g. configured to perform beamforming) comprising: an array of antenna elements, whereby the base station is configured to provide one or more serving beam(s) to a user equipment, UE; and at least one processor configured to perform the steps of any of: (a) providing one or more serving beam(s) to a user equipment, UE; (b) obtaining UE state data that comprise at least one of UE motion data that are indicative of a motion state of the UE, and UE environment data that are indicative of an environment context of the UE, wherein the UE state data are based at least in part on a motion-compensated correlation signal that is generated by: (i) generating a local signal; (ii) generating a correlation signal by correlating the local signal with an analysis signal received at the UE; and (iii) providing motion compensation of at least one of the local signal, the received analysis signal, and the correlation signal based on a determined movement of the UE along a first direction; and (c) selectively updating the serving beam(s) based on the obtained UE state data.

[0083] In some embodiments of the present principles, there is provided a user equipment comprising: a receiving unit configured to receive a signal from a remote source along a first direction; a transmitting unit configured to transmit a signal, and at least one processor configured to perform the steps of: (a) determining a movement of the UE; (b) receiving, by the receiving unit, an analysis signal from a remote source along a first direction; (c) generating a local signal; (d) generating a correlation signal by correlating the local signal with the received analysis signal; (e) providing motion compensation of at least one of the local signal, the received analysis signal, and the correlation signal based on the determined movement of the UE along the first direction so as to generate a motion- compensated correlation signal; (f) generating UE state data that comprise at least one of UE motion data that are indicative of a motion state of the UE, and UE environment data that are indicative of an environment context of the UE; wherein the UE state data are based at leastin part on the motion-compensated correlation signal; and (g) transmitting, by the transmitting unit, the UE state data to a base station, BS, that is configured to provide one or more serving beam(s) to the UE.

[0084] In some embodiments of the present principles, there is provided a method, performed in a wireless communications system comprising a user equipment, UE, and a base station, BS, configured to provide one or more serving beam(s) to the UE, the method comprising (a) at the BS, providing one or more serving beam(s) from the BS to the UE; (b) determining a movement of the UE; (c) receiving, at the UE, an analysis signal from a remote source along a first direction; (d) generating a local signal; (e) generating a correlation signal by correlating the local signal with the received analysis signal; (f) providing motion compensation of at least one of the local signal, the received analysis signal, and the correlation signal based on the determined movement of the UE along the first direction so as to generate a motion- compensated correlation signal; (g) generating UE state data that comprise at least one of UE motion data that are indicative of a motion state of the UE, and UE environment data that are indicative of an environment context of the UE; wherein the UE state data are based at least in part on the motion-compensated correlation signal; and (h) at the BS, selectively updating the serving beam(s) based on the UE state data.

[0085] In some embodiments of the present principles, there is provided a method performed in a base station, BS, of a wireless communications system, the method comprising: (a) providing one or more serving beam(s) to a user equipment, UE; (b) obtaining UE state data that comprise at least one of UE motion data that are indicative of a motion state of the UE, and UE environment data that are indicative of an environment context of the UE, wherein the UE state data are based at least in part on a motion-compensated correlation signal that is generated by: (i) generating a local signal (ii) generating a correlation signal by correlating the local signal with an analysis signal received at the UE; and (iii) providing motion compensation of at least one of the local signal, the received analysis signal, and the correlation signal based on a determined movement of the UE along a first direction; and (c) selectively updating the serving beam(s) based on the obtained UE state data.

[0086] In some embodiments of the present principles, there is provided a method, performed in a user equipment, UE, of a wireless communications system, the method comprising: (a) determining a movement of the UE; (b) receiving, at the UE, an analysis signal from a remote source along a first direction; (c) generating a local signal; (d) generating a correlation signal by correlating the local signal with the received analysis signal; (e) providing motion compensation of at least one of the local signal, the received analysis signal, and the correlation signal based on the determined movement of the UE along the first direction so as to generate a motion- compensated correlation signal; (f) generating UE state data that comprise at least one of UE motion data that are indicative of a motion state of the UE, and UE environment data that are indicative of an environment context of the UE; wherein the UE state data are based at least in part on the motion-compensated correlation signal; and (g) transmitting the UE state data to a base station, BS, that is configured to provide one or more serving beam(s) to the UE.

[0087] In some embodiments of the present principles, there is provided a base station comprising: an array of antenna elements, whereby the base station is configured to provide one or more serving beam(s) to a user equipment, UE; and at least one processor configured to perform the steps of any of: (a) providing one or more serving beam(s) to a user equipment, UE; (b) obtaining UE state data that comprise at least one of UE motion data that are indicative of a motion state of the UE, and UE environment data that are indicative of an environment context of the UE, wherein the UE state data are based at least in part on a motion-compensated correlation signal that is generated by: (i) generating a local signal; (II) generating a correlation signal by correlating the local signal with an analysis signal received at the UE; and (iii) providing motion compensation of at least one of the local signal, the received analysis signal, and the correlation signal based on a determined movement of the UE along a first direction; and (c) selectively updating the serving beam(s) based on the obtained UE state data.

[0088] In some embodiments of the present principles, there is provided a user equipment comprising: a receiving unit configured to receive a signal from a remote source along a first direction; a transmitting unit configured to transmit a signal, and at least one processor configured to perform the steps of: (a) determining a movementof the UE; (b) receiving, by the receiving unit, an analysis signal from a remote source along a first direction; (c) generating a local signal; (d) generating a correlation signal by correlating the local signal with the received analysis signal; (e) providing motion compensation of at least one of the local signal, the received analysis signal, and the correlation signal based on the determined movement of the UE along the first direction so as to generate a motion-compensated correlation signal; (f) generating UE state data that comprise at least one of UE motion data that are indicative of a motion state of the UE, and UE environment data that are indicative of an environment context of the UE; wherein the UE state data are based at least in part on the motion- compensated correlation signal; and (g) transmitting, by the transmitting unit, the UE state data to a base station, BS, that is configured to provide one or more serving beam(s) to the UE.

[0089] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that, while various items are illustrated as being stored in memory or on storage while being used, these items or portions of them can be transferred between memory and other storage devices for purposes of memory management and data integrity. Alternatively, in other embodiments some or all of the software components can execute in memory on another device and communicate with the illustrated computer system via inter-computer communication. Some or all of the system components or data structures can also be stored (e.g., as instructions or structured data) on a computer-accessible medium or a portable article to be read by an appropriate drive, various examples of which are described above. In some embodiments, instructions stored on a computer-accessible medium separate can be transmitted to a computing device via transmission media or signals such as electrical, electromagnetic, or digital signals, conveyed via a communication medium such as a network and / or a wireless link. Various embodiments can further include receiving, sending or storing instructions and / or data implemented in accordance with the foregoing description upon a computer-accessible medium or via a communication medium. In general, a computer-accessible medium can include a storage medium or memory medium such as magnetic or optical media, e.g., disk or DVD / CD-ROM, volatile or non-volatile media such as RAM (e.g., SDRAM, DDR, RDRAM, SRAM, and the like), ROM, and the like.

[0090] The methods and processes described herein may be implemented in software, hardware, or a combination thereof, in different embodiments. In addition, the order of methods can be changed, and various elements can be added, reordered, combined, omitted or otherwise modified. All examples described herein are presented in a non-limiting manner. Various modifications and changes can be made as would be obvious to a person skilled in the art having benefit of this disclosure. Realizations in accordance with embodiments have been described in the context of particular embodiments. These embodiments are meant to be illustrative and not limiting. Many variations, modifications, additions, and improvements are possible. Accordingly, plural instances can be provided for components described herein as a single instance. Boundaries between various components, operations and data stores are somewhat arbitrary, and particular operations are illustrated in the context of specific illustrative configurations. Other allocations of functionality are envisioned and can fall within the scope of claims that follow. Structures and functionality presented as discrete components in the example configurations can be implemented as a combined structure or component. These and other variations, modifications, additions, and improvements can fall within the scope of embodiments as defined in the claims that follow.

[0091] In the foregoing description, numerous specific details, examples, and scenarios are set forth in order to provide a more thorough understanding of the present disclosure. It will be appreciated, however, that embodiments of the disclosure can be practiced without such specific details. Further, such examples and scenarios are provided for illustration, and are not intended to limit the disclosure in any way. Those of ordinary skill in the art, with the included descriptions, should be able to implement appropriate functionality without undue experimentation.

[0092] References in the specification to “an embodiment,” etc., indicate that the embodiment described can include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but every embodiment may not necessarily include the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Such phrases are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment. Further, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, it is believed to be within the knowledge of one skilled in the art to affect such feature, structure, or characteristic in connection with other embodiments whether or not explicitly indicated.

[0093] Embodiments in accordance with the disclosure can be implemented in hardware, firmware, software, or any combination thereof. Embodiments can also be implemented as instructions stored using one or more machine-readable media, which may be read and executed by one or more processors. A machine-readable medium can include any mechanism for storing or transmitting information in a form readable by a machine (e.g., a computing device or a “virtual machine” running on one or more computing devices). For example, a machine-readable medium can include any suitable form of volatile or non-volatile memory.

[0094] In addition, the various operations, processes, and methods disclosed herein can be embodied in a machine-readable medium and / or a machine accessible medium / storage device compatible with a data processing system (e.g., a computer system), and can be performed in any order (e.g., including using means for achieving the various operations). Accordingly, the specification and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense. In some embodiments, the machine-readable medium can be a non-transitory form of machine-readable medium / storage device.

[0095] Modules, data structures, and the like defined herein are defined as such for ease of discussion and are not intended to imply that any specific implementation details are required. For example, any of the described modules and / or data structures can be combined or divided into sub-modules, sub-processes or other units of computer code or data as can be required by a particular design or implementation.

[0096] In the drawings, specific arrangements or orderings of schematic elements can be shown for ease of description. However, the specific ordering or arrangement of such elements is not meant to imply that a particular order or sequence of processing, or separation of processes, is required in all embodiments. In general, schematic elements used to represent instruction blocks or modules can be implemented using any suitable form of machine-readable instruction, and each such instruction can be implemented using any suitable programming language, library, application-programming interface (API), and / or other software development tools or frameworks. Similarly, schematic elements used to represent data or information can be implemented using any suitable electronic arrangement or data structure. Further, some connections, relationships or associations between elements can be simplified or not shown in the drawings so as not to obscure the disclosure.

[0097] This disclosure is to be considered as exemplary and not restrictive in character, and all changes and modifications that come within the guidelines of the disclosure are desired to be protected.

Claims

CLAIMS1 . A method, performed in a wireless communications system comprising a user equipment, UE, and a base station, BS, configured to provide one or more serving beam(s) to the UE, the method comprising:(a) at the BS, providing one or more serving beam(s) from the BS to the UE;(b) determining a movement of the UE;(c) receiving, at the UE, an analysis signal from a remote source along a first direction;(d) generating a local signal;(e) generating a correlation signal by correlating the local signal with the received analysis signal;(f) providing motion compensation of at least one of the local signal, the received analysis signal, and the correlation signal based on the determined movement of the UE along the first direction so as to generate a motion-compensated correlation signal;(g) generating UE state data that comprise at least one of UE motion data that are indicative of a motion state of the UE, and UE environment data that are indicative of an environment context of the UE; wherein the UE state data are based at least in part on the motion-compensated correlation signal; and(h) at the BS, selectively updating the serving beam(s) based on the UE state data.

2. The method of any of claim 1 , wherein the UE state data comprise said UE environment data.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the UE environment data are indicative of a likelihood of the UE receiving a signal component from the BS that has not travelled along a straight-line path between the UE and the BS.

4. The method of claim 2 or claim 3, wherein the UE environment data areindicative of the presence or absence of beam-interacting objects in the vicinity of the UE.

5. The method of any of claims 2 to 4, wherein the UE environment data are generated based on a signal quality metric of the motion-compensated correlation signal.

6. The method of any of claims 2 to 5, further comprising providing motion compensation of at least one of the local signal, the received analysis signal, and the correlation signal based on the determined movement of the UE along a plurality of further directions different from the first direction so as to generate a respective plurality of further motion-compensated correlation signals, and wherein the UE environment data are generated based on the plurality of further motion-compensated correlation signals.

7. The method of any of claims 2 to 6, wherein the UE environment data are indicative of a low likelihood of the UE receiving a signal component from the BS that has not travelled along a straight-line path between the UE and the BS, and the serving beam(s) is updated to provide a straight-line beam directed to the UE.

8. The method of any of claims 2 to 6, wherein the UE environment data are indicative of a high likelihood of the UE receiving a signal component from the BS that has not travelled along a straight-line path between the UE and the BS, and the serving beam(s) is updated using a multipath propagation procedure.

9. The method of any of the preceding claims, wherein the UE state data comprise said UE motion data.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the UE motion data comprise at least one of a position and a velocity of the UE, calculated based on the motion-compensated correlation signal.11 . The method of any of the preceding claims, wherein the UE state data furthercomprise a placement context of the UE.

12. The method of any of the preceding claims, wherein the UE state data further comprise UE operating data that are indicative of an operation state of the UE, wherein the operating data comprise at least one of: a battery state of the UE, a UE clock offset parameter, a UE clock drift parameter, an operational capability of the UE.

13. The method of any of the preceding claims, wherein the step of selectively updating the serving beam(s) comprises selecting a beam forming procedure based on the UE state data.

14. The method of any of the preceding claims, wherein the step of selectively updating the serving beam(s) comprises calculating one or more beam forming parameters.

15. The method of any of the preceding claims, further comprising the step of transmitting the UE state data to the BS.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the UE state data are transmitted to the BS at a rate that is dependent on the movement of the UE.

17. The method of any of the preceding claims, wherein the remote source is the BS.

18. The method of any of claims 1 to 16, wherein the remote source is a different remote source from the BS, wherein the remote source is a positioning satellite.

19. The method of any of the preceding claims, further comprising iteratively performing the steps (a) to (h).

20. A method, performed in a base station, BS, of a wireless communications system, the method comprising:(a) providing one or more serving beam(s) to a user equipment, UE;(b) obtaining UE state data that comprise at least one of UE motion data that are indicative of a motion state of the UE, and UE environment data that are indicative of an environment context of the UE, wherein the UE state data are based at least in part on a motion-compensated correlation signal that is generated by:(i) generating a local signal(ii) generating a correlation signal by correlating the local signal with an analysis signal received at the UE; and(iii) providing motion compensation of at least one of the local signal, the received analysis signal, and the correlation signal based on a determined movement of the UE along a first direction; and(c) selectively updating the serving beam(s) based on the obtained UE state data.21 . The method of claim 20, wherein the UE state data are received at the base station from the UE.

22. A method, performed in a user equipment, UE, of a wireless communications system, the method comprising:(a) determining a movement of the UE;(b) receiving, at the UE, an analysis signal from a remote source along a first direction;(c) generating a local signal;(d) generating a correlation signal by correlating the local signal with the received analysis signal;(e) providing motion compensation of at least one of the local signal, the received analysis signal, and the correlation signal based on the determined movement of the UE along the first direction so as to generate a motion-compensated correlation signal;(f) generating UE state data that comprise at least one of UE motion data that are indicative of a motion state of the UE, and UE environment data that are indicative of an environment context of the UE; wherein the UE state data are based at least in part on the motion-compensated correlation signal; and(g) transmitting the UE state data to a base station, BS, that is configured to provide one or more serving beam(s) to the UE.

23. A base station comprising: an array of antenna elements, whereby the base station is configured to provide one or more serving beam(s) to a user equipment, UE; and at least one processor configured to perform the steps of any of:(a) providing one or more serving beam(s) to a user equipment, UE;(b) obtaining UE state data that comprise at least one of UE motion data that are indicative of a motion state of the UE, and UE environment data that are indicative of an environment context of the UE, wherein the UE state data are based at least in part on a motion-compensated correlation signal that is generated by:(i) generating a local signal(ii) generating a correlation signal by correlating the local signal with an analysis signal received at the UE; and(iii) providing motion compensation of at least one of the local signal, the received analysis signal, and the correlation signal based on a determined movement of the UE along a first direction; and(c) selectively updating the serving beam(s) based on the obtained UE state data.

24. The base station of claim 23, wherein the base station is a multiple-in, multiple-out (MIMO) base station.

25. A user equipment comprising: a receiving unit configured to receive a signal from a remote source along a first direction; a transmitting unit configured to transmit a signal, and at least one processor configured to perform the steps of:(a) determining a movement of the UE;(b) receiving, by the receiving unit, an analysis signal from a remote source along a first direction;(c) generating a local signal;(d) generating a correlation signal by correlating the local signal with the received analysis signal;(e) providing motion compensation of at least one of the local signal, the received analysis signal, and the correlation signal based on the determined movement of the UE along the first direction so as to generate a motion-compensated correlation signal;(f) generating UE state data that comprise at least one of UE motion data that are indicative of a motion state of the UE, and UE environment data that are indicative of an environment context of the UE; wherein the UE state data are based at least in part on the motion-compensated correlation signal; and(g) transmitting, by the transmitting unit, the UE state data to a base station, BS, that is configured to provide one or more serving beam(s) to the UE.

26. A wireless communication system comprising a base station according to claims 23 or claim 24, and one or more user equipment each according to claim 25.

27. A wireless communications system comprising a base station and one or more user equipment configured to perform the method of any of claims 1 to 19.

28. The method, base station, user equipment or wireless communication system of any of the preceding claims, wherein the wireless communication system is a multiple in, multiple out (MIMO) system.

29. The method, base station, user equipment or wireless communication system of any of the preceding claims, wherein the wireless communication system is part of a cellular network including a 5th generation (5G) network.

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