Antenna module placement and housing for reduced power density exposure

Abstract

To provide user equipment (UE) capable of reducing power density exposure (PDE).SOLUTION: A wireless communication system includes a device 205 comprising a substrate, an antenna module 215 including a plurality of antennas 210 on a surface of the substrate, and a shielding strip 220 enclosing the plurality of antennas 210. A gap exists between the shielding strip 220 and the substrate.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] cross reference This patent application claims priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16 / 579,522, entitled "Antenna Module Placement and Housing for Reduced Power Density Exposure," filed Sep. 23, 2019, by Malik et al., which is assigned to the assignee of the present application.

[0002] The present disclosure relates generally to wireless communications, and more particularly to antenna module arrangements and housings for reduced power density exposure (PDE). [Background technology]

[0003] Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various types of communication content, such as voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcasts, and so on. These systems may be capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources (e.g., time, frequency, and power). Examples of such multiple-access systems include fourth-generation (4G) systems, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), or LTE-A Pro systems, and fifth-generation (5G) systems, sometimes referred to as New Radio (NR) systems. These systems may employ technologies such as code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA), or discrete Fourier transform spread orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (DFT-S-OFDM). A wireless multiple-access communication system may include several base stations or network access nodes, each simultaneously supporting communication for multiple communication devices, sometimes referred to as user equipment (UE).

[0004] In some wireless communication systems, UEs may use millimeter wave (mmW) transmissions for wireless communication. For example, an NR system may use time division duplex (TDD) mmW for both uplink and downlink transmissions (e.g., within the same frequency band). Regulatory bodies may impose limits on the amount of mmW power density exposure (PDE) a human (e.g., a user) may experience using an mmW device. For example, a regulatory body such as the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) may specify that a user's exposure should be less than a given amount of power per unit area when averaged over a given area and time period. The requirement to limit a user's PDE may result in difficulty maintaining radio coverage while minimizing power consumption, which may result in lower communication quality. Summary of the Invention [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The described techniques relate to improved methods, systems, devices, and apparatuses that support antenna module placement and housing for reduced power density exposure (PDE). Generally, the described techniques involve maintaining a power density (PD) level during transmission to keep the UE in compliance with a maximum PDE threshold using a shielding strip for the antenna module. In some wireless communication systems, a user equipment (UE) may cause transmissions (e.g., millimeter wave (mmW) transmissions) that result in PDE to a user of the UE or other nearby users. To reduce the PDE for the antenna module (e.g., below the maximum PDE threshold), the UE may implement a shielding strip around the antenna module. For example, the antenna module may include a substrate and a set of antenna elements on a first surface of the substrate. The shielding strip may enclose (e.g., form a continuous loop around) the set of antenna elements (e.g., all elements of the module) and extend above the first surface away from the radiating surface. This shielding strip may be a component of the antenna module or may be built into or attached to the housing of the UE. The shielding strip may be grounded or not connected to a power source and may reduce PDE outside the field of view of the antenna module. Additionally, in some cases, the placement of the antenna module within the UE, the materials used to construct the UE, or both may further reduce PDE due to the antenna module.

[0006] An antenna module is described. The antenna module may be an example of an apparatus. The antenna module may include a substrate having a first surface, a set of antenna elements on the first surface, and a shielding strip enclosing the set of antenna elements and extending away from the first surface of the substrate, where an upper edge of the shielding strip is above the set of antenna elements. The shielding strip may reduce PDE (e.g., outside the field of view of the sensor or antenna module).

[0007] In some examples of the antenna modules described herein, the lower edge of the shielding strip may be at the first surface of the substrate or may be above the first surface of the substrate.

[0008] In some examples of the antenna modules described herein, the substrate may include a printed circuit board (PCB), the set of antenna elements may be on the PCB, and the shielding strip may be external to the PCB.

[0009] In some examples of the antenna modules described herein, the PCB may further include plating members surrounding each antenna element of the set of antenna elements, where the plating members may be on the PCB. These plating members may be examples of individual wells etched into the PCB for each antenna element and may provide some shielding and / or insulation for the antenna elements. The shielding strips may provide significant additional PDE shielding for the entire antenna module.

[0010] In some examples of the antenna modules described herein, the shielding strips may be at the perimeter of the PCB or above the perimeter of the PCB. Positioning the shielding strips at the perimeter of the PCB may optimize shielding for a given shielding strip height without modifying the PCB.

[0011] In some examples of the antenna modules described herein, the upper edge of the shielding strip may be configured to be flush with the housing of the UE, which may optimize the height of the shielding strip without compromising the usability and form design of the UE housing.

[0012] In some examples of the antenna modules described herein, the height of the shielding strip from the first surface of the substrate may be based on a predetermined PDE threshold, or the field of view for the set of antenna elements, or the field of view for the sensor, or a combination thereof. Such a design may improve PDE shielding when PDE detection is not supported.

[0013] In some examples of the antenna modules described herein, the shielding strip may be electrically coupled to the ground plane of the antenna module.

[0014] In some other examples of the antenna modules described herein, the shielding strip may be electrically isolated from the ground plane of the antenna module.

[0015] In some examples of the antenna modules described herein, one or more electrical components may be mounted on a second surface of the substrate opposite the first surface of the substrate.

[0016] In some examples of antenna modules described herein, the set of antenna elements includes at least a set of patch antennas, or a set of slot antennas, or a set of dipole antennas, or a combination thereof, that form an antenna array.

[0017] A UE is described. The UE may be an example of an apparatus. The UE may include a housing having an exterior surface, an antenna module mounted within the housing, where the antenna module includes a set of antenna elements on a first surface of a substrate, and a shielding strip enclosing the set of antenna elements and extending away from the first surface of the substrate, where an upper edge of the shielding strip is above the set of antenna elements. The shielding strip may reduce PDE (e.g., outside the field of view of the sensor or the antenna module).

[0018] In some examples of the UE described herein, the first surface of the substrate may be recessed from the outer surface of the housing from the radiation direction of the antenna module, which may allow a shielding strip to be inside the UE housing and support the usability of the UE.

[0019] In some examples of the UE described herein, the lower edge of the shielding strip may be at the first surface of the substrate or may be above the first surface of the substrate.

[0020] In some examples of the UE described herein, the antenna module includes the shielding strip, or the housing includes the shielding strip, or the housing includes a portion of the shielding strip.

[0021] In some examples of the UE described herein, the exterior surface of the housing includes a screen facing a first side of the antenna module and a back surface facing a second side of the antenna module opposite the screen, the back surface including a first conductive surface.

[0022] In some examples of the UE described herein, the UE includes a second conductive surface facing the first side of the antenna module opposite the back surface, where a screen may include the second conductive surface or the second conductive surface may be mounted behind the screen. This second conductive surface may match (or replicate) the characteristics of the first conductive surface such that the PDE is symmetrical (or nearly symmetrical) between the front and back surfaces of the UE. A semi-symmetric PDE may support optimal shielding when one side of the UE does not experience a significantly larger PDE than the other side.

[0023] In some examples of the UE described herein, the height of the shielding strip from the first surface of the substrate may be based on a predetermined PDE threshold, or the field of view for a set of antenna elements, or a combination thereof. Such a design may improve PDE shielding when PDE detection is not supported.

[0024] In some examples of the UE described herein, the UE may include a sensor for measuring the PDE, where the height of the shielding strip from the first surface of the substrate may be based on the field of view for the sensor. Such a design may improve PDE shielding when PDE detection is not supported.

[0025] In some examples of the UE described herein, the shielding strip may be electrically coupled to the ground plane of the antenna module.

[0026] In some other examples of the UE described herein, the shielding strip may be electrically isolated from the ground plane of the antenna module.

[0027] In some examples of the UE described herein, the set of antenna elements includes a set of patch antennas forming an antenna array.

[0028] In some examples of the UE described herein, the upper edge of the shielding strip may be at or below the outer surface of the housing in the direction of radiation of the antenna module, which may optimize the height of the shielding strip without compromising the usability and form design of the UE housing.

[0029] An apparatus for wireless communication in a UE is described. The apparatus may include a processor, a memory coupled to the processor, and instructions stored in the memory. The apparatus may further include an antenna module including a substrate having a first surface and a set of antenna elements on the first surface, and a shielding strip enclosing the set of antenna elements and extending away from the first surface. In some examples of the apparatus described herein, the apparatus may additionally include a detector. In some examples of the apparatus described herein, the apparatus may additionally include a second antenna module including a second substrate having a second surface and a second set of antenna elements on the second surface, and a second shielding strip enclosing the second set of antenna elements and extending away from the second surface.

[0030] A method for wireless communication in a UE is described. The method may include determining a transmit power for a communication beam based on a PDE threshold for the communication beam of the UE and a shielding strip enclosing a set of antenna elements on a first surface of an antenna module of the UE, the shielding strip enclosing the set of antenna elements above the first surface, and transmitting an uplink signal using the communication beam and using the antenna module in accordance with the determined transmit power.

[0031] An apparatus for wireless communication in a UE is described. The apparatus may include a processor, a memory coupled to the processor, and instructions stored in the memory. The instructions may be executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to: determine a transmit power for a communication beam based on a PDE threshold for the communication beam of the UE and a shielding strip enclosing a set of antenna elements on a first surface of an antenna module of the UE, where the shielding strip encloses the set of antenna elements above the first surface; and transmit an uplink signal using the communication beam and using the antenna module in accordance with the determined transmit power.

[0032] Another apparatus for wireless communication in a UE is described. The apparatus may include means for determining a transmit power for a communication beam based on a PDE threshold for the communication beam of the UE and a shielding strip enclosing a set of antenna elements on a first surface of an antenna module of the UE, wherein the shielding strip encloses the set of antenna elements above the first surface; and transmitting an uplink signal using the communication beam and using the antenna module in accordance with the determined transmit power.

[0033] A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication in a UE is described. The code may include instructions executable by a processor to determine a transmit power for a communication beam based on a PDE threshold for the communication beam of the UE and a shielding strip enclosing a set of antenna elements on a first surface of an antenna module of the UE, where the shielding strip encloses the set of antenna elements above the first surface, and transmit an uplink signal using the communication beam and using the antenna module in accordance with the determined transmit power.

[0034] Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for determining a second transmit power for the second communications beam based on a second PDE threshold for the second communications beam of the UE and the second shielding strip enclosing the second plurality of antenna elements, and transmitting a second uplink signal using the second antenna module and the second communications beam based on the determined second transmit power. Such examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may support optimized PDE shielding for multiple antenna arrays with different configurations for the same UE.

[0035] Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for identifying a maximum transmit power for a communications beam based on a PDE threshold for the communications beam and a shielding strip enclosing a set of antenna elements, where the transmit power may be determined based on the identified maximum transmit power. Basing the maximum transmit power on characteristics of the shielding strip may support increased maximum transmit power for the antenna array, improving transmit power and / or reliability.

[0036] Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for identifying one or more candidate communications beams for the UE, determining a respective PDE characteristic for each of the one or more candidate communications beams, and selecting a communications beam from the one or more candidate communications beams, where the communications beam includes a first PDE characteristic, determining a transmit power for the communications beam may be based on the first PDE characteristic, and selecting the communications beam may be based on at least an uplink grant for the UE, or a power level of the UE, or an estimated PDE of the communications beam, or the first PDE characteristic, or a combination thereof. Basing communications beam selection on the beam's PDE characteristic due to characteristics of the shielding strip may support improved beam selection (e.g., for improved transmission reliability).

[0037] Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for detecting a level of PDE of a communications beam, where selecting a communications beam is based on the detected level of PDE. Detecting the PDE may further optimize transmit power while supporting specified PDE limits, in addition to implementing shielding strips.

[0038] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, the antenna module includes a shielding strip. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0039] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a wireless communication system that supports antenna module placement and housing for reduced power density exposure (PDE), according to an aspect of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is an example of a device diagram supporting an antenna module arrangement and housing for reduced PDE, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 3A] 1A-1C illustrate examples of antenna module configurations supporting antenna module placement and housings for reduced PDE, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 3B] 1A-1C illustrate examples of antenna module configurations supporting antenna module placement and housings for reduced PDE, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 4A] 1A-1C illustrate examples of device configurations supporting antenna module placement and housing for reduced PDE, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 4B] 1A-1C illustrate examples of device configurations supporting antenna module placement and housing for reduced PDE, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 5] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a process flow to support antenna module placement and housing for reduced PDE, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a device supporting an antenna module arrangement and housing for reduced PDE, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a diagram of a system including a device supporting an antenna module arrangement and housing for reduced PDE, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 8]1 is a flowchart illustrating a method for supporting antenna module placement and housing for reduced PDE, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 9] 1 is a flowchart illustrating a method for supporting antenna module placement and housing for reduced PDE, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0040] In some wireless communication systems, user equipment (UE) may transmit using techniques, such as millimeter wave (mmW) techniques, that cause power density exposure (PDE). The power density (PD) distribution relative to the UE may be based in part on the form factor (e.g., shape, physical size, etc.) of the UE, the material of the UE, or both. The PDE from a transmitting UE may, in some cases, have a detrimental effect on a user operating the UE or in the immediate vicinity of the UE. Therefore, a UE may be implemented to comply with a maximum PDE threshold to limit the PDE experienced by the user.

[0041] To maintain PD levels below a maximum PDE threshold (e.g., while maintaining coverage, reducing power consumption, improving communication quality, etc.), an antenna module for mmW transmission may be housed and positioned within a UE to reduce PDE to users operating or near the UE. In some cases, this antenna module may operate in a frequency band above 10 gigahertz (GHz). The UE may use a sensor, sensor array, or other sensing mechanism as part of the antenna module to identify PD levels and control antenna power output based on the PD levels. In some cases, depending on the sensing mechanism implemented by the UE, the UE may not accurately determine some areas of PDE. For example, PDE may occur outside the field of view of the antenna module having the sensing mechanism. Some methods for limiting PDE may not support evaluating PDE outside the field of view of the antenna module, and other methods may set a certain limit on antenna transmit power, which may reduce the transmission capabilities of the wireless device. Additionally or alternatively, some sensing mechanisms may not be able to measure PDE above non-radiating surfaces of the UE because these sensing mechanisms may be aligned with the radiating surfaces of the UE. To ensure that maximum PDE thresholds within any area due to mmW transmissions are not exceeded, the module placement and housing may take into account PD detection and sensing limits.

[0042] In some examples, the UE may include a shielding strip around the radiating elements of the antenna module to reduce PDE. This shielding strip may allow for greater transmit power while lowering the PDE on non-radiating surfaces of the UE, e.g., allowing the UE to meet a PDE threshold by being below a maximum PDE. The shielding strip may consist of a three-dimensional (3D) metallic or other conductive structure that surrounds the radiating elements of the antenna module (e.g., antennas that form the antenna array of the antenna module). For example, the shielding strip may form a continuous loop around all of the antenna elements of the antenna module, enclosing the antenna elements when viewed perpendicular to the surface on which they are disposed or attached. For example, the antenna elements may be on a surface of a substrate, where “on” may refer to an antenna element formed in, formed on, bonded to, deposited in, or otherwise coupled to the surface, where the antenna element may be above, within (e.g., embedded in), or at the surface. The shielding strips may form a perimeter around the antenna elements above the surface of the substrate.

[0043] In some cases, the shielding strips may have a rectangular outline when viewed perpendicular to the plane of the radiating element. In other cases, the shielding strips may have a different outline, for example, a circular or elliptical outline. The shielding strips may be attached to or coupled to the same surface as the radiating element, may be positioned above the surface of the radiating element, or may have a height ranging from the surface of the radiating element to a height above the surface. In some cases, the shielding strips may also extend below the surface of the substrate.

[0044] The shielding strip may be designed to reduce near-field exposure while limiting any impact on the far-field characteristics of the antenna module. For example, any impact of the shielding strip on the reference signal received power (RSRP) at the receiving device may be mitigated. The shielding strip may be an example of a metal cavity that is not connected to a power source (e.g., on a dielectric substrate) or is grounded (e.g., connected to a ground plane). Implementing a shielding strip may block significant PDE in non-radiating directions. Therefore, a UE or antenna module implementing a shielding strip may not use or reduce the use of sensors in these directions, which may reduce the complexity of the UE or antenna module, improve power efficiency in the UE, or both.

[0045] In some examples, the antenna module and shielding strip may be disposed in a cavity recessed in a surface of the UE, such as the side, front, back, bottom, or top surface of the UE. This recessed cavity may be designed to accommodate the shielding strip and any interfacing of the shielding strip with the wall of the UE so that the shielding strip is not exposed outside the UE. The depth to which the antenna module is recessed from the surface of the UE may be selected to support a range of transmit angles and may be based on the form factor of the UE. Furthermore, in some cases, the PDE from mmW transmission may not be symmetric across the device (e.g., despite symmetrical placement of the antenna module). For example, the back surface of the UE (e.g., at the front surface) may experience more PDE than the front surface of the UE (e.g., at the front surface). In some cases, such differences may be based on different materials used for these surfaces, such as for the screen of the UE. To limit the spread of the PD distribution on the back surface of the UE, the antenna module may be housed asymmetrically within the device, or the UE may include additional material on the back surface (e.g., similar to or providing similar electrical or other material properties to the material used on the front surface) to shield against the PDE.

[0046] Aspects of the present disclosure are initially described in the context of a wireless communication system. Additional aspects of the present disclosure are described with reference to device and antenna module configurations and process flows. Aspects of the present disclosure are further illustrated by and described with reference to apparatus diagrams, system diagrams, and flow charts relating to antenna module arrangements and housings for reduced PDE.

[0047] 1 illustrates an example of a wireless communication system 100 supporting antenna module placement and housing for reduced PDE in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure. The wireless communication system 100 may include a base station 105, a UE 115, and a core network 130. In some examples, the wireless communication system 100 may be a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network, an LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) network, an LTE-A Pro network, or a New Radio (NR) network. In some cases, the wireless communication system 100 may support enhanced broadband communications, ultra-reliable (e.g., mission-critical) communications, low-latency communications, communications with low-cost and low-complexity devices, or any combination thereof.

[0048] The base stations 105 may be dispersed throughout a geographic area to form the wireless communication system 100 and may be devices of different forms or with different capabilities. The base stations 105 and the UEs 115 may communicate wirelessly via one or more communication links 125. Each base station 105 may provide a coverage area 110 over which the UEs 115 and the base station 105 may establish the communication link 125. The coverage area 110 may be an example of a geographic area over which the base stations 105 and the UEs 115 support communication of signals via one or more radio access technologies.

[0049] The UEs 115 may be dispersed throughout the coverage area 110 of the wireless communication system 100, and each UE 115 may be fixed or mobile or both at different times. The UEs 115 may be devices of different forms or with different capabilities. Some example UEs 115 are shown in FIG. 1. The UEs 115 described herein may be able to communicate with various types of devices, such as other UEs 115, base stations 105, and / or network equipment (e.g., core network nodes, relay devices, integrated access and backhaul (IAB) nodes, or other network equipment), as shown in FIG. 1.

[0050] The base stations 105 may communicate with the core network 130, with each other, or both. For example, the base stations 105 may interface with the core network 130 through backhaul links 120 (e.g., via an S1, N2, N3, or other interface). The base stations 105 may communicate with each other via the backhaul links 120 (e.g., via an X2, Xn, or other interface), either directly (e.g., directly between the base stations 105) or indirectly (e.g., via the core network 130), or both. In some examples, the backhaul links 120 may be or include one or more wireless links.

[0051] One or more of the base stations 105 described herein may include or be referred to as a base transceiver station, radio base station, access point, radio transceiver, Node B, eNode B (eNB), Next Generation Node B or Giga Node B (any of which may also be referred to as gNB), Home Node B, Home eNode B, or other suitable terminology by those skilled in the art.

[0052] The UE 115 may include or be referred to as a mobile device, a wireless device, a remote device, a handheld device, or a subscriber device, or some other suitable terminology, where a “device” may also be referred to as a unit, a station, a terminal, or a client, among other examples. The UE 115 may also include or be referred to as a personal electronic device, such as a cellular phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a tablet computer, a laptop computer, or a personal computer. In some examples, the UE 115 may include or be referred to as a wireless local loop (WLL) station, an Internet of Things (IoT) device, an Internet of Everything (IoE) device, a machine-type communication (MTC) device, etc., which may be implemented in various items, such as an appliance, a vehicle, a meter, etc.

[0053] The UEs 115 described herein may be able to communicate with various types of devices, such as base stations 105 and network equipment, including other UEs 115, which may act as relays, as well as macro eNBs or gNBs, small cell eNBs or gNBs, relay base stations, etc., as shown in FIG. 1 .

[0054] The UE 115 and the base station 105 may communicate wirelessly with each other over one or more carriers via one or more communication links 125. The term “carrier” may refer to a set of radio frequency spectrum resources having a defined physical layer structure for supporting the communication link 125. For example, a carrier used for the communication link 125 may include a portion (e.g., a bandwidth part (BWP)) of a radio frequency spectrum band operated according to physical layer channels for a given radio access technology (e.g., LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, NR). Each physical layer channel may carry acquisition signaling (e.g., synchronization signals, system information), control signaling coordinating operation for the carrier, user data, or other signaling. The wireless communication system 100 may support communication with the UE 115 using carrier aggregation or multi-carrier operation. The UE 115 may be configured with multiple downlink component carriers and one or more uplink component carriers according to a carrier aggregation configuration. Carrier aggregation can be used with both frequency division duplex (FDD) and time division duplex (TDD) component carriers.

[0055] In some cases, the UE 115 may also be able to communicate directly with other UEs 115 via device-to-device (D2D) communication links 135 (e.g., using peer-to-peer (P2P) or D2D protocols). One or more UEs 115 utilizing D2D communication may be within the geographic coverage area 110 of the base station 105. Other UEs 115 in such a group may be outside the geographic coverage area 110 of the base station 105 or may otherwise not be able to receive transmissions from the base station 105.

[0056] The wireless communication system 100 may operate using one or more frequency bands, typically in the range of 300 megahertz (MHz) to 300 gigahertz (GHz). The 300 MHz to 3 GHz region is commonly referred to as the ultra-high frequency (UHF) region or decimeter band because wavelengths range in length from approximately 1 decimeter to 1 meter. Although UHF waves may be blocked or redirected by buildings and environmental features, the waves can penetrate structures sufficiently for a macrocell to provide service to UEs 115 located indoors. Transmission of UHF waves may be associated with smaller antennas and shorter distances (e.g., less than 100 kilometers) compared to transmissions using lower frequencies and longer wavelengths in the shortwave (HF) or very high frequency (VHF) portions of the spectrum below 300 MHz.

[0057] The wireless communication system 100 may also operate in the super high frequency (SHF) region, using the frequency band from 3 GHz to 30 GHz, also referred to as the centimeter band, or in the extremely high frequency (EHF) region of the spectrum (e.g., from 30 GHz to 300 GHz), also referred to as the millimeter band. In some examples, the wireless communication system 100 may support millimeter wave (mmW) communications between the UE 115 and the base station 105, and the EHF antennas on each device may be smaller and more closely spaced than the UHF antennas. In some cases, this may facilitate the use of antenna arrays within the device. However, propagation of EHF transmissions may be subject to even greater atmospheric attenuation and shorter distances than SHF or UHF transmissions. The techniques disclosed herein may be employed across transmissions using one or more different frequency regions, and the designated use of bands across these frequency regions may vary by country or regulatory body.

[0058] The base station 105 or the UE 115 may be equipped with multiple antennas, which may be used to employ techniques such as transmit diversity, receive diversity, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) communications, or beamforming. The antennas of the base station 105 or the UE 115 may be arranged in one or more antenna arrays or antenna panels, which may support MIMO operations or transmit or receive beamforming. For example, the UE 115 may have one or more antenna arrays, which may support various MIMO or beamforming operations. Additionally or alternatively, the antenna panels may support radio frequency beamforming for signals transmitted through antenna ports. The base station 105 or the UE 115 may use MIMO communications to exploit multipath signal propagation and increase spectral efficiency by transmitting or receiving multiple signals through different spatial layers. Such techniques may be referred to as spatial multiplexing. Multiple signals may be transmitted by a transmitting device, for example, via different antennas or different combinations of antennas. Similarly, multiple signals may be received by a receiving device via different antennas or different combinations of antennas.

[0059] Beamforming, sometimes referred to as spatial filtering, directional transmission, or directional reception, is a signal processing technique that may be used at a transmitting or receiving device (e.g., a base station 105 or a UE 115) to shape or steer an antenna beam (e.g., a transmit beam, a receive beam) along a spatial path between the transmitting and receiving devices. Beamforming may be achieved by combining signals communicated through antenna elements of an antenna array such that some signals propagating in a particular orientation relative to the antenna array experience constructive interference and other signals experience destructive interference. Adjusting signals communicated through antenna elements may include the transmitting or receiving device applying an amplitude offset, a phase offset, or both to signals carried through the antenna elements associated with the device. The adjustment associated with each of the antenna elements may be defined by a beamforming weight set associated with a particular orientation (e.g., relative to the antenna array of the transmitting or receiving device, or to some other orientation).

[0060] A receiving device (e.g., UE 115) may attempt multiple receive configurations (e.g., directional listening) when receiving various signals, such as synchronization signals, reference signals, beam selection signals, or other control signals, from the base station 105. For example, the receiving device may attempt multiple receive directions by receiving via different antenna subarrays, by processing received signals according to different antenna subarrays, by receiving according to different receive beamforming weight sets (e.g., different directional listening weight sets) applied to signals received at multiple antenna elements of the antenna array, or by processing received signals according to different receive beamforming weight sets applied to signals received at multiple antenna elements of the antenna array, any of which may be referred to as “listening” with different receive configurations or receive directions. In some examples, the receiving device may use a single receive configuration to receive along a single beam direction (e.g., when receiving a data signal). A single receiving configuration may be aligned to a beam direction determined based on listening through different receiving configuration directions (e.g., a beam direction determined to have the greatest signal strength, greatest signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), or otherwise acceptable signal quality based on listening through multiple beam directions).

[0061] A wireless device (e.g., a UE 115) may be configured to limit the PDE when transmitting a wireless signal (e.g., to a base station 105 or another UE 115). For example, a device may be configured with a PDE limit or PDE threshold that communications from the device may meet (e.g., to protect humans or users in the vicinity of the device). A device may be configured with one or more antenna modules oriented in different directions that may radiate wireless signals in one or more directions. In some cases, an antenna module may radiate a signal in one direction and may consider the PDE in the radiating direction as well as the non-radiating direction (e.g., may consider the PDE over the non-radiating surface of the device).

[0062] A device may include a shielding strip associated with an antenna module, where the shielding strip may include one or more conductive surfaces that enclose an antenna within the antenna module. The shielding strip may reduce PDE, reduce manufacturing costs and equipment complexity, and maintain greater available transmit power. For example, the shielding strip may reduce PDE in non-radiating directions without the need for extra sensors or a reduction in transmit power. A device configured with a shielding strip enclosing an antenna element within its antenna module may consider the shielding introduced by the presence or existence of the shielding strip when configuring signal transmission. For example, the device may calculate the transmit power of a signal based on the configuration of the shielding strip and based on one or more PDE limits, where the transmit power calculation may consider the resulting smaller PDE due to the presence of the shielding strip. The shielding strip associated with the antenna module may be configured with various shapes, heights, or cross-sections to limit the PDE within the device according to a PDE limit or PDE threshold. In some cases, the shielding strip may be included within (eg, attached to or integrated into) the housing of the device or may be included on the antenna module.

[0063] FIG. 2 shows an example of a device 205 including an antenna module arrangement and housing supporting reduced PDE according to aspects of the present disclosure. The device 205 may illustrate an example structure including an antenna module structure and housing. In some examples, the device 205 may implement aspects of the wireless communication system 100, and in some cases, the device 205 may represent the UE 115 described with reference to FIG. 1. As described with reference to FIG. 1, the device 205 may transmit and receive wireless signals using one or more antennas 210 of an antenna module 215 (e.g., mounted to a housing of the device 205). The antenna 210 may be formed with, attached to, bonded to, adhered to, or otherwise coupled to or above a substrate or other portion (e.g., surface) of the antenna module 215. In some cases, the antenna 210 may be coupled to the antenna module 215 and may be above, on, or within a surface of the substrate of the antenna module 215.

[0064] For example, the device 205 may use one or more antennas 210 to send mmW signals to a base station 105 (e.g., the base station 105 described with reference to FIG. 1 ) or another device (e.g., a UE 115). In some cases, the mmW signals may be beamformed, i.e., directionally shaped, by one or more antennas 210 of the antenna module 215. Some antenna modules 215 may be configured to maintain a given quality of coverage while consuming low power by using far-field radiation characteristics and / or the placement of the antenna module 215. The far-field radiation characteristics may include the signal's directionality (e.g., directional strength or power), the signal's fading coefficient (e.g., power as a function of distance), etc. In some cases, the radiating surface of the antenna module 215 may be disposed flush with the outer surface of the housing of the device 205, while in other cases, the radiating surface of the antenna module 215 may be recessed from the outer surface or surface of the housing of the device 205.

[0065] Some wireless devices (e.g., device 205) may further be subject to regulations created by one or more regulatory bodies regarding the range of signal power or PDE allowed in the vicinity of a human (e.g., a user of device 205). In some cases, regulations may limit the power (e.g., intensity) per area (e.g., averaged over a given period of time) allowed over a given area of ​​the device housing. For example, regulations may limit the power (e.g., intensity) allowed over a 4 cm area for 4 seconds. 2 The PDE of a mmW signal exposed to a user when averaged over an area of ​​square centimeters (cm 2) should be less than 1 milliwatt (mW) per GHz. Additionally or alternatively, some wireless devices (e.g., device 205) may be configured to limit the signal power or PDE (e.g., mmW signal power or PDE) in the vicinity of a human (e.g., a user of device 205), regardless of whether any regulations exist regarding signal power exposure. For example, an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) may determine that it should limit the mmW signal strength (e.g., PDE) allowed over a given area of ​​the device housing (e.g., averaged over a given period of time).

[0066] Accordingly, some wireless devices may be configured to meet PDE limits (e.g., imposed by regulations or configured by the OEM). In some cases, a wireless device may be configured to limit signal transmit power (e.g., uplink transmit power) so that the resulting PDE does not exceed the PDE limit. However, this configuration may limit the signaling capabilities (e.g., uplink capabilities) of the device (e.g., based on link budget and wide area network (WAN) or cellular deployment use cases). For example, if the face of the antenna module 215 is covered by a human hand, the uplink duty cycle may be reduced by 98 percent to meet the PDE limit.

[0067] In some cases, the wireless device may be configured with sensors to detect the actual presence of a human (e.g., a user) in the vicinity of the antenna module 215, and may adjust the transmission characteristics of one or more antennas 210 if a human is detected. Some examples of adjusting the transmission characteristics may include switching the signal transmission to another antenna module 215 of the device, which may reduce the link capacity of the transmission. Some other examples of adjusting the transmission characteristics may include selectively limiting the signal transmission power at one or more antennas 210 of the antenna module 215.

[0068] Some devices may include internal sensors for detecting human presence. For example, the device may utilize components of the antenna module 215 to transmit and receive detection signals and perform detection based on the received signals. The device may additionally or alternatively use dedicated or mission mode signals (e.g., radar) to detect human presence. Some devices may include external sensors for detecting human presence using device components added to the antenna module. Examples of external sensors may include optical sensors, capacitance sensors, proximity sensors, etc. In some cases, the external sensors may be included within the antenna module 215, while in other cases, the external sensors may be included within the device and separate from the antenna module 215. A combination of different sensors may be used to detect human presence, and in some cases, combining different sensors may involve integrating each sensor into the device and with each other. Such integration may result in extra time and money spent by the OEM.

[0069] Additionally, using sensors to detect human presence may include considering sensor accuracy and field of view to ensure that humans are accurately detected when within the range or field of view of power exposure from a given signal. For example, device 205 may transmit (e.g., radiate) a signal (e.g., a mmW signal) in a radial direction 225 from a top surface 230 of the device's 205 housing. The signal power may travel in the radial direction 225 (e.g., radial direction) and radiate through the top surface 230. The signal power may also radiate through a front surface 235, a side surface 240, and a back surface 245 of the device's 205 housing. If PDE is not considered or human presence is not accurately detected on non-radiative surfaces (e.g., the front surface 235, the side surface 240, and the back surface 245), unwanted PDE may occur. For example, device 205 may radiate a signal through its top surface 230 and measure PDE on the top surface 230. However, a PDE may also occur on the back surface 245 of the device 205. In one example, the PDE on the back surface 245 may be different from the PDE actually present on the top surface 230; for example, the PDE at the back surface 245 may be 70 percent of the PDE occurring on the top surface 230.

[0070] To account for PDE on non-radiating surfaces (e.g., front surface 235, sides 240, and back surface 245), extra sensors may be installed in device 205, or the PDE calculation may be configured to assume the presence of a human on some surfaces. In one example, assuming the presence of a human may reduce the uplink duty cycle by, for example, 30 percent, to meet PDE limits. As explained above, integrating extra sensors may result in additional time, cost, or both for the OEM. Therefore, device 205 may include a shielding strip 220 including one or more conductive surfaces around antenna 210 to reduce PDE, reduce manufacturing costs and equipment complexity, and maintain higher transmit power. For example, shielding strip 220 may reduce PDE in non-radiating directions (e.g., via front surface 235, bottom surface, sides 240, and back surface 245 in the example of radial direction 225) without the need for extra sensors or reduced transmit power. Although the shielding strip 220 is described with respect to the antenna module 215 oriented in a radial direction 225 through the top surface 230, the same principles may apply to the shielding strip 220 associated with the antenna module 215 oriented in other directions. For example, the antenna module 215 may be oriented in a radial direction through the front surface 235 of the device 205, through any of the sides 240, through the back surface 245, or through the bottom surface.

[0071] A device 205 configured with a shielding strip 220 may consider the shielding introduced by the shielding strip 220 when configuring a signal transmission. For example, the device 205 may calculate the transmit power of a signal based on the configuration of the shielding strip 220 and based on one or more PDE limits. The transmit power calculation may consider a resulting smaller PDE due to the presence or existence of the shielding strip 220. For example, the smaller PDE resulting from the shielding strip 220 may be estimated or calculated based on transmission simulation results, actual PDE measurements (e.g., historical PDE measurements using one or more sensors), or both. The transmit power calculation may be further based on one or more of the beam direction, the height of the shielding strip, the shape of the shielding strip, the adjusted transmit power, or one or more other transmit power parameters, among other examples. In some cases, the calculated transmit power for the signal may be greater than the calculated transmit power for the signal without the shielding strip 220 (e.g., the transmit power may be greater when the shielding strip 220 is present or actual in the device 205).

[0072] In one example, the shielding strip 220 may be oriented on a surface of the antenna module 215 (e.g., the radiating surface of the antenna module 215) that faces the radiation direction 225. The shielding strip 220 may surround all of the antenna 210 of the antenna module and may conform to any cross-sectional shape to do so. For example, the shielding strip 220 may be arranged in a circular, square, oval, rectangular, octagonal, or any other cross-sectional shape that may conform to the antenna module 215 and the arrangement of the antenna 210. In some cases, the shielding strip 220 may be recessed within the antenna module 215 and may be flush with the top of the antenna module 215. In other cases (e.g., corresponding to a recessed antenna module 215), the shielding strip 220 may be recessed within the antenna module 215 and may extend away from the antenna module 215 in the radiation direction 225 by some distance. In some examples, the shielding strip 220 may begin slightly above the antenna module 215 and may extend some distance in the radial direction 225 .

[0073] In some cases, such as when extending out from the antenna module 215, the shielding strip 220 may be flush with the top surface 230 of the housing of the device 205 or may stop at a predetermined distance from the top surface 230. In some cases, the antenna module 215 may be mounted to the housing of the device 205 and the shielding strip 220 may be formed as part of the housing of the device 205, where an upper edge of the shielding strip 220 may be flush with the housing of the device 205 or may be recessed a predetermined distance from the housing of the device 205. The height or other physical characteristics of the shielding strip 220 above a particular antenna module 215 may be configured based on one or more factors, such as a predetermined PDE threshold, the field of view of the antenna 210, the field of view of the sensor, the shape of the housing for the device 205, the communication configuration for the device 205, the PD characteristics of one or more communication beams (e.g., transmit beams) of the device 205, one or more beam characteristics of the device 205, etc. For example, the shielding strip 220 may be configured to have a specified height or shape or may be made from a specified material based on the beam coverage (e.g., maximum beam coverage) achieved while limiting the PDE.

[0074] Additionally or alternatively, shielding strip 220 may form a portion of the housing of device 205. For example, a portion of the housing over front surface 235 of device 205 may form a portion of a conductive surface that may function as part of shielding strip 220. In one example, a portion of screen 250 (e.g., behind screen 250) may form a portion of the conductive surface of shielding strip 220. In some cases, screen 250 may be a liquid crystal display (LCD) screen that includes a conductive surface or surface. Similarly, a portion of the housing over back surface 245 of device 205 may form a portion of a conductive surface or surface that may function, at least in part, as part of shielding strip 220.

[0075] 3A and 3B show example antenna module configurations 301 and 302 that support antenna module placement and housing for reduced PDE, according to aspects of the present disclosure. In some examples, the antenna module configurations 301 and 302 may implement aspects of the wireless communication system 100, and in some cases, the antenna module configurations 301 or 302 may be included in an antenna module of a device that may be an example of the device 205 described with reference to FIG. 2. In some cases, the device may represent the UE 115 described with reference to FIG. 1. As described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, the device may transmit and receive wireless signals using one or more antenna elements 310 of the antenna module configurations 301 or 302, where the antenna module configurations 301 and 302 may include shielding strips 320 to limit PDE. The antenna module configuration 301 may illustrate an example of an antenna module as viewed from a radiation direction 330 (e.g., from the top or radiation surface of the antenna module). Antenna module configuration 302 may illustrate an example of an antenna module as viewed from a direction perpendicular to radiation direction 330 (e.g., from the side of the antenna module when radiation direction 330 passes through the top surface of a device such as device 205).

[0076] Antenna module configurations 301 and 302 may include a substrate 305, an antenna element 310 (e.g., a patch antenna, a slot antenna, a dipole antenna, etc.), a plating member 315, a shielding strip 320, and other electrical components 325. Examples of substrate 305, antenna element 310, plating member 315, and shielding strip 320 may each include and refer to substrate 305-a and / or 305-b, antenna element 310-a and / or 310-b, plating member 315-a and / or 315-b, and shielding strip 320-a and / or 320-b, among other examples.

[0077] In some cases, the substrate 305 may be configured as a substructure for the antenna module configurations 301 and 302. For example, the substrate 305 may be used to house the antenna element 310, the electrical components 325, the plating member 315, and the shielding strip 320. The antenna element 310 and other components may be formed with, attached to, bonded to, adhered to, or otherwise coupled to the substrate 305. In some cases, the antenna element 310 may be coupled to the substrate 305 (e.g., on a first surface of the substrate 305), above, at, or within the first surface of the substrate 305. In some examples, the substrate 305 may be an example of a printed circuit board (PCB), where the PCB may include one or more power and ground planes and electrical connections for the antenna element 310, the electrical components 325, and other portions of the device. In some cases, the substrate 305 (e.g., a PCB) may include one or more plating members 315 that surround each antenna element of the antenna elements 310, where the plating members 315 may be formed completely or partially within the substrate 305.

[0078] The plating member 315 may be configured to shield PCB components, electrical components 325, or other portions of the device from the power associated with the radiated signal. Thus, the plating member 315 may extend some distance into the substrate 305, and such distance may depend on the shielding configuration. The cross-sectional shape of the plating member 315 may be square, circular, rectangular, octagonal, oval, or other shape, and may depend on the shielding configuration. In some cases, the antenna module configuration 301 or 302 may include connected plating members 315 or may be configured to include only one plating member 315 in the antenna module configuration 301 or 302.

[0079] One or more antenna elements 310 may be formed on the substrate 305 and may include one or more patch antennas, slot antennas, dipole antennas, or other antennas. Together, the one or more antenna elements 310 may form an antenna array for transmitting and receiving signals (e.g., mmW signals and / or beamformed signals) at the device. The antenna elements 310 may be configured to transmit and receive wireless signals in one or more directions. For example, the antenna elements 310 may be configured to receive and transmit signals in a radiation direction 330 and may further be configured to receive and transmit signals from similar directions or directional elements of signals in addition to the radiation direction 330. Thus, the antenna elements 310 may be formed on a radiation surface (e.g., a top surface) of the substrate 305 of the antenna module configurations 301 and 302.

[0080] In some examples, the antenna elements 310 may be arranged linearly as shown for the antenna module configurations 301 and 302. Such a linear arrangement may provide a compact arrangement for the UE 115 or device 205 in which such antenna module configuration 301 or 302 is implemented, while still providing beamforming using multiple antenna elements. Although four antenna elements 310 are shown for the antenna module configurations 301 and 302, a different number of antenna elements may be used. For example, two, three, or six antenna elements may be arranged linearly and still be capable of beamforming.

[0081] Similarly, an N×M (e.g., 2×2, 2×4, etc.) dimensional array of antenna elements (where N is an integer greater than or equal to 1 and M is the same or different integer greater than or equal to 1) may also be used to provide multi-directional beamforming. In these examples, the shielding strips 320 may also result in a reduced PDE compared to the absence of such shielding strips 320.

[0082] One or more electrical components 325 may also be formed on the substrate 305 and may include a microprocessor, a modem, or other passive or active electrical components. The one or more electrical components 325 may be formed on a surface different from the radiating surface, such as on an opposing surface. In some cases, the electrical components 325 may be shielded from power associated with the radiated (e.g., transmitted) signal by a ground plane of the PCB or by one or more plating members 315. In some examples, the one or more passive or active electrical components may be on the same side of the PCB as the radiating surface, but outside the area enclosed by the shielding strip 320. In some examples, the area enclosed by the shielding strip 320 does not include electrical components other than the antenna elements 310, such that electrical components other than the antenna elements 310 of the antenna module configurations 301 and 302 are constrained to be outside the area of ​​the radiating surface enclosed by or surrounding the shielding strip 320.

[0083] The shielding strip 320 may also be formed on the substrate 305 above the radiating surfaces of the antenna module configurations 301 and 302. The shielding strip 320 may include a conductive material surrounding the antenna element 310 that encircles, encloses, or otherwise forms a peripheral perimeter around the antenna element 310. The shielding strip 320 may be configured with any cross-sectional shape, as described with reference to FIG. 2 . In some cases, the shielding strip 320 may be embedded in the substrate 305, formed on the substrate 305, or begin at or above the top of the substrate 305 or antenna element 310 (e.g., top with respect to the radiation direction 330). For example, there may be a gap between the bottom end of the shielding strip 320 and the substrate 305 such that the bottom end of the shielding strip 320 may begin above the substrate 305 with a gap (e.g., a predetermined distance) between the shielding strip 320 and the substrate 305. In some examples, there may be a support mechanism for supporting the shielding strip 320, where, for example, the support mechanism may be made from an insulator. For example, the support mechanism may be disposed between the shielding strip 320 and the substrate or between the shielding strip 320 and the housing of the device, among other examples.

[0084] In some examples, the shielding strip 320 may be formed as part of a device's housing, where an upper edge of the shielding strip 320 may be flush with the device's housing and a lower edge of the shielding strip 320 may be above the substrate 305 by a distance or may be flush with the substrate. While the term "above" can refer to a situation in which the shielding strip is above the substrate, etc. by a distance, it should be appreciated that the term "above" may also refer to a situation in which the shielding strip is "at" or flush with the substrate, etc., i.e., the "distance" may be zero. The shielding strip 320 may extend away from the substrate 305 in the radial direction 330 by a shielding height 335 (e.g., the shielding strip 320 may be partially or completely outside of the substrate 305). In some cases, the shielding height 335 may be based on the distance to the top surface of the device's housing (e.g., the distance from a bottom point, top point, or middle point of the shielding strip 320 to the top surface of the housing), or may be based on the form factor of the device. Additionally or alternatively, the height of the shielding strip 320 may be based on a predetermined PDE threshold, a field of view (e.g., a desired field of view) of the antenna element 310, a field of view (e.g., a desired field of view) of the sensor, a communication configuration for the device, etc.

[0085] In some examples, the top of the antenna element 310 in the radiation direction 330 from the substrate 305 (e.g., or the highest point of the antenna element 310) may define the first plane. In other examples, the first plane may be defined by the lowest point of the antenna element 310, or the first plane may be defined by a point midway in the height of the antenna element 310 (e.g., the midpoint). The first plane may be substantially parallel to a surface of the substrate 305 having the radiating element (e.g., the antenna element 310). The shielding strip 320 may begin at or above the first plane and extend from the substrate 305 in the radiation direction 330. In some examples, portions of the shielding strip 320 may not enclose the antenna element 310 below the first plane (e.g., between the first plane and the substrate 305 or below the radiating surface of the substrate 305). In some instances, such as when the shielding strip 320 may be electrically coupled to ground via a ground plane of a PCB, the connectors to the shielding strip 320 may cross the first plane to the substrate, but the shielding strip 320 itself may be in the first plane or above the first plane.

[0086] In some examples, the shielding strip 320 (e.g., in a selected segment) may have a cross-sectional width greater than its cross-sectional height. Considering the top or left segment of the shielding strip 320-a shown in FIG. 3A as an example of a selected segment, the cross-sectional width may be greater than its cross-sectional height in a cross-section obtained by cutting this segment perpendicularly. In other examples, the shielding strip 320 may have a cross-sectional height greater than its cross-sectional width. In still other examples, the height and width of the shielding strip 320 as seen in the cross-section may be substantially equal. In some cases, the height and / or width of the shielding strip 320 may be determined at least in part based on the field of view for the antenna module configurations 301 and 302, the expected transmit power for the antenna module configurations 301 and 302, a predetermined PDE applicable to a wireless device (e.g., UE 115) in which the antenna module configurations 301 and 302 are to be installed, or some combination of these factors. Additionally or alternatively, the height and / or width of the shielding strip 320 may be determined based on the design of the device's housing.

[0087] In some examples, the shielding strips 320 may follow the perimeter of the substrate 305 (e.g., a PCB) and may be coincident with or offset from the perimeter. In some cases, the shielding strips 320 may be formed at or above the perimeter of the substrate 305. In some cases, the shielding strips 320 may be electrically coupled to a ground, such as a ground plane of the substrate, while in other cases, the shielding strips 320 may be electrically isolated from the ground plane (e.g., may not be connected to a power source). In some cases, the configuration of the shielding strips 320 with respect to the ground plane (e.g., coupled or isolated configuration) may be based on the transmit power, the amount of PDE reduction, or the field of view of the antenna module configurations 301 or 302.

[0088] The shielding strips 320 may be formed from a conductor, such as a metal (e.g., copper, aluminum, silver, etc.), a conductive alloy (e.g., various aluminum alloys), a transparent conductive oxide (e.g., zinc oxide (ZnO), indium tin oxide (ITO)), or a doped semiconductor (e.g., doped polycrystalline silicon). In some examples, the shielding strips 320 may be formed using a single homogeneous material. In other examples, the shielding strips 320 may be formed from two or more different materials, for example, in layers of different conductors stacked on top of each other on or above the substrate 305. In some cases, the shielding strips 320 may be formed (e.g., plated) on a device housing (e.g., a plastic housing).

[0089] 4A and 4B illustrate example device configurations 401 and 402 supporting antenna module placement and housing for reduced PDE according to aspects of the present disclosure. In some examples, device configurations 401 and 402 may implement aspects of wireless communication system 100, and in some cases, device configurations 401 and 402 may represent configurations of device 405, which may be an example of device 205 described with reference to FIG. 2. In some cases, the device may represent UE 115 described with reference to FIG. 1. Examples of device 405 may include and refer to device 405-a and / or 405-b, among other examples. As described with reference to FIGS. 1-3, device 405 may transmit and receive wireless signals using one or more antenna modules 415 housed therein, where one or more antenna modules 415 may include aspects of antenna module configurations 301 or 302 described with reference to FIG. 3. The antenna module 415 of the device configuration 401 or 402 may include shielding strips or shielding strip elements to limit the PDE when transmitting signals (e.g., mmW signals and / or beamformed signals).

[0090] Device configuration 401 may represent device 405-a as viewed from the front of device 405-a (e.g., in the positive X direction of coordinate system 425), and device configuration 402 may represent device 405-b as viewed from the back of device 405-b (e.g., in the negative X direction of coordinate system 425). Devices 405-a and 405-b may include one or more sensors 410 associated with one or more antenna modules 415 of the corresponding device 405. The sensors 410 may correspond to the antenna modules 415 in a one-to-one, one-to-many, or many-to-one manner. The sensors 410 of device 405-a or 405-b may be internal sensors (e.g., inside the antenna modules 415) or external sensors, as described with reference to FIG. 2 . In some cases, the shape (e.g., height) of a shielding strip or shielding strip element of antenna module 415 may be based on the field of view of sensor 410 corresponding to antenna module 415 (e.g., to maintain a given field of view). Examples of sensor 410 and antenna module 415 may include and refer to sensors 410-a and / or 410-b and antenna modules 415-a and / or 415-b, respectively, among other examples.

[0091] In some cases, the antenna module 415 may include antenna elements oriented in a plane (e.g., toward the radiating surface of the antenna module 415 facing the positive Z direction of the coordinate system 425). In some examples of device 405-a or 405-b, the shielding strip of the antenna module 415 may surround the antenna elements (e.g., as viewed in the positive Z direction), and the shielding strip may form any cross-sectional shape when viewed in the positive Z direction. For example, the cross-sectional shape of the shielding strip when viewed in the positive Z direction may be substantially rectangular, circular, elliptical, or any other shape. In other examples of device 405-a or 405-b (e.g., as shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B ), the shielding strip elements may not be formed on one or more portions of the antenna module 415 (e.g., toward one or more faces of device 405-a or 405-b) such that one or more portions of the antenna module 415 may be shielded by one or more conductive surfaces 420. In such cases, the shielding strip elements of antenna module 415, together with one or more conductive surfaces 420, may form the shielding strip of antenna module 415. In some cases, one or more conductive surfaces 420 may be formed (e.g., plated) on a housing (e.g., a plastic housing, a screen, etc.) of device 405-a or 405-b. Examples of conductive surface 420 may include and may refer to conductive surfaces 420-a and / or 420-b, among other examples.

[0092] In a first example, shielding strip elements may be included at ends of the antenna module 415 facing the positive and negative Y directions of the coordinate system 425, but not at portions of the antenna module 415 facing the positive and negative X directions. In a second example, shielding strip elements may not be included on any portion of the antenna module 415. In some examples, only one portion of the antenna module (e.g., facing the positive X direction) may not include shielding strip elements. In other examples, only one portion of the antenna module (e.g., facing the negative X direction) may include shielding strip elements. Any portion of the antenna module (e.g., facing or partially facing a given surface of device 405-a or 405-b) may be selectively configured with or without shielding strip elements. In cases where one or more portions of the antenna module are not configured with a shielding strip element, device 405-a or 405-b may instead include one or more conductive surfaces 420 for shielding antenna module 415 over the corresponding portion of antenna module 415. In some examples, the shielding strip may include at least a portion of the housing of device 405. In some examples, antenna module 415 may be mounted to the housing of device 405, and the shielding strip may include a portion of the housing of device 405, where a top edge, one or more side edges, or both of the shielding strip may be flush with the housing of device 405.

[0093] For example, device 405-a may include conductive surface 420-a in a front surface (e.g., facing the positive X direction) of a housing of device 405-a. In some cases, conductive surface 420-a may be part of a screen (e.g., an LCD screen) of device 405-a, such as a backing or ground plane of the screen. In another example, device 405-b may include conductive surface 420-b in or on a back or (e.g., facing the negative X direction) surface of a housing of device 405-b. In some examples, devices 405-a and 405-b may include one or more of conductive surfaces 420-a, 420-b, or conductive surface 420-a oriented toward a side (e.g., facing the positive and negative Y directions) of a housing of device 405-a or 405-b. Although the shielding strips are described with respect to antenna modules 415 having radiating surfaces oriented in the positive Z direction, the same principles may apply to shielding strips associated with antenna modules 415 oriented in other directions. For example, the antenna module 415 may be oriented with a radiation direction in the negative Z direction, the negative or positive X direction, or the negative or positive Y direction. Additionally or alternatively, the antenna module 415 may be located on any edge (i.e., side) or face (e.g., top, bottom, side edge, front, or back) of the device 405-a.

[0094] The quantity, size, and orientation of the one or more conductive surfaces 420 included within the device may be based on the configuration of the shielding strips or shielding strip elements of the antenna module 415, as described above, as well as other device factors (e.g., form factor, manufacturing concerns, cost, performance, etc.). For example, the antenna module 415 may be positioned within a housing such that the relative positions of the one or more conductive surfaces 420 and the antenna module 415 create a shielding strip formed by the one or more conductive surfaces 420 (and any shielding strip elements included over a portion of the antenna module 415) that has a shape that encloses or surrounds a set of antenna elements to reduce PDE. The shape (e.g., height) may be based on the field of view of the sensor 410 corresponding to the antenna module 415 (e.g., to maintain a field of view for the sensor 410). Additionally or alternatively, the shape (e.g., height) may be based on a supported communication beam direction for the antenna module 415. In some cases, the shielding strip for the antenna module may be formed over the entire conductive surface 420 within the housing of the device 405.

[0095] FIG. 5 illustrates an example process flow 500 supporting antenna module placement and housing for reduced PDE according to aspects of the present disclosure. In some examples, process flow 500 may be performed by UE 115-a and base station 105-a, which may implement aspects of wireless communication system 100 and may be examples of UE 115 and base station 105 described with reference to FIG. 1. UE 115-a may also be an example of a device described with reference to FIGS. 2-4 and may include one or more antenna modules for communication with base station 105-a, which may be examples of antenna modules described with reference to FIGS. 2-4. For example, one or more antenna modules of UE 115-a may each include a set of antenna elements and a shielding strip that encloses or surrounds the set of antenna elements to reduce PDE. Additionally or alternatively, portions of UE 115-a may include a conductive surface that acts as a shielding strip to one or more antenna modules.

[0096] In the following description of process flow 500, operations between the UE 115-a and the base station 105-a may be transmitted in an order different from that shown, or operations performed by the base station 105-a and the UE 115-a may be performed in a different order or at different times. Some operations may also be omitted from process flow 500, or other operations may be added to process flow 500. While the base station 105-a and the UE 115-a are shown performing some of the operations of process flow 500, it should be understood that any wireless device may perform the illustrated operations.

[0097] At 505, the UE 115-a may optionally determine a communications beam. In some examples, determining a communications beam may include identifying one or more candidate beams based on one or more signals (e.g., downlink signals) received by the UE 115-a. The UE 115-a may determine a respective PDE characteristic for each of the candidate beams and select a communications beam from the candidate communications beams. The UE 115-a may select a communications beam based on the PDE characteristics of the candidate beams (e.g., assuming that a shielding strip is in use). In some cases, the UE 115-a may select a communications beam based on an uplink grant for the UE 115-a, or a power level of the UE 115-a, or an estimated PDE of the communications beam (e.g., detector-based or non-detector-based), or a combination thereof. In some cases, the UE 115-a may implement a detector. Based on the presence of a detector (e.g., using a detector), the UE 115-a may determine a level of PDE of the communications beam. The UE 115-a may select a communication beam based on the detected level of PDE, or the detector characterization, or a combination thereof.

[0098] In some implementations, the shielding strips for the UE 115-a may be designed to change (e.g., reduce) the PD distribution for each communication beam (i.e., transmit beam) at the UE 115-a. For example, the shielding strips may be designed based on the PD characteristics and beam characteristics at the UE 115-a to reduce PDE while maintaining (e.g., maximizing) the beam coverage of the UE 115-a. The PDE of the communication may be a function of the communication beam selected by the UE 115-a, and thus the UE 115-a may select a communication beam to meet PDE threshold requirements, limit PDE, etc. The UE 115-a may further select a communication beam based on the shielding strips. The UE 115-a may factor the shielding strips into the communication beam selection based on beam-specific PDE. For example, the OEM may measure the PD distribution of each beam for a given device with shielding strips installed and may store this information at the UE 115-a or may provide this information to the UE 115-a in another manner (e.g., via signaling from the base station 105-a). In this manner, the shielding strips may be factored into the characterization of the PD distribution for each communication beam of the UE 115-a, and the UE 115-a may select a communication beam for transmission based on the PD distribution characterization (and thus implicitly based on the shielding strips).

[0099] At 510, the UE 115-a may determine a transmit power for the communication beam of the UE 115-a based on a PDE threshold for the communication beam and that a shielding strip surrounds the set of antenna elements and extends away from a first surface of the antenna module. In some examples, the antenna module may include the shielding strip, or the antenna module may be mounted to a housing of the UE 115-a, and the shielding strip may be part of the housing of the UE 115-a. In one example, the UE 115-a may identify a PDE limit or PDE threshold and use characteristics of the shielding strip to determine a transmit power that may satisfy the PDE limit or PDE threshold with the shielding strip in place (e.g., based on the presence of the shielding strip). In some cases (e.g., if the UE 115-a does not have the shielding strip or if the shielding strip is not present or actual on the UE 115-a), the transmit power based on the PDE threshold and the shielding strip may be greater than the transmit power based on the PDE threshold alone (e.g., if the UE 115-a does not have the shielding strip or if the shielding strip is not present or actual on the UE 115-a).

[0100] In one example, the UE 115-a may determine a provisional transmit power for an uplink signal (e.g., an mmW signal and / or a beamformed signal) based on several factors, such as transmit power control (TPC) commands, a link budget, a field of view of an antenna module, etc. The UE 115-a may compare the provisional transmit power to a maximum transmit power based on the presence and configuration of shielding strips and may determine the smaller of the two as the transmit power.

[0101] At 515, the UE 115-a may transmit an uplink signal to the base station 105-a using the antenna module and communication beam according to the determined transmit power. In some cases, the UE 115-a may transmit the uplink signal by weighting the antenna elements of the antenna module according to a beamforming scheme to create a beamformed signal. In some cases, the uplink signal (e.g., the beamformed signal) may be a mmW signal.

[0102] In some examples, the UE 115-a may include one or more additional antenna modules, such as a second antenna module including a second set of antenna elements, and a second shielding strip enclosing the second set of antenna elements and extending away from the second set of antenna elements above a second surface (e.g., a radiating surface of the second antenna module) of the second antenna module. Accordingly, the UE 115-a may determine a second transmit power for the second communications beam of the UE 115-a based on the second PDE threshold for the second communications beam and the second shielding strip enclosing the second set of antenna elements, and may transmit a second uplink signal using the second antenna module and the second communications beam based on the determined second transmit power. In some cases, determining the transmit power and identifying the second transmit power may be based on the same TPC mechanism as for the first antenna module. For example, the UE 115-a may perform functions similar to those described at 505, 510, and 515 to determine a second transmit power and transmit a second uplink signal.

[0103] 6 shows a block diagram 600 of a device 605 supporting antenna module placement and housing for reduced PDE according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The device 605 may be an example of an embodiment of an antenna module, a UE 115, or both, as described herein. The device 605 may include a receiver 610, a communications manager 615, and a transmitter 625. The device 605 may also include a processor. Each of these components may be in communication with each other (e.g., via one or more buses).

[0104] The receiver 610 may receive information, such as packets, user data, or control information associated with various information channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, etc.). The information may be passed to other components of the device 605. The receiver 610 may be an example of an aspect of the transceiver 720 described with reference to FIG. 7. The receiver 610 may utilize a single antenna or a set of antennas (e.g., in an antenna module).

[0105] The communications manager 615 may include a transmit power controller 620. In some cases, the communications manager 615 may be an example of an aspect of the communications manager 710 described herein. The communications manager 615 may be implemented in a UE. The transmit power controller 620 may determine a transmit power for a communications beam of the UE based on a PDE threshold for the communications beam and a shielding strip enclosing a set of antenna elements on a first surface of an antenna module of the UE, where the shielding strip encloses the set of antenna elements above the first surface, and transmit (e.g., via transmitter 625) a signal (e.g., an uplink signal, a sidelink signal, etc.) using the communications beam and using the antenna module in accordance with the determined transmit power.

[0106] In some examples, the antenna module includes a shielding strip. In some other examples, the antenna module is mounted to a housing of the UE, and the shielding strip is part of the housing of the UE, or the shielding strip includes at least a portion of the housing of the UE.

[0107] In some cases, the transmit power controller 620 may additionally identify a maximum transmit power for the communication beam based on a PDE threshold for the communication beam and the shielding strip enclosing the set of antenna elements, wherein the transmit power is determined based on the identified maximum transmit power.

[0108] In some cases, the transmit power controller 620 may additionally identify one or more candidate communications beams for the UE, determine a respective PDE characteristic for each of the one or more candidate communications beams, and select a communications beam from the one or more candidate communications beams. In some cases, the communications beam includes a first PDE characteristic, and determining the transmit power for the communications beam is based on the first PDE characteristic, and selecting the communications beam is based on at least an uplink grant for the UE, or a power level of the UE, or an estimated PDE of the communications beam, or the first PDE characteristic, or a combination thereof. The first PDE characteristic may be based on a design of a shielding strip. In some examples, the UE includes a detector, and the detector may detect a level of PDE of the communications beam, where selecting the communications beam is based on the detected level of PDE.

[0109] In some cases, the transmit power controller 620 may additionally determine a second transmit power for the UE's second communications beam based on a second PDE threshold for the second communications beam and a second shielding strip enclosing a second set of antenna elements of the UE's second antenna module, the second shielding strip extending above a second surface of the second antenna module and away from the second set of antenna elements. In some of these cases, the communications manager 615 may transmit a second signal (e.g., via the transmitter 625) using the second antenna module and the second communications beam based on the determined second transmit power. In some examples, determining the transmit power and determining the second transmit power may be based on the same transmit power control mechanism (e.g., the transmit power controller 620).

[0110] The communications manager 615 may be an example of an aspect of the communications manager 710 described herein. Actions performed by the communications manager 615 as described herein may be implemented to realize one or more potential benefits. For example, a shielding strip around a set of antenna elements of an antenna module may reduce the PDE resulting from the antenna module's transmissions. Accordingly, the UE 115 may implement a larger maximum transmit power for the antenna module while maintaining compliance with a maximum PDE threshold based on the shielding strip. This larger maximum transmit power supports more reliable transmissions (e.g., uplink transmissions, sidelink transmissions, etc.) by the UE 115 because the UE 115 can select a larger transmit power value for transmissions in busy or unreliable channels.

[0111] Based on transmitting using a transmit power selected according to the larger maximum transmit power, the processor of the UE 115 (e.g., controlling the receiver 610, the communications manager 615, the transmitter 625, etc.) may reduce processing resources used for retransmissions and / or PD sensing. For example, implementing a shielding strip around the antenna elements of the antenna module may improve the transmission reliability of the UE 115 due to the larger maximum transmit power supported by the UE 115 (e.g., while maintaining a PDE level below a maximum PDE threshold). Thus, the UE 115 may reduce the number of retransmissions used to successfully transmit a message. Reducing the number of retransmissions may reduce the number of times the processor ramps up processing power and turns on a processing unit to handle uplink and / or sidelink message encoding and transmission. This reduced number of retransmissions may also reduce signaling overhead in the uplink channel, the sidelink channel, or both (e.g., in addition to reducing processing overhead in the processor). Furthermore, the shielding strip may reduce PD distribution outside the field of view of the antenna module. The UE 115 may reduce sensing outside the field of view of the antenna module due to the effect of the shielding strip, or may not perform such sensing at all. Reducing sensing operations may reduce the power overhead associated with the PD sensor.

[0112] Communications manager 615, or a subcomponent thereof, may be implemented in hardware, in code executed by a processor (e.g., software or firmware), or any combination thereof. If implemented in code executed by a processor, the functions of communications manager 615, or a subcomponent thereof, may be performed by a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described in this disclosure.

[0113] The communications manager 615 or its subcomponents may be physically located in various locations, including being distributed such that portions of the functionality are implemented by one or more physical components at different physical locations. In some examples, the communications manager 615 or its subcomponents may be separate and distinct components according to various aspects of the present disclosure. In some examples, the communications manager 615 or its subcomponents may be combined with one or more other hardware components, including, but not limited to, an input / output (I / O) component, a transceiver, a network server, another computing device, one or more other components described in this disclosure, or combinations thereof according to various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0114] The transmitter 625 may transmit signals generated by other components of the device 605. In some examples, the transmitter 625 may be co-located with the receiver 610 in a transceiver module. For example, the transmitter 625 may be an example of an aspect of the transceiver 720 described with reference to FIG. 7. The transmitter 625 may utilize a single antenna or a set of antennas (e.g., in an antenna module).

[0115] 7 shows a diagram of a system 700 including a device 705 supporting antenna module placement and housing for reduced PDE according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The device 705 may be or include an example of the components of a device 605 or a UE 115 as described herein. The device 705 may include components for two-way voice and data communication, including components for transmitting and receiving communications, including a communications manager 710, an I / O controller 715, a transceiver 720, an antenna 725, a memory 730, a processor 740, and an antenna module 750. These components may be in electronic communication via one or more buses (e.g., bus 745).

[0116] Communications manager 710 may be implemented in UE 115 (e.g., as part of or in support of antenna module 750). Communications manager 710 may determine a transmit power for a communications beam of UE 115 based on a PDE threshold for the communications beam and a shielding strip 755 enclosing a set of antenna elements on a first surface of antenna module 750 of UE 115, where shielding strip 755 encloses the set of antenna elements above the first surface. Communications manager 710 may transmit an uplink signal using antenna module 750 using the communications beam and in accordance with the determined transmit power.

[0117] The I / O controller 715 may manage input and output signals for the device 705. The I / O controller 715 may also manage peripheral devices not integrated into the device 705. In some cases, the I / O controller 715 may represent a physical connection or port to an external peripheral. In some cases, the I / O controller 715 may utilize an operating system such as iOS®, ANDROID®, MS-DOS®, MS-WINDOWS®, OS / 2®, UNIX®, LINUX®, or another known operating system. In other cases, the I / O controller 715 may represent or interact with a modem, keyboard, mouse, touchscreen, or similar device. In some cases, the I / O controller 715 may be implemented as part of the processor. In some cases, a user may interact with the device 705 through the I / O controller 715 or through hardware components controlled by the I / O controller 715.

[0118] The transceiver 720 may communicate bidirectionally via one or more antennas, wired links, or wireless links, as described above. For example, the transceiver 720 may represent a wireless transceiver and may communicate bidirectionally with another wireless transceiver. The transceiver 720 may also include a modem for modulating packets for transmission and providing the modulated packets to an antenna, and for demodulating packets received from the antenna.

[0119] In some cases, a wireless device may include a single antenna 725. However, in some cases, a device may have two or more antennas 725 that may be capable of simultaneously transmitting or receiving multiple wireless transmissions. The antenna 725 may be an example of an antenna element or set of antenna elements, and the antenna 725 may be a component of an antenna module 750 located and / or housed within the UE 115 (e.g., device 705) to obtain a reduced PDE.

[0120] The memory 730 may include random access memory (RAM) and read-only memory (ROM). The memory 730 may store computer-readable computer-executable code 735, which includes instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to perform various functions described herein. In some cases, the memory 730 may include a basic I / O system (BIOS), which may control basic hardware or software operations, such as interaction with peripheral components or devices, among other things.

[0121] Processor 740 may include an intelligent hardware device (e.g., a general-purpose processor, a DSP, a central processing unit (CPU), a microcontroller, an ASIC, an FPGA, a programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic components, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof). In some cases, processor 740 may be configured to operate a memory array using a memory controller. In other cases, the memory controller may be integrated into processor 740. Processor 740 may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in a memory (e.g., memory 730) to cause device 705 to perform various functions.

[0122] Code 735 may include instructions for implementing aspects of the present disclosure, including instructions for supporting wireless communications. Code 735 may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium, such as system memory or other type of memory. In some cases, code 735 may not be directly executable by processor 740, but may (e.g., when compiled and executed) cause a computer to perform functions described herein.

[0123] Antenna module 750 may include a substrate having a first surface and a set of antenna elements (e.g., including antenna 725) on the first surface. Shielding strip 755 may enclose the set of antenna elements and may extend away from the first surface. In some cases, a lower edge of shielding strip 755 may be at or above the first surface.

[0124] In some examples, the substrate of the antenna module 750 may include a PCB, where the set of antennas may be on the PCB and the shielding strip 755 may be external to the PCB. For example, the shielding strip 755 may be on the perimeter of the PCB or above the perimeter of the PCB. In some cases, the PCB may further include a respective plating member surrounding each antenna element of the set of antenna elements, where the plating member may be on the PCB.

[0125] In some cases, the antenna module 750 may be mounted in or on a housing of the UE 115 (e.g., device 705), and the shielding strip 755 may be part of the housing of the UE 115. In some cases, the housing may include the shielding strip 755 or may include a portion of the shielding strip 755. For example, an upper edge of the shielding strip 755 may be configured to be flush with the housing of the UE 115 (e.g., device 705).

[0126] In some cases, the height of the shielding strip 755 from the first surface may be based on at least a predetermined PDE threshold (e.g., a maximum PDE threshold), a field of view for the set of antenna elements, a field of view for the sensor, or a combination thereof. The shielding strip 755 may be electrically coupled to the ground plane of the antenna module 750 or may be electrically isolated from the ground plane of the antenna module 750.

[0127] In some examples, the antenna module 750 may further include one or more electrical components mounted on a second surface of the substrate opposite the first surface. In some cases, the set of antenna elements includes a set of patch antennas forming an antenna array.

[0128] In some implementations, the UE 115 (e.g., device 705) may include a housing having an outer surface. The antenna module 750 may be mounted within the housing such that a first surface of a substrate of the antenna module 750 is recessed from the outer surface of the housing in a radiation direction of the antenna module 750. The shielding strip 755 may enclose a set of antenna elements of the antenna module 750 and may extend away from the first surface of the substrate. The shielding strip 755 may be a component of the antenna module 750 or the housing of the UE 115. An upper edge of the shielding strip 755 may be on or below the outer surface in the radiation direction, or may be above the set of antenna elements. For example, as described with reference to FIG. 4, the upper edge of the shielding strip 755 may be on or below the upper side of the outer surface of the housing (e.g., in the Z direction).

[0129] In some examples, an exterior surface of the UE 115 (e.g., device 705) may include a screen facing a first side of the antenna module 750 and a back surface facing a second side of the antenna module 750 opposite the screen, the back surface including a first conductive surface. The UE 115 may additionally include a second conductive surface facing the first side of the antenna module 750 opposite the back surface, where the screen includes the second conductive surface or the second conductive surface is mounted behind the screen.

[0130] In some examples, the UE 115 may further include a sensor for measuring the PDE, where the height of the shielding strip 755 from the first surface may be based on the field of view for the sensor.

[0131] FIG. 8 shows a flowchart illustrating a method 800 for supporting antenna module placement and housing for reduced PDE according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The operations of method 800 may be performed by the UE 115 or components thereof as described herein. For example, the operations of method 800 may be performed by a communications manager as described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7. In some examples, the UE may execute a set of instructions to control functional elements of the UE to perform functions described below. Additionally or alternatively, the UE may use dedicated hardware to perform aspects of the functions described below.

[0132] At 805, the UE may determine a transmit power for the UE's communication beam based on a PDE threshold for the communication beam and that a shielding strip surrounds a set of antenna elements on a first surface of the UE's antenna module, the shielding strip surrounding the set of antenna elements above the first surface. The operations of 805 may be performed according to methods described herein. The operations of 805 may be performed according to methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 805 may be performed by a transmit power controller such as those described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7.

[0133] At 810, the UE may transmit an uplink signal using the antenna module using the communications beam and in accordance with the determined transmit power. The operations of 810 may be performed in accordance with methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 810 may be performed by a transmit power controller such as those described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7.

[0134] 9 shows a flowchart illustrating a method 900 for supporting antenna module placement and housing for reduced PDE according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The operations of method 900 may be performed by the UE 115 or components thereof as described herein. For example, the operations of method 900 may be performed by a communications manager as described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7. In some examples, the UE may execute a set of instructions to control functional elements of the UE to perform functions described below. Additionally or alternatively, the UE may use dedicated hardware to perform aspects of the functions described below.

[0135] At 905, the UE may identify one or more candidate communication beams for the UE (e.g., based on one or more received signals). The operations of 905 may be performed in accordance with methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 905 may be performed by a transmit power controller such as those described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7.

[0136] At 910, the UE may determine a respective PDE characteristic for each of one or more candidate communications beams. The operations of 910 may be performed in accordance with methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 910 may be performed by a transmit power controller such as those described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7.

[0137] At 915, the UE may select a communications beam from one or more candidate communications beams, where the communications beam includes a first PDE characteristic. Selecting the communications beam may be based on at least an uplink grant for the UE, or a power level of the UE, or an estimated PDE of the communications beam, or the first PDE characteristic, or a combination thereof. The operations of 915 may be performed in accordance with methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 915 may be performed by a transmitter, transceiver, and / or antenna module such as those described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7.

[0138] At 920, the UE may determine a transmit power for the communication beam of the UE based on a PDE threshold for the communication beam and a shielding strip enclosing a set of antenna elements on a first surface of the antenna module of the UE, where determining the transmit power for the communication beam may further be based on the first PDE characteristic. The operations of 905 may be performed in accordance with methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 905 may be performed by a transmit power controller such as those described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7.

[0139] At 925, the UE may transmit an uplink signal using the antenna module using the communications beam and in accordance with the determined transmit power. The operations of 925 may be performed according to methods described herein. The operations of 910 may be performed according to methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 910 may be performed by a transmit power controller such as those described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7.

[0140] It should be noted that the methods described herein describe possible implementations, that the operations and steps may be rearranged or otherwise modified, and that other implementations are possible. Furthermore, aspects from two or more of the methods may be combined.

[0141] Described below are several embodiments of a method, system, or apparatus including means for performing a method or realizing an apparatus, a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions executable by one or more processors to cause the one or more processors to perform a method, and a system including one or more processors and a memory coupled to the one or more processors that stores instructions executable by the one or more processors to cause the system or apparatus to perform a method. The embodiments may include device embodiments, such as an antenna module, a UE, or both. It should be understood that these are only some examples of possible embodiments, and that other examples will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0142] Embodiment 1: An antenna module comprising: a substrate having a first surface; a plurality of antenna elements on the first surface; and a shielding strip enclosing the plurality of antenna elements and extending away from the first surface of the substrate, wherein an upper edge of the shielding strip is above the plurality of antenna elements.

[0143] Embodiment 2: The antenna module of embodiment 1, wherein the lower edge of the shielding strip is on the first surface of the substrate or above the first surface of the substrate.

[0144] Embodiment 3: The antenna module of any of embodiments 1 or 2, wherein the substrate comprises a PCB, the plurality of antenna elements are on the PCB, and the shielding strip is external to the PCB.

[0145] Embodiment 4: The antenna module of embodiment 3, wherein the PCB further comprises a plating member surrounding each antenna element of the plurality of antenna elements, the plating member being on the PCB.

[0146] Embodiment 5: The antenna module of any of embodiments 3 or 4, wherein the shielding strip is at the perimeter of the PCB or above the perimeter of the PCB.

[0147] Embodiment 6: The antenna module of any of embodiments 1 to 5, wherein the upper edge of the shielding strip is configured to be flush with the housing of the UE.

[0148] Embodiment 7: The antenna module of any of embodiments 1-6, wherein the height of the shielding strip from the first surface of the substrate is based at least in part on a predetermined PDE threshold, or a field of view for the plurality of antenna elements, or a field of view for the sensor, or a combination thereof.

[0149] Embodiment 8: The antenna module of any of embodiments 1-7, wherein the shielding strip is electrically coupled to a ground plane of the antenna module.

[0150] Embodiment 9: The antenna module of any of embodiments 1-7, wherein the shielding strip is electrically isolated from the ground plane of the antenna module.

[0151] Embodiment 10: The antenna module of any of embodiments 1 to 9, further comprising one or more electrical components mounted on a second surface of the substrate opposite the first surface of the substrate.

[0152] Embodiment 11: The antenna module of any one of embodiments 1 to 10, wherein the plurality of antenna elements comprises at least a plurality of patch antennas, or a plurality of slot antennas, or a plurality of dipole antennas, or a combination thereof, forming an antenna array.

[0153] Embodiment 12: A UE comprising: a housing having an outer surface; an antenna module mounted within the housing, the antenna module comprising a plurality of antenna elements on a first surface of a substrate; and a shielding strip enclosing the plurality of antenna elements and extending away from the first surface of the substrate, an upper edge of the shielding strip being above the plurality of antenna elements.

[0154] Embodiment 13: The UE of embodiment 12, wherein the first surface of the substrate is recessed from the outer surface of the housing in the radiation direction of the antenna module.

[0155] Embodiment 14: The UE of any of embodiments 12 or 13, wherein the lower edge of the shielding strip is at or above the first surface of the substrate.

[0156] Embodiment 15: The UE of any of embodiments 12 to 14, wherein the antenna module comprises a shielding strip, or the housing comprises a shielding strip, or the housing comprises a part of the shielding strip.

[0157] Embodiment 16: A UE according to any one of embodiments 12 to 15, wherein the outer surface of the housing has a screen facing a first side of the antenna module and a back surface facing a second side of the antenna module opposite the screen, the back surface having a first conductive surface.

[0158] Embodiment 17: The UE of embodiment 16, further comprising a second conductive surface facing the back surface and toward the first side of the antenna module, wherein the screen comprises the second conductive surface or the second conductive surface is mounted behind the screen.

[0159] Embodiment 18: The UE of any of embodiments 12-17, wherein the height of the shielding strip from the first surface of the substrate is based at least in part on a predetermined PDE threshold, or a field of view for the plurality of antenna elements, or a combination thereof.

[0160] Embodiment 19: The UE of any of embodiments 12-18, further comprising a sensor for measuring the PDE, wherein the height of the shielding strip from the first surface of the substrate is based at least in part on the field of view of the sensor.

[0161] Embodiment 20: The UE of any of embodiments 12-19, wherein the shielding strip is electrically coupled to the ground plane of the antenna module.

[0162] Embodiment 21: The UE of any of embodiments 12-19, wherein the shielding strip is electrically isolated from the ground plane of the antenna module.

[0163] Embodiment 22: The UE of any of embodiments 12 to 21, wherein the plurality of antenna elements comprises a plurality of patch antennas forming an antenna array.

[0164] Embodiment 23: The UE of any of embodiments 12 to 22, wherein the upper edge of the shielding strip is at or below the outer surface of the housing in the radiation direction of the antenna module.

[0165] Embodiment 24: A method for wireless communication in a UE, comprising: determining a transmit power for a communication beam based at least in part on a PDE threshold for the communication beam of the UE and a shielding strip enclosing a plurality of antenna elements; and transmitting an uplink signal using the communication beam and using an antenna module in accordance with the determined transmit power.

[0166] Embodiment 25: The method of embodiment 24, further comprising identifying a maximum transmit power for the communication beam based at least in part on a PDE threshold for the communication beam and on the shielding strip enclosing the plurality of antenna elements, and the transmit power is determined based at least in part on the identified maximum transmit power.

[0167] Embodiment 26: The method of any of embodiments 24 or 25, further comprising identifying one or more candidate communication beams for the UE, determining a respective PDE characteristic for each of the one or more candidate communication beams, and selecting a communication beam from the one or more candidate communication beams, wherein the communication beam has a first PDE characteristic, and wherein determining the transmit power for the communication beam is based at least in part on the first PDE characteristic, and selecting the communication beam is based at least in part on an uplink grant for the UE, or a power level of the UE, or an estimated PDE of the communication beam, or the first PDE characteristic, or a combination thereof.

[0168] Embodiment 27: The method of any of embodiments 24-26, wherein the UE comprises a detector, and the method further comprises detecting a level of PDE of the communication beam, and selecting the communication beam is based at least in part on the detected level of PDE.

[0169] Embodiment 28: The method of any of embodiments 24-27, wherein the antenna module comprises a shielding strip.

[0170] Embodiment 29: The method of any of embodiments 24 to 28, wherein the UE comprises a second antenna module comprising a second substrate having a second surface and a second plurality of antenna elements on the second surface, and a second shielding strip enclosing the second plurality of antenna elements and extending away from the second surface, the method further comprising: determining a second transmit power for the second communication beam of the UE based at least in part on a second PDE threshold for the second communication beam and the second shielding strip enclosing the second plurality of antenna elements; and transmitting a second uplink signal using the second antenna module and the second communication beam based at least in part on the determined second transmit power.

[0171] Embodiment 30: An apparatus for wireless communication in a UE, comprising: an antenna module of any of embodiments 24-29, the antenna module comprising: a substrate having a first surface; and a plurality of antenna elements on the first surface; a shielding strip of any of embodiments 24-29, the shielding strip enclosing the plurality of antenna elements and extending away from the first surface; a processor; a memory coupled to the processor; and instructions stored in the memory and operable, when executed by the processor, to cause the apparatus to perform the method of any of embodiments 24-29.

[0172] Embodiment 31: An apparatus comprising at least one means for carrying out the method of any of embodiments 24 to 29.

[0173] Embodiment 32: A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication, the code comprising instructions executable by a processor to perform the method of any of embodiments 24-29.

[0174] Although aspects of an LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, or NR system may be described as examples, and LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, or NR terminology may be used throughout much of the description, the techniques described herein may be applicable to other than LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, or NR networks. For example, the techniques described may be applicable to various other wireless communication systems, such as Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), IEEE 802.20, Flash-OFDM, and other systems and radio technologies not explicitly mentioned herein.

[0175] The information and signals described herein may be represented using any of a wide variety of technologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referred to throughout the description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof.

[0176] The various example blocks and modules described in connection with the disclosure herein may be implemented or performed using a general-purpose processor, a DSP, an ASIC, a CPU, an FPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but alternatively, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices (e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration).

[0177] The functions described herein may be implemented in hardware, software executed by a processor, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software executed by a processor, the functions may be stored on or transmitted via a computer-readable medium as one or more instructions or code. Other examples and implementations are within the scope of this disclosure and the appended claims. For example, due to the nature of software, the functions described herein may be implemented using software executed by a processor, hardware, firmware, hardwiring, or any combination thereof. Features implementing the functions may also be physically located in various locations, including being distributed so that portions of the functions are implemented in different physical locations.

[0178] Computer-readable media includes both non-transitory computer storage media and communication media, including any medium that facilitates transfer of a computer program from one place to another. Non-transitory storage media may be any available medium that can be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer. By way of example, and not limitation, non-transitory computer-readable media may include RAM, ROM, Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EEPROM), Flash memory, Compact Disc (CD) ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other non-transitory medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code means in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer or processor. Also, any connection is properly termed a computer-readable medium. For example, if software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave, the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave are included within the definition of computer-readable media. As used herein, disk and disc include CDs, laser discs, optical discs, digital versatile discs (DVDs), floppy disks, and Blu-ray discs, where disks typically reproduce data magnetically and discs reproduce data optically using lasers. Combinations of the above are also included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0179] As used herein, including in the claims, "or" used in a list of items (e.g., a list of items ending with a phrase such as "at least one of" or "one or more of") indicates an inclusive list, such as, for example, a list of at least one of A, B, or C means A or B or C or AB or AC or BC or ABC (i.e., A and B and C). Also, the phrase "based on" as used herein should not be construed as a reference to a closed set of conditions. For example, an example step expressed as "based on condition A" may be based on both condition A and condition B without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. In other words, the phrase "based on" as used herein should be construed similarly to the phrase "based at least in part on."

[0180] In the accompanying figures, similar components or features may have the same reference label. Furthermore, various components of the same type may be distinguished by following the reference label with a dash and a second label that distinguishes between the similar components. If only a first reference label is used herein, the description is applicable to any of the similar components having the same first reference label, regardless of a second reference label or other subsequent reference label.

[0181] The descriptions set forth herein with reference to the accompanying drawings represent exemplary configurations and do not represent every example that may be implemented or fall within the scope of the claims. As used herein, the term "exemplary" means "serving as an example, instance, or illustration" and does not mean "preferred" or "advantageous over other examples." The detailed description includes specific details for the purpose of providing an understanding of the described techniques. However, these techniques may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form in order to avoid obscuring the concepts of the described examples.

[0182] The description herein is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the disclosure. Various modifications of the disclosure will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other variations without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Thus, the disclosure is not limited to the examples and designs described herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein. [Explanation of symbols]

[0183] 100 Wireless Communication System 105 Base station 110 Coverage Area 115 User Equipment (UE) 120 backhaul links 125 communication links 130 Core Network 135 Device-to-Device (D2D) Communication Links 205 devices 210 Antenna 215 Antenna Module 220 Shielding Strip 225 Radiation 230 Top 235 Front 240 Side 245 Back 250 screens 301, 302 Antenna module configuration 305 Substrate 310 Antenna Element 315 Plated materials 320 Shielding Strip 325 Electrical Components 330 Radiation 335 Shielding Height 401, 402 Device Configuration 405 Devices 410 Sensor 415 Antenna Module 420 Conductive Surface 425 Coordinate System 605 devices 610 Receiver 615 Communications Manager 620 Transmit Power Controller 625 Transmitter 705 devices 710 Communications Manager 715 I / O Controller 720 Transceiver 725 Antenna 730 memory 735 Computer Executable Code 740 processor 745 Bus 750 Antenna Module 755 Shielding Strip

Claims

1. A user equipment (UE), A substrate; an antenna array including a plurality of antenna elements on a surface of the substrate; a shielding strip surrounding the plurality of antenna elements, wherein a gap exists between the shielding strip and the substrate; and A UE comprising:

2. The UE of claim 1 , wherein the shielding strip is above the plurality of antenna elements.

3. The UE of claim 1 , wherein the shielding strip forms a continuous loop.

4. The UE of claim 1 , wherein the shielding strip is comprised of a three-dimensional (3D) metallic or other conductive structure.

5. The UE of claim 1 , wherein the shielding strips are along a perimeter of the substrate.

6. The UE of claim 1 , wherein the shielding strip extends below a surface of the substrate.

7. The UE of claim 1 , further comprising a shield surrounding each antenna element of the plurality of antenna elements.

8. The UE of claim 1 , wherein the substrate and the antenna array are included in an antenna module, and the shielding strip surrounds all antenna elements of the antenna module.

9. The UE of claim 8 , wherein the shielding strip begins above the antenna module and extends in a radial direction of the antenna module.

10. 10. The UE of claim 8, wherein the surface is a first surface, and the antenna module further comprises one or more electrical components mounted on a second surface of the substrate opposite the first surface.

11. 10. The UE of claim 8, wherein the antenna module further comprises a plurality of electrical components, at least one of the plurality of electrical components being outside an area enclosed by the shielding strip.

12. The UE of claim 8 , wherein the shielding strip surrounds the antenna module.

13. The UE of claim 1 , wherein the shielding strip is formed as part of or attached to a housing of the UE.

14. The UE of claim 1 , wherein the shielding strip is configured to reduce power density exposure outside a field of view of a sensor of the UE.

15. 10. The UE of claim 1, wherein the shielding strip is configured to reduce power density exposure at a face of the UE on which the antenna array is not configured to radiate.

16. The UE of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of antenna elements are configured to communicate in a millimeter band.

17. A device, A substrate; an antenna array including a plurality of antenna elements on a surface of the substrate; a shielding strip forming a perimeter around the plurality of antenna elements, the shielding strip being a predetermined distance from the substrate; A device comprising:

18. 20. The device of claim 17, wherein the tops of the plurality of antenna elements define a plane, and the shielding strip begins above the plane and extends in a direction of radiation of the antenna array.

19. the radiation direction is through the top, bottom, or side of the device; 20. The device of claim 18, wherein the device further comprises a material on a back surface of the device configured to shield against power density exposure.

20. The device of claim 17 , wherein the shielding strip surrounds all antenna elements of the antenna array.

21. 20. The device of claim 17, wherein the plurality of antenna elements comprises patch antennas or dipole antennas.

22. The device of claim 17 , wherein the shielding strip is electrically grounded.

23. The device of claim 17 , wherein the plurality of antenna elements are arranged linearly.

24. 20. The device of claim 17, wherein the antenna array comprises an N by M dimensional array, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 1, and M is an integer greater than or equal to 1 and the same as or different from N.

25. The device of claim 17 , wherein the plurality of antenna elements comprises four or more antenna elements.

26. 20. The device of claim 17, wherein the shielding strip is plated onto a housing of the device.

27. further comprising a sensor configured to identify a power density level; The device of claim 17 , wherein the device is configured to control a transmission characteristic based on the power density level.

28. 28. The device of claim 27, wherein the transmission characteristics include a power output from the antenna array or an uplink duty cycle for use by an antenna module.

29. 20. The device of claim 17, further comprising a transmit power controller, the transmit power controller configured to calculate a transmit power of a signal based on a configuration of the shielding strip and one or more power density constraints.

30. 20. The device of claim 17, wherein the plurality of antenna elements are configured to transmit millimeter wave signals.

31. A device, A substrate; a plurality of antenna elements on a surface of the substrate; a shielding strip surrounding the plurality of antenna elements, the shielding strip being external to the substrate; A device comprising:

32. 32. The device of claim 31, wherein the shielding strip is integrated into the housing of the device.

Images