Techniques for adaptive beam level selection.

Abstract

Techniques and devices for wireless communication are described. The communication device may identify a set of beam level selection parameters. The set of beam level selection parameters may include traffic information, channel information, application information, or any combination thereof. The communication device may select a beam level from the set of beam levels that is different from a baseline beam level associated with the wireless communication based on the identified set of beam level selection parameters. The selected beam level may be associated with a number of antenna elements that is different from the number of antenna elements associated with the baseline beam level. The communication device may perform the wireless communication based on the selected beam level.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] (CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS) This patent application claims the benefit of U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 17 / 667,387, entitled “TECHNIQUES FOR ADAPTIVE BEAM LEVEL SELECTION,” filed February 8, 2022, by ZHU et al., which is assigned to the present assignee.

[0002] The following relates to wireless communications, including techniques for adaptive beam level selection. [Background technology]

[0003] Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various types of communication content, such as voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcasts, etc. 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) systems, LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) systems, or LTE-A Pro systems, and fifth generation (5G) systems, sometimes referred to as New Radio (NR) systems. These systems may employ techniques such as code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA), or discrete Fourier transform spread orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (DFT-S-OFDM). A wireless multiple-access communication system may include one or more base stations or one or more network access nodes, each simultaneously supporting communication for multiple communication devices, which may in some cases be known as user equipment (UE). Some wireless communication systems may support beamforming operations for directional communication. In some cases, beamforming techniques may be insufficient. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The described techniques relate to improved techniques, devices, and apparatus that support techniques for adaptive beam level selection. For example, a communication device may identify a set of beam level selection parameters. The set of beam level selection parameters may include traffic information, channel information, application information, or any combination thereof. The communication device may select a beam level from the set of beam levels that is different from a baseline beam level associated with wireless communication based on the identified set of beam level selection parameters. The selected beam level may be associated with a number of antenna elements that is different from the number of antenna elements associated with the baseline beam level. The communication device may perform wireless communication based on the selected beam level. Thus, the present disclosure may facilitate reduced power consumption and extended battery life, among other advantages.

[0005] A method for wireless communication in a UE is described. The method may include determining a set of beam level selection parameters, where the set of beam level selection parameters includes traffic information, channel information, application information, or any combination thereof, selecting a beam level from a set of beam levels associated with the wireless communication based on the determined set of beam level selection parameters, where the beam level is selected and associated with a number of antenna elements of the UE, and performing the wireless communication based on the selected beam level.

[0006] 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 set of beam level selection parameters, the set of beam level selection parameters including traffic information, channel information, application information, or any combination thereof, select a beam level from a set of beam levels associated with the wireless communication based on the determined set of beam level selection parameters, the beam level being selected and associated with a number of antenna elements of the UE, and perform the wireless communication based on the selected beam level.

[0007] Another apparatus for wireless communication in a UE is described that may include means for determining a set of beam level selection parameters, the set of beam level selection parameters including traffic information, channel information, application information, or any combination thereof, means for selecting a beam level from a set of beam levels associated with the wireless communication based on the determined set of beam level selection parameters, the beam level being selected and associated with a number of antenna elements of the UE, and means for performing the wireless communication based on the selected beam level.

[0008] 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 set of beam level selection parameters, the set of beam level selection parameters including traffic information, channel information, application information, or any combination thereof, select a beam level from a set of beam levels associated with the wireless communication based on the determined set of beam level selection parameters, the beam level being selected and associated with a number of antenna elements of the UE, and perform the wireless communication based on the selected beam level.

[0009] Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for determining respective threshold values ​​for one or more beam level selection parameters of the determined set of beam level selection parameters, and selecting a beam level of the set of beam levels associated with the wireless communication may be further based on the determined respective threshold values ​​for the one or more beam level selection parameters of the determined set of beam level selection parameters.

[0010] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, a selected beam level of the set of beam levels corresponds to a first number of antenna elements of the UE based on a respective threshold value for one or more beam level selection parameters of the determined set of beam level selection parameters being greater than a threshold value, and a selected beam level of the set of beam levels corresponds to a second number of antenna elements of the UE based on a respective threshold value for one or more beam level selection parameters of the determined set of beam level selection parameters being less than a threshold value, and the first number of antenna elements is greater than the second number of antenna elements.

[0011] Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for performing wireless communications using an increased number of antenna elements of the UE relative to a baseline number of antenna elements at the UE based on a respective threshold value for one or more beam level selection parameters of the determined set of beam level selection parameters being greater than a threshold value.

[0012] Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for performing wireless communications using a reduced number of antenna elements of the UE relative to a baseline number of antenna elements at the UE based on a respective threshold value for one or more beam level selection parameters of the determined set of beam level selection parameters being less than a threshold value.

[0013] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, a respective threshold value for one or more beam level selection parameters of the determined set of beam level selection parameters may be based on a step size associated with a selected beam level of the set of beam levels.

[0014] Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for determining, based on the configuration, a set of beam level selection parameters for a time window.

[0015] Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for determining uplink data in a memory buffer associated with the UE based on the traffic information, and selecting a beam level from the set of beam levels associated with the wireless communication may be further based on the determined uplink data in the memory buffer associated with the UE.

[0016] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, a selected beam level from the set of beam levels corresponds to a first number of antenna elements of the UE based on the determined uplink data in a memory buffer associated with the UE being greater than a threshold, and a selected beam level from the set of beam levels corresponds to a second number of antenna elements of the UE based on the determined uplink data in a memory buffer associated with the UE being less than a threshold, and the first number of antenna elements is greater than the second number of antenna elements.

[0017] 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 channel metric associated with the UE based on the channel information, the channel metric corresponding to an uplink channel or a downlink channel, or both, and selecting a beam level from the set of beam levels associated with the wireless communication may be further based on the determined channel metric associated with the UE.

[0018] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, the determined channel metric includes virtual power headroom (VPHR) information, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) information, spectral efficiency (SPEFF) information, throughput, or any combination thereof.

[0019] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, a selected beam level from the set of beam levels corresponds to a first number of antenna elements for the UE based on a channel metric associated with the UE being greater than a threshold, and a selected beam level from the set of beam levels corresponds to a second number of antenna elements for the UE based on a channel metric associated with the UE being less than the threshold, and the first number of antenna elements is greater than the second number of antenna elements.

[0020] 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 set of uplink channel metrics associated with the UE based on the channel information, the determined set of uplink channel metrics including VPHR information, SNR information, SPEFF information, throughput, or any combination thereof, and determining a respective priority for each uplink channel metric in the determined set of uplink channel metrics, and selecting a beam level among the set of beam levels associated with the wireless communication may be further based on the determined respective priority of each uplink channel metric in the determined set of uplink channel metrics.

[0021] Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for ranking each uplink channel metric of the determined set of uplink channel metrics according to a respective priority of each uplink channel metric of the determined set of uplink channel metrics and based on each uplink channel metric of the determined set of uplink channel metrics being less than or greater than a respective threshold.

[0022] 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 throughput of an application associated with the UE based on the application information, and selecting a beam level from the set of beam levels associated with the wireless communication may be further based on the determined throughput of the application associated with the UE.

[0023] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, a selected beam level from the set of beam levels corresponds to a first number of antenna elements for the UE based on a determined throughput of an application associated with the UE being greater than a threshold, and a selected beam level from the set of beam levels corresponds to a second number of antenna elements for the UE based on a determined throughput of an application associated with the UE being less than the threshold, the first number of antenna elements being less than the second number of antenna elements.

[0024] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, the determined throughput of an application associated with the UE corresponds to an estimated throughput of the application associated with the UE.

[0025] Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may further include an operation, feature, means, or instruction for determining a bin rate of an application associated with the UE based on the application information, and selecting a beam level from the set of beam levels associated with the wireless communication may be further based on the determined bin rate of the application associated with the UE.

[0026] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, a selected beam level from the set of beam levels corresponds to a first number of antenna elements of the UE based on a determined bin rate of an application associated with the UE being greater than a threshold, and a selected beam level from the set of beam levels corresponds to a second number of antenna elements of the UE based on a determined bin rate of an application associated with the UE being less than a threshold, the first number of antenna elements being greater than the second number of antenna elements.

[0027] Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for determining an initial beam level from a set of beam levels associated with the wireless communication based on a beam sweeping operation associated with the set of reference signals and a set of quality metrics associated with the set of reference signals, and selecting a beam level from the set of beam levels associated with the wireless communication may be further based on the determined initial beam level.

[0028] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer readable media described herein, the initial beam level may be different from the selected beam level.

[0029] Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for receiving a set of reference signals based on a beam sweeping operation and determining one or more quality metrics of the set of quality metrics for each beam level of the set of beam levels based on the received set of reference signals, where determining an initial beam level from the set of beam levels associated with the wireless communication may be further based on the one or more quality metrics determined for each beam level of the set of beam levels.

[0030] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, the set of reference signals includes synchronization signal blocks (SSBs), channel state information reference signals (CSI-RSs), demodulation reference signals (DMRSs), or any combination thereof.

[0031] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, the set of quality metrics includes Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP), SNR, SPEFF, throughput, or any combination thereof. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0032] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a wireless communication system supporting techniques for adaptive beam level selection in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a wireless communication system supporting techniques for adaptive beam level selection in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 3A] A diagram showing examples of beam levels supporting techniques for adaptive beam level selection in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 3B] A diagram showing examples of beam levels supporting techniques for adaptive beam level selection in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 3C] A diagram showing examples of beam levels supporting techniques for adaptive beam level selection in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a process flow supporting a technique for adaptive beam level selection in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. [Diagram 5] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a device supporting techniques for adaptive beam level selection in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a device supporting techniques for adaptive beam level selection in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 7]FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a communications manager supporting techniques for adaptive beam level selection in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 illustrates a system including a device supporting techniques for adaptive beam level selection in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 9] 1 is a flowchart illustrating a method for supporting techniques for adaptive beam level selection in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 10] 1 is a flowchart illustrating a method for supporting techniques for adaptive beam level selection in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 11] 1 is a flowchart illustrating a method for supporting techniques for adaptive beam level selection in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 12] 1 is a flowchart illustrating a method for supporting techniques for adaptive beam level selection in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0033] In some wireless communication systems, such as millimeter wave (mmW) systems or NR systems, communication devices may communicate via directional transmissions (e.g., beams), where beamforming may be applied using one or more antenna elements to form a beam in a certain direction. For example, a communication device may support beamforming to reduce propagation loss of a signal. In some examples, a communication device (e.g., a user equipment (UE) or a base station) may adjust the width (e.g., granularity) of a beam to improve reception of a signal at another communication device (e.g., another UE or another base station). For example, a communication device may adjust the granularity of a beam by increasing the number of antenna elements used at the communication device to generate a beam. That is, a communication device may increase the number of antenna elements (e.g., the number of active antenna elements) at the communication device that are actively used for wireless communication. However, as the number of active antenna elements at a communication device increases, power consumption and thermal costs at the communication device may also increase. Furthermore, adjusting (e.g., improving) the granularity of a beam (e.g., by increasing the number of active antenna elements) may not improve the performance of wireless communication between communication devices. In such cases, power consumption and heat costs may be unnecessarily increased in the communication device.

[0034] Various aspects of the present disclosure relate to techniques for adaptive beam level selection. For example, a communication device (e.g., UE) may refine beam granularity based on information collected at the communication device. In some examples, the communication device may refine beam granularity by selecting a beam level (e.g., associated with a number of antenna elements) based on traffic conditions (e.g., uplink traffic conditions, downlink traffic conditions, or both), the quality of a wireless channel used for communication, or the throughput of an application supported by the communication device. In some examples, the communication device may perform a beam sweeping operation to determine a baseline (e.g., initial, current, default, previously used) beam level associated with a baseline number (e.g., initial, current, default, previously used) of antenna elements. The communication device may determine a set of parameters associated with traffic conditions, channel quality, or application throughput.

[0035] The communication device may use the set of parameters to determine whether to increase or decrease the beam level, e.g., relative to a baseline beam level. In some examples, by increasing or decreasing the beam level, the communication device may increase or decrease the number of antenna elements being used for wireless communication (e.g., improve the granularity of the beam). In some examples, the communication device may determine to increase the beam level (e.g., the number of antenna elements relative to the baseline number of antenna elements) if one or more of the parameters meet a respective threshold. Additionally or alternatively, the communication device may determine to decrease the beam level (e.g., the number of antenna elements relative to the baseline number of antenna elements) if one or more of the parameters do not meet a respective threshold. As a result, the communication device may avoid unnecessary power consumption and reduce thermal costs associated with beamforming.

[0036] Aspects of the present disclosure are first described in the context of a wireless communication system. Aspects of the present disclosure are further illustrated by and described with reference to apparatus diagrams, system diagrams, and flow charts relating to techniques for adaptive beam level selection.

[0037] 1 illustrates an example of a wireless communication system 100 supporting techniques for adaptive beam level selection according to various aspects of the present disclosure. The wireless communication system 100 may include one or more base stations 105, one or more UEs 115, and a core network 130. In some examples, the wireless communication system 100 may be an LTE network, an LTE-A network, an LTE-A Pro network, or an NR network. In some examples, the wireless communication system 100 may support enhanced broadband communications, ultra-reliable communications, low latency communications, communications with low-cost and low-complexity devices, or any combination thereof.

[0038] The base stations 105 may be distributed 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 geographic coverage area 110 over which the UEs 115 and the base stations 105 may establish one or more communication links 125. The geographic coverage area 110 may be an example of a geographic area over which the base stations 105 and the UEs 115 may support communication of signals according to one or more radio access technologies.

[0039] The UEs 115 may be distributed throughout the geographic coverage area 110 of the wireless communication system 100, and each UE 115 may be stationary, 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 capable of communicating with various types of devices, such as other UEs 115, base stations 105, 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.

[0040] In some examples, one or more components of the wireless communication system 100 may operate as or be referred to as a network node. As used herein, a network node may refer to any UE 115, base station 105, core network 130 entity, apparatus, device, or computing system configured to perform any of the techniques described herein. For example, a network node may be a UE 115. As another example, a network node may be a base station 105. As another example, a first network node may be configured to communicate with a second network node or a third network node. In one aspect of this example, the first network node may be a UE 115, the second network node may be a base station 105, and the third network node may be a UE 115. In another aspect of this example, the first network node may be a UE 115, the second network node may be a base station 105, and the third network node may be a base station 105. In yet other aspects of this example, the first, second, and third network nodes may be different. Similarly, reference to a UE 115, a base station 105, an apparatus, a device, or a computing system may include disclosure of the UE 115, the base station 105, the apparatus, the device, or the computing system that is a network node. For example, a disclosure that the UE 115 is configured to receive information from the base station 105 also discloses that the first network node is configured to receive information from the second network node. In this example, consistent with the present disclosure, the first network node may refer to the first UE 115, the first base station 105, the first apparatus, the first device, or the first computing system configured to receive information, and the second network node may refer to the second UE 115, the second base station 105, the second apparatus, the second device, or the second computing system.

[0041] The base stations 105 may communicate with the core network 130, or with each other, or both. For example, the base stations 105 may interface with the core network 130 through one or more 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., 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.

[0042] One or more of the base stations 105 described herein may include or be referred to as a network entity, network node, node, 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 be referred to as a gNB), Home Node B, Home eNode B, or other suitable terminology by one skilled in the art.

[0043] 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 any other suitable terminology, and a "device" may 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, or a machine type communications (MTC) device, among other examples, which may be implemented in various items, such as an appliance, or a vehicle, a meter, among other examples.

[0044] The UEs 115 described herein may be capable of communicating with various types of devices, such as other UEs 115, which may act as relays, as shown in FIG. 1, as well as base stations 105 and network equipment, including macro eNBs or gNBs, small cell eNBs or gNBs, or relay base stations, among other examples.

[0045] The UE 115 and the base station 105 may wirelessly communicate with each other via one or more communication links 125 on one or more carriers. The term “carrier” may refer to a set of radio frequency spectrum resources having a defined physical layer structure to support 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 that operates according to one or more physical layer channels for a given radio access technology (e.g., LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, NR). Each physical layer channel may carry collection signaling (e.g., synchronization signals, system information), control signaling to coordinate operation on 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 may be used with both frequency division duplexing (FDD) and time division duplexing (TDD) component carriers.

[0046] In some examples (e.g., in a carrier aggregation configuration), a carrier may also have collection or control signaling to coordinate operation with respect to other carriers. A carrier may be associated with a frequency channel (e.g., evolved universal mobile telecommunication system terrestrial radio access (E-UTRA) absolute radio frequency channel number (EARFCN)) and may be arranged according to a channel raster for discovery by the UE 115. A carrier may operate in a standalone mode, where initial collection and connection may be made by the UE 115 over the carrier, or the carrier may operate in a non-standalone mode, where a connection is anchored using a different carrier (e.g., of the same or different radio access technology).

[0047] The communication links 125 shown in the wireless communication system 100 may include uplink transmissions from the UE 115 to the base station 105 or downlink transmissions from the base station 105 to the UE 115. A carrier may carry downlink or uplink communications (e.g., in FDD mode) or may be configured to carry downlink and uplink communications (e.g., in TDD mode).

[0048] A carrier may be associated with a bandwidth of the radio frequency spectrum, and in some examples, a carrier bandwidth may be referred to as a carrier or a "system bandwidth" of the wireless communication system 100. For example, a carrier bandwidth may be one of a number of determined bandwidths (e.g., 1.4, 3, 5, 10, 15, 20, 40, or 80 megahertz (MHz)) for a carrier of a radio access technology. A device (e.g., a base station 105, a UE 115, or both) of the wireless communication system 100 may have a hardware configuration that supports communication on the carrier bandwidth or may be configurable to support communication on one of a set of carrier bandwidths. In some examples, the wireless communication system 100 may include a base station 105 or a UE 115 that supports simultaneous communication via a carrier associated with multiple carrier bandwidths. In some examples, each served UE 115 may be configured to operate over a portion (e.g., a sub-band, BWP) or all of the carrier bandwidth.

[0049] A signal waveform transmitted on a carrier may be composed of multiple subcarriers (e.g., using a multi-carrier modulation (MCM) technique such as OFDM or discrete Fourier transform spread OFDM (DFT-S-OFDM)). In a system employing MCM techniques, a resource element may include one symbol period (e.g., the duration of one modulation symbol) and one subcarrier, where the symbol period and the subcarrier spacing are inversely related. The number of bits carried by each resource element may depend on the modulation scheme (e.g., the order of the modulation scheme, the coding rate of the modulation scheme, or both). Thus, the more resource elements the UE 115 receives and the higher the order of the modulation scheme, the higher the data rate may be for the UE 115. Wireless communication resources may refer to a combination of radio frequency spectrum resources, time resources, and spatial resources (e.g., spatial layers or beams), and the use of multiple spatial layers may further increase data rates or data integrity for communications with UE 115.

[0050] One or more numerologies for a carrier may be supported, and a numerology may include a subcarrier spacing (Δf) and a cyclic prefix. A carrier may be divided into one or more BWPs having the same or different numerologies. In some examples, a UE 115 may be configured with multiple BWPs. In some embodiments, a single BWP for a carrier may be active at a given time, and communication for the UE 115 may be limited to one or more active BWPs.

[0051] The time interval for the base station 105 or the UE 115 is, for example, T s =1 / (Δf max N f ) seconds, where Δf maxmay represent the maximum supported subcarrier spacing, and N f may represent the maximum supported discrete Fourier transform (DFT) size. The communication resource time intervals may be organized according to radio frames, each having a specified duration (e.g., 10 milliseconds (ms)). Each radio frame may be identified by a system frame number (SFN) (e.g., ranging from 0 to 1023).

[0052] Each frame may include multiple consecutively numbered subframes or slots, and each subframe or slot may have the same duration. In some examples, a frame may be divided (e.g., in the time domain) into subframes, and each subframe may be further divided into several slots. Alternatively, each frame may include a variable number of slots, and the number of slots may depend on the subcarrier spacing. Each slot may include several symbol periods (e.g., depending on the length of a cyclic prefix prepended to each symbol period). In some wireless communications systems 100, a slot may be further divided into multiple minislots containing one or more symbols. Excluding the cyclic prefix, each symbol period may include one or more (e.g., N f The duration of a symbol period may depend on the subcarrier spacing or the frequency band of operation.

[0053] A subframe, slot, minislot, or symbol may be the smallest scheduling unit (e.g., in the time domain) of the wireless communications system 100 and may be referred to as a transmission time interval (TTI). In some examples, the TTI duration (e.g., the number of symbol periods in a TTI) may be variable. Additionally or alternatively, the smallest scheduling unit of the wireless communications system 100 may be dynamically selected (e.g., among a burst of shortened TTIs (sTTIs)).

[0054] The physical channels may be multiplexed on the carriers according to various techniques. The physical control channels and the physical data channels may be multiplexed on the downlink carriers using, for example, one or more of a time division multiplexing (TDM) technique, a frequency division multiplexing (FDM) technique, or a hybrid TDM-FDM technique. A control region (e.g., a control resource set (CORESET)) for the physical control channels may be defined by a number of symbol periods and may extend across the system bandwidth of the carrier or a subset of the system bandwidth. One or more control regions (e.g., CORESET) may be configured for a set of UEs 115. For example, one or more of the UEs 115 may monitor or search the control region for control information according to one or more search space sets, and each search space set may include one or more control channel candidates at one or more aggregation levels configured in a cascaded manner. ) The aggregation level for control channel candidates may refer to a number of control channel resources (e.g., control channel elements (CCEs)) associated with coded information for a control information format having a given payload size. The search space sets may include a common search space set configured for sending control information to multiple UEs 115 and a UE-specific search space set for sending control information to a specific UE 115.

[0055] Each base station 105 may provide communication coverage via one or more cells, e.g., macro cells, small cells, hot spots, or other types of cells, or any combination thereof. The term "cell" may refer to a logical communication entity used for communication (e.g., on a carrier) with the base station 105 and may be associated with an identifier (e.g., a physical cell identifier (PCID), a virtual cell identifier (VCID), or other) to distinguish neighboring cells. In some examples, a cell may also refer to a geographic coverage area 110 or a portion (e.g., a sector) of a geographic coverage area 110 in which the logical communication entity operates. Such a cell may range from a smaller area (e.g., a structure, a subset of a structure) to a larger area, depending on various factors such as the capabilities of the base station 105. For example, a cell may be or include, among others, a building, a subset of a building, or an outside space between or overlapping with the geographic coverage area 110.

[0056] A macro cell may cover a relatively large geographic area (e.g., a radius of several kilometers) and allow unrestricted access by UEs 115 subscribing to the service of a network provider supporting the macro cell. A small cell may be associated with a lower power base station 105 compared to a macro cell, and the small cell may operate in the same or a different (e.g., licensed, unlicensed) frequency band as the macro cell. A small cell may provide unrestricted access to UEs 115 subscribing to the service of a network provider, or may provide restricted access to UEs 115 that have an association with the small cell (e.g., UEs 115 in a closed subscriber group (CSG), UEs 115 associated with a user in a home or office). A base station 105 may support one or more cells and may support communication on one or more cells using one or more component carriers.

[0057] In some examples, a carrier may support multiple cells, and different cells may be configured according to different protocol types (e.g., MTC, narrowband IoT (NB-IoT), enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB)) that may provide access to different types of devices.

[0058] In some examples, the base stations 105 may be mobile and therefore may provide communication coverage to moving geographic coverage areas 110. In some examples, the different geographic coverage areas 110 associated with different technologies may overlap, but the different geographic coverage areas 110 may be supported by the same base station 105. In other examples, overlapping geographic coverage areas 110 associated with different technologies may be supported by different base stations 105. The wireless communication system 100 may include a heterogeneous network, for example, where different types of base stations 105 provide coverage to various geographic coverage areas 110 using the same or different radio access technologies.

[0059] The wireless communications system 100 may support synchronous or asynchronous operation. For synchronous operation, the base stations 105 may have similar frame timing and transmissions from different base stations 105 may be approximately aligned in time. For asynchronous operation, the base stations 105 may have different frame timing and transmissions from different base stations 105 may not be aligned in time, in some examples. The techniques described herein may be used for either synchronous or asynchronous operation.

[0060] Some UEs 115, such as MTC or IoT devices, may be low-cost or low-complexity devices and may provide automated communication between machines (e.g., via Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communication). M2M communication or MTC may refer to data communication technologies that allow devices to communicate with each other or with the base station 105 without human intervention. In some examples, M2M communication or MTC may include communication from devices that incorporate sensors or meters to measure or capture information and relay that information to a central server or application program that utilizes such information or presents the information to a human who interacts with the application program. Some UEs 115 may be designed to collect information or enable automated behavior of machines or other devices. Examples of applications for MTC devices include smart metering, inventory monitoring, water level monitoring, equipment monitoring, healthcare monitoring, wildlife monitoring, weather and geological event monitoring, fleet management and tracking, remote security sensing, physical access control, and transaction-based business billing.

[0061] Some UEs 115 may be configured to employ operating modes that reduce power consumption, such as half-duplex communication (e.g., a mode that supports one-way communication via transmission or reception, but not simultaneous transmission and reception). In some examples, half-duplex communication may be implemented at a reduced peak rate. Other power saving techniques for the UEs 115 include entering a power saving deep sleep mode when not engaged in active communication, operating over a limited bandwidth (e.g., pursuant to narrowband communication), or a combination of these techniques. For example, some UEs 115 may be configured for operation using a narrowband protocol type associated with a defined portion or range (e.g., a set of subcarriers or resource blocks (RBs)) within a carrier, within a guard band of the carrier, or outside of a carrier.

[0062] The wireless communication system 100 may be configured to support ultra-reliable or low-latency communications, or various combinations thereof. For example, the wireless communication system 100 may be configured to support ultra-reliable low-latency communications (URLLC). The UEs 115 may be designed to support ultra-reliable, low-latency, or critical functions. Ultra-reliable communications may include private or group communications and may be supported by one or more services, such as push-to-talk, video, data, etc. Support for ultra-reliable, low-latency functionality may include service prioritization, and such services may be used for public safety or general commercial applications. The terms ultra-reliable, low latency, and ultra-reliable low latency may be used interchangeably herein.

[0063] In some examples, the UE 115 may also be able to communicate directly with other UEs 115 via a device-to-device (D2D) communication link 135 (e.g., using a peer-to-peer (P2P) protocol or a D2D protocol). 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 not be able to receive transmissions from the base station 105 in some cases. In some examples, a group of UEs 115 communicating via D2D communication may utilize a one-to-many (1:M) system, where each UE 115 transmits to every other UE 115 in the group. In some examples, the base station 105 facilitates scheduling of resources for D2D communication. In other cases, D2D communication is performed between UEs 115 without the involvement of the base station 105.

[0064] In some systems, the D2D communication link 135 may be an example of a communication channel, such as a sidelink communication channel, between vehicles (e.g., UE 115). In some examples, the vehicles may communicate using vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication, or some combination thereof. The vehicles may signal information related to traffic conditions, signal scheduling, weather, safety, emergency situations, or any other information related to the V2X system. In some examples, the vehicles in the V2X system may communicate with roadside infrastructure, such as roadside units, or with a network via one or more network nodes (e.g., base stations 105) using vehicle-to-network (V2N) communication, or both.

[0065] The core network 130 may provide user authentication, access authorization, tracking, Internet Protocol (IP) connectivity, and other access, routing, or mobility functions. The core network 130 may be an evolved packet core (EPC) or a 5G core (5GC), which may include at least one control plane entity (e.g., a mobility management entity (MME), an access and mobility management function (AMF)) that manages access and mobility, and at least one user plane entity (e.g., a serving gateway (S-GW), a Packet Data Network (PDN) gateway (P-GW), or a user plane function (UPF)) that routes packets or interconnects to external networks. The control plane entity may manage non-access stratum (NAS) functions such as mobility, authentication, and bearer management for UEs 115 served by base stations 105 associated with the core network 130. User IP packets may be forwarded through a user plane entity, which may provide IP address allocation as well as other functions. The user plane entity may be connected to IP services 150 for one or more network operators. The IP services 150 may include access to the Internet, an intranet(s), an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), or packet-switched streaming services.

[0066] Some of the network devices, such as the base stations 105, may include subcomponents, such as an access network entity 140, which may be an example of an access node controller (ANC). Each access network entity 140 may communicate with the UE 115 through one or more other access network transmitting entities 145, which may be referred to as a radio head, a smart radio head, or a transmission / reception point (TRP). Each access network transmitting entity 145 may include one or more antenna panels. In some configurations, various functions of each access network entity 140 or base station 105 may be distributed across various network devices (e.g., radio heads and ANCs) or may be integrated into a single network device (e.g., the base station 105).

[0067] The wireless communication system 100 may operate using one or more frequency bands, for example, in the range of 300 MHz to 300 gigahertz (GHz). For example, the 300 MHz to 3 GHz region is known as the ultra-high frequency (UHF) region or decimeter band because the wavelengths range from approximately 1 decimeter to 1 meter in length. Although UHF waves may be blocked or redirected by buildings and environmental features, the waves may penetrate structures well enough 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 waves in the shortwave (high frequency (HF)) or very high frequency (VHF) portions of the spectrum below 300 MHz.

[0068] The wireless communication system 100 may also operate in the super high frequency (SHF) region, also known as the centimeter band, using a frequency band from 3 GHz to 30 GHz, or in the extremely high frequency (EHF) region of the spectrum, also known as the millimeter band (e.g., from 30 GHz to 300 GHz). In some examples, the wireless communication system 100 may support mmW communications between the UE 115 and the base station 105, and the EHF antennas of the respective devices may be smaller and more closely spaced than the UHF antennas. In some examples, this may facilitate the use of antenna arrays within the devices. However, propagation of EHF transmissions may experience more atmospheric attenuation and may be shorter distances than SHF or UHF transmissions. The techniques disclosed herein may be employed over transmissions using one or more different frequency regions, and the designated use of the bands over these frequency regions may vary by country or regulatory body.

[0069] The wireless communication system 100 may utilize both licensed and unlicensed radio frequency spectrum bands. For example, the wireless communication system 100 may employ License Assisted Access (LAA), unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band radio access technology, or NR technology in an unlicensed band, such as the 5 GHz Industrial, Scientific, and Medical (ISM) band. When operating in an unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band, devices such as the base station 105 and the UE 115 may utilize carrier sensing for collision detection and avoidance. In some examples, operation in an unlicensed band may be based on a carrier aggregation configuration in conjunction with a component carrier operating in a licensed band (e.g., LAA). Operation in an unlicensed spectrum may include downlink transmissions, uplink transmissions, P2P transmissions, or D2D transmissions, among other examples.

[0070] The base station 105 or UE 115 may be equipped with multiple antennas that may be used to utilize techniques such as transmit diversity, receive diversity, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) communications, or beamforming. The antennas of the base station 105 or UE 115 may be located in one or more antenna arrays or antenna panels that may support MIMO operations or transmit or receive beamforming. For example, one or more base station antennas or antenna arrays may be collocated in an antenna assembly such as an antenna tower. In some examples, the antennas or antenna arrays associated with the base station 105 may be located in various geographic locations. The base station 105 may have an antenna array with several rows and columns of antenna ports that the base station 105 may use to support beamforming of communications with the UE 115. Similarly, the UE 115 may have one or more antenna arrays that may support various MIMO or beamforming operations. Additionally or alternatively, the antenna panels may support radio frequency beamforming for signals transmitted through the antenna ports.

[0071] A base station 105 or a UE 115 may use MIMO communications to exploit multipath signal propagation and increase spectral efficiency by transmitting or receiving multiple signals via different spatial layers. Such techniques may be referred to as spatial multiplexing. Multiple signals may be transmitted by a transmitting device via, for example, 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. Each of the multiple signals may be referred to as a separate spatial stream and may carry bits related to the same data stream (e.g., the same codeword) or different data streams (e.g., different codewords). Different spatial layers may be associated with different antenna ports used for channel measurement and reporting. MIMO techniques include single-user MIMO (SU-MIMO), in which multiple spatial layers are transmitted to the same receiving device, and multiple-user MIMO (MU-MIMO), in which multiple spatial layers are transmitted to multiple devices.

[0072] Beamforming, sometimes referred to as spatial filtering, directional transmission, or directional reception, is a signal processing technique that may be used in a transmitting or receiving device (e.g., base station 105, UE 115) to shape or steer an antenna beam (e.g., transmit beam, receive beam) along a spatial path between the transmitting device and the receiving device. Beamforming may be achieved by combining signals communicated through antenna elements of an antenna array such that some signals propagating in some orientations relative to the antenna array are subject to constructive interference and other signals are subject to destructive interference. Adjustment of signals communicated through antenna elements may include a transmitting or receiving device applying an amplitude offset, a phase offset, or both to signals conveyed through an antenna element associated with the device. The adjustment associated with each of the antenna elements may be defined by a beamforming weight set associated with some orientations (e.g., relative to the antenna array of the transmitting or receiving device, or relative to some other orientation).

[0073] The base station 105 or the UE 115 may use beam sweeping techniques as part of a beamforming operation. For example, the base station 105 may use multiple antennas or antenna arrays (e.g., antenna panels) to perform a beamforming operation for directional communication with the UE 115. Some signals (e.g., synchronization signals, reference signals, beam selection signals, or other control signals) may be transmitted by the base station 105 multiple times in different directions. For example, the base station 105 may transmit signals according to different beamforming weight sets associated with different directions of transmission. The transmissions in different beam directions may be used (e.g., by a transmitting device such as the base station 105 or by a receiving device such as the UE 115) to identify beam directions for later transmission or reception by the base station 105.

[0074] Some signals, such as data signals associated with a receiving device, may be transmitted by the base station 105 in a single beam direction (e.g., a direction associated with a receiving device, such as the UE 115). In some examples, the beam direction associated with a transmission along the single beam direction may be determined based on the signals transmitted in one or more beam directions. For example, the UE 115 may receive one or more of the signals transmitted by the base station 105 in different directions and may report to the base station 105 an indication of the signal that the UE 115 received with the highest signal quality or possibly an acceptable signal quality.

[0075] In some examples, transmission by a device (e.g., by the base station 105 or the UE 115) may be performed using multiple beam directions, and the device may use a combination of digital precoding or radio frequency beamforming to generate a combined beam for transmission (e.g., from the base station 105 to the UE 115). The UE 115 may report feedback indicating precoding weights for one or more beam directions, and the feedback may correspond to a configured number of beams across the system bandwidth or one or more subbands. The base station 105 may transmit a reference signal (e.g., cell-specific reference signal (CRS), channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS)) that may or may not be precoded. The UE 115 may provide feedback for beam selection, which may be a precoding matrix indicator (PMI) or codebook-based feedback (e.g., multi-panel type codebook, linear combination type codebook, port selection type codebook). Although these techniques are described with reference to signals transmitted by the base station 105 in one or more directions, the UE 115 may employ similar techniques to transmit a signal multiple times in different directions (e.g., to identify a beam direction for subsequent transmission or reception by the UE 115) or to transmit a signal in a single direction (e.g., to transmit data to a receiving device).

[0076] 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 the 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 the 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). The single receive configuration may be aligned to a beam direction determined based on listening with different receive configuration directions (e.g., a beam direction determined to have the highest signal strength, the highest signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), or possibly acceptable signal quality based on listening with multiple beam directions).

[0077] The wireless communication system 100 may be a packet-based network that operates according to a layered protocol stack. In the user plane, communication at the bearer or Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer may be IP-based. The Radio Link Control (RLC) layer may perform packet segmentation and reassembly to communicate on logical channels. The Medium Access Control (MAC) layer may perform priority handling and multiplexing of logical channels into transport channels. The MAC layer may also use error detection techniques, error correction techniques, or both to support retransmissions at the MAC layer to improve link efficiency. In the control plane, the Radio Resource Control (RRC) protocol layer may establish, configure, and maintain an RRC connection between the UE 115 and the base station 105 or core network 130, which supports radio bearers for user plane data. In the physical layer, the transport channels may be mapped to physical channels.

[0078] The UE 115 and the base station 105 may support retransmission of data to increase the likelihood of successful reception of the data. Hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) feedback is one technique for increasing the likelihood that data is correctly received on the communication link 125. HARQ may include a combination of error detection (e.g., using a cyclic redundancy check (CRC)), forward error correction (FEC), and retransmission (e.g., automatic repeat request (ARQ)). HARQ may improve throughput at the MAC layer in poor radio conditions (e.g., low signal-to-noise conditions). In some examples, a device may support same-slot HARQ feedback, in which the device may provide HARQ feedback in a particular slot for data received in a previous symbol in that slot. In other cases, the device may provide HARQ feedback in a subsequent slot or according to some other time interval.

[0079] In some examples of the wireless communication system 100, a communication device (e.g., UE 115 or base station 105) may identify a set of beam level selection parameters. The set of beam level selection parameters may include traffic information, channel information, application information, or any combination thereof. The communication device (e.g., UE 115 or base station 105) may select a beam level from the set of beam levels that is different from a baseline beam level associated with the wireless communication based on the identified set of beam level selection parameters. The selected beam level may be associated with a number of antenna elements that is different from the number of antenna elements associated with the baseline beam level. The communication device (e.g., UE 115 or base station 105) may perform the wireless communication based on the selected beam level. Thus, the communication device (e.g., UE 115 or base station 105) may reduce power consumption and thermal costs, thereby increasing battery life, among other benefits.

[0080] 2 illustrates an example of a wireless communication system 200 supporting techniques for adaptive beam level selection in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. The wireless communication system 200 may implement or be implemented by one or more aspects of the wireless communication system 100. For example, the wireless communication system 200 may include a UE 215 and a base station 205, which may be examples of corresponding devices described with reference to FIG. 1. The UE 215 and the base station 205 may communicate within a geographic coverage area 210, which may be an example of the geographic coverage area 110 described with reference to FIG.

[0081] In the example of FIG. 2, the UE 215 may support beamforming to reduce propagation loss of signals transmitted between the UE 215 and the base station 205. For example, some wireless communication channels, such as mmW channels, may suffer from relatively high propagation loss. In some examples, such propagation loss may be addressed (e.g., reduced) by using beamforming (e.g., at both the UE 215 and the base station 205). Thus, the UE 215 may select one or more beams (e.g., having a relatively narrow width) to improve reception of the signal. For example, to improve reception of an uplink signal at the base station 205, the UE 215 may use a relatively narrow (e.g., fine) transmit beam for uplink transmission. Additionally or alternatively, the UE 215 may select (e.g., determine to use) a relatively narrow receive beam to improve reception of a downlink signal (e.g., transmitted from the base station 205) at the UE 215.

[0082] In some examples, the UE 215 may determine to use (e.g., generate) a relatively narrow beam (e.g., beam 211) by increasing the number of active antenna elements at the UE 215. For example, the UE 215 may include an antenna panel 220 having a plurality of antenna elements 221. The UE 215 may generate a relatively narrow beam (e.g., beam 211) by increasing the number of antenna elements 221 used for wireless communication and generate a relatively wide beam (e.g., beam 212) by decreasing the number of antenna elements 221 used for wireless communication. That is, the number of active antenna elements used to generate beam 211 may be increased compared to the number of antenna elements used to generate beam 212.

[0083] In some examples, the width of the beam (e.g., the number of active antenna elements) may depend on the beam level. For example, a beam at level (n) may have a number of elements (e.g., 2 (n-1)), where each element may be connected to an antenna element (e.g., an individual antenna element). The UE 215 may change (e.g., refine, adjust) the width (e.g., granularity) of the beam by adjusting the beam level of the corresponding beam. In some examples, the performance (e.g., throughput) of the UE 215 may depend on the selection (e.g., adjustment) of the beam level. That is, the throughput (e.g., uplink throughput) may depend on (e.g., be proportional to) the beam level (e.g., the number of active elements) used by the UE 215 for communication. Thus, by increasing the number of active antenna elements (e.g., by adjusting the beam level), the UE 215 may improve the throughput of wireless communication between the UE 215 and the base station 205.

[0084] However, increasing the number of active antenna elements at the UE 215 may increase the power consumption and thermal cost at the UE 215. For example, the power consumption and thermal cost at the UE 215 may depend on (e.g., be proportional to) the beam level (e.g., the number of active elements used for communication). Thus, the power consumption (e.g., and thermal cost) at the UE 215 may be determined by the beam level (e.g., the number of active antenna elements). That is, the beam level selected by the UE 215 to transmit or receive a signal (e.g., transmit an uplink signal or receive a downlink signal) may affect the throughput of the corresponding communication (e.g., uplink communication or downlink communication) and the thermal cost at the UE 215. Furthermore, adjusting the granularity of the beam (e.g., by adjusting the beam level) may not improve the performance of the wireless communication between the UE 215 and the base station 205. For example, the UE 215 may determine to use beam 212 based on downlink performance measured at the UE 215, but the UE 215 may not consider uplink performance or other factors associated with wireless communications at the UE 215. Thus, the performance of the UE 215 may not be improved by using beam 211 (e.g., a relatively narrow beam).

[0085] However, in some examples, the UE 215 may adaptively select a beam level (e.g., associated with the number of antenna elements 221) based on (e.g., by taking into account) one or more factors (e.g., parameters) associated with the performance of the UE 215. For example, the UE 215 may adaptively select a beam level based on the UE 215's uplink traffic, the channel quality of the wireless communication between the UE 215 and the base station 205, and the throughput (e.g., of an application at the UE 215). In some examples, the UE 215 may reduce power consumption and improve performance by selecting a beam level (e.g., number of elements) such that the throughput (e.g., uplink throughput) supported by the UE 215 (e.g., for a duration) may match (e.g., may be greater than or equal to) a threshold throughput (e.g., throughput achieved with a maximum number of antenna elements or an otherwise acceptable number of antenna elements). That is, techniques for adaptively selecting an uplink beam level (e.g., or a downlink beam level) may enable the UE 215 to conserve (e.g., store) a relatively large amount (e.g., a maximum or otherwise acceptable amount) of power and improve thermal behavior while achieving comparable or improved performance relative to wireless communication techniques that use a relatively large number (e.g., a maximum or otherwise acceptable number) of antenna elements for wireless communication (e.g., over a relatively long duration).

[0086] In some examples, the UE 215 may determine (e.g., adaptively select) a beam level based on a set of beam level selection parameters 225 identified by the UE 215. For example, the UE 215 may identify a set of beam level selection parameters 225 associated with uplink traffic of the UE 215, a channel quality of wireless communication between the UE 215 and the base station 205, a throughput of an application at the UE 215, or any combination thereof. The UE 215 may select a beam level (e.g., from a set of beam levels) associated with a plurality of antenna elements 221 based on the identified set of beam level selection parameters 225. The number of antenna elements 221 associated with the selected beam level may differ from the number of antenna elements 221 associated with a baseline beam level (e.g., an initial or previous beam level used for communication with the base station 205). The UE 215 may perform wireless communication with the base station 205 based on the selected beam level. Thus, the UE 215 may reduce power consumption and thermal costs, thereby increasing battery life in the UE 215, among other benefits.

[0087] 3A, 3B, and 3C illustrate examples of beam levels 300 (e.g., beam level 300-a, beam level 300-b, and beam level 300-c, respectively) that support techniques for adaptive beam level selection according to various aspects of the present disclosure. The beam levels 300 (e.g., beam level 300-a, beam level 300-b, and beam level 300-c, respectively) may be implemented in or by one or more aspects of the wireless communication system 100 and the wireless communication system 200. For example, the beam levels 300 may be implemented in or by the UE 115 or the base station 105, which may be examples of corresponding devices described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

[0088] In some examples, a communication device (e.g., UE 115) may adaptively select a beam level for wireless communication with another communication device (e.g., base station 105). The level (n) of the beam may be determined by the number of antenna elements (e.g., 2 (n-1) 3A, beam level 300-a may correspond to beam level (n=1), where antenna panel 320-a may include active antenna elements 322. In the example of FIG. 3B, beam level 300-b may correspond to beam level (n=2), where antenna panel 320-b may include two active antenna elements 322. In the example of FIG. 3C, beam level 300-c may correspond to beam level (n=3), where antenna panel 320-c may include four active antenna elements 322. It should be understood that the beam levels described herein may vary based on the implementation of one or more devices (e.g., UE 115, base station 105, or both), and the examples described herein should not be construed as limiting the scope of the claims or the present disclosure.

[0089] In some examples, the UE 115 may adaptively select a beam level (e.g., beam level 300-a, beam level 300-b, or beam level 300-c) based on a set of one or more beam level selection parameters identified by the UE 115. For example, uplink traffic information (e.g., an amount of data to be sent by the UE 115) may be identified (e.g., may be available at the UE 115) at the UE 115, but downlink traffic information may not be available at the UE 115. Thus, the beam level selection parameters may include (e.g., the beam level selected by the UE 115 may depend on) an amount of traffic served in the uplink direction (e.g., at the UE 115), an uplink channel quality (e.g., one or more uplink channel quality information determined at the UE 115), or an application at the UE 115 (e.g., running on the UE 115). In some examples, the uplink channel quality information (e.g., determined at the UE 115) may include a virtual power headroom (VPHR), an estimated signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), an estimated spectral power efficiency (SPEFF), throughput (e.g., uplink throughput), and information associated with an application running at the UE 115. In some examples, the uplink channel quality information (e.g., one or more uplink channel quality metrics such as SNR and SPEFF) may depend on network capabilities at the base station 105.

[0090] In some examples, the UE 115 may determine that increasing the beam level (e.g., the number of active antenna elements 322) may not improve channel quality (e.g., may not improve one or more metrics associated with VPHR, SNR, SPEFF, or throughput). In such examples, the UE 115 may determine that the channel conditions are favorable and may refrain from adjusting the beam level (e.g., may determine to use a baseline beam level). Additionally or alternatively, the UE 115 may determine (e.g., consider) a beam level adjustment based on a change in the throughput of an application (e.g., a bin rate of the application), a throughput of an application (e.g., a real-time throughput) that meets a threshold (e.g., greater than, equal to, or less than the throughput supporting the application), or both. In some examples, a relatively low throughput (e.g., a throughput of about 1-10 Megabits per second (Mbps)) may support web browsing or voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), a relatively average throughput (e.g., a throughput of about 10-100 Mbps) may support 4000 pixel (4K) video streaming, and a relatively high throughput (e.g., a throughput of about 100 Mbps or greater) may support speed testing or relatively large file downloads. In some examples, by adaptively selecting a beam level (e.g., associated with the active antenna elements 322) based on one or more beam level selection parameters, the UE 115 may reduce power consumption and thermal costs, among other benefits.

[0091] FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a process flow 400 supporting a technique for adaptive beam level selection according to various aspects of the disclosure. The process flow 400 may embody or be performed by one or more aspects of the wireless communication system 100 and the wireless communication system 200. For example, the process flow 400 may include a UE 415 and a base station 405, which may be examples of corresponding devices described with reference to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. The process flow 400 may be performed by the UE 415, the base station 405, or both. In the following description of the process flow 400, operations between the UE 415 and the base station 405 may occur in a different order or at different times than shown. Some operations may also be omitted from the process flow 400, and other operations may be added to the process flow 400.

[0092] At 420, the UE 415 may receive one or more reference signals from the base station 405 in some examples. For example, the UE 415 may perform beam sweeping (e.g., beam sweeping operations) on the reference signals (e.g., synchronization signal blocks (SSBs), CSI-RS, or physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) demodulation reference signals (DMRSs)) to estimate one or more channel quality metrics (e.g., reference signal received power (RSRP), SNR, SPEFF, or throughput) for each beam level of the set of beam levels. The beam levels may be examples of the beam levels described with reference to FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 3C. In some examples, at 425, the UE 415 may determine a baseline (e.g., initial) beam level based on the beam sweeping operation (e.g., one or more channel quality metrics determined from the beam sweeping operation). For example, the UE 415 may initialize communications (e.g., with the base station 405) using a baseline number of antenna elements (e.g., a maximum number of elements or an otherwise suitable number of antenna elements) associated with a baseline beam level (e.g., a highest or otherwise allowable beam level determined from a codebook at the UE 415).

[0093] At 430, the UE 415 may identify a set of beam level selection parameters. The beam level selection parameters may be examples of the beam level selection parameters described with reference to Figures 3A, 3B, and 3C. For example, the set of beam level selection parameters may include traffic information (e.g., uplink traffic information), channel information, application information, or any combination thereof. At 435, the UE 415 may select a beam level (e.g., from a set of beam levels) based on the identified set of beam level selection parameters. In some examples, the selected beam level may be associated with a number of antenna elements different from the number of antenna elements associated with the baseline beam level. For example, the UE 415 may select a beam level with an increased number of antenna elements or a decreased level of antenna elements compared to the number of antenna elements associated with the baseline beam level.

[0094] In some examples, the UE 415 may adjust the beam level if one or more of the beam level selection parameters meet a threshold. That is, the UE 415 may select an increased beam level associated with an increased number of antenna elements or a reduced beam level associated with a reduced number of antenna elements (e.g., compared to the number of antenna elements associated with a baseline beam level) if one or more of the beam level selection parameters meet a threshold. For example, the UE 415 may adjust the beam level if the determined uplink data in a memory buffer associated with the UE 415 meets (e.g., is less than, equal to, or greater than) a threshold. Additionally or alternatively, the UE 415 may adjust the beam level if one or more channel quality metrics (e.g., throughput, SPEFF, SNR, or VPHR) meet (e.g., is less than, equal to, or greater than) a threshold. In some examples, one or more channel quality metrics may change in opposite directions. For example, a first channel quality metric may increase and a second channel quality metric may decrease. In such an example, the UE 415 may determine a respective priority and ranking for each of the one or more channel quality metrics (e.g., based on the respective priorities) and thus may adjust the beam level based on the changes in the one or more beam quality metrics and the ranking of the one or more channel quality metrics.

[0095] Additionally or alternatively, the UE 415 may adjust the beam level if the throughput of the application switches from a reduced bin rate to an increased bin rate or if the estimated (e.g., real-time) throughput of the application meets (e.g., is below) a threshold. In some examples, multiple thresholds may be used (e.g., determined, configured, defined) for each of one or more beam level selection parameters. In some examples, multiple thresholds may be determined for multiple (e.g., different) step sizes (e.g., of beam levels). In some examples, the step size of the beam levels may be about 1 or may be a number greater than about 1. Additionally or alternatively, one or more beam level selection metrics may be collected (e.g., identified, measured) within a time window that may cover (e.g., span) a duration (e.g., a previous duration).

[0096] In some examples, the UE 415 may select an increased beam level associated with an increased number of antenna elements (e.g., compared to the number of antenna elements associated with a baseline beam level) if the determined uplink data in a memory buffer associated with the UE 415 is greater than a threshold, one or more of the channel quality metrics are greater than a threshold, the bin rate of the application increases, the throughput of the application is less than a threshold, or any combination thereof. Additionally or alternatively, the UE 415 may select a reduced beam level associated with a reduced number of antenna elements (e.g., compared to the number of antenna elements associated with a baseline beam level) if the determined uplink data in a memory buffer associated with the UE 415 is less than a threshold, one or more of the channel quality metrics are less than a threshold, the bin rate of the application decreases, the throughput of the application is greater than a threshold, or any combination thereof.

[0097] At 440, the UE 415 may perform wireless communications based on (e.g., using) the selected beam level. For example, at 445, the UE 415 may transmit one or more signals (e.g., uplink signals) to the base station 405 using a beam (e.g., selected beam) generated at the selected beam level. In some examples, the received power (e.g., of the uplink signal transmitted from the UE 415) may depend on the width of the selected beam (and the corresponding number of antenna elements used to generate the selected beam). For example, the received power at the base station 405 may increase as the width of the selected beam decreases (e.g., as the beam level increases). In some examples, the selected beam (e.g., and the received power at the base station 405) may depend on a multi-level coding scheme used by the UE 415 (e.g., for scheduled data), the temperature (e.g., thermal trigger at the UE 415), and the channel conditions (e.g., path loss between the UE 415 and the base station 405). In some examples, by selecting a beam level based on one or more beam level selection parameters, the UE 415 may improve battery life (e.g., save power by about 50 percent, or by a percentage less than or greater than 50 percent) and may improve the efficiency of radio frequency hardware in the UE 415 (e.g., use RF hardware optionally or operate the RF hardware with reduced capacity).

[0098] 5 illustrates a block diagram 500 of a device 505 supporting techniques for adaptive beam level selection in accordance with various aspects of the disclosure. The device 505 may be an example of an aspect of a UE 115 described herein. The device 505 may include a receiver 510, a transmitter 515, and a communications manager 520. The device 505 may also include a processor. Each of these components may be in communication with each other (e.g., via one or more buses).

[0099] The receiver 510 may provide a means for receiving information such as packets, user data, control information, or any combination thereof associated with various information channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, information channels related to techniques for adaptive beam level selection). The information may be passed to other components of the device 505. The receiver 510 may utilize a single antenna or a set of multiple antennas.

[0100] The transmitter 515 may provide a means for transmitting signals generated by other components of the device 505. For example, the transmitter 515 may transmit information such as packets associated with various traffic channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, traffic channels related to techniques for adaptive beam level selection), user data, control information, or any combination thereof. In some examples, the transmitter 515 may be co-located with the receiver 510 in a transceiver component. The transmitter 515 may utilize a single antenna or a set of multiple antennas.

[0101] The communications manager 520, the receiver 510, the transmitter 515, or various combinations or components thereof may be examples of means for performing various aspects of the techniques for adaptive beam level selection described herein. For example, the communications manager 520, the receiver 510, the transmitter 515, or various combinations or components thereof may support a method for performing one or more of the functions described herein.

[0102] In some examples, the communications manager 520, the receiver 510, the transmitter 515, or various combinations or components thereof may be implemented in hardware (e.g., in a communications management circuit). The hardware may include a 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 configured as or otherwise supporting a means for performing the functions described in this disclosure. In some examples, the processor and a memory coupled to the processor may be configured to perform one or more of the functions described herein (e.g., by the processor executing instructions stored in the memory).

[0103] Additionally or alternatively, in some examples, the communications manager 520, the receiver 510, the transmitter 515, or various combinations or components thereof may be implemented in code executed by a processor (e.g., as communications management software or firmware). When implemented in code executed by a processor, the functions of the communications manager 520, the receiver 510, the transmitter 515, or various combinations or components thereof may be performed by a general purpose processor (e.g., configured as or otherwise supporting a means for performing the functions described in this disclosure), a DSP, a central processing unit (CPU), an ASIC, an FPGA, or any combination of these or other programmable logic devices.

[0104] In some examples, the communications manager 520 may be configured to perform various operations (e.g., receiving, monitoring, transmitting) using or otherwise cooperating with the receiver 510, the transmitter 515, or both. For example, the communications manager 520 may receive information from the receiver 510, transmit information to the transmitter 515, or may be integrated in combination with the receiver 510, the transmitter 515, or both, or may receive information, transmit information, or perform various other operations described herein.

[0105] The communications manager 520 may support wireless communications in a UE (e.g., device 505) according to examples disclosed herein. For example, the communications manager 520 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for identifying a set of beam level selection parameters, the set of beam level selection parameters including traffic information, channel information, application information, or any combination thereof. The communications manager 520 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for selecting, from the set of beam levels based on the identified set of beam level selection parameters, a beam level that is different from a baseline beam level associated with the wireless communications, the selected beam level being associated with a number of antenna elements that is different from the number of antenna elements associated with the baseline beam level. The communications manager 520 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for performing the wireless communications based on the selected beam level.

[0106] By including or configuring a communications manager 520 according to examples described herein, the device 505 (e.g., a processor controlling or otherwise coupled to the receiver 510, the transmitter 515, the communications manager 520, or a combination thereof) may support techniques for reducing thermal costs and reducing power consumption.

[0107] 6 illustrates a block diagram 600 of a device 605 supporting techniques for adaptive beam level selection in accordance with various aspects of the disclosure. The device 605 may be an example of an aspect of a device 505 or a UE 115 described herein. The device 605 may include a receiver 610, a transmitter 615, and a communications manager 620. The device 605 may also include a processor. Each of these components may be in communication with one another (e.g., via one or more buses).

[0108] The receiver 610 may provide a means for receiving information, such as packets, user data, control information, or any combination thereof, associated with various traffic channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, traffic channels related to techniques for adaptive beam level selection). The information may be passed to other components of the device 605. The receiver 610 may utilize a single antenna or a set of multiple antennas.

[0109] The transmitter 615 may provide a means for transmitting signals generated by other components of the device 605. For example, the transmitter 615 may transmit information such as packets associated with various traffic channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, traffic channels related to techniques for adaptive beam level selection), user data, control information, or any combination thereof. In some examples, the transmitter 615 may be co-located with the receiver 610 in a transceiver component. The transmitter 615 may utilize a single antenna or a set of multiple antennas.

[0110] The device 605, or various components thereof, may be an example of a means for performing various aspects of the techniques for adaptive beam level selection described herein. For example, the communications manager 620 may include a parameters component 625, a beam level component 630, a communications component 635, or any combination thereof. The communications manager 620 may be an example of an aspect of the communications manager 520 described herein. In some examples, the communications manager 620, or various components thereof, may be configured to perform various operations (e.g., receiving, monitoring, transmitting) using or otherwise cooperating with the receiver 610, the transmitter 615, or both. For example, the communications manager 620 may receive information from the receiver 610, transmit information to the transmitter 615, or be integrated in combination with the receiver 610, the transmitter 615, or both, or may receive information, transmit information, or perform various other operations described herein.

[0111] The communications manager 620 may support wireless communications in a UE (e.g., device 605) according to examples disclosed herein. The parameters component 625 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for identifying a set of beam level selection parameters, the set of beam level selection parameters including traffic information, channel information, application information, or any combination thereof. The beam level component 630 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for selecting, from the set of beam levels based on the identified set of beam level selection parameters, a beam level that differs from a baseline beam level associated with the wireless communications, the selected beam level being associated with a number of antenna elements that differs from the number of antenna elements associated with the baseline beam level. The communications component 635 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for performing wireless communications based on the selected beam level.

[0112] 7 illustrates a block diagram 700 of a communications manager 720 supporting techniques for adaptive beam level selection according to various aspects of the disclosure. Communications manager 720 may be an example of aspects of communications manager 520, communications manager 620, or both described herein. Communications manager 720, or various components thereof, may be an example of a means for performing various aspects of techniques for adaptive beam level selection described herein. For example, communications manager 720 may include a parameters component 725, a beam level component 730, a communications component 735, a data component 740, a channel component 745, a priority component 750, a throughput component 755, a rate component 760, an antenna component 765, a rank component 770, a signal component 775, or any combination thereof. Each of these components may communicate directly or indirectly with each other (e.g., via one or more buses).

[0113] The communications manager 720 may support wireless communications in a UE according to examples disclosed herein. The parameters component 725 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for identifying a set of beam level selection parameters, the set of beam level selection parameters including traffic information, channel information, application information, or any combination thereof. The beam level component 730 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for selecting, from the set of beam levels based on the identified set of beam level selection parameters, a beam level that differs from a baseline beam level associated with the wireless communications, the selected beam level being associated with a number of antenna elements that differs from the number of antenna elements associated with the baseline beam level. The communications component 735 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for performing wireless communications based on the selected beam level.

[0114] In some examples, the parameters component 725 may be configured or otherwise support a means for determining a respective threshold value for one or more beam level selection parameters of the identified set of beam level selection parameters. In some examples, the beam level component 730 may be configured or otherwise support a means for selecting a beam level of a set of beam levels associated with the wireless communication based on the determined respective threshold value for one or more beam level selection parameters of the identified set of beam level selection parameters. In some examples, the selected beam level of the set of beam levels corresponds to a first number of antenna elements of the UE based on the respective threshold value for one or more beam level selection parameters of the identified set of beam level selection parameters being greater than a threshold value. In some examples, the selected beam level of the set of beam levels corresponds to a second number of antenna elements of the UE based on the respective threshold value for one or more beam level selection parameters of the identified set of beam level selection parameters being less than a threshold value, the first number of antenna elements being greater than the second number of antenna elements.

[0115] In some examples, the antenna component 765 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for performing wireless communications using an increased number of antenna elements of the UE relative to a baseline number of antenna elements at the UE based on a respective threshold value for one or more beam level selection parameters of the identified set of beam level selection parameters being greater than a threshold value. In some examples, the antenna component 765 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for performing wireless communications using a decreased number of antenna elements of the UE relative to a baseline number of antenna elements at the UE based on a respective threshold value for one or more beam level selection parameters of the identified set of beam level selection parameters being less than a threshold value.

[0116] In some examples, the respective thresholds for one or more beam level selection parameters of the identified set of beam level selection parameters are based on a step size associated with a selected beam level of the set of beam levels. In some examples, the parameters component 725 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for determining a set of beam level selection parameters for a time window based on a configuration. In some examples, the data component 740 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for determining uplink data in a memory buffer associated with the UE based on traffic information. In some examples, the beam level component 730 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for selecting a beam level of a set of beam levels associated with the wireless communication based on determined uplink data in a memory buffer associated with the UE.

[0117] In some examples, the selected beam level of the set of beam levels corresponds to a first number of antenna elements of the UE based on the determined uplink data in a memory buffer associated with the UE being greater than a threshold. In some examples, the selected beam level of the set of beam levels corresponds to a second number of antenna elements of the UE based on the determined uplink data in a memory buffer associated with the UE being less than a threshold, the first number of antenna elements being greater than the second number of antenna elements. In some examples, the channel component 745 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for determining a channel metric associated with the UE based on the channel information, the channel metric corresponding to an uplink channel or a downlink channel, or both. In some examples, the beam level component 730 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for selecting a beam level of the set of beam levels associated with the wireless communication based on the determined channel metric associated with the UE.

[0118] In some examples, the determined channel metric includes virtual power headroom information, signal-to-noise ratio information, spectral efficiency information, throughput, or any combination thereof. In some examples, the selected beam level of the set of beam levels corresponds to a first number of antenna elements for the UE based on a channel metric associated with the UE being greater than a threshold. In some examples, the selected beam level of the set of beam levels corresponds to a second number of antenna elements for the UE based on a channel metric associated with the UE being less than a threshold, and the first number of antenna elements is greater than the second number of antenna elements.

[0119] In some examples, the channel component 745 may be configured or otherwise support a means for determining a set of uplink channel metrics associated with the UE based on channel information, the determined set of uplink channel metrics including VPHR information, SNR information, SPEFF information, throughput, or any combination thereof. In some examples, the priority component 750 may be configured or otherwise support a means for determining a respective priority of each uplink channel metric of the determined set of uplink channel metrics. In some examples, the beam level component 730 may be configured or otherwise support a means for selecting a beam level of a set of beam levels associated with the wireless communication based on a determined respective priority of each uplink channel metric of the determined set of uplink channel metrics. In some examples, the rank component 770 may be configured or otherwise support a means for ranking each uplink channel metric of the determined set of uplink channel metrics according to a respective priority of each uplink channel metric of the determined set of uplink channel metrics and based on each uplink channel metric of the determined set of uplink channel metrics being less than or greater than a respective threshold value.

[0120] In some examples, the throughput component 755 may be configured or otherwise support a means for determining a throughput of an application associated with the UE based on the application information. In some examples, the beam level component 730 may be configured or otherwise support a means for selecting a beam level of a set of beam levels associated with the wireless communication based on a determined throughput of the application associated with the UE. In some examples, the selected beam level of the set of beam levels corresponds to a first number of antenna elements of the UE based on a determined throughput of the application associated with the UE being greater than a threshold. In some examples, the selected beam level of the set of beam levels corresponds to a second number of antenna elements of the UE based on a determined throughput of the application associated with the UE being less than a threshold, the first number of antenna elements being less than the second number of antenna elements. In some examples, the determined throughput of the application associated with the UE corresponds to an estimated throughput of the application associated with the UE.

[0121] In some examples, the rate component 760 may be configured or otherwise support a means for determining a bin rate of an application associated with the UE based on the application information. In some examples, the beam level component 730 may be configured or otherwise support a means for selecting a beam level of a set of beam levels associated with the wireless communication based on a determined bin rate of an application associated with the UE. In some examples, the selected beam level of the set of beam levels corresponds to a first number of antenna elements of the UE based on the determined bin rate of the application associated with the UE being greater than a threshold. In some examples, the selected beam level of the set of beam levels corresponds to a second number of antenna elements of the UE based on the determined bin rate of the application associated with the UE being less than a threshold, the first number of antenna elements being greater than the second number of antenna elements.

[0122] In some examples, the beam level component 730 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for determining a baseline beam level associated with the wireless communication based on a beam sweeping operation associated with the set of reference signals and a set of quality metrics associated with the set of reference signals. In some examples, the beam level component 730 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for selecting a beam level from a set of beam levels associated with the wireless communication based on the determined baseline beam level. In some examples, the baseline beam level differs from the selected beam level.

[0123] In some examples, the signal component 775 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for receiving a set of reference signals based on a beam sweeping operation. In some examples, the beam level component 730 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for determining one or more quality metrics of a set of quality metrics for each beam level of the set of beam levels based on a received set of reference signals. In some examples, the beam level component 730 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for determining a baseline beam level from a set of beam levels associated with a wireless communication based on one or more quality metrics determined for each beam level of the set of beam levels. In some examples, the set of reference signals includes SSB, CSI-RS, DMRS, or any combination thereof. In some examples, the set of quality metrics includes RSRP, SNR, SPEFF, throughput, or any combination thereof.

[0124] FIG. 8 illustrates a diagram of a system 800 including a device 805 supporting techniques for adaptive beam level selection according to various aspects of the disclosure. The device 805 may be an example of or may include components of the device 505, device 605, or UE 115 described herein. The device 805 may wirelessly communicate with one or more base stations 105, UE 115, or any combination thereof. The device 805 may include components for two-way voice and data communication, including components for transmitting and receiving communications, such as a communications manager 820, an input / output (I / O) controller 810, a transceiver 815, an antenna 825, a memory 830, code 835, and a processor 840. These components may be in electronic communication or otherwise coupled (e.g., operatively, communicatively, functionally, electronically, electrically) via one or more buses (e.g., bus 845).

[0125] The I / O controller 810 may manage input and output signals for the device 805. The I / O controller 810 may also manage peripheral devices that are not integrated with the device 805. In some cases, the I / O controller 810 may represent a physical connection or port to an external peripheral device. In some cases, the I / O controller 810 may utilize an operating system such as iOS®, ANDROID®, MS-DOS®, MS-WINDOWS®, OS / 2®, UNIX®, LINUX®, or another known operating system. Additionally or alternatively, the I / O controller 810 may represent or interact with a modem, keyboard, mouse, touch screen, or similar device. In some cases, the I / O controller 810 may be implemented as part of a processor, such as the processor 840. In some cases, a user may interact with the device 805 through the I / O controller 810 or through hardware components controlled by the I / O controller 810.

[0126] In some cases, the device 805 may include one antenna 825. However, in some other cases, the device 805 may have two or more antennas 825 that may be capable of simultaneously transmitting or receiving multiple wireless transmissions. The transceiver 815 may communicate bidirectionally via one or more antennas 825, a wired link, or a wireless link as described herein. For example, the transceiver 815 may represent a wireless transceiver and may communicate bidirectionally with another wireless transceiver. The transceiver 815 may also include a modem for modulating packets and providing the modulated packets to the one or more antennas 825 for transmission, and for demodulating packets received from the one or more antennas 825. The transceiver 815, or the transceiver 815 and one or more antennas 825, may be an example of the transmitter 515, the transmitter 615, the receiver 510, the receiver 610, or any combination or component thereof as described herein.

[0127] The memory 830 may include random access memory (RAM) and read-only memory (ROM). The memory 830 may store computer-readable computer-executable code 835 including instructions that, when executed by the processor 840, cause the device 805 to perform various functions described herein. The code 835 may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium, such as a system memory or another type of memory. In some cases, the code 835 may not be directly executable by the processor 840, but may (e.g., when compiled and executed) cause a computer to perform functions described herein. In some cases, the memory 830 may include a basic I / O system (BIOS) that may control basic hardware or software operations, such as interactions with peripheral components or devices, among others.

[0128] The processor 840 may include an intelligent hardware device (e.g., a general-purpose processor, a DSP, a CPU, a microcontroller, an ASIC, an FPGA, a programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic component, a discrete hardware component, or any combination thereof). In some cases, the processor 840 may be configured to operate a memory array using a memory controller. In some other cases, the memory controller may be integrated with the processor 840. The processor 840 may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in a memory (e.g., memory 830) to cause the device 805 to perform various functions (e.g., functions or tasks supporting techniques for adaptive beam level selection). For example, the device 805 or a component of the device 805 may include a processor 840 and a memory 830 coupled to or connected to the processor 840, where the processor 840 and the memory 830 are configured to perform various functions described herein.

[0129] The communications manager 820 may support wireless communications in a UE (e.g., device 805) according to examples disclosed herein. For example, the communications manager 820 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for identifying a set of beam level selection parameters, the set of beam level selection parameters including traffic information, channel information, application information, or any combination thereof. The communications manager 820 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for selecting, from the set of beam levels based on the identified set of beam level selection parameters, a beam level that is different from a baseline beam level associated with the wireless communications, the selected beam level being associated with a number of antenna elements that is different from the number of antenna elements associated with the baseline beam level. The communications manager 820 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for performing the wireless communications based on the selected beam level.

[0130] By including or configuring a communications manager 820 according to examples described herein, the device 805 may support techniques for reducing power consumption, extending battery life, and improving utilization of processing power.

[0131] In some examples, the communications manager 820 may be configured to perform various operations (e.g., receiving, monitoring, transmitting) using or otherwise cooperating with the transceiver 815, the one or more antennas 825, or any combination thereof. Although the communications manager 820 is shown as a separate component, in some examples, one or more functions described with reference to the communications manager 820 may be supported or performed by the processor 840, the memory 830, the code 835, or any combination thereof. For example, the code 835 may include instructions executable by the processor 840 that cause the device 805 to perform various aspects of the techniques for adaptive beam level selection described herein, or the processor 840 and the memory 830 may be otherwise configured to perform or support such operations.

[0132] 9 is a flow chart illustrating a method 900 supporting techniques for adaptive beam level selection in accordance with various aspects of the disclosure. The operations of method 900 may be performed by a UE or components thereof as described herein. For example, the operations of method 900 may be performed by the UE 115 described with reference to FIGS. 1-8. In some examples, the UE may execute a set of instructions to control functional elements of the UE to perform the described functions. Additionally or alternatively, the UE may perform aspects of the described functions using dedicated hardware.

[0133] At 905, the method may include identifying a set of beam level selection parameters, the set of beam level selection parameters including traffic information, channel information, application information, or any combination thereof. The operations of 905 may be performed according to examples disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 905 may be performed by parameter component 725, as described with reference to FIG.

[0134] At 910, the method may include selecting, from the set of beam levels based on the identified set of beam level selection parameters, a beam level that is different from a baseline beam level associated with the wireless communication, the selected beam level being associated with a number of antenna elements that is different from the number of antenna elements associated with the baseline beam level. The operations of 910 may be performed in accordance with examples disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 910 may be performed by a beam level component 730 as described with reference to FIG.

[0135] At 915, the method may include performing wireless communication based on the selected beam level. The operations of 915 may be performed according to examples disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 915 may be performed by communication component 735 as described with reference to FIG.

[0136] 10 is a flow chart illustrating a method 1000 supporting techniques for adaptive beam level selection in accordance with various aspects of the disclosure. The operations of method 1000 may be performed by a UE or components thereof as described herein. For example, the operations of method 1000 may be performed by the UE 115 described with reference to FIGS. 1-8. In some examples, the UE may execute a set of instructions to control functional elements of the UE to perform the described functions. Additionally or alternatively, the UE may perform aspects of the described functions using dedicated hardware.

[0137] At 1005, the method may include identifying a set of beam level selection parameters, the set of beam level selection parameters including traffic information, channel information, application information, or any combination thereof. The operations of 1005 may be performed according to examples disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1005 may be performed by parameter component 725, as described with reference to FIG.

[0138] At 1010, the method may include determining respective threshold values ​​for one or more beam level selection parameters of the identified set of beam level selection parameters. The operations of 1010 may be performed according to examples disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1010 may be performed by a parameter component 725 as described with reference to FIG.

[0139] At 1015, the method may include selecting, from the set of beam levels, a beam level different from a baseline beam level associated with the wireless communication based at least in part on the determined respective thresholds for one or more beam level selection parameters of the identified set of beam level selection parameters, the selected beam level being associated with a number of antenna elements different from the number of antenna elements associated with the baseline beam level. The operations of 1015 may be performed according to examples disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1015 may be performed by a beam level component 730 as described with reference to FIG. 7.

[0140] At 1020, the method may include performing wireless communication based on the selected beam level. The operations of 1020 may be performed in accordance with examples disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1020 may be performed by a communication component 735 as described with reference to FIG.

[0141] 11 is a flow chart illustrating a method 1100 supporting techniques for adaptive beam level selection in accordance with various aspects of the disclosure. The operations of method 1100 may be performed by a UE or components thereof as described herein. For example, the operations of method 1100 may be performed by the UE 115 described with reference to FIGS. 1-8. In some examples, the UE may execute a set of instructions to control functional elements of the UE to perform the described functions. Additionally or alternatively, the UE may perform aspects of the described functions using dedicated hardware.

[0142] At 1105, the method may include identifying a set of beam level selection parameters, the set of beam level selection parameters including traffic information, channel information, application information, or any combination thereof. The operations of 1105 may be performed according to examples disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1105 may be performed by a parameter component 725 as described with reference to FIG.

[0143] At 1110, the method may include determining respective thresholds for one or more beam level selection parameters of the identified set of beam level selection parameters. The operations of 1110 may be performed according to examples disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1110 may be performed by a parameter component 725 as described with reference to FIG.

[0144] At 1115, the method may include selecting, from the set of beam levels, a beam level different from a baseline beam level associated with the wireless communication based at least in part on the determined respective thresholds for one or more beam level selection parameters of the identified set of beam level selection parameters, the selected beam level being associated with a number of antenna elements different from the number of antenna elements associated with the baseline beam level. The operations of 1115 may be performed according to examples disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1115 may be performed by a beam level component 730 as described with reference to FIG. 7.

[0145] At 1120, the method may include performing wireless communication using an increased number of antenna elements of the UE relative to a baseline number of antenna elements at the UE based at least in part on a respective threshold value for one or more beam level selection parameters of the identified set of beam level selection parameters being greater than a threshold value. The operations of 1120 may be performed according to examples disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1120 may be performed by a communication component 735 as described with reference to FIG.

[0146] 12 is a flow chart illustrating a method 1200 supporting a technique for adaptive beam level selection in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. The operations of method 1200 may be performed by a UE or components thereof as described herein. For example, the operations of method 1200 may be performed by the UE 115 described with reference to FIGS. 1-8. In some examples, the UE may execute a set of instructions to control functional elements of the UE to perform the described functions. Additionally or alternatively, the UE may perform aspects of the described functions using dedicated hardware.

[0147] At 1205, the method may include identifying a set of beam level selection parameters, the set of beam level selection parameters including traffic information, channel information, application information, or any combination thereof. The operations of 1205 may be performed according to examples disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1205 may be performed by a parameter component 725 as described with reference to FIG.

[0148] At 1210, the method may include determining respective thresholds for one or more beam level selection parameters of the identified set of beam level selection parameters. The operations of 1210 may be performed according to examples disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1210 may be performed by a parameter component 725 as described with reference to FIG.

[0149] At 1215, the method may include selecting, from the set of beam levels, a beam level different from a baseline beam level associated with the wireless communication based at least in part on the determined respective thresholds for one or more beam level selection parameters of the identified set of beam level selection parameters, the selected beam level being associated with a number of antenna elements different from the number of antenna elements associated with the baseline beam level. The operations of 1215 may be performed according to examples disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1215 may be performed by a beam level component 730 as described with reference to FIG. 7.

[0150] At 1220, the method may include performing wireless communications using a reduced number of antenna elements of the UE relative to a baseline number of antenna elements at the UE based at least in part on a respective threshold value for one or more beam level selection parameters of the identified set of beam level selection parameters being less than a threshold value. The operations of 1220 may be performed according to examples disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1220 may be performed by a communications component 735 as described with reference to FIG.

[0151] The following provides a summary of aspects of the disclosure.

[0152] Aspect 1: A method for wireless communication in a UE, the method including: determining a set of beam level selection parameters, the set of beam level selection parameters including traffic information, channel information, application information, or any combination thereof; selecting a beam level from a set of beam levels associated with the wireless communication based at least in part on the determined set of beam level selection parameters, the beam level being selected and associated with a number of antenna elements of the UE; and performing the wireless communication based at least in part on the selected beam level.

[0153] Aspect 2: The method of aspect 1, further comprising determining respective threshold values ​​for one or more beam level selection parameters of the determined set of beam level selection parameters, wherein selecting a beam level from the set of beam levels associated with the wireless communication is further based at least in part on the determined respective threshold values ​​for the one or more beam level selection parameters of the determined set of beam level selection parameters.

[0154] Aspect 3: The method of aspect 2, wherein a selected beam level of the set of beam levels corresponds to a first number of antenna elements of the UE based at least in part on a respective threshold value for one or more beam level selection parameters of the determined set of beam level selection parameters being greater than a threshold value, and a selected beam level of the set of beam levels corresponds to a second number of antenna elements of the UE based at least in part on a respective threshold value for one or more beam level selection parameters of the determined set of beam level selection parameters being less than a threshold value, and the first number of antenna elements is greater than the second number of antenna elements.

[0155] Aspect 4: The method of aspect 2 or 3, further comprising: performing wireless communication using an increased number of antenna elements of the UE relative to a baseline number of antenna elements at the UE based at least in part on a respective threshold value for one or more beam level selection parameters of the determined set of beam level selection parameters being greater than a threshold value.

[0156] Aspect 5: The method of aspect 2 or 3, further comprising: performing wireless communication using a reduced number of antenna elements of the UE relative to a baseline number of antenna elements at the UE based at least in part on a respective threshold value for one or more beam level selection parameters of the determined set of beam level selection parameters being less than a threshold value.

[0157] Aspect 6: A method described in any of aspects 2 to 5, wherein each threshold value for one or more beam level selection parameters of the determined set of beam level selection parameters is based at least in part on a step size associated with a selected beam level of the set of beam levels.

[0158] Aspect 7: The method of any of aspects 2-6, further comprising determining a set of beam level selection parameters for a time window based at least in part on the configuration.

[0159] Aspect 8: A method according to any of aspects 1 to 7, further comprising: determining uplink data in a memory buffer associated with the UE based at least in part on the traffic information; and selecting a beam level from a set of beam levels associated with the wireless communication is further based at least in part on the determined uplink data in the memory buffer associated with the UE.

[0160] Aspect 9: The method of aspect 8, wherein a selected beam level from the set of beam levels corresponds to a first number of antenna elements of the UE based at least in part on the determined uplink data in a memory buffer associated with the UE being greater than a threshold, and a selected beam level from the set of beam levels corresponds to a second number of antenna elements of the UE based at least in part on the determined uplink data in a memory buffer associated with the UE being less than a threshold, and the first number of antenna elements is greater than the second number of antenna elements.

[0161] Aspect 10: The method of any of aspects 1 to 9, further comprising: determining a channel metric associated with the UE based at least in part on the channel information, the channel metric corresponding to an uplink channel or a downlink channel, or both; and selecting a beam level from a set of beam levels associated with the wireless communication is further based at least in part on the determined channel metric associated with the UE.

[0162] Aspect 11: The method of aspect 10, wherein the determined channel metric includes VPHR information, SNR information, SPEFF information, throughput, or any combination thereof.

[0163] Aspect 12: The method of aspect 10 or 11, wherein a selected beam level from the set of beam levels corresponds to a first number of antenna elements for the UE based at least in part on a channel metric associated with the UE being greater than a threshold, and a selected beam level from the set of beam levels corresponds to a second number of antenna elements for the UE based at least in part on a channel metric associated with the UE being less than a threshold, and the first number of antenna elements is greater than the second number of antenna elements.

[0164] Aspect 13: The method of any of aspects 1 to 12, further comprising: determining, based at least in part on the channel information, a set of uplink channel metrics associated with the UE, the set of uplink channel metrics including VPHR information, SNR information, SPEFF information, throughput, or any combination thereof; and determining a respective priority for each uplink channel metric in the determined set of uplink channel metrics, wherein selecting a beam level from a set of beam levels associated with the wireless communication is further based at least in part on the determined respective priority of each uplink channel metric in the determined set of uplink channel metrics.

[0165] Aspect 14: The method of aspect 13, further comprising: ranking each uplink channel metric in the determined set of uplink channel metrics according to a respective priority of each uplink channel metric in the determined set of uplink channel metrics and based at least in part on each uplink channel metric in the determined set of uplink channel metrics being less than or greater than a respective threshold.

[0166] Aspect 15: A method as described in any of aspects 1 to 14, further comprising: determining a throughput of an application associated with the UE based at least in part on the application information, and selecting a beam level from a set of beam levels associated with the wireless communication is further based at least in part on the determined throughput of the application associated with the UE.

[0167] Aspect 16: The method of aspect 15, wherein a selected beam level from the set of beam levels corresponds to a first number of antenna elements of the UE based at least in part on a determined throughput of an application associated with the UE being greater than a threshold, and a selected beam level from the set of beam levels corresponds to a second number of antenna elements of the UE based at least in part on a determined throughput of an application associated with the UE being less than a threshold, and the first number of antenna elements is less than the second number of antenna elements.

[0168] Aspect 17: The method of aspect 15 or 16, wherein the determined throughput of the application associated with the UE corresponds to an estimated throughput of the application associated with the UE.

[0169] Aspect 18: A method as described in any of aspects 1 to 17, further comprising: determining a bin rate of an application associated with the UE based at least in part on the application information, and selecting a beam level from a set of beam levels associated with the wireless communication is further based at least in part on the determined bin rate of the application associated with the UE.

[0170] Aspect 19: The method of aspect 18, wherein a selected beam level from the set of beam levels corresponds to a first number of antenna elements of the UE based at least in part on a determined bin rate of an application associated with the UE being greater than a threshold, and a selected beam level from the set of beam levels corresponds to a second number of antenna elements of the UE based at least in part on a determined bin rate of an application associated with the UE being less than a threshold, and the first number of antenna elements is greater than the second number of antenna elements.

[0171] Aspect 20: A method as described in any of aspects 1 to 19, further comprising: determining an initial beam level from a set of beam levels associated with the wireless communication based at least in part on a beam sweeping operation associated with the set of reference signals and a set of quality metrics associated with the set of reference signals, and selecting a beam level from the set of beam levels associated with the wireless communication is further based at least in part on the determined initial beam level.

[0172] Aspect 21: The method of aspect 20, wherein the initial beam level is different from the selected beam level.

[0173] Aspect 22: The method of aspect 20 or 21, further comprising: receiving a set of reference signals based at least in part on the beam sweeping operation; and determining one or more quality metrics of a set of quality metrics for each beam level of the set of beam levels based at least in part on the received set of reference signals, wherein determining an initial beam level from the set of beam levels associated with the wireless communication is further based at least in part on the one or more quality metrics determined for each beam level of the set of beam levels.

[0174] Example 23: The method of any one of examples 20 to 22, wherein the set of reference signals includes SSB, CSI-RS, DMRS, or any combination thereof.

[0175] Example 24: The method of any one of examples 20 to 23, wherein the set of quality metrics includes RSRP, SNR, SPEFF, throughput, or any combination thereof.

[0176] Aspect 25: An apparatus for wireless communication in a UE, comprising: a processor; a memory coupled to the processor; and instructions stored in the memory and executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to perform a method according to any of aspects 1 to 24.

[0177] Example 26: An apparatus for wireless communication in a UE, comprising at least one means for performing the method according to any one of Examples 1 to 24.

[0178] Aspect 27: A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication in a UE, the code including instructions executable by a processor to perform a method as described in any of aspects 1-24.

[0179] It should be noted that the techniques described herein describe possible implementations, that operations and steps may be rearranged or otherwise modified, and that other implementations are possible. Further, aspects from two or more of the techniques may be combined.

[0180] Although aspects of LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, or NR systems 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.

[0181] The information and signals described herein may be represented using any of a wide variety of technologies and techniques. For example, the 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.

[0182] The various example blocks and components described with respect to 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 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).

[0183] The functions described herein may be implemented in hardware, software executed by a processor, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software executed by a processor, the functions may be stored on or transmitted over 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 that implement the functions may also be physically located in various locations, including being distributed such that parts of the functions are executed in different physical locations.

[0184] 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 ROM (EEPROM), flash memory, compact disk (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 a general purpose or special purpose processor. Also, any connection is properly termed a computer-readable medium. For example, if the software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave, 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.

[0185] As used herein, including in the claims, "or" as used in a list of items (e.g., a list of items followed by 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 exemplary step described 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, as used herein, the phrase "based on" is to be interpreted the same as the phrase "based at least in part on."

[0186] The terms "determine" or "determining" encompass a wide variety of actions, and thus "determining" can include calculating, computing, processing, deriving, investigating, looking up (such as via a lookup in a table, database, or another data structure), ascertaining, etc. "Determining" can also include receiving (such as receiving information), accessing (such as accessing data in a memory), etc. "Determining" can also include resolving, selecting, choosing, establishing, and other similar acts.

[0187] 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 the second reference label, or other subsequent reference labels.

[0188] The description set forth herein with respect to the accompanying drawings describes exemplary configurations and does not necessarily represent all examples that may be implemented or fall within the scope of the claims. The term "example" as used herein 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 purposes of providing an understanding of the described techniques. However, these techniques may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form to avoid obscuring the concepts of the described examples.

[0189] 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 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.

Claims

1. 1. A method for wireless communication in a user equipment (UE), comprising: identifying a set of beam level selection parameters, the set of beam level selection parameters including uplink traffic information, uplink channel information, application information, or any combination thereof; selecting a beam level from a set of beam levels based at least in part on the identified set of beam level selection parameters, the selected beam level being different from a baseline beam level associated with the wireless communication, the selected beam level being associated with a number of antenna elements different from the number of antenna elements associated with the baseline beam level; transmitting an uplink signal associated with the wireless communication based at least in part on the selected beam level and the number of associated antenna elements.

2. determining a respective threshold value for one or more beam level selection parameters of the identified set of beam level selection parameters; 2. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting the beam level of the set of beam levels associated with the wireless communication is further based at least in part on the determined respective threshold values ​​for the one or more beam level selection parameters of the identified set of beam level selection parameters.

3. the selected beam level of the set of beam levels corresponds to a first number of antenna elements of the UE based at least in part on the respective threshold values ​​for the one or more beam level selection parameters of the identified set of beam level selection parameters being greater than a threshold value; 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the selected beam level from the set of beam levels corresponds to a second number of antenna elements of the UE based at least in part on the respective threshold values ​​for the one or more beam level selection parameters from the identified set of beam level selection parameters being less than the threshold value, and the first number of antenna elements is greater than the second number of antenna elements.

4. 3. The method of claim 2, further comprising: transmitting the uplink signal associated with the wireless communication using an increased number of antenna elements of the UE relative to a baseline number of antenna elements at the UE based at least in part on the respective threshold values ​​for the one or more beam level selection parameters of the identified set of beam level selection parameters being greater than a threshold value.

5. 3. The method of claim 2, further comprising: transmitting the uplink signal associated with the wireless communication using a reduced number of antenna elements of the UE relative to a baseline number of antenna elements at the UE based at least in part on the respective threshold values ​​for the one or more beam level selection parameters of the identified set of beam level selection parameters being less than a threshold value.

6. 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the respective threshold values ​​for the one or more beam level selection parameters of the identified set of beam level selection parameters are based at least in part on a step size associated with the selected beam level of the set of beam levels.

7. The method of claim 2 , further comprising determining the set of beam level selection parameters for a time window based at least in part on a configuration.

8. determining uplink data in a memory buffer associated with the UE based at least in part on the uplink traffic information; and wherein selecting the beam level from the set of beam levels associated with the wireless communication is further based at least in part on the determined uplink data in the memory buffer associated with the UE, and preferably the selected beam level of the set of beam levels corresponds to a first number of antenna elements of the UE based at least in part on the determined uplink data in the memory buffer associated with the UE being greater than a threshold; 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected beam level from the set of beam levels corresponds to a second number of antenna elements of the UE based at least in part on the determined uplink data in the memory buffer associated with the UE being less than the threshold, and the first number of antenna elements is greater than the second number of antenna elements.

9. determining a channel metric associated with the UE based at least in part on the uplink channel information, the channel metric corresponding to an uplink channel, a downlink channel, or both; and wherein selecting the beam level from the set of beam levels associated with the wireless communication is further based at least in part on the determined channel metric associated with the UE, and preferably the determined channel metric comprises virtual power headroom information, signal-to-noise ratio information, spectral efficiency information, throughput, or any combination thereof; and / or the selected beam level of the set of beam levels corresponds to a first number of antenna elements of the UE based at least in part on the channel metric associated with the UE being greater than a threshold; 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected beam level from the set of beam levels corresponds to a second number of antenna elements for the UE based at least in part on the channel metric associated with the UE being less than the threshold, and the first number of antenna elements is greater than the second number of antenna elements.

10. determining a set of uplink channel metrics associated with the UE based at least in part on the uplink channel information, the set of uplink channel metrics including virtual power headroom information, signal-to-noise ratio information, spectral efficiency information, throughput, or any combination thereof; determining a respective priority of each uplink channel metric in the determined set of uplink channel metrics; and wherein selecting the beam level from the set of beam levels associated with the wireless communication is further based at least in part on the determined respective priority of each uplink channel metric in the determined set of uplink channel metrics, and preferably 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: ranking each uplink channel metric in the determined set of uplink channel metrics according to the respective priority of each uplink channel metric in the determined set of uplink channel metrics and based at least in part on each uplink channel metric in the determined set of uplink channel metrics being less than or greater than a respective threshold.

11. determining a throughput of an application associated with the UE based at least in part on the application information; and wherein selecting the beam level from the set of beam levels associated with the wireless communication is further based at least in part on the determined throughput of the application associated with the UE, and preferably the selected beam level of the set of beam levels corresponds to a first number of antenna elements of the UE based at least in part on the determined throughput of the application associated with the UE being greater than a threshold; and the selected beam level of the set of beam levels corresponds to a second number of antenna elements of the UE based at least in part on the determined throughput of the application associated with the UE being less than the threshold, and the first number of antenna elements is less than the second number of antenna elements; and / or The method of claim 1 , wherein the determined throughput of the application associated with the UE corresponds to an estimated throughput of the application associated with the UE.

12. determining a bin rate for an application associated with the UE based at least in part on the application information; and wherein selecting the beam level from the set of beam levels associated with the wireless communication is further based at least in part on the determined bin rate of the application associated with the UE, and preferably the selected beam level of the set of beam levels corresponds to a first number of antenna elements of the UE based at least in part on the determined bin rate of the application associated with the UE being greater than a threshold; 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected beam level from the set of beam levels corresponds to a second number of antenna elements of the UE based at least in part on the determined bin rate of the application associated with the UE being less than the threshold, and the first number of antenna elements is greater than the second number of antenna elements.

13. determining the baseline beam level associated with the wireless communication based at least in part on a beam sweeping operation associated with a set of reference signals and a set of quality metrics associated with the set of reference signals; Preferably, selecting the beam level from the set of beam levels associated with the wireless communication is further based at least in part on the determined baseline beam level, the baseline beam level is different from the selected beam level; and / or receiving the set of reference signals based at least in part on the beam sweeping operation; determining one or more quality metrics of the set of quality metrics for each beam level of the set of beam levels based at least in part on the received set of reference signals; determining the baseline beam level from the set of beam levels associated with the wireless communication is further based at least in part on the determined one or more quality metrics for each beam level of the set of beam levels; and / or the set of reference signals includes a synchronization signal block, a channel state information reference signal, a demodulation reference signal, or any combination thereof; and / or The method of claim 1 , wherein the set of quality metrics comprises a reference signal received power, a signal-to-noise ratio, a spectral efficiency, a throughput, or any combination thereof.

14. 1. An apparatus for wireless communication in a user equipment (UE), comprising: means for identifying a set of beam level selection parameters, the set of beam level selection parameters including uplink traffic information, uplink channel information, application information, or any combination thereof; means for selecting a beam level from a set of beam levels based at least in part on the identified set of beam level selection parameters, the selected beam level being different from a baseline beam level associated with the wireless communication, the selected beam level being associated with a number of antenna elements different from the number of antenna elements associated with the baseline beam level; means for transmitting an uplink signal associated with the wireless communication based at least in part on the selected beam level and the number of associated antenna elements.

15. 1. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing code for wireless communication in a user equipment (UE), comprising: A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, the code comprising instructions executable by a processor of the UE to cause the UE to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 13.

Images