Transmitting and receiving antenna array configuration for radio frequency beamforming

Abstract

Several of the techniques and apparatuses described herein provide radio frequency (RF) beamforming using a cylindrical lens and an alternating arrangement of receive antenna arrays and transmit antenna arrays. In one embodiment, an apparatus for wireless communication may include a cylindrical lens having a first surface and a curved second surface opposite the first surface. In some cases, the cylindrical lens may include a power direction corresponding to the curvature of the curved second surface and a non-power direction orthogonal to the power direction. In some aspects, the apparatus may include at least one receive antenna array having a plurality of receive antenna array elements disposed proximate the first surface of the cylindrical lens. In some embodiments, the apparatus may include at least one transmit antenna array having a plurality of transmit antenna array elements disposed proximate the first surface of the cylindrical lens.

Description

Technical Field

[0001]

[0001] This disclosure generally relates to wireless communication. For example, aspects of this disclosure relate to transceiver antenna array configurations for radio frequency (RF) beamforming.

Background Art

[0002]

[0002] Wireless communication systems have been deployed to provide various telecommunication and data services including telephony, video, data, messaging, and broadcast. Broadband wireless communication systems have evolved through various generations including the first generation analog wireless telephone service (1G), the second generation (2G) digital wireless telephone service (including the provisional 2.5G network), the third generation (3G) high-speed data, Internet-capable wireless service, and the fourth generation (4G) service (e.g., Long-Term Evolution (LTE), WiMax). Examples of wireless communication systems include code division multiple access (CDMA) systems, time division multiple access (TDMA) systems, frequency division multiple access (FDMA) systems, orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) systems, Global System for Mobile communication (GSM) systems, etc. Other wireless communication technologies include, among others, 802.11 Wi-Fi, Bluetooth.

[0003]

[0003] In the 5th generation (5G) mobile standard, among numerous improvements, higher data transfer speeds, a larger number of connections, and better coverage are particularly required. The 5G standard (also referred to as "New Radio" or "NR") is designed to provide a data rate of dozens of megabits per second to each of tens of thousands of users, and 1 gigabit per second is provided to dozens of workers on an office floor, according to the Next Generation Mobile Networks Alliance. To support the deployment of a large number of sensors, hundreds of thousands of simultaneous connections should be supported. Therefore, the spectral efficiency of 5G mobile communication should be significantly increased compared to the current 4G / LTE standard. Furthermore, the signaling efficiency should be increased and the latency should be significantly reduced compared to the current standard.

Summary of the Invention

[0004]

[0004] Hereinafter, a simplified summary regarding one or more aspects disclosed in this specification is presented. Therefore, the following summary should not be regarded as an extensive overview regarding all contemplated aspects, nor should the following summary be regarded as identifying the main or important elements regarding all contemplated aspects, nor as defining the scope associated with any particular aspect. Thus, the following summary presents, in a simplified form, a specific concept regarding one or more aspects regarding the mechanism disclosed in this specification, prior to the "Mode for Carrying Out the Invention" presented hereinafter.

[0005]

[0005] In some cases, wireless communication can be performed using a high-frequency range (e.g., sub-terahertz spectrum, terahertz spectrum, etc.). In some embodiments, a device that communicates using such high frequencies may require additional antennas to avoid performance degradation due to path loss resulting from the shorter wavelengths. However, configuring additional antennas within a wireless device may result in increased hardware and / or software complexity, increased power consumption, and increased cost.

[0006]

[0006] The systems and techniques described herein provide radio frequency (RF) beamforming. In some aspects, a beamforming device can be implemented that includes a lens (e.g., a cylindrical lens), at least one receive antenna array, and at least one transmit antenna array. In some embodiments, the transmit antenna array elements and the receive antenna array elements can be configured to improve the reciprocity between the uplink channel and the downlink channel.

[0007]

[0007] In some cases, the transmit antenna array elements can be aligned in a direction parallel to the receive antenna array elements. In some embodiments, the transmit antenna array elements can be positioned on one side of the lens central axis, and the receive antenna array elements can be positioned on the opposite side of the lens central axis. In some aspects, the transmit antenna array elements and the receive antenna array elements can be aligned in a direction parallel to the lens central axis. In some embodiments, the transmit antenna array elements can be arranged alternately with the receive antenna array elements.

[0008]

[0008] In some cases, the first part of the transmitting antenna array element can be alternately arranged with the first part of the receiving antenna array element to form a first alternately arranged antenna array. In some cases, the second part of the transmitting antenna array element can be alternately arranged with the second part of the receiving antenna array element to form a second alternately arranged antenna array. In some configurations, the first alternately arranged antenna array and the second alternately arranged antenna array can be positioned on both sides of the lens central axis.

[0009]

[0009] In some aspects, the beamforming device provided herein can operate efficiently at higher frequencies with fewer antenna elements, reduced complexity, and lower power consumption. In some cases, the beamforming device provided herein can also improve the reciprocity between the uplink channel and the downlink channel by directing the transmit beam and the receive beam in the same direction or substantially the same direction.

[0010]

[0010] In one exemplary embodiment, a wireless communication device is provided. The wireless communication device includes a cylindrical lens having a first surface and a curved second surface opposite the first surface, the cylindrical lens including a power direction corresponding to the curvature of the curved second surface and a non-power direction orthogonal to the power direction, at least one receiving antenna array disposed adjacent to the first surface of the cylindrical lens and including a plurality of receiving antenna array elements, and at least one transmitting antenna array disposed adjacent to the first surface of the cylindrical lens and including a plurality of transmitting antenna array elements.

[0011]

[0011] In another embodiment, a method for wireless communication is provided. The method includes steering a first radio frequency (RF) beam in a first direction using a receiving antenna array, where the receiving antenna array includes a plurality of receiving antenna array elements disposed proximate to a first surface of a cylindrical lens having a curved second surface on an opposite side of the first surface, and steering a second RF beam in a second direction using a transmitting antenna array, where the transmitting antenna array includes a plurality of transmitting antenna array elements disposed proximate to the first surface of the cylindrical lens, and the first direction and the second direction correspond to a center of the cylindrical lens.

[0012]

[0012] In another embodiment, an apparatus for wireless communication includes at least one memory including instructions, and at least one processor (e.g., implemented in circuitry) that executes the instructions and is configured to cause the apparatus to steer a first radio frequency (RF) beam in a first direction using a receiving antenna array, where the receiving antenna array includes a plurality of receiving antenna array elements disposed proximate to a first surface of a cylindrical lens having a curved second surface on an opposite side of the first surface, steer a second RF beam in a second direction using a transmitting antenna array, where the transmitting antenna array includes a plurality of transmitting antenna array elements disposed proximate to the first surface of the cylindrical lens, and the first direction and the second direction correspond to a center of the cylindrical lens.

[0013]

[0013] In another embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readable medium for performing wireless communication, having instructions stored thereon, which when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to use a receive antenna array to steer a first radio frequency (RF) beam in a first direction, the receive antenna array including a plurality of receive antenna array elements disposed proximate to a first surface of a cylindrical lens having a curved second surface on an opposite side of the first surface, use a transmit antenna array to steer a second RF beam in a second direction, the transmit antenna array including a plurality of transmit antenna array elements disposed proximate to the first surface of the cylindrical lens, and wherein the first direction and the second direction correspond to the center of the cylindrical lens, is provided.

[0014]

[0014] In another embodiment, an apparatus for wireless communication is provided. The apparatus includes means for using a receive antenna array to steer a first radio frequency (RF) beam in a first direction, the receive antenna array including a plurality of receive antenna array elements disposed proximate to a first surface of a cylindrical lens having a curved second surface on an opposite side of the first surface, means for using a transmit antenna array to steer a second RF beam in a second direction, the transmit antenna array including a plurality of transmit antenna array elements disposed proximate to the first surface of the cylindrical lens, and wherein the first direction and the second direction correspond to the center of the cylindrical lens.

[0015]

[0015] In some embodiments, the apparatus is a user equipment (UE) or a network entity, or a part thereof. The network entity may include a base station (e.g., a 3GPP gNodeB (gNB) for 5G / NR, a 3GPP eNodeB (eNB) for LTE, a Wi-Fi access point (AP), or other base stations), or a part of a base station with a split architecture (e.g., a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a radio unit (RU), a Near-Real Time (Near-RT) RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC), or a Non-Real Time (Non-RT) RIC) of a gNB or other base stations. In some embodiments, the apparatus includes one transceiver or a plurality of transceivers configured to transmit and / or receive radio frequency (RF) signals. In some embodiments, at least one processor includes one or more neural processing units (NPUs), one or more central processing units (CPUs), one or more graphics processing units (GPUs), any combination thereof, and / or other processing devices or components.

[0016]

[0016] Other objectives and advantages associated with the various embodiments disclosed herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art based on the accompanying drawings and the "Detailed Description of the Invention".

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0017]

[0017] The accompanying drawings are presented to assist in the description of the various embodiments of the present disclosure and are provided by way of illustration rather than limitation of those embodiments.

Figure 1

[0018] A block diagram showing an embodiment of a wireless communication network according to some embodiments.

Figure 2

[0019] A diagram showing the design of a base station and UE device that enables the transmission and processing of signals exchanged between a user equipment (UE) and a base station according to some embodiments.

Figure 3

[0020] A diagram showing an embodiment of a distributed base station according to some embodiments.

Figure 4

[0021] A block diagram showing the components of a user equipment according to some embodiments.

Figure 5

[0022] A block diagram showing an embodiment of a cylindrical lens for use in a beamforming device according to some embodiments.

Figure 6

[0023] A diagram showing parts of a beamforming device having a cylindrical lens according to some embodiments.

Figure 7

[0024] A diagram showing an embodiment of a user equipment (UE) having a beamforming device with a cylindrical lens according to some embodiments.

Figure 8

[0025] A diagram showing another embodiment of a UE having a beamforming device with a cylindrical lens according to some embodiments.

Figure 9

[0026] A diagram showing an embodiment of a beam steering direction according to some embodiments.

Figure 10

[0027] A diagram showing further parts of a beamforming device having a cylindrical lens according to some embodiments.

Figure 11

[0028] A diagram showing an embodiment of a linear transmit-receive antenna array configuration according to some embodiments.

Figure 12

[0029] A diagram showing another embodiment of a linear transceiver antenna array configuration according to some embodiments.

Figure 13

[0030] A diagram showing one embodiment of an alternating arrangement type transceiver antenna array configuration according to some embodiments.

Figure 14

[0031] A diagram showing another embodiment of an alternating arrangement type transceiver antenna array configuration according to some embodiments.

Figure 15

[0032] A diagram showing another embodiment of an alternating arrangement type transceiver antenna array configuration according to some embodiments.

Figure 16

[0033] A diagram showing another embodiment of an alternating arrangement type transceiver antenna array configuration according to some embodiments.

Figure 17

[0034] A diagram showing another embodiment of a UE having a beamforming device with a cylindrical lens according to some embodiments.

Figure 18

[0035] A flowchart showing one embodiment of a process for performing radio frequency beamforming according to some embodiments.

Figure 19

[0036] A block diagram showing an example of a computing system according to some examples.

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0018]

[0037] Certain aspects and embodiments of the present disclosure are provided below for purposes of illustration. Alternative aspects can be devised without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Further, well-known elements of the present disclosure may not be described in detail or may be omitted so as not to obscure relevant details of the present disclosure. As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, some of the aspects and embodiments described herein can be applied independently and some of them can also be applied in combination. In the following description, specific details are set forth for purposes of explanation to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present application. However, it will be apparent that various embodiments can be practiced without these specific details. The figures and the description are not intended to be restrictive.

[0019]

[0038] The following description provides exemplary embodiments and is not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of the present disclosure. Rather, the following description of exemplary embodiments provides possible explanations for implementing the exemplary embodiments to those skilled in the art. It should be understood that various changes can be made to the functions and configurations of the elements without departing from the scope of the present application as set forth in the appended claims.

[0020]

[0039] Wireless communication networks are deployed to provide various telecommunications services such as voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcast, etc. A wireless communication network can support both access links and sidelinks related to communication between wireless devices. An access link may refer to any communication link between a client device (e.g., a user equipment (UE), a station (STA), or other client device) and a base station (e.g., a 3GPP gNodeB (gNB) for 5G / NR, a 3GPP eNodeB (eNB) for LTE, a Wi-Fi access point (AP), or other base station), or components of a distributed base station (e.g., a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), and / or a radio unit (RU), etc.). In one embodiment, the access link between a UE and a 3GPP gNB can be via the Uu interface. In some cases, the access link can support uplink signaling, downlink signaling, connection procedures, etc.

[0021]

[0040] In some embodiments, the gNB and the UE can be configured to operate using a higher frequency range. For example, the sub-terahertz frequency spectrum can be in the range of 90 gigahertz (GHz) to 300 GHz. In such a frequency range, the wavelength can be as small as about 1 millimeter (mm). As a result, operation using a higher frequency can result in performance degradation due to higher path loss. In some cases, to improve performance at higher frequencies, additional antennas or antenna arrays can be added to a device (e.g., a UE). For example, the number of antenna elements can be increased in proportion to the square of the frequency. However, increasing the number of antenna elements may not be desirable due to factors such as additional cost, increased complexity, and a larger footprint (e.g., consuming more space on a printed circuit board and / or within a device).

[0022]

[0041] Systems, apparatuses, processes (also referred to as methods), and computer-readable media (collectively referred to as "systems and technologies") for wireless frequency (RF) beamforming are described herein. In some aspects, a beamforming device can be implemented that includes a lens (e.g., a cylindrical lens), at least one transmit antenna array, and at least one receive antenna array. In some embodiments, the transmit antenna array elements and the receive antenna array elements can be configured to improve the reciprocity between the uplink channel and the downlink channel.

[0023]

[0042] In some aspects, the beamforming device can include a cylindrical lens having a planar surface and a curved (or convex) surface on the opposite side of the planar surface. In some embodiments, the power direction of the cylindrical lens can correspond to the curvature of the curved surface, and the non-power direction can be orthogonal to the power direction. In some cases, the antenna array elements (e.g., the transmit antenna array elements and the receive antenna array elements) can be positioned or arranged in a direction perpendicular to the power direction behind the planar surface of the cylindrical lens.

[0024]

[0043] In some cases, the transmit antenna array elements can be aligned in a direction parallel to the receive antenna array elements. In some embodiments, the transmit antenna array elements can be positioned on one side of the lens central axis, and the receive antenna array elements can be positioned on the opposite side of the lens central axis.

[0025]

[0044] In some aspects, the transmit antenna array elements and the receive antenna array elements can be aligned in a direction parallel to the lens central axis. In some embodiments, the transmit antenna array elements can be arranged alternately with the receive antenna array elements.

[0026]

[0045] In some cases, the first portion of the transmit antenna array elements can be interleaved with the first portion of the receive antenna array elements to form a first interleaved antenna array. In some instances, the second portion of the transmit antenna array elements can be interleaved with the second portion of the receive antenna array elements to form a second interleaved antenna array. In some configurations, the first interleaved antenna array and the second interleaved antenna array can be positioned on opposite sides of the lens central axis.

[0027]

[0046] In some embodiments, the (e.g., interleaved) configuration of the transmit antenna array elements and the receive antenna array elements can improve the directivity of the RX beam with respect to the TX beam. In some cases, the RX beam and the TX beam can be aligned at substantially the same position (e.g., less than 5 degrees from each other). In some aspects, a cylindrical lens can be used to achieve a directivity gain. In one exemplary embodiment, a directivity gain of 4 - 5 dB can be obtained (e.g., based on a phase - matching elevation angle of 20 degrees).

[0028]

[0047] In some aspects, the present system and technology can provide a beam - forming device that has reduced complexity (e.g., less hardware / software complexity) and consumes less power than a device including a rectangular antenna array. In some embodiments, the beam - forming device can be used to simultaneously steer multiple RF beams in different directions. In some aspects, the beam - forming device can maintain a relatively high reciprocity between the uplink channel and the downlink channel. In some cases, the effective isotropic radiated power (EIRP) regarding the transmit beam and the receive beam can be increased.

[0029]

[0048] Various aspects of the systems and techniques described herein are discussed below with respect to the figures.

[0030]

[0049] As used herein, the terms "user equipment" (UE) and "network entity" are not intended to be specific to or otherwise limited to any particular radio access technology (RAT) unless otherwise stated. Generally, a UE can be any wireless communication device (e.g., a mobile phone, router, tablet computer, laptop computer, and / or tracking device, etc.) used by a user to communicate via a wireless communication network, a wearable (e.g., a smartwatch, smart glasses, wearable ring, and / or an extended reality (XR) device, e.g., a virtual reality (VR) headset, augmented reality (AR) headset or glasses, or a mixed reality (MR) headset), a vehicle (e.g., a car, motorcycle, bicycle, etc.), and / or an Internet of Things (IoT) device, etc. The UE can be movable or (e.g., at a particular time) stationary and can communicate with a radio access network (RAN). As used herein, the term "UE" may be interchangeably referred to as "access terminal" or "AT", "client device", "wireless device", "subscriber device", "subscriber terminal", "subscriber station", "user terminal" or "UT", "mobile device", "mobile terminal", "mobile station", or a variation thereof. Generally, a UE can communicate with a core network via the RAN, and through that core network, the UE can connect to an external network such as the Internet and other UEs.Of course, for the UE, other mechanisms for connecting to the core network and / or the Internet via a wired access network, a wireless local area network (WLAN) network (e.g., based on the IEEE 802.11 communication standard, etc.) are also possible.

[0031]

[0050] A network entity can be implemented in an integrated or monolithic base station architecture or, alternatively, in a disaggregated base station architecture and can include one or more of a Central Unit (CU), a Distributed Unit (DU), a Radio Unit (RU), a Near Real-Time (Near RT) RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC), or a Non-Real-Time (Non RT) RIC. A base station (e.g., having an integrated / monolithic base station architecture or a disaggregated base station architecture) can operate according to one of several Radio Access Technologies (RATs) when communicating with User Equipments (UEs), depending on the network in which the base station is deployed. Alternatively, it may be referred to as an Access Point (AP), a network node, a NodeB (NB), an evolved NodeB (eNB), a next generation eNB (ng-eNB), a New Radio (NR) NodeB (also referred to as a gNB or gNodeB), etc. A base station can be mainly used to support wireless access by UEs, including supporting data connections, voice connections, and / or signaling connections for the UEs to be supported. In some systems, a base station may provide an edge node signaling function, while in other systems, a base station may provide additional control functions and / or network management functions. A communication link through which a UE can send a signal to a base station is called an uplink (UL) channel (e.g., a reverse traffic channel, a reverse control channel, an access channel, etc.). A communication link through which a base station can send a signal to a UE is called a downlink (DL) channel or a forward link channel (e.g., a paging channel, a control channel, a broadcast channel, or a forward traffic channel, etc.). The term "traffic channel (TCH)" as used herein can refer to either an uplink channel, a reverse channel, or a downlink channel and / or a forward traffic channel.

[0032]

[0051] The term "network entity" or "base station" (e.g., having an integrated / monolithic base station architecture or a distributed base station architecture) may refer to a single physical transmit receive point (TRP), or multiple physical TRPs which may or may not be co-located. For example, when the term "network entity" or "base station" refers to a single physical TRP, that physical TRP can be the base station's antenna corresponding to the base station's cell (or some cell sectors). When the term "network entity" or "base station" refers to multiple co-located physical TRPs, those physical TRPs can be an array of the base station's antennas (such as in a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system or when the base station employs beamforming). When the term "base station" refers to multiple non-co-located physical TRPs, those physical TRPs can be a distributed antenna system (DAS) (a network of spatially separated antennas connected to a common source via a transmission medium), or a remote radio head (RRH) (a remote base station connected to a serving base station). Alternatively, the non-co-located physical TRPs can also be the serving base station that receives measurement reports from the UE and the neighboring base station whose reference radio frequency (RF) signal (or simply "reference signal") the UE is measuring. Since a TRP is the point where the base station transmits and receives wireless signals, when used in this specification, references to transmissions from or receptions at the base station should be understood to refer to a specific TRP of that base station.

[0033]

[0052] In some implementations that support UE positioning, the network entity or base station may not support wireless access by the UE (e.g., may not support a data connection, voice connection, and / or signaling connection for the UE), but instead can send to the UE a reference signal that will be measured by the UE and / or can also receive and measure a signal transmitted by the UE. Such a base station may be referred to as a positioning beacon (e.g., when sending a signal to the UE) and / or a position measurement unit (e.g., when receiving and measuring a signal from the UE).

[0034]

[0053] An RF signal includes an electromagnetic wave of a given frequency that transmits information through the space between a transmitter and a receiver. As used herein, a transmitter may transmit a single "RF signal" or multiple "RF signals" to a receiver. However, due to the propagation characteristics of the RF signal through a multipath channel, a receiver may receive multiple "RF signals" corresponding to each transmitted RF signal. The same RF signal transmitted on different paths between a transmitter and a receiver may be referred to as a "multipath" RF signal. As used herein, an RF signal may also be referred to as a "wireless signal" or simply a "signal" when it is clear from the context that the term "signal" refers to a wireless signal or an RF signal.

[0035]

[0054] According to various aspects, FIG. 1 shows an example of a wireless communication system 100. (Sometimes referred to as a wireless wide area network (WWAN)). The wireless communication system 100 may include various base stations 102 and various UEs 104. In some aspects, the base station 102 may also be referred to as a "network entity" or a "network node". One or more of the base stations 102 can be implemented in an integrated or monolithic base station architecture. Further, or alternatively, one or more of the base stations 102 can also be implemented in a distributed base station architecture and may include one or more of a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a radio unit (RU), a near real-time (near RT) RAN intelligent controller (RIC), or a non-real-time (non-RT) RIC. The base station 102 can include a macrocell base station (high-power cellular base station) and / or a small cell base station (low-power cellular base station). In one aspect, the macrocell base station can include an eNB and / or an ng-eNB when the wireless communication system 100 is compatible with a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network, or a gNB when the wireless communication system 100 is compatible with an NR network, or a combination of both, and the small cell base station can include a femtocell, a picocell, a microcell, etc.

[0036]

[0055] The base station 102 can collectively form a RAN and interface with a core network 170 (e.g., evolved packet core (EPC) or 5G core (5GC)) through a backhaul link 122, and through the core network 170, interface with one or more location servers 172 (which may be part of the core network 170 or may exist outside the core network 170). In addition to other functions, the base station 102 can perform functions related to one or more of user data transfer, radio channel encryption and decryption, integrity protection, header compression, mobility control functions (e.g., handover, dual connectivity), inter-cell interference coordination, connection setup and release, load distribution, distribution related to non-access stratum (NAS) messages, NAS node selection, synchronization, RAN sharing, multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBMS), subscriber and device tracing, RAN information management (RIM), paging, positioning, and delivery of warning messages. The base stations 102 can communicate with each other directly or indirectly (e.g., through the EPC or 5GC) via a backhaul link 134 that can be wired and / or wireless.

[0037]

[0056] The base station 102 can wirelessly communicate with the UE 104. Each of the base stations 102 can provide communication coverage regarding the corresponding geographical coverage area 110. In one aspect, one or more cells can be supported by the base stations 102 within each coverage area 110. A "cell" is a logical communication entity used for communication with a base station (e.g., via some frequency resource such as a carrier frequency, a component carrier, a carrier, a band, etc.), and can be associated with an identifier (e.g., a physical cell identifier (PCI), a virtual cell identifier (VCI), a cell global identifier (CGI)) for distinguishing cells operating via the same carrier frequency or different carrier frequencies. In some cases, different cells can be configured according to different protocol types (e.g., machine-type communication (MTC), narrowband IoT (NB-IoT), enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), etc.) that can provide access to different types of UEs. Since a cell is supported by a specific base station, the term "cell" may, depending on the context, refer to either or both of the logical communication entity and the base station that supports that logical communication entity. Furthermore, since a TRP is typically the physical transmission point of a cell, the terms "cell" and "TRP" may be used interchangeably in some cases. In some cases, the term "cell" may also refer to a geographical coverage area (e.g., a sector) of a base station as long as it is possible to detect a carrier frequency within a portion of the geographical coverage area 110 and use it for communication.

[0038]

[0057] The geographical coverage areas 110 of adjacent macro cell base stations 102 may partially overlap (e.g., in a handover area), but some of the geographical coverage areas 110 may be substantially overlapped by a larger geographical coverage area 110. For example, the small cell base station 102’ may have a coverage area 110’ that substantially overlaps with the coverage area 110 of one or more macro cell base stations 102. A network including both small cell base stations and macro cell base stations may be known as a heterogeneous network. The heterogeneous network may also include home eNBs (HeNBs) that can provide services to a restricted group, known as a closed subscriber group (CSG).

[0039]

[0058] The communication link 120 between the base station 102 and the UE 104 may include uplink (also referred to as reverse link) transmission from the UE 104 to the base station 102 and / or downlink (also referred to as forward link) transmission from the base station 102 to the UE 104. The communication link 120 can use MIMO antenna technology, including spatial multiplexing, beamforming, and / or transmit diversity. The communication link 120 can be through one or more carrier frequencies. The carrier allocation may be asymmetric for the downlink and the uplink (e.g., for the downlink, more carriers or fewer carriers may be allocated than for the uplink).

[0040]

[0059] Wireless communication system 100 may further include a WLAN AP 150 that communicates with WLAN stations (STAs) 152 via a communication link 154 in an unlicensed frequency spectrum (e.g., 5 gigahertz (GHz)). When communicating in an unlicensed frequency spectrum, the WLAN STA 152 and / or the WLAN AP 150 can perform a clear channel assessment (CCA) or a listen before talk (LBT) procedure before communication to determine whether a channel is available. In some embodiments, the wireless communication system 100 may include devices (e.g., UEs, etc.) that utilize an ultra-wideband (UWB) spectrum to communicate with one or more UEs 104, base stations 102, APs 150, etc. The UWB spectrum can range from 3.1 GHz to 10.5 GHz.

[0041]

[0060] The small cell base station 102' can operate in a licensed frequency spectrum and / or an unlicensed frequency spectrum. When operating in an unlicensed frequency spectrum, the small cell base station 102' can adopt LTE technology or NR technology and use the same 5 GHz unlicensed frequency spectrum as that used by the WLAN AP 150. By adopting LTE and / or 5G in the unlicensed frequency spectrum, the small cell base station 102' can enhance the coverage of the access network and / or increase the capacity of the access network. NR in the unlicensed spectrum may be referred to as NR-U. LTE in the unlicensed spectrum may be referred to as LTE-U, licensed assisted access (LAA), or MulteFire.

[0042]

[0061] Wireless communication system 100 may further include an mmW base station 180 that operates at millimeter wave (mmW) frequencies and / or sub-mmW frequencies and communicates with UE 182. The mmW base station 180 can be implemented in an integrated or monolithic base station architecture or, alternatively, in a distributed base station architecture (including, for example, one or more of CU, DU, RU, near-RT RIC, or non-RT RIC). Extremely high frequency (EHF) is part of the RF in the electromagnetic spectrum. EHF has a range of 30 GHz to 300 GHz and a wavelength of 1 millimeter to 10 millimeters. Radio waves in this band are sometimes referred to as millimeter waves. Sub-mmW can drop down to a frequency of 3 GHz with a wavelength of 100 millimeters. The super high frequency (SHF) band ranges from 3 GHz to 30 GHz and is also referred to as centimeter waves. Communication using mmW and / or sub-mmW radio frequency bands has high path loss and relatively short distances. The mmW base station 180 and UE 182 can utilize beamforming (transmission and / or reception) via the mmW communication link 184 to compensate for the extremely high path loss and short distances. Further, in an alternative configuration, it will be understood that one or more base stations 102 can also transmit using mmW or sub-mmW and beamforming. Therefore, it will be understood that the above examples are merely examples and should not be construed as limiting the various aspects disclosed herein.

[0043]

[0062] In some aspects related to 5G, the frequency spectrum in which a wireless network node or entity (e.g., base station 102 / 180, UE 104 / 182) operates is classified into multiple frequency ranges, FR1 (450 - 6000 megahertz (MHz)), FR2 (24250 - 52600 MHz), FR3 (above 52600 MHz), and FR4 (between FR1 and FR2). In a multi - carrier system such as 5G, one of the carrier frequencies is referred to as the "primary carrier" or "anchor carrier", or "primary serving cell" or "PCell", and the remaining carrier frequencies are referred to as "secondary carriers", or "secondary serving cells" or "SCells". In carrier aggregation, the anchor carrier is the carrier that operates on the primary frequency (e.g., FR1) and is utilized by the UE 104 / 182 and the cell with which the UE 104 / 182 executes the initial radio resource control (RRC) connection establishment procedure or starts the RRC connection re - establishment procedure. The primary carrier carries all common and UE - specific control channels and can be a carrier at an authorized frequency (however, this is not always the case). The secondary carrier is a carrier that can be configured when an RRC connection is established between the UE 104 and the anchor carrier and can be used to provide additional radio resources and operates on a second frequency (e.g., FR2). In some cases, the secondary carrier can be a carrier at an unlicensed frequency. Since both the primary uplink carrier and the primary downlink carrier are typically UE - specific, the secondary carrier may only contain the necessary signaling information and signals. For example, in the secondary carrier, there may be no UE - specific signaling information and signals. This means that different UEs 104 / 182 within a cell can have different downlink primary carriers. The same applies to the uplink primary carrier.The network can change the primary carrier of any UE104 / 182 at any time. This is done, for example, to distribute the load across different carriers. Since a "serving cell" (whether it is a PCell or an SCell) corresponds to the carrier frequency and / or component carrier with which some base station is communicating, terms such as "cell", "serving cell", "component carrier", "carrier frequency", etc. can be used interchangeably.

[0044]

[0063] For example, referring further to FIG. 1, one of the frequencies utilized by macro cell base station 102 can be an anchor carrier (or, "PCell"), and the other frequencies utilized by macro cell base station 102 and / or mmW base station 180 can be secondary carriers ("SCells"). In carrier aggregation, base station 102 and / or UE104 can use a total spectrum of up to Yx MHz (x component carriers) with a bandwidth of up to Y MHz per carrier (e.g., 5, 10, 15, 20, 100 MHz) for transmission in each direction. Those component carriers may or may not be adjacent to each other on the frequency spectrum. The carrier allocation may be asymmetric for the downlink and uplink (e.g., for the downlink, more or fewer carriers may be allocated than for the uplink). By simultaneously transmitting and / or receiving on multiple carriers, UE104 / 182 can significantly increase its data transmission rate and / or reception rate. For example, two 20 MHz carriers aggregated in a multi-carrier system would theoretically result in a two-fold increase in data rate (i.e., 40 MHz) compared to the data rate achieved by a single 20 MHz carrier.

[0045]

[0064] To operate on multiple carrier frequencies, the base station 102 and / or the UE 104 can be equipped with multiple receivers and / or transmitters. For example, the UE 104 may have two receivers, "Receiver 1" and "Receiver 2", where "Receiver 1" is a multi-band receiver capable of tuning to band (i.e., carrier frequency) "X" or band "Y", and "Receiver 2" is a one-band receiver capable of tuning only to band "Z". In this embodiment, when the UE 104 is being served in band "X", band "X" will be referred to as the PCell or the active carrier frequency, and "Receiver 1" will need to tune from band "X" to band "Y" (SCell) in order to measure band "Y" (and vice versa). In contrast, regardless of whether the UE 104 is being served in band "X" or band "Y", the presence of a separate "Receiver 2" allows the UE 104 to measure band "Z" without interrupting service on band "X" or band "Y".

[0046]

[0065] The wireless communication system 100 may further include a UE 164 that is capable of communicating with the macrocell base station 102 via the communication link 120 and / or with the mmW base station 180 via the mmW communication link 184. For example, the macrocell base station 102 can support a PCell and one or more SCell for the UE 164, and the mmW base station 180 can support one or more SCell for the UE 164.

[0047]

[0066] The wireless communication system 100 may further include one or more UEs such as UE190 that are indirectly connected to one or more communication networks via one or more device-to-device (D2D) peer-to-peer (P2P) links (referred to as "side links"). In the embodiment of FIG. 1, UE190 has a D2D P2P link 192 with one of UE104s connected to one of base stations 102 (e.g., through which UE190 can indirectly obtain cellular connectivity), and a D2D P2P link 194 with WLAN STA152 connected to WLAN AP150 (through which UE190 can indirectly obtain WLAN-based Internet connectivity). In one embodiment, D2D P2P links 192 and 194 can be supported using any well-known D2D RAT such as LTE Direct (LTE-D), Wi-Fi Direct (Wi-Fi-D), Bluetooth®.

[0048]

[0067] FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of the design of base station 102 and UE104 that enables the transmission and processing of signals exchanged between a UE and a base station according to some aspects of the present disclosure. Design 200 includes components of base station 102 and UE104 that can be one of base station 102 and UE104 in FIG. 1. Base station 102 can be equipped with T antennas 234a - 234t, and UE104 can be equipped with R antennas 252a - 252r, generally T≧1 and R≧1.

[0049]

[0068] At base station 102, transmission processor 220 receives data from data source 212 regarding one or more UEs, selects one or more modulation and coding schemes (MCSs) for each UE based at least in part on channel quality indicators (CQIs) received from that UE, processes (e.g., encodes and modulates) data regarding each UE based at least in part on the MCS selected for that UE, and can provide data symbols regarding all UEs. Transmission processor 220 can also process system information (e.g., regarding semi-static resource partitioning information (SRPI)) and control information (e.g., CQI requests, grants, upper layer signaling, etc.) to provide overhead symbols and control symbols. Transmission processor 220 can also generate reference symbols regarding reference signals (e.g., cell-specific reference signal (CRS)) and synchronization signals (e.g., primary synchronization signal (PSS) or secondary synchronization signal (SSS)). Transmission (TX) multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) processor 230 can, when applicable, perform spatial processing (e.g., precoding) on data symbols, control symbols, overhead symbols, and / or reference symbols and can provide T output symbol streams to T modulators (MODs) 232a - 232t. Modulators 232a - 232t are shown as combined modulator-demodulators (MOD-DEMODs). In some cases, the modulator and demodulator can be separate components.Each of the modulators 232a to 232t can obtain an output sample stream by processing a corresponding output symbol stream, for example, with respect to an orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) scheme or the like. Each of the modulators 232a to 232t can obtain a downlink signal by further processing the output sample stream (for example, converting to analog, amplifying, filtering, and up-converting). The T downlink signals can be transmitted from the modulators 232a to 232t via the T antennas 234a to 234t, respectively. According to a specific aspect described in more detail below, position encoding can be used to generate a synchronization signal to transmit additional information.

[0050]

[0069] In UE104, antennas 252a to 252r can receive downlink signals from base station 102 and / or other base stations, and can provide the received signals to demodulators (DEMODs) 254a to 254r, respectively. Demodulators 254a to 254r are shown as combined modulator-demodulators (MOD-DEMOD). In some cases, the modulator and the demodulator can also be separate components. Each of the demodulators 254a to 254r can obtain input samples by adjusting (e.g., filtering, amplifying, down-converting, and digitizing) the received signals. Each of the demodulators 254a to 254r can obtain received symbols by further processing the input samples (e.g., with respect to OFDM, etc.). The MIMO detector 256 can obtain received symbols from all R demodulators 254a to 254r, and can perform MIMO detection on the received symbols and provide the detected symbols when applicable. The receiving processor 258 can process the detected symbols (e.g., demodulate and decode), can provide the decoded data for UE104 to the data sink 260, and can provide the decoded control information and system information to the controller / processor 280. The channel processor can determine the reference signal received power (RSRP), received signal strength indicator (RSSI), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), channel quality indicator (CQI), etc.

[0051]

[0070] On the uplink, in UE 104, the transmission processor 264 can receive and process data from the data source 262 and control information from the controller / processor 280 (for reporting, including, for example, RSRP, RSSI, RSRQ, CQI, etc.). The transmission processor 264 can also generate reference symbols for one or more reference signals (e.g., based at least in part on a beta value or a set of beta values associated with the one or more reference signals). The symbols from those transmission processors 264 can be precoded by the TX-MIMO processor 266, if applicable, and further processed by the modulators 254a - 254r (with respect to, for example, DFT-s-OFDM, CP-OFDM, etc.) and transmitted to the base station 102. At the base station 102, the uplink signals from the UE 104 and other UEs are received by the antennas 234a - 234r, processed by the demodulators 232a - 232t, detected by the MIMO detector 236, if applicable, and further processed by the reception processor 238 to obtain the decoded data and control information transmitted by the UE 104. The reception processor 238 can provide the decoded data to the data sink 239 and the decoded control information to the controller (processor) 240. The base station 102 can include a communication unit 244 and communicate with the network controller 231 via the communication unit 244. The network controller 231 can include a communication unit 294, a controller / processor 290, and a memory 292.

[0052]

[0071] In some aspects, one or more components of the UE 104 can be included within the housing. The controller 240 of the base station 102, the controller / processor 280 of the UE 104, and / or any other component of FIG. 2 can execute one or more techniques associated with implicit UCI beta value determination for NR.

[0053]

[0072] Memory 242 and memory 282 can each store data and program code related to base station 102 and UE 104. Scheduler 246 can schedule UEs for data transmission on the downlink, uplink, and / or sidelink.

[0054]

[0073] In some aspects, the deployment of a communication system, such as a 5G New Radio (NR) system, can be configured in multiple ways using various components or parts. In a 5G NR system or network, network nodes, network entities, network mobility elements, radio access network (RAN) nodes, core network nodes, network elements, or network equipment, such as a base station (BS), or one or more units (or one or more components) that perform base station functionality, can be implemented in an integrated architecture or a split architecture. For example, a BS (such as a NodeB (NB), evolved NB (eNB), NR BS, 5G NB, access point (AP), transmit receive point (TRP), or cell) can be implemented as an integrated base station (also known as a stand-alone BS or a monolithic BS) or a split base station.

[0055]

[0074] The centralized base station can be configured to utilize a radio protocol stack that is physically or logically integrated within a single RAN node. The distributed base station can be configured to utilize a protocol stack that is physically or logically distributed among two or more units (such as one or more central units or centralized units (CUs), one or more distributed units (DUs), or one or more radio units (RUs)). In some aspects, the CU can be implemented within the RAN node, one or more DUs can be co-located with the CU, or alternatively, can be geographically or virtually distributed across one or more other RAN nodes. The DU can be implemented to communicate with one or more RUs. Each of the CU, DU, and RU can also be implemented as a virtual unit, i.e., a virtual central unit (VCU), a virtual distributed unit (VDU), or a virtual radio unit (VRU).

[0056]

[0075] The operation or network design of a base station type can consider the aggregation characteristics of base station functionality. For example, a split base station can be used in an integrated access backhaul (IAB) network, an open radio access network (O-RAN, such as a network configuration supported by the O-RAN Alliance), or a virtualized radio access network (vRAN, also known as a cloud radio access network (C-RAN)). Splitting can involve distributing functionality across two or more units at various physical locations and, optionally, virtually distributing functionality related to at least one unit, which can enable flexibility in network design. The various units of a split base station or split RAN architecture can be configured to communicate wired or wirelessly with at least one other unit.

[0057]

[0076] FIG. 3 shows a diagram illustrating the architecture of an exemplary distributed base station 300. The architecture of the distributed base station 300 can communicate directly with the core network 320 via a backhaul link or indirectly with the core network 320 through one or more distributed base station units (such as a near-real-time (near-RT) RAN intelligent controller (RIC) 325 via an E2 link, or a non-real-time (non-RT) RIC 315 associated with a service management and orchestration (SMO) framework 305, or both), and may include one or more central units (CUs) 310. The CU 310 can communicate with one or more distributed units (DUs) 330 via a corresponding midhaul link such as an F1 interface. The DU 330 can communicate with one or more radio units (RUs) 340 via a corresponding fronthaul link. The RU 340 can communicate with a corresponding UE 104 via one or more radio frequency (RF) access links. In some implementations, the UE 104 can be served simultaneously by multiple RUs 340.

[0058]

[0077] Each of the units, e.g., CU310, DU330, RU340, as well as the quasi-RT RIC325, non-RT RIC315, and SMO framework 305, may include one or more interfaces configured to receive or transmit signals, data, or information (collectively, signals) via a wired transmission medium or a wireless transmission medium, or may be coupled to such one or more interfaces. A related processor or controller that provides instructions to each of the units, or to the communication interfaces of those units, may be configured to communicate with one or more of the other units via the transmission medium. For example, those units may include a wired interface configured to receive or transmit signals via a wired transmission medium to one or more of the other units. Further, those units may include a wireless interface that may include a receiver, a transmitter, or a transceiver (such as a radio frequency (RF) transceiver) configured to receive, transmit, or receive and transmit signals via a wireless transmission medium to one or more of the other units.

[0059]

[0078] In some aspects, CU310 can host the control functions of one or more upper layers. Such control functions can include radio resource control (RRC), packet data convergence protocol (PDCP), service data adaptation protocol (SDAP), etc. Each control function can implement an interface configured to communicate signals with other control functions hosted by CU310. CU310 can be configured to process user plane functionality (i.e., Central Unit-User Plane (CU-UP)), control plane functionality (i.e., Central Unit-Control Plane (CU-CP)), or a combination thereof. In some implementations, CU310 can be logically divided into one or more CU-UP units and one or more CU-CP units. The CU-UP unit can communicate bidirectionally with the CU-CP unit via an interface such as an E1 interface when implemented in an O-RAN configuration. CU310 can be implemented to communicate with DU330 as needed for network control and signaling.

[0060]

[0079] DU330 may correspond to a logical unit that includes one or more base station functions for controlling the operation of one or more RUs 340. In some aspects, DU330 hosts one or more of a radio link control (RLC) layer, a medium access control (MAC) layer, and one or more upper physical (PHY) layers (such as modules related to forward error correction (FEC) encoding and decoding, scrambling, modulation and demodulation, etc.) at least partially in response to a function split such as that defined by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). In some aspects, DU330 can further host one or more lower PHY layers. Each layer (or module) can implement an interface configured to communicate signals with other layers (and modules) hosted by DU330 or with control functions hosted by CU310.

[0061]

[0080] The lower layer functionality can be implemented by one or more RU340s. In some deployments, the RU340s controlled by the DU330 may correspond to logical nodes that host an RF processing function, or a lower PHY layer function (such as performing fast Fourier transform (FFT), inverse FFT (iFFT), digital beamforming, extraction and filtering of the physical random access channel (PRACH), etc.), or both, at least partially based on function splitting such as lower layer function splitting. In such an architecture, the RU340s can be implemented to handle over-the-air (OTA) communication with one or more UEs 104. In some implementations, the control plane communication and user plane communication with the RU340s, in real-time and non-real-time modes, can be controlled by the corresponding DU330. In some scenarios, this configuration may enable the DU330 and CU310 to be implemented in a cloud-based RAN architecture such as a vRAN architecture.

[0062]

[0081] The SMO framework 305 can be configured to support the RAN deployment and provisioning of non-virtualized network elements and virtualized network elements. For non-virtualized network elements, the SMO framework 305 can be configured to support the deployment of dedicated physical resources related to RAN coverage requirements that can be managed via an operation and maintenance interface (such as the O1 interface). For virtualized network elements, the SMO framework 305 can be configured to interact with a cloud computing platform (such as an open cloud (O-cloud) 390) in order to perform life cycle management of the network elements (such as instantiating virtualized network elements) via a cloud computing platform interface (such as the O2 interface). Such virtualized network elements can include, but are not limited to, CU310, DU330, RU340, and quasi-RT RIC325. In some implementations, the SMO framework 305 can communicate with the hardware aspects of a 4G RAN, such as an open eNB (O-eNB) 311, via the O1 interface. Furthermore, in some implementations, the SMO framework 305 can communicate directly with one or more RU340s via the O1 interface. The SMO framework 305 may also include a non-RT RIC315 that is configured to support the functionality of the SMO framework 305.

[0063]

[0082] The non-RT RIC 315 can be configured to include logical functions that enable policy-based guidance for non-real-time control and optimization of RAN elements and resources, artificial intelligence / machine learning (AI / ML) workflows including model training and updating, or applications / functions in the quasi-RT RIC 325. The non-RT RIC 315 can be coupled to the quasi-RT RIC 325 or can also communicate with the quasi-RT RIC 325 (e.g., via an A1 interface). The quasi-RT RIC 325 can be configured to include logical functions that enable quasi-real-time control and optimization of RAN elements and resources via data collection and actions, via an interface connecting the one or more CU 310, one or more DU 330, or both, and the O-eNB to the quasi-RT RIC 325 (e.g., via an E2 interface).

[0064]

[0083] In some implementations, the non-RT RIC 315 can receive parameters or external enrichment information from an external server to generate an AI / ML model to be deployed in the quasi-RT RIC 325. Such information can be utilized by the quasi-RT RIC 325 and can be received from a non-network data source or from a network function, in the SMO framework 305 or in the non-RT RIC 315. In some examples, the non-RT RIC 315 or the quasi-RT RIC 325 can be configured to adjust the behavior or performance of the RAN. For example, the non-RT RIC 315 can monitor long-term trends and patterns regarding performance and employ an AI / ML model to perform corrective actions either through corrective measures through the SMO framework 305 (e.g., reconfiguration via O1) or through the creation of RAN management policies (e.g., A1 policies).

[0065]

[0084] Figure 4 shows an example of a computing system 470 of a wireless device 407. The wireless device 407 can include a client device such as a UE (e.g., UE104, UE152, UE190) or other types of devices (e.g., a station (STA) configured to communicate using a Wi-Fi interface) that can be used by an end user. For example, the wireless device 407 can include a mobile phone, a router, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a tracking device, a wearable device (e.g., a smartwatch, glasses, a virtual reality (VR) device, an augmented reality (AR) device, or an extended reality (XR) device such as a mixed reality (MR) device), an Internet of Things (IoT) device, an access point, and / or another device configured to communicate via a wireless communication network. The computing system 470 includes software components and hardware components that can be electrically or communicatively coupled via a bus 489 (or, if necessary, can communicate in other ways). For example, the computing system 470 includes one or more processors 484. The one or more processors 484 can include one or more CPUs, ASICs, FPGAs, APs, GPUs, VPUs, NSPs, microcontrollers, dedicated hardware, any combination thereof, and / or other processing devices or processing systems. The bus 489 can be used by the one or more processors 484 to communicate between cores and / or to communicate with one or more memory devices 486.

[0066]

[0085] Computing system 470 may also include one or more memory devices 486, one or more digital signal processors (DSPs) 482, one or more subscriber identity modules (SIMs) 474, one or more modems 476, one or more wireless transceivers 478, one or more antennas 487, one or more input devices 472 (e.g., cameras, mice, keyboards, touch-sensitive screens, touch pads, keypads, microphones, etc.), and one or more output devices 480 (e.g., displays, speakers, printers, etc.).

[0067]

[0086] In some aspects, computing system 470 may include one or more radio frequency (RF) interfaces configured to transmit and / or receive RF signals. In some embodiments, the RF interface may include components such as modem 476, wireless transceiver 478, and / or antenna 487. One or more wireless transceivers 478 may transmit and receive wireless signals (e.g., signal 488) from one or more other devices, such as other wireless devices, network devices (e.g., base stations such as eNB and / or gNB, Wi-Fi access points (APs) such as routers, range extenders, etc.), cloud networks, etc., via antenna 487. In some embodiments, computing system 470 may include multiple antennas, or an antenna array, capable of facilitating simultaneous transmit and receive functionality. Antenna 487 can be an omnidirectional antenna capable of transmitting and receiving radio frequency (RF) signals in all directions. Wireless signal 488 can be transmitted via a wireless network. The wireless network can be any wireless network, such as a cellular network or a telecommunications network (e.g., 3G, 4G, 5G, etc.), a wireless local area network (e.g., a Wi-Fi network), a Bluetooth™ network, and / or other networks.

[0068]

[0087] In some embodiments, wireless signal 488 can be transmitted directly to other wireless devices using sidelink communication (e.g., using a PC5 interface, using a DSRC interface, etc.). Wireless transceiver 478 can be configured to transmit an RF signal for performing sidelink communication via antenna 487 according to one or more transmit power parameters that can be associated with one or more adjustment modes. Wireless transceiver 478 can also be configured to receive sidelink communication signals having different signal parameters from other wireless devices.

[0069]

[0088] In some embodiments, one or more wireless transceivers 478 may include an RF front end that includes one or more components such as, among other components, an amplifier, a mixer for signal down-conversion (also referred to as a signal multiplier), a frequency synthesizer (also referred to as an oscillator) that provides a signal to the mixer, a baseband filter, an analog-to-digital converter (ADC), one or more power amplifiers, etc. The RF front end can generally process the selection of the wireless signal 488 and the conversion to a baseband frequency or an intermediate frequency, and can convert the RF signal into the digital domain.

[0070]

[0089] In some cases, the computing system 470 may include an encoding-decoding device (or CODEC) configured to encode and / or decode data transmitted and / or received using one or more wireless transceivers 478. In some cases, the computing system 470 may include an encryption- decryption device or component configured to encrypt and / or decrypt data transmitted and / or received by one or more wireless transceivers 478 (e.g., according to the AES and / or DES standards).

[0071]

[0090] One or more SIMs 474 can each securely store the international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI) number and related keys assigned to the user of the user device 407. Those IMSIs and keys can be used to identify and authenticate the subscriber when accessing a network provided by a network service provider or carrier associated with that one or more SIMs 474. One or more modems 476 can modulate one or more signals to encode information for transmission using one or more wireless transceivers 478. One or more modems 476 can also demodulate signals received by one or more wireless transceivers 478 to decode the transmitted information. In some embodiments, the one or more modems 476 can include a Wi-Fi modem, a 4G (or, LTE) modem, a 5G (or, NR) modem, and / or other types of modems. The one or more modems 476 and the one or more wireless transceivers 478 can be used to communicate data regarding the one or more SIMs 474.

[0072]

[0091] Computing system 470 can also include (and / or communicate with) one or more non-transitory machine-readable storage media or storage devices (e.g., one or more memory devices 486), which can include, but are not limited to, local and / or network-accessible storage mechanisms, disk drives, drive arrays, optical storage devices, solid-state storage devices such as RAM and / or ROM, that can be programmable, flash updatable, etc. Such storage devices can be configured to implement any suitable data storage mechanism, including, but not limited to, various file systems, database structures, etc.

[0073]

[0092] In various embodiments, the various functions can be stored as one or more computer program products (e.g., instructions or code) in the memory device 486 and executed by one or more processors 484 and / or one or more DSPs 482. The computing system 470 can also include software elements (e.g., those present in one or more memory devices 486), such as, for example, an operating system, device drivers, executable libraries, and / or one or more application programs, including other code, which can include computer programs that implement the functions provided by the various embodiments, and / or can be designed to implement a method and / or configure a system, as described herein.

[0074]

[0093] As described above, systems and techniques for radio frequency (RF) beamforming are described herein. In some cases, the systems and techniques can be implemented by a user equipment (UE), such as the UE 104. In some aspects, the systems and techniques can be used to perform hybrid beamforming in which the direction of the RF beam is based on a selected linear antenna array for beamforming (e.g., array selection beamforming) and / or based on the phase alignment of antenna elements within the selected linear antenna array (e.g., phased array beamforming). In some aspects, array selection beamforming can be used to steer the RF beam along the power direction of the cylindrical lens. In some examples, phased array beamforming can be used to steer the RF beam along the non-power direction of the cylindrical lens, which is orthogonal to the power direction of the cylindrical lens.

[0075]

[0094] FIG. 5 shows an example of a cylindrical lens 500 for use in a beamforming device. In some embodiments, the cylindrical lens 500 may include a curved surface 506 that can be used to converge or diverge a radio frequency (RF) beam. As shown, the curved surface 506 corresponds to a convex surface that can converge the RF beam. In some embodiments, the cylindrical lens may have a planar surface 508 on the opposite side of the curved surface 506. In some cases, the planar surface 508 can be a flat surface with no curvature. In some embodiments, the cylindrical lens 500 may have a power direction 504 corresponding to the curvature of the curved surface 506. In some cases, the cylindrical lens 500 may have a non-power direction 502 orthogonal to the power direction 504 (e.g., the non-power direction 502 extends along the length of the lens and has no optical power).

[0076]

[0095] In some embodiments, the cylindrical lens 500 may have side surfaces 510a and 510b that are on opposite sides of each other and extend along the curvature of the curved surface 506 (e.g., the side surfaces 510a and 510b are parallel to the power direction 504). In some cases, the cylindrical lens 500 may have side surfaces 512a and 512b that are on opposite sides of each other and parallel to the non-power direction 502. The cylindrical lens 500 is shown as having a rectangular form factor, but those skilled in the art will recognize that additional form factors (e.g., square, circular, elliptical, etc.) can be used in accordance with this technology.

[0077]

[0096] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing portions of a beamforming device having a cylindrical lens according to some embodiments. In some embodiments, the beamforming device may include a cylindrical lens 602. In some embodiments, the cylindrical lens 602 may correspond to a plano-convex lens, a biconvex lens, a convex meniscus lens, a biconcave lens, a plano-concave lens, a concave meniscus lens, and / or any other type of cylindrical lens. As shown, the cylindrical lens 602 corresponds to a plano-convex lens such as the cylindrical lens 500 shown in FIG. 5.

[0078]

[0097] In some cases, the cylindrical lens 602 may have a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface. In some embodiments, the first surface may correspond to a planar surface and the second surface may correspond to a convex surface. For example, the cylindrical lens 602 may include a convex surface 604 (e.g., the first surface) on the opposite side of the planar surface 606 (e.g., the second surface). In some aspects, the cylindrical lens 602 may include a power direction 620 corresponding to the curvature of the first surface (e.g., the curvature of the convex surface 604). In some embodiments, the cylindrical lens 602 may have an optical power in the power direction 620. In some aspects, the power direction 620 may be orthogonal to the non-power direction 622.

[0079]

[0098] In some cases, the beamforming device may include a plurality of linear antenna arrays disposed proximate to the second surface of the cylindrical lens. For example, it is possible to dispose (e.g., arrange, array, etc.) the linear antenna array 608, the linear antenna array 612, and the linear antenna array 616 proximate to the planar surface 606. In some embodiments, the distance between the linear antenna array (e.g., the linear antenna array 608, the linear antenna array 612, and the linear antenna array 616) and the planar surface 606 may correspond to the back focal length of the cylindrical lens 602. In one non-limiting embodiment, the distance between the linear antenna array and the planar surface 606 can be about 7 millimeters (mm). In some aspects, the linear antenna array can be positioned such that a radio frequency (RF) beam is collimated along the power direction 620 (e.g., perpendicular to the direction of the linear antenna array).

[0080]

[0099] In some cases, each of the plurality of linear antenna arrays may include a plurality of antenna array elements. For example, linear antenna array 608, linear antenna array 612, and linear antenna array 616 may each include a plurality of antenna elements. In some embodiments, linear antenna array 608 may include antenna elements 610a, antenna elements 610b, antenna elements 610c, antenna elements 610d, antenna elements 610e, antenna elements 610f, antenna elements 610g, and antenna elements 610h (collectively referred to as "antenna elements 610"). In some cases, linear antenna array 612 may include antenna elements 614a, antenna elements 614b, antenna elements 614c, antenna elements 614d, antenna elements 614e, antenna elements 614f, antenna elements 614g, and antenna elements 614h (collectively referred to as "antenna elements 614"). In some configurations, linear antenna array 616 may include antenna elements 618a, antenna elements 618b, antenna elements 618c, antenna elements 618d, antenna elements 618e, antenna elements 618f, antenna elements 618g, and antenna elements 618h (collectively referred to as "antenna elements 618"). FIG. 6 is shown as having three linear antenna arrays with eight antenna elements, but those skilled in the art will recognize that the present technology is not limited to a specific number of linear antenna arrays and / or a specific number of antenna elements.

[0081]

[0100] In some embodiments, for each of the plurality of linear antenna arrays, the plurality of antenna array elements can be aligned in a direction perpendicular to the power direction. For example, antenna elements 610a - h, antenna elements 614a - h, and antenna elements 618a - h can each be aligned in a direction perpendicular to the power direction 620 (e.g., parallel to the non - power direction 622). In some aspects, each linear antenna array (e.g., linear antenna array 608, linear antenna array 612, and linear antenna array 616) can be configured to steer an RF beam along different portions of the power direction 620. For example, linear antenna array 612 can be used to steer an RF beam along the center of the power direction 620. In another embodiment, linear antenna array 608 and linear antenna array 616 can be used to steer an RF beam at different angles along the power direction 620 (e.g., as further illustrated and described herein with respect to FIG. 8).

[0082]

[0101] In some cases, each linear antenna array (e.g., linear antenna array 608, linear antenna array 612, and linear antenna array 616) can be used to steer an RF beam along different portions of the non - power direction 622. For example, each of the linear antenna arrays can be configured as a phased - array antenna such that each of the corresponding antenna elements is configured to transmit or receive a phase - shifted RF signal. In one exemplary embodiment, the phase difference between each of the antenna elements 614 corresponding to the linear antenna array 612 can be used to steer an RF beam (e.g., radiation pattern) in different directions along the non - power direction 622. In some aspects, based on the position of the linear antenna array 612, while maintaining the RF beam at the center of the power direction 620, the phase alignment of the antenna elements 614 can be used to steer the RF beam at different angles with respect to the non - power direction 622.

[0083]

[0102] In some embodiments, the distance 624 between one or more linear antenna arrays can be less than or equal to the wavelength of the RF signal. For example, an RF signal having a frequency of 150 GHz can have a wavelength of about 2 millimeters (mm). In one exemplary embodiment, the distance 624 between the linear antenna array 612 and the linear antenna array 616 can be about 1.75 mm. In some cases, the array pitch 626 (e.g., the distance between antenna elements) can be about half of the wavelength of the RF signal. For example, the array pitch 626 can be about 1 mm when the wavelength is 2 mm.

[0084]

[0103] FIG. 7 shows a front view of a user equipment (UE) 700 including a beamforming device having a cylindrical lens. In some aspects, the UE 700 can include a cylindrical lens 702. In some cases, the cylindrical lens 702 can correspond to a plano-convex lens, such as the cylindrical lens 500 shown in FIG. 5. In some embodiments, the cylindrical lens 702 can be attached along the side or edge of the UE 700. In some cases, the cylindrical lens 702 can be attached on the UE 700 such that the cylindrical lens 702 is in the same plane or at the same height as the side or edge of the UE 700. In another embodiment, the cylindrical lens 702 can be attached on the UE 700 such that the cylindrical lens 702 is concave with respect to the side or edge of the UE 700. In another embodiment, the cylindrical lens 702 can be attached on the UE 700 such that the cylindrical lens 702 protrudes from the UE 700. In some cases, the width of the cylindrical lens 702 can be less than or equal to the thickness of the UE 700.

[0085]

[0104] In some aspects, the UE 700 may include one or more linear antenna arrays, such as the linear antenna array 704. In some cases, the UE 700 may include additional linear antenna arrays (not shown) that can be arranged in a direction substantially parallel to the linear antenna array 704. In some embodiments, the linear antenna array 704 may include a plurality of antenna array elements, such as antenna elements 706a, antenna elements 706b, antenna elements 706c, antenna elements 706d, antenna elements 706e, antenna elements 706f, antenna elements 706g, and antenna elements 706h (collectively referred to as "antenna elements 706").

[0086]

[0105] In some embodiments, the antenna elements 706a - h can be positioned behind the cylindrical lens 702. For example, the antenna elements 706a - h can be arranged behind the planar surface (e.g., planar surface 508) of the cylindrical lens 702. In some cases, the distance 708 between the antenna elements 706a - h and the cylindrical lens 702 can be based on the back focal length of the cylindrical lens 702.

[0087]

[0106] In some aspects, each linear antenna array can be configured to steer at least one RF beam along the non-power direction of the cylindrical lens. For example, the linear antenna array 704 can be configured to steer one or more RF beams (e.g., RF beam 710a, RF beam 710b, RF beam 710c, RF beam 710c, RF beam 710d, and / or RF beam 710e) along the non-power direction 712 of the cylindrical lens 702. In some embodiments, the linear antenna array 704 can be configured as a phased antenna array such that the antenna elements 706a-h are configured to transmit or receive phase-shifted RF signals. In one exemplary embodiment, the phase difference between each of the antenna elements 706a-h corresponding to the linear antenna array 704 is used to steer the RF beam 710c in a direction perpendicular to the linear antenna array 704 (e.g., to the center of the non-power direction 712). In another embodiment, the phase difference between each of the antenna elements 706a-h corresponding to the linear antenna array 704 is used to steer the RF beam in one or more directions along the non-power direction 712 (e.g., the directions corresponding to RF beam 710a, RF beam 710b, RF beam 710d, and / or RF beam 710e).

[0088]

[0107] FIG. 8 shows a side view of a user equipment (UE) 800 including a beamforming device having a cylindrical lens. In some aspects, the UE 800 can include a cylindrical lens 802. In some cases, the cylindrical lens 802 can correspond to a plano-convex lens, such as the cylindrical lens 500 shown in FIG. 5. As shown, the cylindrical lens 802 is mounted along the upper surface of the UE 800. However, those skilled in the art will recognize that the cylindrical lens 802 can be positioned at any other suitable location with respect to the UE 800 (e.g., the bottom surface, side surface, front surface, back surface, etc.) for transmitting and receiving RF signals.

[0089]

[0108] In some aspects, the UE 800 may include one or more linear antenna arrays, such as linear antenna array 804a, linear antenna array 804b, and linear antenna array 804c. In some embodiments, each linear antenna array may include a plurality of antenna elements. For example, linear antenna array 804a may include antenna element 814. In some aspects, linear antenna array 804b and linear antenna array 804c may also include a series of antenna elements (not shown) that can be arranged in a direction substantially parallel to antenna element 814. In some configurations, each linear antenna array can steer an RF beam along non-power direction 808 using a phase shift between corresponding antenna elements (e.g., antenna element 814).

[0090]

[0109] In some embodiments, based on the selection of the linear antenna array, the RF beam can be steered along the power direction 810 of the cylindrical lens 802. For example, by using the selection of linear antenna array 804a, the RF beam can be steered in a direction along power direction 810 corresponding to RF beam 806a. In another embodiment, by using the selection of linear antenna array 804b, the RF beam can be steered in a direction along power direction 810 corresponding to RF beam 806b. In another embodiment, by using the selection of linear antenna array 804c, the RF beam can be steered in a direction along power direction 810 corresponding to RF beam 806c.

[0091]

[0110] In some cases, each linear antenna array can be associated with a corresponding beam angle based on the position of each linear antenna array relative to the surface of the cylindrical lens. For example, each linear antenna array can be configured to direct an RF beam along a power direction 810 based on its position relative to the surface of the cylindrical lens 802 (e.g., the planar surface 508 or the curved surface 506). In one exemplary embodiment, the linear antenna array 804b can be positioned behind the center of the cylindrical lens 802 and can be configured to direct the RF beam 806b at an angle of 90 degrees that can coincide with the center of the power direction 810.

[0092]

[0111] In some embodiments, the distance 812 between the linear antenna array (e.g., the linear antenna array 804a, the linear antenna array 804b, and the linear antenna array 804c) and the cylindrical lens 802 can be based on the back focal length of the cylindrical lens 802. In some cases, the linear antenna array can be positioned such that the corresponding RF beams (e.g., the RF beam 806a, the RF beam 806b, and the RF beam 806c) are collimated along the power direction 810 of the cylindrical lens 802.

[0093]

[0112] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a beam steering direction 900 for an RF beam 902 with respect to the field of view (FOV) 904 of a lens. As described above, a phased linear antenna array can be used to steer an RF beam along a non-power direction 910 of the cylindrical lens, and the selection of the linear antenna array can be used to steer the RF beam along a power direction 912 of the cylindrical lens. In some aspects, the overall direction of the RF beam can be based on the linear antenna array selected for beamforming (e.g., array selection beamforming) and the phase alignment of the antenna elements within the selected linear antenna array (e.g., phased array beamforming).

[0094]

[0113] For example, as shown in FIG. 9, the movement of the RF beam 902 in the direction 908 corresponding to the power direction 912 (e.g., the movement of the RF beam 902 from (906a, 908a) to (906b, 908a)) can be based on the selection of different linear arrays using array selection beamforming. For example, by selecting different antenna arrays, the RF beam 902 can be shifted in the direction 908.

[0095]

[0114] Similarly, the movement of the RF beam 902 in the direction 906 corresponding to the non-power direction 910 (e.g., the movement of the RF beam 902 from (906a, 908a) to (906a, 908b)) can be based on phased array beamforming (e.g., using the same antenna array with different antenna phase alignments). For example, by phased array beamforming, the RF beam 902 can be shifted in the direction 906.

[0096]

[0115] In one embodiment, when the array selection beamforming corresponds to the linear antenna array 906c and the phased array beamforming corresponds to the antenna phase alignment 908c, the direction of the RF beam 902 can be substantially located at the center of the lens FOV 904. In another embodiment, by maintaining the antenna phase alignment 908c and selecting the linear antenna array 906b or the linear antenna array 906a, the direction of the RF beam 902 can be steered away downward along the power direction 912 from the center of the lens FOV 904. In another embodiment, while continuing to use the linear antenna array 906c, by using the antenna phase alignment 908b or the antenna phase alignment 908a, the direction of the RF beam 902 can be steered away rightward along the non-power direction 910 from the center of the lens FOV 904. Similar operations can be performed when using the linear antenna array 906d or the linear antenna array 906e.

[0097]

[0116] Figure 10 shows various parts of a beamforming device having a cylindrical lens according to several embodiments. In some aspects, the beamforming device 1000 can include one or more linear antenna arrays, such as linear antenna array 1002a, linear antenna array 1002b, and linear antenna array 1002c. In some cases, each linear antenna array can be positioned to direct a corresponding RF beam along different angles corresponding to the power direction of the cylindrical lens 1008. In some embodiments, each linear antenna array can include a plurality of antenna elements that can be configured to perform phased array beamforming to direct an RF beam along the non-power direction of the cylindrical lens 1008. For example, linear antenna array 1002a, linear antenna array 1002b, and / or linear antenna array 1002c can be configured to direct an RF beam 1010a through the cylindrical lens 1008 to transmit an output signal 1012. In another embodiment, linear antenna array 1002a, linear antenna array 1002b, and / or linear antenna array 1002c can be configured to direct an RF beam 1010b through the cylindrical lens 1008 to receive an input signal 1014.

[0098]

[0117] In some embodiments, a linear antenna array (e.g., linear antenna array 1002a, linear antenna array 1002b, and / or linear antenna array 1002c) can be configured as a receiving antenna array or a transmitting antenna array. In some cases, the antenna elements corresponding to the receiving antenna array can be interleaved with the antenna elements corresponding to the transmitting antenna array. For example, linear antenna array 1002a can be configured as a receiving antenna array, and linear antenna array 1002b can be configured as a transmitting antenna array. In some aspects, the antenna elements corresponding to linear antenna array 1002a can be interleaved with the antenna elements corresponding to linear antenna array 1002b.

[0099]

[0118] In some aspects, each linear antenna array can be coupled to a corresponding switching network that can be used by the controller 1006 to address and / or control each linear antenna array independently. For example, the linear antenna array 1002a can be coupled to the switching network 1004a, the linear antenna array 1002b can be coupled to the switching network 1004b, and the linear antenna array 1002c can be coupled to the switching network 1004c.

[0100]

[0119] In some configurations, each switching network provides a connection to the controller 1006 for a corresponding linear antenna array. In some embodiments, the controller 1006 can address and control each linear antenna array individually (e.g., via a corresponding switching network). In some aspects, the controller 1006 can configure each linear antenna array to stream data independently (e.g., transmit or receive RF signals) and / or direct an RF beam in a particular direction independently. For example, the controller 1006 can configure the linear antenna array 1002a to direct an RF beam in a first direction while simultaneously configuring the linear antenna array 1002b to direct an RF beam in a second direction different from the first direction. In some cases, the controller 1006 can configure multiple linear antenna arrays to direct beams in the same direction. For example, the linear antenna array 1002b and the linear antenna array 1002c can both be configured to receive the input signal 1014 using the RF beam 1010b.

[0101]

[0120] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a linear transceiver antenna array configuration 1100. In some aspects, the antenna array configuration 1100 may include a lens 1102. In some cases, the lens 1102 may correspond to a plano-convex lens, such as the cylindrical lens 500 shown in FIG. 5. In some embodiments, the antenna array configuration 1100 may include at least one receiving antenna array 1106 and at least one transmitting antenna array 1108. In some aspects, the receiving antenna array 1106 may include a plurality of receiving antenna elements 1110. In some configurations, the transmitting antenna array 1108 may include a plurality of transmitting antenna elements 1112.

[0102]

[0121] In some embodiments, the receiving antenna elements 1110 can be aligned in a first direction as a uniform linear array (ULA). In some cases, the transmitting antenna elements 1112 can be aligned in a second direction as a ULA. In some instances, the first direction can be parallel to the second direction (e.g., the receiving antenna array 1106 can be parallel to the transmitting antenna array 1108). In some embodiments, the first direction and the second direction can be perpendicular to the power direction 1114 of the lens 1102 (e.g., parallel to the non-power direction 1116).

[0103]

[0122] In some aspects, the receiving antenna elements 1110 can be positioned on a first side of the lens central axis 1104. In some cases, the transmitting antenna elements 1112 can be positioned on a second side of the lens central axis 1104 (e.g., the opposite side of the first side). In some instances, the receiving antenna elements 1110 and the transmitting antenna elements 1112 can be equidistant from the lens central axis 1104.

[0104]

[0123] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a linear transceiver antenna array configuration 1200. In some aspects, the antenna array configuration 1200 may include a lens 1202. In some cases, the lens 1202 may correspond to a plano-convex lens, such as the cylindrical lens 500 shown in FIG. 5. In some embodiments, the antenna array configuration 1200 may include at least one receiving antenna array 1206 and at least one transmitting antenna array 1208. In some aspects, the receiving antenna array 1206 may include a plurality of receiving antenna elements 1210. In some configurations, the transmitting antenna array 1208 may include a plurality of transmitting antenna elements 1212.

[0105]

[0124] In some embodiments, the receiving antenna elements 1210 can be aligned in the same direction as the transmitting antenna elements 1212. For example, the receiving antenna elements 1210 can be aligned as a ULA along a direction parallel to the lens central axis 1204, and the transmitting antenna elements 1212 can be aligned as a ULA along the same direction parallel to the lens central axis 1204. In some aspects, the directions of the receiving antenna elements 1210 and the transmitting antenna elements 1212 can be perpendicular to the power direction 1214 (e.g., parallel to the non-power direction 1216).

[0106]

[0125] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of an alternating transceiver antenna array configuration 1300. In some aspects, the antenna array configuration 1300 may include a lens 1302. In some cases, the lens 1302 may correspond to a plano-convex lens, such as the cylindrical lens 500 shown in FIG. 5. In some embodiments, the antenna array configuration 1300 may include at least one receiving antenna array including a receiving antenna array element 1306. In some cases, the antenna array configuration 1300 may include at least one transmitting antenna array including a transmitting antenna array element 1308.

[0107]

[0126] In some embodiments, the receiving antenna element 1306 can be aligned in the same direction as the transmitting antenna element 1308. For example, the receiving antenna element 1306 can be aligned along a direction parallel to the lens central axis 1304, and the transmitting antenna element 1308 can be aligned along the same direction parallel to the lens central axis 1304. In some aspects, the receiving antenna element 1306 can be alternately arranged with the transmitting antenna element 1308. In some aspects, the directions of the receiving antenna element 1306 and the transmitting antenna element 1308 that are linearly alternately arranged can be perpendicular to the power direction 1310 (e.g., parallel to the non-power direction 1312).

[0108]

[0127] FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of an alternating arrangement type transmitting and receiving antenna array configuration 1400. In some aspects, the antenna array configuration 1400 can include a lens 1402. In some cases, the lens 1402 can correspond to a plano-convex lens, such as the cylindrical lens 500 shown in FIG. 5. In some embodiments, the antenna array configuration 1400 can include at least one receiving antenna array including a receiving antenna array element 1406. In some cases, the antenna array configuration 1400 can include at least one transmitting antenna array including a transmitting antenna array element 1408.

[0109]

[0128] In some embodiments, a first portion of the receiving antenna element 1406 can be interleaved with a first portion of the transmitting antenna element 1408 along a first direction to form a first interleaved antenna array 1410. In some cases, a second portion of the receiving antenna element 1406 can be interleaved with a second portion of the transmitting antenna element 1408 along a second direction (e.g., parallel to the first direction) to form a second interleaved antenna array 1412. In some embodiments, the first interleaved antenna array 1410 can be positioned on a first side of the lens central axis 1404, and the second interleaved antenna array 1412 can be positioned on a second side of the lens central axis 1404 (e.g., the opposite side of the first side). In some aspects, the interleaved antenna array 1410 and the interleaved antenna array 1412 can be perpendicular to the power direction 1414 (e.g., parallel to the non-power direction 1416). In some cases, the interleaved antenna array 1410 and the interleaved antenna array 1412 can be equidistant from the lens central axis 1404.

[0110]

[0129] FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an embodiment of an interleaved transceiver antenna array configuration 1500. In some aspects, the antenna array configuration 1500 can include a lens 1502. In some cases, the lens 1502 can correspond to a plano-convex lens, such as the cylindrical lens 500 shown in FIG. 5. In some embodiments, the antenna array configuration 1500 can include a first receiving antenna array including a receiving antenna element 1506 and a second receiving antenna array including a receiving antenna element 1510. In some cases, the antenna array configuration 1500 can include a first transmitting antenna array including a transmitting antenna element 1508 and a second transmitting antenna array including a transmitting antenna element 1512.

[0111]

[0130] In some embodiments, the first portion of the receive antenna element 1506 can be interleaved with the first portion of the transmit antenna element 1508 along a first direction to form the first interleaved antenna array 1514a. In some cases, the second portion of the receive antenna element 1506 can be interleaved with the second portion of the transmit antenna element 1508 along a second direction to form the second interleaved antenna array 1514b.

[0112]

[0131] In some embodiments, the first portion of the receive antenna element 1510 can be interleaved with the first portion of the transmit antenna element 1512 along a third direction to form the first interleaved antenna array 1516a. In some cases, the second portion of the receive antenna element 1510 can be interleaved with the second portion of the transmit antenna element 1512 along a fourth direction to form the second interleaved antenna array 1516b. In some aspects, the first, second, third, and fourth directions (e.g., corresponding to the interleaved antenna arrays 1514a, 1514b, 1516a, and 1516b, respectively) can be parallel to each other and perpendicular to the power direction 1518 (e.g., parallel to the non-power direction 1520).

[0113]

[0132] In some embodiments, the interleaved antenna array 1514a can be positioned on a first side of the lens central axis 1504, and the interleaved antenna array 1514b can be positioned on a second side of the lens central axis 1504 (e.g., the opposite side of the first side). In some cases, the interleaved antenna array 1516a can be positioned on a first side of the lens central axis 1504, and the interleaved antenna array 1516b can be positioned on a second side of the lens central axis 1504 (e.g., the opposite side of the first side). In some aspects, the interleaved antenna array 1514a and the interleaved antenna array 1514b can be equidistant from the lens central axis 1504. In some embodiments, the interleaved antenna array 1516a and the interleaved antenna array 1516b can be equidistant from the lens central axis 1504.

[0114]

[0133] FIG. 16 is a diagram showing another embodiment of the interleaved transceiver antenna array configuration 1600. In some aspects, the antenna array configuration 1600 can include a lens 1602. In some cases, the lens 1602 can correspond to a plano-convex lens, such as the cylindrical lens 500 shown in FIG. 5. In some embodiments, the antenna array configuration 1600 can include a first receiving antenna array including receiving antenna elements 1606, a second receiving antenna array including receiving antenna elements 1610, and a third receiving antenna array including receiving antenna elements 1614. In some cases, the antenna array configuration 1600 can include a first transmitting antenna array including transmitting antenna elements 1608, a second transmitting antenna array including transmitting antenna elements 1612, and a third transmitting antenna array including transmitting antenna elements 1616.

[0115]

[0134] In some embodiments, the first portion of the receiving antenna element 1606 can be alternately arranged with the first portion of the transmitting antenna element 1608 along a first direction to form the first alternately arranged antenna array 1618a. In some cases, the second portion of the receiving antenna element 1606 can be alternately arranged with the second portion of the transmitting antenna element 1608 along a second direction to form the second alternately arranged antenna array 1618b.

[0116]

[0135] In some embodiments, the first portion of the receiving antenna element 1610 can be alternately arranged with the first portion of the transmitting antenna element 1612 along a third direction to form the third alternately arranged antenna array 1620a. In some cases, the second portion of the receiving antenna element 1610 can be alternately arranged with the second portion of the transmitting antenna element 1612 along a fourth direction to form the fourth alternately arranged antenna array 1620b.

[0117]

[0136] In some embodiments, the first portion of the receiving antenna element 1614 can be alternately arranged with the first portion of the transmitting antenna element 1616 along a fifth direction to form the fifth alternately arranged antenna array 1622a. In some cases, the second portion of the receiving antenna element 1614 can be alternately arranged with the second portion of the transmitting antenna element 1616 along a sixth direction to form the sixth alternately arranged antenna array 1622b.

[0118]

[0137] In some aspects, the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth directions (for example, corresponding to the alternately arranged antenna arrays 1618a, 1618b, 1620a, 1620b, 1622a, and 1622b, respectively) can be parallel to each other and perpendicular to the power direction 1624 (for example, parallel to the non-power direction 1626).

[0119]

[0138] In some embodiments, the interleaved antenna array 1618a can be positioned on a first side of the lens central axis 1604, and the interleaved antenna array 1618b can be positioned on a second side of the lens central axis 1604 (e.g., the opposite side of the first side). In some cases, the interleaved antenna array 1618a and the interleaved antenna array 1618b can be equidistant from the lens central axis 1604. In some aspects, the interleaved antenna arrays 1620a and 1620b can be positioned on a first side of the lens central axis 1604. In some embodiments, the interleaved antenna arrays 1622a and 1622b can be positioned on a second side of the lens central axis 1604 (e.g., the opposite side of the first side).

[0120]

[0139] In some aspects, the design of the antenna array configuration 1600 can prevent grating lobes that may occur in the antenna array and that are present on both sides of the lens central axis with a large spacing. By arranging the interleaved antenna array 1620a and the interleaved antenna array 1620b (and the interleaved antenna array 1622a and the interleaved antenna array 1622b) on the same side of the lens central axis 1604, the interleaved antenna arrays 1620a, 1620b and / or the interleaved antenna arrays 1622a, 1622b may be able to transmit beams in opposite directions / receive beams from opposite directions (e.g., the interleaved antenna arrays 1620a, 1620b can transmit and / or receive beams via the lens 1602 at a lens position on the opposite side of the lens central axis 1604 with respect to the positions of the interleaved antenna arrays 1620a, 1620b).

[0121]

[0140] FIG. 17 shows a side view of a user equipment (UE) 1700 including a beamforming device having a cylindrical lens. In some aspects, the UE 1700 may include a cylindrical lens 1702. In some cases, the cylindrical lens 1702 may correspond to a plano-convex lens, such as the cylindrical lens 500 shown in FIG. 5.

[0122]

[0141] In some aspects, the UE 1700 may include one or more interleaved antenna arrays, such as an interleaved antenna array 1704a and an interleaved antenna array 1704b. In some embodiments, each interleaved antenna array may include a plurality of transmit antenna elements and a plurality of receive antenna elements. For example, the interleaved antenna array 1704a may include antenna elements 1714a that are interleaved, and the interleaved antenna array 1704b may include antenna elements 1714b that are interleaved. In some embodiments, the interleaved antenna elements 1714a and the interleaved antenna elements 1714b may be parallel to each other and perpendicular to the power direction 1710. In some aspects, the interleaved antenna array 1704a and the interleaved antenna array 1704b may be arranged on both sides of the lens central axis 1712 (as shown, for example, in FIG. 14).

[0123]

[0142] In some cases, the transmit antenna elements within the interleaved antenna elements 1714a and the transmit antenna elements within the interleaved antenna elements 1714b can steer the transmit beam 1706a along the non-power direction 1708. In some aspects, the receive antenna elements within the interleaved antenna elements 1714a and the receive antenna elements within the interleaved antenna elements 1714b can steer the receive beam 1706b along the non-power direction 1708.

[0124]

[0143] In some aspects, the alternating array antenna array 1704a and the alternating array antenna array 1704b can be used (e.g., using the transmitting antenna elements in each of the corresponding arrays) to generate the TX beam 1706a. In some embodiments, the alternating array antenna array 1704a and the alternating array antenna array 1704b can be used (e.g., using the receiving antenna elements in each of the corresponding arrays) to generate the RX beam 1706b. In some cases, the TX beam 1706a and the RX beam 1706b can be directed to the same position or a similar position. As shown in the figure, the TX beam 1706a and the RX beam 1706b are substantially overlapping and are directed to the center of the cylindrical lens 1702.

[0125]

[0144] FIG. 18 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process 1800 for performing wireless communication. In some aspects, the process 1800 can be performed by a UE, such as a user equipment (UE) 104.

[0126]

[0145] In block 1802, the process 1800 includes the UE using a receiving antenna array including a plurality of receiving antenna elements disposed (e.g., arranged, positioned, etc.) proximate to a first surface of a cylindrical lens having a curved second surface on an opposite side of the first surface to steer (e.g., direct, position, etc.) a first radio frequency beam in a first direction. In some aspects, the first direction can correspond to the center of the cylindrical lens. For example, the UE 1700 can use a receiving antenna array including a plurality of receiving antenna elements disposed (e.g., configured, arranged, positioned, etc.) proximate to the first surface of the cylindrical lens 1702 to steer the RX beam 1706b in a first direction. In some cases, the receiving antenna elements can be interleaved among the interleaved antenna elements 1714a and the interleaved antenna elements 1714b.

[0127]

[0146] In block 1804, process 1800 includes steering a second RF beam in a second direction using a transmit antenna array that includes a plurality of transmit antenna array elements disposed proximate to a first surface of a cylindrical lens by a UE. In some cases, the second direction may also correspond to the center of the cylindrical lens. For example, UE 1700 can steer TX beam 1706a in a second direction using a transmit antenna array that includes a plurality of transmit antenna elements (e.g., configured, arranged, positioned, etc.) disposed proximate to a first surface of cylindrical lens 1702. In some cases, the transmit antenna elements can be interleaved among interleaved antenna elements 1714a and interleaved antenna elements 1714b.

[0128]

[0147] In some aspects, a first portion of the receive antenna array elements can be interleaved with a first portion of the transmit antenna array elements to form a first interleaved antenna array, and a second portion of the receive antenna array elements can be interleaved with a second portion of the transmit antenna array elements to form a second interleaved antenna array. For example, interleaved antenna array 1704a can include a first portion of the transmit antenna elements and a first portion of the receive antenna elements (e.g., interleaved antenna elements 1714a). In another example, interleaved antenna array 1704b can include a second portion of the transmit antenna elements and a second portion of the receive antenna elements (e.g., interleaved antenna elements 1714b).

[0129]

[0148] In some embodiments, the first interleaved antenna array can be positioned on a first side of the lens central axis, and the second interleaved antenna array can be positioned on a second side of the lens central axis. For example, interleaved antenna array 1704a can be positioned on a first side of lens central axis 1712, and interleaved antenna array 1704b can be positioned on a second side (e.g., opposite the first side) of lens central axis 1712.

[0130]

[0149] In some cases, the first interleaved antenna array and the second interleaved antenna array can be aligned in a direction parallel to the lens central axis. For example, the interleaved antenna array 1704a and the interleaved antenna array 1704b can be aligned in a direction parallel to the lens central axis 1712 (e.g., perpendicular to the power direction 1710).

[0131]

[0150] FIG. 18 shows exemplary blocks of process 1800, but in some aspects, process 1800 may include additional blocks, fewer blocks, different blocks, or differently configured blocks other than those shown in FIG. 18. Additionally or alternatively, two or more of the blocks of process 1800 may be performed in parallel.

[0132]

[0151] In some embodiments, the processes described herein (e.g., process 1800 and / or other processes described herein) can be performed by a computing device or computing apparatus (e.g., a UE or a base station). In one embodiment, process 1800 can be performed by the user equipment 104 of FIG. 2 and / or the wireless device 407 of FIG. 4. In another embodiment, process 1800 can be performed by a computing device having the computing system 1900 shown in FIG. 19.

[0133]

[0152] In some cases, a computing device or computing apparatus may include various components such as one or more input devices, one or more output devices, one or more processors, one or more microprocessors, one or more microcomputers, one or more cameras, one or more sensors, and / or other components configured to perform the steps of the processes described herein. In some embodiments, the computing device may include a display, one or more network interfaces configured to communicate and / or receive data, any combination thereof, and / or other components. One or more network interfaces may be configured to communicate and / or receive wired data and / or wireless data, including data according to 3G, 4G, 5G, and / or other cellular standards, data according to Wi-Fi (802.11x) standards, data according to Bluetooth (trademark) standards, data according to Internet Protocol (IP) standards, and / or other types of data.

[0134]

[0153] The components of the computing device can be implemented in circuitry. For example, those components can include electronic circuitry or other electronic hardware that can include one or more programmable electronic circuits (e.g., microprocessors, neural processing units (NPUs), graphics processing units (GPUs), digital signal processors (DSPs), central processing units (CPUs), and / or other suitable electronic circuits), and / or can be implemented using them, and / or can include computer software, firmware, or any combination thereof for performing the various operations described herein, and / or can be implemented using them.

[0135]

[0154] Process 1800 is shown as a logical flow diagram, and its operations represent a series of operations that can be implemented in hardware, computer instructions, or a combination thereof. In the context of computer instructions, those operations represent computer-executable instructions stored on one or more computer-readable storage media that, when executed by one or more processors, perform the described operations. Generally, computer-executable instructions include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc. that perform a particular function or implement a particular data type. The order in which those operations are described is not intended to be construed as limiting, and the processes can be implemented by combining any number of the described operations in any order and / or in parallel.

[0136]

[0155] Furthermore, process 1800 and / or other processes described herein can be executed under the control of one or more computer systems composed of executable instructions, and can also be implemented as code (e.g., executable instructions, one or more computer programs, or one or more applications) that is executed in a batch on one or more processors by hardware or a combination of hardware. As described above, the code can be stored on a computer-readable storage medium or a machine-readable storage medium in the form of a computer program, for example, including a plurality of instructions executable by one or more processors. The computer-readable storage medium or the machine-readable storage medium can be non-transitory.

[0137]

[0156] FIG. 19 is a diagram showing an example of a system for implementing a particular aspect of the present technology. In particular, FIG. 19 shows an example of a computing system 1900 that can be any computing device, such as, for example, an internal computing system, a remote computing system, a camera, or any component thereof, and the components of this system communicate with each other using connection 1905. Connection 1905 can be a physical connection using a bus or a direct connection to processor 1910, such as in a chipset architecture. Connection 1905 can also be a virtual connection, a networked connection, or a logical connection.

[0138]

[0157] In some embodiments, computing system 1900 is a distributed system capable of distributing the functions described in this disclosure across one data center, multiple data centers, within a peer network, etc. In some embodiments, one or more of the system components described represent many such components each performing some or all of the functions described with respect to that component. In some embodiments, those components can be physical devices or virtual devices.

[0139]

[0158] Exemplary system 1900 includes at least one processing device (CPU or processor) 1910 and connection 1905 that communicatively couple various system components, including system memory 1915, such as read only memory (ROM) 1920 and random access memory (RAM) 1925, to processor 1910. Computing system 1900 can include a cache 1912 of high-speed memory that is directly connected to processor 1910, very close to processor 1910, or integrated as part of processor 1910.

[0140]

[0159] Processor 1910 may include any general-purpose processor, hardware services or software services such as services 1932, 1934, and 1936 stored in memory device 1930 configured to control processor 1910, and a dedicated processor in which software instructions are incorporated into the actual processor design. Processor 1910 may essentially be a fully self-contained computing system including multiple cores or processors, buses, memory controllers, caches, etc. The multi-core processor may be symmetric or asymmetric.

[0141]

[0160] To enable user interaction, computing system 1900 includes input device 1945, which may represent any number of input mechanisms such as a microphone for speech, a touch-sensitive screen for gesture input or graphical input, a keyboard, a mouse, motion input, speech, etc. Computing system 1900 may also include output device 1935, which may be one or more of several output mechanisms. In some cases, a multimodal system may enable the user to provide multiple types of input / output for communicating with computing system 1900.

[0142]

[0161] Computing system 1900 may include a communication interface 1940 that can generally control and manage user input and system output.The communication interface can perform or facilitate the reception and / or transmission of wired or wireless communication using a wired transceiver and / or a wireless transceiver that utilizes, for example, an audio jack / plug, a microphone jack / plug, a universal serial bus (USB) port / plug, an Apple (trademark) Lightning (trademark) port / plug, an Ethernet port / plug, an optical fiber port / plug, a proprietary wired port / plug, 3G, 4G, 5G, and / or other cellular data network wireless signal transmission, Bluetooth (trademark) wireless signal transmission, Bluetooth (trademark) low energy (BLE) wireless signal transmission, iBeacon (trademark) wireless signal transmission, radio-frequency identification (RFID) wireless signal transmission, near-field communications (NFC) wireless signal transmission, dedicated short range communication (DSRC) wireless signal transmission, 802.11 Wi-Fi wireless signal transmission, wireless local area network (WLAN) signal transmission, visible light communication (VLC), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), infrared (IR) communication wireless signal transmission, Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) signal transmission, Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) signal transmission, ad hoc network signal transmission, radio signal transmission, microwave signal transmission, infrared signal transmission, visible light signal transmission, ultraviolet light signal transmission, wireless signal transmission along the electromagnetic spectrum, or some combination thereof.The communication interface 1940 may also include one or more GNSS receivers or transceivers that are used to determine the location of the computing system 1900 based on the reception of one or more signals from one or more satellites associated with one or more Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) systems. Examples of GNSS systems include, but are not limited to, the United States-based Global Positioning System (GPS), the Russia-based Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS), the China-based BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS), and the Europe-based Galileo GNSS. There are no restrictions on operating on any particular hardware configuration, and thus the basic features herein can be easily replaced with those configurations as improved hardware or firmware configurations are developed.

[0143]

[0162] The memory device 1930 can be a non-volatile and / or non-transitory and / or computer-readable memory device, such as a magnetic cassette, flash memory card, solid-state memory device, digital versatile disk, cartridge, floppy disk, flexible disk, hard disk, magnetic tape, magnetic strip / stripe, any other magnetic storage medium, flash memory, memristor memory, any other solid-state memory, compact disc read only memory (CD-ROM) optical disc, rewritable compact disc (CD) optical disc, digital video disk (DVD) optical disc, Blu-ray disc (BDD) optical disc, holographic optical disc, other optical media, secure digital (SD) card, micro secure digital (microSD) card, Memory Stick (registered trademark) card, smart card chip, EMV chip, subscriber identity module (SIM) card, mini / micro / nano / pico SIM card, other integrated circuit (IC) chips / cards, random access memory (RAM), static RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), read only memory (ROM), programmable read only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM), flash EPROM (FLASH EPROM), cache memory (e.g., level 1 (L1) cache, level 2 (L2) cache, level 3 (L3) cache, level 4 (L4) cache, level 5 (L5) cache, or other (L#) cache), resistive random-access memory (RRAM / ReRAM), phase change memory (PCM), spin transfer torque RAM (STT-RAM), another memory chip or cartridge, and / or any combination thereof, a hard disk or other type of computer-readable medium capable of storing data accessible by a computer can be used.;

[0144]

[0163] The memory device 1930 can include software services, servers, services, etc., and when the code defining such software is executed by the processor 1910, the processor causes the system to perform functions. In some embodiments, a hardware service that performs a specific function may include software components stored in a computer-readable medium in relation to the necessary hardware components such as the processor 1910, the connection 1905, the output device 1935, etc. for performing that function. The term "computer-readable medium" includes, but is not limited to, portable or non-portable storage devices, optical storage devices, and various other media capable of storing, storing, or transporting instructions and / or data. The computer-readable medium can include non-transitory media capable of storing data, and this non-transitory media does not include carrier waves and / or transient electronic signals that propagate wirelessly or via a wired connection. Examples of non-transitory media include, but are not limited to, magnetic disks or tapes, optical storage media such as compact discs (CDs) or digital versatile discs (DVDs), flash memory, memory, or memory devices. Codes and / or machine-executable instructions that can represent any combination of procedures, functions, subprograms, programs, routines, subroutines, modules, software packages, classes, or instructions, data structures, or program statements can be stored on the computer-readable medium. A code segment can be coupled to another code segment or a hardware circuit by passing and / or receiving information, data, arguments, parameters, or memory contents. Information, arguments, parameters, data, etc. can be passed, transferred, or transmitted via any suitable means, including sharing of memory, passing of messages, passing of tokens, network transmission, etc.

[0145]

[0164] To provide a complete understanding of the embodiments and examples provided herein, specific details are provided in the above description, but those skilled in the art will understand that the present application is not limited thereto. Therefore, although the exemplary embodiments of the present application have been described in detail herein, except when restricted by the prior art, the concept of the present invention can be embodied and adopted in various other ways, and it should be understood that the appended claims are intended to be interpreted to include such variations. The various features and aspects of the present application described above can be used individually or in combination. Furthermore, the embodiments can be utilized in any number of environments and applications beyond those described herein without departing from the broader scope of the present specification. Therefore, the present specification and drawings should be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive. For purposes of illustration, the methods have been described in a particular order. It should be understood that in alternative embodiments, those methods can be performed in an order different from that described.

[0146]

[0165] For clarity of explanation, in some cases, the present technology may be presented as including individual functional blocks that include a device, device components, and steps or routines of a method embodied in software or a combination of hardware and software. Additional components other than those shown in the figures and / or described herein can also be used. For example, circuits, systems, networks, processes, and other components may be shown as components in the form of block diagrams so as not to obscure the embodiments with unnecessary details. In other cases, well-known circuits, processes, algorithms, structures, and techniques may be shown without unnecessary details in order to avoid obscuring the embodiments.

[0147]

[0166] Furthermore, those skilled in the art will understand that the various exemplary logical blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithm steps described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein can be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or a combination of both. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software, various exemplary components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have been generally described above in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system. Those skilled in the art can implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementations should not be construed as causing a departure from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0148]

[0167] Individual embodiments may have been described above as a process or method shown in a flowchart, a flow diagram, a data flow diagram, a structure diagram, or a block diagram. A flowchart can describe operations as a sequential process, but many of those operations can also be performed in parallel, or simultaneously. Further, the order of the operations can be rearranged. A process is terminated when its operations are completed, but it can also have additional steps not included in the figure. A process can correspond to a method, a function, a procedure, a subroutine, a subprogram, etc. When a process corresponds to a function, its termination can correspond to the function returning to the calling function or the main function.

[0149]

[0168] The processes and methods according to the above embodiments can be implemented using computer-executable instructions stored on a computer-readable medium or otherwise available from a computer-readable medium. Such instructions can include, for example, instructions and data that cause a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or a processing device to execute a particular function or group of functions, or alternatively, configure a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or a processing device to execute a particular function or group of functions. A portion of the computer resources used can be made accessible via a network. The computer-executable instructions can be, for example, in binary, or in intermediate format instructions such as assembly language, firmware, source code, etc. Examples of computer-readable media that can be used to store instructions, the information used, and / or the information created during the methods according to the described embodiments include magnetic disks or optical disks, flash memory, USB devices with non-volatile memory, networked storage devices, and the like.

[0150]

[0169] In some embodiments, the computer-readable storage device, medium, and memory can include cable signals or wireless signals, such as bitstreams. However, when mentioned, non-transitory computer-readable storage media explicitly exclude media such as energy, carrier signals, electromagnetic waves, and signals themselves.

[0151]

[0170] One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that any of a variety of technologies and techniques can be used to represent information and signals. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips, which may be referred to throughout the above description, can in some cases be represented by voltage, current, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or magnetic particles, optical fields or optical particles, or any combination thereof, depending in part on the specific application, desired design, corresponding technology, etc.

[0152]

[0171] Various exemplary logical blocks, modules, and circuits described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein can be implemented or executed using hardware, software, firmware, middleware, microcode, a hardware description language, or any combination thereof, and can take on any of a variety of form factors. When implemented in software, firmware, middleware, or microcode, program code or code segments (e.g., a computer program product) for performing the required tasks can be stored within a computer-readable or machine-readable medium. A processor can execute the required tasks. Examples of form factors include laptops, smartphones, mobile phones, tablet devices or other space-saving personal computers, personal digital assistants, rack-mounted devices, stand-alone devices, and the like. The functionality described herein can also be embodied in a peripheral device or an add-in card. Such functionality can also be implemented, as a further example, between various chips on a circuit board or between various processes executed within a single device.

[0153]

[0172] Instructions, a medium for conveying such instructions, computing resources for executing those instructions, and other structures for supporting such computing resources are exemplary means for providing the functionality described in this disclosure.

[0154]

[0173] The techniques described herein can also be implemented in electronic hardware, computer software, firmware, or any combination thereof. Such techniques can be implemented in any of a variety of devices, including general-purpose computers, wireless communication device handsets, or integrated circuit devices having multiple uses, including application examples in wireless communication device handsets and other devices. Any features described as modules or components can be implemented integrally in an integrated logic device or separately as discrete but interoperable logic devices. When implemented in software, these techniques can be realized at least in part by a computer-readable data storage medium having program code that includes instructions, which, when executed, perform one or more of the methods, algorithms, and / or operations described above. The computer-readable data storage medium may form part of a computer program product, which may include packaging material. The computer-readable medium may include memory or data storage media, such as random access memory (RAM), such as synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), read-only memory (ROM), non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), FLASH memory, magnetic or optical data storage media, and the like. These techniques can further or alternatively be realized at least in part by a computer-readable communication medium, such as a propagated signal or wave, that conveys or communicates program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed, read, and / or executed by a computer.

[0155]

[0174] The program code can be executed by a processor, which may include one or more processors such as one or more digital signal processors (DSPs), general-purpose microprocessors, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmable logic arrays (FPGAs), or other equivalent integrated logic circuits or discrete logic circuits. Such a processor can be configured to execute any of the techniques described in this disclosure. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor, but alternatively, the processor can be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. The processor can also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors cooperating with a DSP core, or any other such configuration. Thus, as used herein, the term "processor" may refer to any of the foregoing structures, any combination of the foregoing structures, or any other structure or device suitable for implementation of the techniques described herein.

[0156]

[0175] One of ordinary skill in the art will understand that the symbols or terminology "less than" ("<") and "greater than" (">") used herein can be replaced, without departing from the scope of this description, with the symbols "less than or equal to" ("≦") and "greater than or equal to" ("≧"), respectively.

[0157]

[0176] When an element is described as "configured to" perform a particular operation, such a configuration can be achieved, for example, by designing an electronic circuit or other hardware to perform the operation, by programming a programmable electronic circuit (e.g., a microprocessor, or other suitable electronic circuit) to perform the operation, or by any combination thereof.

[0158]

[0177] The phrases "coupled to" or "communicatively coupled to" refer to any element that is physically connected, either directly or indirectly, to another element, and / or any element that communicates, either directly or indirectly, with another element (e.g., is connected to another element via a wired or wireless connection, and / or via another suitable communication interface).

[0159]

[0178] The language of a claim or other language that recites "at least one of" a set and / or "one or more" of a set indicates that one member of the set, or multiple members (in any combination) of the set, satisfy the claim. For example, the language of a claim that recites "at least one of A and B" or "at least one of A or B" means A, B, or A and B. In another example, the language of a claim that recites "at least one of A, B, and C" or "at least one of A, B, or C" means A, B, C, or A and B, or A and C, or B and C, A and B and C, or any overlapping information or data (e.g., A and A, B and B, C and C, A and A and B, etc.), or any other ordering, overlapping, or combination of A, B, and C. The language "at least one of" a set and / or "one or more" of a set does not limit the items listed within the set. For example, the language of a claim that recites "at least one of A and B" or "at least one of A or B" can mean A, B, or A and B, and may further include items not listed within the set of A and B.

[0160]

[0179] Exemplary aspects of the present disclosure include the following:

[0161]

[0180] Aspect 1. A wireless communication device comprising: a cylindrical lens having a first surface and a curved second surface opposite the first surface, the cylindrical lens including a power direction corresponding to the curvature of the curved second surface and a non-power direction orthogonal to the power direction; at least one receiving antenna array disposed close to the first surface of the cylindrical lens, the at least one receiving antenna array including a plurality of receiving antenna array elements; and at least one transmitting antenna array disposed close to the first surface of the cylindrical lens, the at least one transmitting antenna array including a plurality of transmitting antenna array elements.

[0162]

[0181] Aspect 2. The wireless communication device according to Aspect 1, wherein the plurality of receiving antenna array elements are aligned in a first direction, the plurality of transmitting antenna array elements are aligned in a second direction parallel to the first direction, the first direction and the second direction are perpendicular to the power direction, the plurality of receiving antenna array elements are positioned on a first side of the lens central axis, and the plurality of transmitting antenna array elements are positioned on a second side of the lens central axis.

[0163]

[0182] Aspect 3. The wireless communication device according to either Aspect 1 or 2, wherein the plurality of receiving antenna array elements are aligned with the plurality of transmitting antenna array elements in a direction perpendicular to the power direction and parallel to the lens central axis.

[0164]

[0183] Aspect 4. The wireless communication device according to Aspect 3, wherein the plurality of receiving antenna array elements are alternately arranged with the plurality of transmitting antenna array elements.

[0165]

[0184] Aspect 5. A first portion of the plurality of receiving antenna array elements is alternately arranged with a first portion of the plurality of transmitting antenna array elements along a first direction to form a first alternately arranged antenna array, and a second portion of the plurality of receiving antenna array elements is alternately arranged with a second portion of the plurality of transmitting antenna array elements along a second direction to form a second alternately arranged antenna array. The first direction and the second direction are perpendicular to the power direction. The first alternately arranged antenna array is positioned on a first side of the lens central axis, and the second alternately arranged antenna array is positioned on a second side of the lens central axis. The wireless communication device according to any one of Aspects 1 to 4.

[0166]

[0185] Aspect 6. The wireless communication device according to Aspect 5, wherein the first alternately arranged antenna array and the second alternately arranged antenna array are equidistant from the lens central axis.

[0167]

[0186] Aspect 7. At least one receiving antenna array includes a second receiving antenna array including a second plurality of receiving antenna array elements, and at least one transmitting antenna array includes a second transmitting antenna array including a second plurality of transmitting antenna array elements. The wireless communication device according to any one of Aspects 4 or 5.

[0168]

[0187] Aspect 8. A first portion of the second plurality of receiving antenna array elements is alternately arranged with a first portion of the second plurality of transmitting antenna array elements along a third direction to form a third alternately arranged antenna array, and a second portion of the second plurality of receiving antenna array elements is alternately arranged with a second portion of the second plurality of transmitting antenna array elements along a fourth direction to form a fourth alternately arranged antenna array. The third direction and the fourth direction are perpendicular to the power direction. The wireless communication device according to Aspect 7.

[0169]

[0188] Aspect 9. The wireless communication device of Aspect 8, wherein the third alternating arrangement type antenna array and the fourth alternating arrangement type antenna array are positioned on the first side of the lens central axis.

[0170]

[0189] Aspect 10. The wireless communication device of Aspect 8, wherein the third alternating arrangement type antenna array is positioned on the first side of the lens central axis, and the fourth alternating arrangement type antenna array is positioned on the second side of the lens central axis.

[0171]

[0190] Aspect 11. The wireless communication device of Aspect 10, wherein the third alternating arrangement type antenna array and the fourth alternating arrangement type antenna array are equidistant from the lens central axis.

[0172]

[0191] Aspect 12. The wireless communication device according to any one of Aspects 1 to 11, wherein the distance between at least one receiving antenna array and the first surface of the cylindrical lens corresponds to the back focal length of the cylindrical lens.

[0173]

[0192] Aspect 13. The wireless communication device according to any one of Aspects 1 to 12, wherein the width dimension associated with the curvature of the curved second surface is less than or equal to the thickness of the wireless communication device.

[0174]

[0193] Aspect 14. The wireless communication device according to any one of Aspects 1 to 13, wherein the wireless communication device is configured as a user equipment (UE).

[0175]

[0194] Aspect 15. The wireless communication device according to any one of Aspects 1 to 14, wherein the first surface corresponds to a planar surface and the curved second surface corresponds to a convex surface.

[0176]

[0195] Aspect 16. A method of wireless communication, comprising: using a receiving antenna array to steer a first radio frequency (RF) beam in a first direction, wherein the receiving antenna array includes a plurality of receiving antenna array elements disposed close to a first surface of a cylindrical lens having a curved second surface on the opposite side of the first surface, and steering; using a transmitting antenna array to steer a second RF beam in a second direction, wherein the transmitting antenna array includes a plurality of transmitting antenna array elements disposed close to the first surface of the cylindrical lens, and steering, wherein the first direction and the second direction correspond to the center of the cylindrical lens.

[0177]

[0196] Aspect 17. The method according to aspect 16, wherein a first portion of the plurality of receiving antenna array elements is alternately arranged with a first portion of the plurality of transmitting antenna array elements to form a first alternately arranged antenna array, and a second portion of the plurality of receiving antenna array elements is alternately arranged with a second portion of the plurality of transmitting antenna array elements to form a second alternately arranged antenna array.

[0178]

[0197] Aspect 18. The method according to aspect 17, wherein the first alternately arranged antenna array is positioned on a first side of the lens central axis, and the second alternately arranged antenna array is positioned on a second side of the lens central axis.

[0179]

[0198] Aspect 19. The method according to aspect 17, wherein the first alternately arranged antenna array and the second alternately arranged antenna array are aligned in a direction parallel to the lens central axis.

[0180]

[0199] Aspect 20. The method according to any one of aspects 17 to 19, wherein the first surface corresponds to a planar surface and the curved second surface corresponds to a convex surface.

[0181]

[0200] Aspect 21. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising at least one memory and at least one processor coupled to the at least one memory, wherein the at least one processor is configured to perform an operation according to any one of Aspects 16 to 20.

[0182]

[0201] Aspect 22. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising means for performing an operation according to any one of Aspects 16 to 20.

[0183]

[0202] Aspect 23. A non-transitory computer-readable medium containing instructions which, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform an operation according to any one of Aspects 16 to 20.

Claims

1. 1. A wireless communication device, comprising: a cylindrical lens having a first surface and a curved second surface opposite the first surface, the cylindrical lens including a power direction corresponding to the curvature of the curved second surface and a non-power direction orthogonal to the power direction; at least one receive antenna array including a plurality of receive antenna array elements, each receive antenna array element positioned the same distance from the first surface of the cylindrical lens; at least one transmit antenna array including a plurality of transmit antenna array elements, each of the transmit antenna array elements being arranged to be positioned the same distance from the first surface of the cylindrical lens; a first portion of the plurality of receive antenna array elements interleaved with a first portion of the plurality of transmit antenna array elements along a first direction perpendicular to the power direction to form a first interleaved antenna array, the first interleaved antenna array being positioned on a first side of a lens central axis perpendicular to the power direction and parallel to the non-power direction; a second portion of the plurality of receive antenna array elements interleaved with a second portion of the plurality of transmit antenna array elements along a second direction perpendicular to the power direction to form a second interleaved antenna array, the second interleaved antenna array being positioned on a second side of the lens central axis, the second side being different from the first side.

2. A wireless communication device as described in claim 1, wherein the second direction is parallel to the first direction.

3. 2. The wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein the first interleaved antenna array and the second interleaved antenna array are equidistant from the lens central axis.

4. 10. The wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein the at least one receive antenna array includes a second receive antenna array including a second plurality of receive antenna array elements, and the at least one transmit antenna array includes a second transmit antenna array including a second plurality of transmit antenna array elements.

5. 5. The wireless communication device of claim 4, wherein a first portion of the second plurality of receive antenna array elements are interleaved with a first portion of the second plurality of transmit antenna array elements along a third direction to form a third interleaved antenna array, and a second portion of the second plurality of receive antenna array elements are interleaved with a second portion of the second plurality of transmit antenna array elements along a fourth direction to form a fourth interleaved antenna array, the third direction and the fourth direction being perpendicular to the power direction.

6. 6. The wireless communication device of claim 5, wherein the third interleaved antenna array and the fourth interleaved antenna array are positioned on the first side of the lens central axis.

7. 6. The wireless communication device of claim 5, wherein the third interleaved antenna array is positioned on the first side of the lens central axis and the fourth interleaved antenna array is positioned on the second side of the lens central axis.

8. 8. The wireless communication device of claim 7, wherein the third interleaved antenna array and the fourth interleaved antenna array are equidistant from the lens central axis.

9. 9. The wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein a distance between the at least one receive antenna array and the first surface of the cylindrical lens corresponds to a back focal length of the cylindrical lens.

10. 9. The wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein a width dimension associated with the curvature of the curved second surface is less than or equal to a thickness of the wireless communication device.

11. 9. The wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein the wireless communication device is configured as a user equipment (UE).

12. 9. The wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein the first surface corresponds to a planar surface and the curved second surface corresponds to a convex surface.

13. 1. A method of wireless communication, comprising: steering a first radio frequency (RF) beam in a first direction using a receive antenna array, the receive antenna array including a plurality of receive antenna array elements disposed at the same distance from a first surface of a cylindrical lens having a curved second surface opposite the first surface; steering a second RF beam in a second direction using a transmit antenna array, the transmit antenna array including a plurality of transmit antenna array elements disposed at the same distance from the first surface of the cylindrical lens, the first direction and the second direction corresponding to a center of the cylindrical lens; a first portion of the plurality of receive antenna array elements interleaved with a first portion of the plurality of transmit antenna array elements along a first direction perpendicular to a power direction to form a first interleaved antenna array, the first interleaved antenna array being positioned on a first side of a lens central axis perpendicular to the power direction and parallel to a non-power direction; a second portion of the plurality of receive antenna array elements interleaved with a second portion of the plurality of transmit antenna array elements along a second direction perpendicular to the power direction to form a second interleaved antenna array, the second interleaved antenna array being positioned on a second side of the lens central axis, the second side being different from the first side.

14. 1. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising: means for steering a first radio frequency (RF) beam in a first direction using a receive antenna array, the receive antenna array including a plurality of receive antenna array elements disposed at the same distance from a first surface of a cylindrical lens having a curved second surface opposite the first surface; means for steering a second RF beam in a second direction using a transmit antenna array, the transmit antenna array including a plurality of transmit antenna array elements disposed at the same distance from the first surface of the cylindrical lens, the first direction and the second direction corresponding to a center of the cylindrical lens; a first portion of the plurality of receive antenna array elements interleaved with a first portion of the plurality of transmit antenna array elements along a first direction perpendicular to a power direction to form a first interleaved antenna array, the first interleaved antenna array being positioned on a first side of a lens central axis perpendicular to the power direction and parallel to a non-power direction; a second portion of the plurality of receive antenna array elements interleaved with a second portion of the plurality of transmit antenna array elements along a second direction perpendicular to the power direction to form a second interleaved antenna array, the second interleaved antenna array being positioned on a second side of the lens central axis, the second side being different from the first side.

15. A computer program comprising instructions which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform the method of claim 13.

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