Reconfigurable Carrier Aggregation MMWAVE Receiver Architecture

Abstract

Techniques are provided for a configurable millimeter-wave (mmWave) receiver architecture for carrier aggregation (CA). Exemplary methods for operating a wireless node in carrier aggregation mode or single-band mode include configuring the wireless node to operate in at least one of carrier aggregation mode or single-band mode; configuring a high-band receive chain in the wireless node to utilize a first intermediate frequency in response to configuring the wireless node to operate in single-band mode; and configuring a low-band receive chain to utilize a first intermediate frequency and a high-band receive chain to utilize a second intermediate frequency in response to configuring the wireless node to operate in carrier aggregation mode.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] (Cross - Reference to Related Applications) This application claims the benefit of U.S. Patent Application No. 18 / 748,252, filed Jun. 20, 2024, titled "RECONFIGURABLE CARRIER AGGREGATION MMWAVE RECEIVER ARCHITECTURE", which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 511,142, filed Jun. 29, 2023, titled "RECONFIGURABLE CARRIER AGGREGATION MMWAVE RECEIVER ARCHITECTURE". Both applications are assigned to the assignee of this application, and the entire contents of both applications are hereby incorporated by reference herein for all purposes.

Background Art

[0002] Wireless communication systems have evolved through various generations, including first-generation analog wireless telephone services (1G), second-generation (2G) digital wireless telephone services (including provisional 2.5G and 2.75G networks), third-generation (3G) high-speed data and internet-enabled wireless services, fourth-generation (4G) services (e.g., Long-Term Evolution (LTE) or WiMAX®), and fifth-generation (5G) services (e.g., 5G New Radio (NR)). Currently, many different types of wireless communication systems are in use, including cellular systems and Personal Communications Service (PCS) systems. Known examples of cellular systems include the Cellular Analog Advanced Mobile Phone System (AMPS), and digital cellular systems based on Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), and variations of TDMA such as the Global System for Mobile Access (GSM).

[0003] Among the numerous improvements in the fifth-generation (5G) mobile standard, particularly higher data transfer speeds, more connections, and better coverage are required. According to the Next Generation Mobile Network Alliance, the 5G standard is designed to provide data rates of tens of megabits per second to tens of thousands of users, and 1 gigabit per second to dozens of users on an office floor. To support large-scale sensor deployments, hundreds of thousands of simultaneous connections should be supported. Carrier aggregation (CA) technology can be used to further increase data transfer speeds in 5G networks. Wireless nodes in these networks can be configured to utilize carrier aggregation across different radio frequency bands. [Overview of the Initiative]

[0004] One example of a method relating to this disclosure for operating a wireless node in carrier aggregation mode or single-band mode includes configuring the wireless node to operate in at least one of carrier aggregation mode or single-band mode; configuring a high-band receive chain in the wireless node to utilize a first intermediate frequency in response to configuring the wireless node to operate in single-band mode; and configuring a low-band receive chain to utilize a first intermediate frequency and a high-band receive chain to utilize a second intermediate frequency in response to configuring the wireless node to operate in carrier aggregation mode.

[0005] An example of the apparatus relating to this disclosure includes at least one memory, at least one receiver having a low-bandwidth circuit and a high-bandwidth circuit including a configurable intermediate frequency path, and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the at least one memory and the at least one receiver, and configured to operate the at least one receiver in either a carrier aggregation mode or a single-bandwidth mode, and to configure the high-bandwidth circuit to utilize a first intermediate frequency in response to configuring the at least one receiver to operate in single-bandwidth mode, and to configure the low-bandwidth circuit to utilize a first intermediate frequency and the high-bandwidth circuit to utilize a second intermediate frequency in response to configuring the at least one receiver to operate in carrier aggregation mode.

[0006] The items and / or techniques described herein may provide one or more of the following capabilities, as well as other capabilities not mentioned herein: An mmWave receiver may be configured to utilize a carrier aggregation (CA) scheme. The CA scheme may involve transmission of different frequency bands, and the receiver may be in a superheterodyne configuration including separate high-bandwidth and low-bandwidth circuits for down-converting the received mmWave signal. The high-bandwidth and low-bandwidth circuits may be configured to use multiple intermediate frequency (IF) frequencies. The receiver may be configured to operate in CA mode to utilize CA, or in non-CA mode to operate in a single band. In CA mode, the high-bandwidth and low-bandwidth circuits within the receiver may utilize different IF frequencies. In non-CA mode, the high-bandwidth circuit may be configured to utilize the same IF frequency as the low-bandwidth circuit when the receiver is in non-CA mode. Power savings may be achieved when the high-bandwidth circuit utilizes a lower IF frequency. Other capabilities may be provided, and not all implementations provided herein must provide any, much less, of the capabilities discussed. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0007] [Figure 1] This is a simplified diagram illustrating an example of a wireless communication system. [Figure 2] Figure 1 is a block diagram of the components of an exemplary user device. [Figure 3] This is a block diagram of the components of an exemplary transmitting and receiving point. [Figure 4] Figure 1 is a block diagram of server components, with various examples shown. [Figure 5A] Here are three examples of carrier aggregation (CA). [Figure 5B] Here are three examples of carrier aggregation (CA). [Figure 5C] Here are three examples of carrier aggregation (CA). [Figure 6] This is a block diagram of an example of a radio frequency receiver, including a high-bandwidth receiver circuit and a low-bandwidth receiver circuit. [Figure 7] This is a block diagram of an example of a high-bandwidth receiver circuit with a configurable intermediate frequency (IF) path. [Figure 8] Figure 7 is a system diagram of an example of a configurable IF path in a high-bandwidth receiver. [Figure 9A] Examples of configurable IF paths in carrier aggregation mode and single-band mode are shown. [Figure 9B] Examples of configurable IF paths in carrier aggregation mode and single-band mode are shown. [Figure 10] This is a block flow diagram illustrating an example of a method for operating a wireless node in carrier aggregation mode or single-band mode. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0008] This specification discusses techniques for configurable millimeter wave (mmWave) receiver architectures for carrier aggregation (CA). Generally, in 5G NR networks, multiple component carriers may be aggregated and simultaneously transmitted to or from wireless nodes (e.g., user equipment, UE) in the downlink. Increasing the number of simultaneous component carriers can enable increased operating bandwidth and higher link data rates. Component carriers do not need to be contiguous in the frequency domain and can be in the same or different frequency bands. CA-enabled mmWave systems can be configured to operate in CA mode and non-CA mode (e.g., single-band mode). In CA mode, multiple carrier frequencies may be used simultaneously to transmit and receive data.

[0009] The technology provided herein enables adjustment of the intermediate frequency (IF) in mmWave receivers for single-band and CA operating modes. The receiver may be configured to operate in different frequency modes and may have corresponding high-band and low-band circuits. In one example, when the receiver is in single-band mode or when a low-band IF frequency is not required, the IF frequency may be adjusted to a high-band mode. In another example, the IF frequency may be adjusted down to an IF used for low-band when in single-band mode.

[0010] mmWave receivers can be configured with separate IF stages for each carrier frequency. In non-CA mode, where only a single carrier frequency is used, the receiver may utilize only a single IF stage for signal processing. The mmWave spectrum in 5G NR includes a frequency band in the range of 24.25 GHz to 52.6 GHz. For example, an mmWave receiver system may include high-band circuits configured for 37 GHz to 43.5 GHz (e.g., n259, n260 bands) and low-band circuits configured for 25.25 GHz to 29.5 GHz (e.g., n257, n258, n261 bands). Other circuits may also be configured for the sub-6 GHz band. High-band circuits may be configured to utilize IFs in the range of 10 GHz to 14 GHz (e.g., down-converting to IFs), while low-band circuits may utilize IFs in the range of 8 GHz to 10 GHz. Other IF values ​​may also be used based on the receiver architecture and the requirements for operating in legacy bands. In conventional receiver configurations, the high-bandwidth circuit may be configured to exclusively utilize a dedicated IF (e.g., 9 GHz) different from the IF (e.g., 12 GHz) used for the low-bandwidth circuit for both CA and non-CA modes. Higher IF values ​​require additional power due to increased power consumption by higher-frequency local oscillators, as well as associated higher-frequency components and digital signal processing procedures. The technique provided herein allows the use of a single IF for both the high-bandwidth and low-bandwidth circuits while the receiver is in non-CA mode. Reducing the IF in non-CA mode allows the high-bandwidth circuit to take advantage of lower IF frequencies and correspondingly reduced power consumption. Other advantages may also be realized.

[0011] The descriptions herein may, for example, refer to a series of actions performed by elements of a computing device. The various actions described herein may be performed by a specific circuit (e.g., an application-specific integrated circuit, ASIC), by program instructions being executed by one or more processors, or a combination of both. The sequences of actions described herein may be embodied in a non-temporary computer-readable medium that stores, at runtime, a corresponding set of computer instructions that will cause the relevant processors to perform the functions described herein. Thus, the various examples described herein may be embodied in several different forms, all of which fall within the scope of this disclosure, including the subject matter described in the claims.

[0012] As used herein, the terms “User Equipment” (UE) and “Base Station” are not specific to any particular Radio Access Technology (RAT), and are not otherwise limited to such RATs, unless otherwise noted. Generally, a UE can be any wireless communication device used to communicate over a wireless communication network (e.g., a mobile phone, router, tablet computer, laptop computer, consumer asset tracking device, Internet of Things (IoT) device, etc.). A UE may be mobile or (e.g., stationary at a given time) and may 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 Terminal,” “Mobile Station,” “Mobile Device,” or variations thereof. Generally, a UE can communicate with the core network via the RAN, and through the core network, a UE can connect to external networks such as the Internet and to other UEs. Naturally, with respect to the UE, we can also consider the core network, the internet, and / or other mechanisms that connect to each other (e.g., without using a network) via wired access networks, WiFi® networks (e.g., based on IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) 802.11, etc.).

[0013] A base station may operate according to one of several RATs communicating with the UE, depending on the network in which it is deployed. Examples of base stations include access points (APs), network nodes, node Bs, evolved node Bs (eNBs), or general node Bs (gNodeBs, gNBs). In addition, in some systems, base stations may provide purely edge node signaling functionality, while in others, they may provide additional control and / or network management functionality.

[0014] A UE can be embodied by any of several types of devices, including but not limited to printed circuit (PC) cards, CompactFlash® devices, external or internal modems, wireless or wireline telephones, smartphones, tablets, consumer asset tracking devices, and asset tags. The communication links on which a UE can send signals to the RAN are called uplink channels (e.g., reverse traffic channels, reverse control channels, access channels, etc.). The communication links on which the RAN can send signals to the UE are called downlink channels or forward link channels (e.g., paging channels, control channels, broadcast channels, forward traffic channels, etc.). As used herein, the term traffic channel (TCH) may refer to either an uplink / reverse traffic channel or a downlink / forward traffic channel.

[0015] As used herein, the terms “cell” or “sector” may, depending on the context, refer to one of several cells of a base station or the base station itself. The term “cell” may refer to a logical communication entity used for communication with a base station (e.g., via a carrier) and may be associated with an identifier (e.g., a physical cell identifier (PCID), a virtual cell identifier (VCID)) to distinguish adjacent cells operating via the same or different carriers. In some examples, a carrier may support multiple cells, and different cells may be configured according to different protocol types (e.g., machine-type communication (MTC), narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), or others) that may provide access to different types of devices. In some examples, the term “cell” may refer to a portion of the geographical coverage area (e.g., a sector) on which a logical entity operates.

[0016] Referring to Figure 1, an example of a communication system 100 includes UE105, UE106, a radio access network (RAN), in this case a fifth-generation (5G) next-generation (NG) RAN (NG-RAN) 135, a 5G core network (5GC) 140, and a server 150. UE105 and / or UE106 could be, for example, an IoT device, a location tracking device, a cellular phone, a vehicle (e.g., a car, truck, bus, boat, etc.), or another device. The 5G network is sometimes called a new radio (NR) network, NG-RAN 135 may be called 5G RAN or NR RAN, and 5GC 140 may be called the NG Core network (NGC). Standardization of NG-RAN and 5GC is underway in the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP®). Therefore, NG-RAN 135 and 5GC 140 may comply with current or future standards for 5G support from 3GPP and may be further configured to enhance data transfer capabilities by utilizing carrier aggregation technology. NG-RAN 135 may be another type of RAN, e.g., 3G RAN, 4G Long-Term Evolution (LTE) RAN, etc. UE 106 may be configured to send and / or receive signals to and from other similar entities in System 100 and may be coupled to UE 105, although such signaling is not shown in Figure 1 for the sake of simplicity. Similarly, this discussion focuses on UE 105 for the sake of brevity.The communication system 100 may utilize information from the constellation 185 of satellite vehicles (SVs) 190, 191, 192, 193 for several other local or regional SPSs, such as the Global Positioning System (GPS), Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS), Galileo, or Beidou (e.g., Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS)), or the Indian Regional Navigational Satellite System (IRNSS), European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS), or Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS). Additional components of the communication system 100 are described below. The communication system 100 may include additional or alternative components.

[0017] As shown in Figure 1, NG-RAN135 includes NR node B (NR nodeB, gNBs) 110a, 110b, and next generation eNode B (next generation eNodeB, ng-eNB) 114, and 5GC140 includes Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) 115, Session Management Function (SMF) 117, Location Management Function (LMF) 120, and Gateway Mobile Location Center (GMLC) 125. gNB110a, 110b, and ng-eNB114 are communicatively coupled to each other and configured to communicate wirelessly bidirectionally with UE105, and each is communicatively coupled to AMF115 and configured to communicate bidirectionally with AMF115. gNB110a, 110b, and ng-eNB114 are sometimes referred to as base stations (BSs). AMF115, SMF117, LMF120, and GMLC125 are communicatively coupled to each other, and GMLC is communicatively coupled to an external client 130. SMF117 may function as the initial contact point for a Service Control Function (SCF) (not shown) that creates, controls, and deletes media sessions. Base stations such as gNB110a, 110b, and / or ng-eNB114 may be macrocells (e.g., high-power cellular base stations), small cells (e.g., low-power cellular base stations), or access points (e.g., short-range base stations configured to communicate using short-range technologies such as WiFi®, WiFi® Direct (WiFi®-D), Bluetooth®, Bluetooth® Low Energy (BLE), and Zigbee®).One or more base stations, e.g., one or more of gNB 110a, 110b and / or ng-eNB 114, may be configured to communicate with a UE 105 via multiple carriers. Each of gNB 110a, 110b and / or ng-eNB 114 may provide communication coverage for its respective geographic area, e.g., a cell. Each cell may be divided into multiple sectors depending on the base station antenna.

[0018] FIG. 1 provides a generalized illustration of various components, any or all of which may be utilized as appropriate, and each of which may be replicated or omitted as necessary. Specifically, one UE 105 is shown, but many UEs (e.g., hundreds, thousands, millions, etc.) may be utilized in communication system 100. Similarly, communication system 100 may include more (or fewer) SVs (i.e., more or fewer than the four SVs 190-193 shown), gNB 110a, 110b, ng-eNB 114, AMF 115, external client 130, and / or other components. The connections shown, which connect the various components in communication system 100, may include data and signaling connections that include additional (intermediate) components, direct or indirect physical connections and / or wireless connections, and / or additional networks. Further, the components may be rearranged, combined, separated, replaced, and / or omitted depending on the desired functionality.

[0019] Figure 1 shows a 5G-based network, but similar network implementations and configurations may be used for other communication technologies such as 3G and Long-Term Evolution (LTE). The implementations described herein (whether they are for 5G technology and / or for one or more other communication technologies and / or protocols) may be used to transmit (or broadcast) directional synchronization signals, receive and measure directional signals at a UE (e.g., UE105), and / or provide location assistance to UE105 (via GMLC125 or other location servers), and / or calculate the location of UE105 in a location-enabled device such as UE105, gNB110a, 110b, or LMF120 based on measurements received at UE105 for such directionally transmitted signals. The Gateway Mobile Location Center (GMLC) 125, Location Management Function (LMF) 120, Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) 115, SMF 117, ng-eNB (eNodeB) 114, and gNB (gNodeBs) 110a, 110b are examples and may be replaced by, or include, various other location server functions and / or base station functions in different embodiments.

[0020] The components of system 100 can communicate with each other directly or indirectly (at least sometimes) using a wireless connection, for example, via gNB110a, 110b, ng-eNB114, and / or 5GC140 (and / or one or more other devices not shown, such as one or more other base transceiver stations). In the case of indirect communication, the communication can be modified during transmission from one entity to another, for example, to modify the header information of data packets, to change the format, etc. UE105 can include multiple UEs and can be a mobile wireless communication device, but can communicate wirelessly and via a wired connection. UE105 can be any of various devices, such as a smartphone, a tablet computer, a vehicle-based device, etc., but UE105 does not have to be any of these configurations, so these are examples and other configurations of UEs can be used. Other UEs can include wearable devices (such as smartwatches, smart jewelry, smart glasses, or headsets, etc.). Whether currently existing or to be developed in the future, still other UEs can be used. Further, other wireless devices (regardless of whether mobile or not) can be implemented within system 100 and can communicate with each other and / or with UE105, gNB110a, 110b, ng-eNB114, 5GC140, and / or external client 130. For example, such other devices can include Internet of Things (IoT) devices, medical devices, home entertainment and / or automation devices, etc. 5GC140 can communicate with external client 130 (for example, a computer system) to enable, for example, external client 130 to request and / or receive location information regarding UE105 (for example, via GMLC125).

[0021] UE105 or other devices are used in various networks and / or for various purposes and / or with various technologies (e.g., 5G, Wi-Fi® communications, multiple frequencies of Wi-Fi® communications, satellite positioning, one or more types of communications (e.g., GSM (Global System for Mobile), CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access), LTE (Long-Term Evolution), V2X (Vehicle-to-Everything), e.g., V2P (Vehicle-to-Pedestrian), V2I (Vehicle-to-Infrastructure), V2V (Vehicle-to-B)). It can be configured to communicate using a network (Vehicle-to-Vehicle), such as IEEE 802.11p. V2X communication can be cellular (Cellular-V2X (C-V2X)) and / or WiFi (registered trademark) (e.g., DSRC (Dedicated Short Range Connection)). System 100 can support operation on multiple carriers (waveform signals of different frequencies). A multi-carrier transmitter can transmit modulated signals simultaneously on multiple carriers. Each modulated signal can be a code division multiple access (CDMA) signal, a time division multiple access (TDMA) signal, an orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) signal, a single-carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) signal, etc. Each modulated signal can be transmitted on a different carrier and can carry pilot, overhead information, data, etc.UE105 and 106 can communicate with each other via inter-UE sidelink (SL) communication by transmitting over one or more sidelink channels, such as the physical sidelink synchronization channel (PSSCH), physical sidelink broadcast channel (PSBCH), or physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH). Direct wireless device-to-device communication that does not go through a network is sometimes generally referred to as sidelink communication, without limiting the communication to a specific protocol.

[0022] UE105 may include, and / or be referred to as, a device, mobile device, wireless device, mobile terminal, terminal, mobile station (MS), Secure User Plane Location (SUPL) Enabled Terminal (SET), or any other name. Furthermore, UE105 may be compatible with cell phones, smartphones, laptops, tablets, PDAs, consumer asset tracking devices, navigation devices, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, health monitors, security systems, smart city sensors, smart meters, wearable trackers, or any other portable or mobile devices. Generally, but not always, the UE105 may support wireless communications using one or more radio access technologies (RATs), such as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Wideband CDMA (WCDMA®), LTE, High Rate Packet Data (HRPD), IEEE 802.11 WiFi® (also known as Wi-Fi®), Bluetooth® (Bluetooth, BT), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX®), and 5G New Radio (NR) (e.g., using NG-RAN135 and 5GC140). The UE105 may also support wireless communications using, for example, a Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) or a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) that can connect to other networks (e.g., the Internet) using packet cable.The use of one or more of these RATs may enable UE105 to communicate with an external client 130 (for example, via an element of 5GC140 not shown in Figure 1, or possibly via GMLC125), and / or enable the external client 130 to receive location information about UE105 (for example, via GMLC125).

[0023] The UE105 may include a single entity or multiple entities in a personal area network where the user may employ audio, video and / or data I / O (input / output) devices and / or body sensors and separate wireline or wireless modems. The UE105 may be configured to communicate with other entities using one or more of various technologies. The UE105 may be configured to indirectly connect to one or more communication networks via one or more device-to-device (D2D) peer-to-peer (P2P) links. D2D P2P links may be supported using any suitable D2D radio access technology (RAT), such as LTE Direct (LTE-D), WiFi® Direct (WiFi®-D), or Bluetooth®. One or more of the groups of UEs using D2D communication may be within the geographical coverage area of ​​a Transmission / Reception Point (TRP), such as one or more of gNB110a, 110b, and / or ng-eNB114. Other UEs in such a group may be outside such geographical coverage area or may otherwise be unable to receive transmissions from the base station. A group of UEs communicating via D2D communication may utilize a one-to-many (1:M) system in which each UE can transmit to other UEs in the group. The TRP can facilitate the scheduling of resources for D2D communication. In other cases, D2D communication may be performed between UEs without the involvement of the TRP. One or more of the groups of UEs using D2D communication may be within the geographical coverage area of ​​the TRP. Other UEs in such a group may be outside such geographical coverage area or may otherwise be unable to receive transmissions from the base station. A group of UEs communicating via D2D communication can utilize a one-to-many (1:M) system in which each UE can transmit to other UEs within the group. TRP can facilitate the scheduling of resources for D2D communication.In other cases, D2D communication can be performed between UEs without the involvement of TRP.

[0024] The base stations (BSs) in NG-RAN135 shown in Figure 1 include NR node B, referred to as gNB110a and 110b. The pair of gNB110a and 110b in NG-RAN135 may be connected to each other via one or more other gNBs. Access to the 5G network is provided to UE105 via wireless communication between UE105 and one or more of gNB110a and 110b, and these gNBs may provide wireless communication access to 5GC140 on behalf of UE105 using 5G. In Figure 1, it is assumed that the serving gNB for UE105 is gNB110a, but another gNB (e.g., gNB110b) may function as the serving gNB when UE105 moves to a different location, or as a secondary gNB to provide UE105 with additional throughput and bandwidth.

[0025] The base stations (BSs) within NG-RAN135 shown in Figure 1 may include ng-eNB114, also known as next-generation advanced node B. ng-eNB114 may, in some cases, connect to one or more of the gNB110a, 110b within NG-RAN135 via one or more other gNBs and / or one or more other ng-eNBs. ng-eNB114 may provide LTE wireless access and / or evolved LTE (eLTE) wireless access to UE105. One or more of the gNB110a, 110b and / or ng-eNB114 may be configured to function as positioning-only beacons, capable of transmitting signals to assist in determining the location of UE105 but unable to receive signals from UE105 or other UEs.

[0026] gNB110a, 110b, and / or ng-eNB114 may each have one or more TRPs. For example, each sector in a BS cell may have a TRP, but multiple TRPs may share one or more components (e.g., they may share a processor but have separate antennas). System 100 may include only macro-TRPs, or system 100 may have different types of TRPs, e.g., macro-TRPs, pico-TRPs, and / or femto-TRPs. Macro-TRPs may cover relatively large geographical areas (e.g., a radius of several kilometers) and may enable unrestricted access by terminals subscribing to the service. Pico-TRPs may cover relatively small geographical areas (e.g., picocells) and may enable unrestricted access by terminals subscribing to the service. Femto-TRPs or home-TRPs may cover relatively small geographical areas (e.g., femtocells) and may enable limited access by terminals associated with femtocells (e.g., terminals for users in their homes).

[0027] Each of the gNB110a, 110b, and / or ng-eNB114 may include a radio unit (RU), a distributed unit (DU), and a central unit (CU). For example, gNB110b includes RU111, DU112, and CU113. RU111, DU112, and CU113 divide the functionality of gNB110b. While gNB110b is shown with a single RU, a single DU, and a single CU, gNB may include one or more RUs, one or more DUs, and / or one or more CUs. The interface between CU113 and DU112 is called the F1 interface. RU111 is configured to perform digital front-end (DFE) functions (e.g., analog-to-digital conversion, filtering, power amplification, transmit / receive) and digital beamforming, and includes part of the physical (PHY) layer. The RU111 can implement DFE using multiple input / multiple output (MIMO) and can be integrated with one or more antennas of the gNB110b. The DU112 hosts the radio link control (RLC), media access control (MAC), and physical layer of the gNB110b. One DU can support one or more cells, each cell being supported by a single DU. The operation of the DU112 is controlled by the CU113. The CU113 is configured to perform functions such as transferring user data, mobility control, radio access network sharing, positioning, and session management, although some functions are exclusively allocated to the DU112. The CU113 hosts the radio resource control (RRC), service data adaptation protocol (SDAP), and packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) of the gNB110b.UE105 can communicate with CU113 via the RRC layer, SDAP layer, and PDCP layer, with DU112 via the RLC layer, MAC layer, and PHY layer, and with RU111 via the PHY layer.

[0028] As mentioned above, Figure 1 shows a node configured to communicate according to the 5G communication protocol, but nodes configured to communicate according to other communication protocols, such as the LTE protocol or the IEEE 802.11x protocol, may be used. For example, in an Evolved Packet System (EPS) providing LTE wireless access to UE105, the RAN may include an Evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN), which may include base stations including Evolved Node B (eNBs). The core network for the EPS may include an Evolved Packet Core (EPC). The EPS may also include E-UTRAN plus EPC, where in Figure 1, E-UTRAN corresponds to NG-RAN135 and EPC corresponds to 5GC140.

[0029] The gNB110a, 110b, and ng-eNB114 may communicate with the AMF115, which in turn communicates with the LMF120 for positioning functions. The AMF115 can support the mobility of the UE105, including cell changes and handovers, and may be involved in signaling connections to the UE105, and optionally supporting data and voice bearers for the UE105. The LMF120 may communicate directly with the UE105, for example, via wireless communication, or directly with the gNB110a, 110b, and / or ng-eNB114. The LMF120 may support the positioning of UE105 when UE105 accesses NG-RAN135, and may support positioning procedures / methods such as Assisted GNSS (A-GNSS), Observed Time Difference of Arrival (OTDOA) (e.g., Downlink (DL) OTDOA or Uplink (UL) OTDOA), Round Trip Time (RTT), Multi-cell RTT, Real Time Kinematic (RTK), Precise Point Positioning (PPP), Differential GNSS (DGNSS), Enhanced Cell ID (E-CID), angle of arrival (AoA), angle of departure (AoD), and / or other positioning methods. The LMF120 can process location service requests for the UE105, for example, received from the AMF115 or the GMLC125. The LMF120 can be connected to the AMF115 and / or the GMLC125. The LMF120 may also be referred to by other names such as Location Manager (LM), Location Function (LF), Commercial LMF (CLMF), or Value Added LMF (VLMF).Nodes / systems running LMF120 may, as an addition or alternative, run other types of location support modules, such as an Enhanced Serving Mobile Location Center (E-SMLC) or a Secure User Plane Location (SUPL) Location Platform (SLP). At least part of the positioning functionality (including the derivation of the UE105's location) may be performed in UE105 (using signal measurements acquired by UE105 in signals transmitted by wireless nodes such as gNB110a, 110b, and / or ng-eNB114, and / or supporting data provided to UE105 by LMF120, for example). AMF115 may function as a control node handling signaling between UE105 and 5GC140, and may provide QoS (Quality of Service) flow and session management. The AMF115 may support the mobility of the UE105, including cell changes and handovers, and may be involved in supporting signaling connections to the UE105.

[0030] Server 150, for example, a cloud server, is configured to obtain a location estimate for UE105 and provide it to an external client 130. Server 150 may be configured to run a microservice / service that obtains a location estimate for UE105. Server 150 may pull location estimates from UE105, one or more of gNB110a, 110b (e.g., via RU111, DU112, and CU113) and / or ng-eNB114 and / or LMF120 (e.g., by sending location requests to them). As another example, UE105, one or more of gNB110a, 110b (e.g., via RU111, DU112, and CU113) and / or LMF120 may push a location estimate for UE105 to Server 150.

[0031] GMLC125 may support location requests for UE105 received from external client 130 via server 150, and may forward such location requests to AMF115 for forwarding to LMF120 by AMF115, or it may forward location requests directly to LMF120. The location response from LMF120 (including, for example, a location estimate for UE105) may be returned to GMLC125 either directly or via AMF115, and GMLC125 may then return the location response (including, for example, a location estimate) to external client 130 via server 150. Although GMLC125 is shown connected to both AMF115 and LMF120, in some implementations it may not be connected to either AMF115 or LMF120.

[0032] As further shown in Figure 1, the LMF120 may communicate with gNB110a, 110b, and / or ng-eNB114 using the New Radio Positioning Protocol A (NPPa or NRPPa), which may be defined in 3GPP Technical Specification (TS) 38.455. NRPPa may be the same as, similar to, or an extension of, LTE Positioning Protocol A (LPPa), as defined in 3GPP TS36.455, and NRPPa messages are transmitted via the AMF115 between gNB110a (or gNB110b) and the LMF120, and / or between ng-eNB114 and the LMF120. As further shown in Figure 1, the LMF120 and UE105 may communicate using the LTE Positioning Protocol (LPP), which may be defined in 3GPP TS36.355. The LMF120 and UE105 may communicate using a New Radio Positioning Protocol (sometimes called NPP or NRPP), which is the same as, similar to, or an extension of LPP. Here, LPP and / or NPP messages may be transferred between the UE105 and the LMF120 via serving gNB110a, 110b, or serving ng-eNB114 for the AMF115 and UE105. For example, LPP and / or NPP messages may be transferred between the LMF120 and AMF115 using the 5G Location Services Application Protocol (LCS AP), or between the AMF115 and UE105 using the 5G Non-Access Stratum (NAS) protocol. The LPP and / or NPP protocols may be used to support the positioning of the UE105 using UE-assisted and / or UE-based positioning methods such as A-GNSS, RTK, OTDOA, and / or E-CID.The NRPPa protocol may be used to support the positioning of the UE105 using network-based positioning methods such as E-CID (for example, when used with measurements taken by gNB110a, 110b, or ng-eNB114), and / or the LMF120 may be used to obtain location-related information from gNB110a, 110b, and / or ng-eNB114, such as parameters defining directional SS or PRS transmissions from gNB110a, 110b, and / or ng-eNB114. The LMF120 may be collated or integrated with the gNB or TRP, or may be located remotely from the gNB and / or TRP, and may be configured to communicate directly or indirectly with the gNB and / or TRP.

[0033] As stated, while communication system 100 is described in relation to 5G technology, communication system 100 may be implemented to support other communication technologies such as GSM, WCDMA, and LTE, which are used to support and interact with mobile devices such as UE105 (for example, to perform voice, data, positioning, and other functions). In some such embodiments, 5GC140 may be configured to control different air interfaces. For example, 5GC140 may be connected to a WLAN using a Non-3GPP InterWorking Function (N3IWF, not shown in Figure 1) in 5GC140. For example, the WLAN may support IEEE 802.11 WiFi® access for UE105 and may have one or more WiFi® APs. Here, the N3IWF may connect to the WLAN and to other elements in 5GC140 such as AMF115. In some embodiments, both NG-RAN135 and 5GC140 can be replaced by one or more other RANs and one or more other core networks. For example, in an EPS, NG-RAN135 may be replaced by E-UTRAN including an eNB, and 5GC140 may be replaced by an EPC including a Mobility Management Entity (MME) instead of AMF115, an E-SMLC instead of LMF120, and a GMLC which may be similar to GMLC125. In such an EPS, the E-SMLC may use LPPa instead of NRPPa to send and receive location information to and from the eNB within the E-UTRAN, and may use LPP to support positioning of UE105.In these other embodiments, positioning of the UE105 using a directional PRS may be supported in a manner similar to that described herein with respect to a 5G network, the difference being that the functions and procedures described herein with respect to the gNB110a, 110b, ng-eNB114, AMF115, and LMF120 may, in some cases, be applied instead to other network elements such as eNBs, WiFi® APs, MMEs, and E-SMLCs.

[0034] See also Figure 2, UE200 may be one example of UE105, 106, and may comprise a computing platform including a processor 210, a memory 211 containing software (SW) 212, one or more sensors 213, a transceiver interface 214 for transceivers 215 (including a wireless transceiver 240 and a wired transceiver 250), a user interface 216, a satellite positioning system (SPS) receiver 217, a camera 218, and a position device (PD) 219. The processor 210, memory 211, one or more sensors 213, transceiver interface 214, user interface 216, SPS receiver 217, camera 218, and position device 219 may be coupled to communicate with each other by a bus 220 (which may be configured for optical and / or telecommunications, for example). One or more of the devices shown (e.g., one or more of the camera 218, positioning device 219, and / or one or more of the sensors(s) 213) may be omitted from the UE200. The processor 210 may include one or more hardware devices, such as a central processing unit (CPU), a microcontroller, and an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The processor 210 may comprise multiple processors, including a general-purpose / application processor 230, a digital signal processor (DSP) 231, a modem processor 232, a video processor 233, and / or a sensor processor 234. One or more of the processors 230-234 may comprise multiple devices (e.g., multiple processors). For example, the sensor processor 234 may comprise a processor for RF (radio frequency) sensing (using one or more (cellular) wireless signals transmitted, and reflections(s) used to identify, map, and / or track objects), and / or ultrasound, etc. The modem processor 232 may support dual SIM / dual connections (or even more SIMs).For example, one SIM (Subscriber ID Module or Subscriber Identification Module) may be used by an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM), and another SIM may be used by an end user of the UE200 for connectivity. Memory 211 may be a non-temporary storage medium, including random access memory (RAM), flash memory, disk memory, and / or read-only memory (ROM). Memory 211 may store software 212, which may be processor-readable, processor-executable software code containing instructions, which, when executed, may be configured to cause the processor 210 to perform various functions described herein. Alternatively, software 212 may not be directly executable by the processor 210, but may be configured, for example, to cause the processor 210 to perform a function when compiled and executed. The description herein may refer to the processor 210 performing a function, which includes other implementations, such as when the processor 210 runs software and / or firmware. In this specification, the function of processor 210 may be referred to as a function of one or more of processors 230-234. In this specification, the function of UE200 may be referred to as a function of one or more appropriate components of UE200. Processor 210 may include, in addition to and / or instead of memory 211, memory in which instructions are stored. The function of processor 210 will be discussed in more detail below.

[0035] The configuration of the UE200 shown in Figure 2 is an example and does not limit the present disclosure, including the claims, and other configurations are also available. For example, an exemplary configuration of the UE may include one or more of the processors 230-234 of the processor 210, memory 211, and wireless transceiver 240. Other exemplary configurations may include one or more of the processors 230-234 of the processor 210, memory 211, and wireless transceiver, and one or more of the sensors 213(one or more), user interface 216, SPS receiver 217, camera 218, PD219, and / or wired transceiver.

[0036] The UE200 may include a modem processor 232 capable of performing baseband processing of signals received and downconverted by the transceiver 215 and / or the SPS receiver 217. The modem processor 232 may perform baseband processing of signals to be upconverted for transmission by the transceiver 215. Alternatively, baseband processing may be performed by a general-purpose / application processor 230 and / or the DSP 231. However, other configurations may be used to perform baseband processing.

[0037] The UE200 may include one or more sensors 213, which may include, for example, an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) 270, one or more magnetometers 271, and / or one or more environmental sensors 272. The IMU 270 may comprise, for example, one or more accelerometers 273 (e.g., collectively responding to the acceleration of the UE 200 in three dimensions) and / or one or more gyroscopes 274 (e.g., one or more three-dimensional gyroscopes). The sensor(s) 213 may include one or more magnetometers 271 (e.g., one or more three-dimensional magnetometers) that determine orientation (e.g., relative to magnetic north and / or true north), which can be used for any of a variety of purposes, such as supporting one or more compass applications. The environmental sensor(s) 272 may include, for example, one or more temperature sensors, one or more barometric pressure sensors, one or more ambient light sensors, one or more camera imagers, and / or one or more microphones. The sensor(s) 213 may generate analog and / or digital signals, the indications of which may be stored in memory 211 and processed by DSP 231 and / or general-purpose / application processor 230 to support one or more applications, for example, applications targeting positioning and / or navigation operations. The sensor(s) 213 may include one or more of various other types of sensors, such as one or more optical sensors, one or more weight sensors, and / or one or more radio frequency (RF) sensors.

[0038] Sensor(s) 213 may be used in relative location measurement, relative location determination, motion determination, etc. Information detected by Sensor(s) 213 may be used for motion detection, relative displacement, dead reckoning, sensor-based location determination, and / or sensor-assisted location determination. Sensor(s) 213 may be useful in determining whether UE200 is stationary or mobile, and / or whether specific useful information regarding UE200's mobility should be reported to LMF120. For example, based on information acquired / measured by Sensor(s) 213, UE200 may notify / report to LMF120 that UE200 has detected movement or has moved, and may report relative displacement / distance (e.g., via autonomous navigation, or sensor-based location determination, or sensor-assisted location determination enabled by Sensor(s) 213). In another example, relative positioning information could be used to determine the angle and / or orientation of other devices relative to the UE200, etc.

[0039] The IMU 270 may be configured to provide measurements of the direction and / or velocity of motion of the UE 200, which can be used in relative location determination. For example, one or more accelerometers 273 and / or one or more gyroscopes 274 of the IMU 270 may detect the linear acceleration and rotational velocity of the UE 200, respectively. The measurements of the linear acceleration and rotational velocity of the UE 200 may be integrated over time to determine the instantaneous direction and displacement of the UE 200's motion. The instantaneous direction and displacement of motion may be integrated to track the location of the UE 200. For example, at a given moment, the reference location of the UE 200 may be determined, for example, using the SPS receiver 217 (and / or by some other means), and measurements from the accelerometer(s) 273 and gyroscope(s) 274 obtained after this moment may be used in dead reckoning to determine the current location of the UE 200 based on the movement (direction and distance) of the UE 200 relative to the reference location.

[0040] The magnetometer(s) 271 may determine the magnetic field strength in different directions, which may be used to determine the orientation of the UE200. For example, the orientation may be used to provide the UE200 with a digital compass. The magnetometer(s) may include a two-dimensional magnetometer configured to detect and provide indications of magnetic field strength in two orthogonal dimensions. The magnetometer(s) 271 may include a three-dimensional magnetometer configured to detect and provide indications of magnetic field strength in three orthogonal dimensions. The magnetometer(s) 271 may provide means for sensing the magnetic field and providing an indication of the magnetic field to, for example, the processor 210.

[0041] The transceiver 215 may include a wireless transceiver 240 and a wired transceiver 250 configured to communicate with other devices via wireless and wired connections, respectively. For example, the wireless transceiver 240 may include a wireless transmitter 242 and a wireless receiver 244 coupled to an antenna 246 to transmit and / or receive a wireless signal 248 (e.g., over one or more uplink channels and / or one or more sidelink channels) and a wireless signal 248 (e.g., over one or more downlink channels and / or one or more sidelink channels), and to convert the signal from the wireless signal 248 to a wired (e.g., electrical and / or optical) signal and from the wired (e.g., electrical and / or optical) signal to the wireless signal 248. The wireless transmitter 242 includes appropriate components (e.g., a power amplifier and a digital-to-analog converter). The wireless receiver 244 includes appropriate components (e.g., one or more amplifiers, one or more frequency filters, and an analog-to-digital converter). The wireless transmitter 242 may include a plurality of transmitters, which may be individual components or combined / integrated components, and / or the wireless receiver 244 may include a plurality of receivers, which may be individual components or combined / integrated components. The wireless receiver 240 may be configured to communicate signals (e.g., with the TRP and / or one or more other devices) in accordance with various radio access technologies (RATs) such as 5G New Radio (NR), GSM (Global System for Mobile), UMTS (Universal Mobile Communications System), AMPS (Advanced Mobile Phone System), CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access), WCDMA (Wideband CDMA), LTE (Long Term Evolution), LTE Direct (LTE-D), 3GPP LTE-V2X (PC5), IEEE 802.11 (including IEEE 802.11p), WiFi®, WiFi® Direct (WiFi®-D), Bluetooth®, and Zigbee®. The new radio may use mm wave frequencies and / or sub-6 GHz frequencies.The wired transceiver 250 may include a wired transmitter 252 and a wired receiver 254 configured for wired communication, and a network interface that can be used to communicate with NG-RAN135 for the purpose of sending and receiving communications from NG-RAN135. The wired transmitter 252 may include multiple transmitters, which may be individual components or combination / integrated components, and / or the wired receiver 254 may include multiple receivers, which may be individual components or combination / integrated components. The wired transceiver 250 may be configured, for example, for optical communication and / or telecommunications. The transceiver 215 may be communicatively coupled to the transceiver interface 214, for example, by optical and / or electrical connections. The transceiver interface 214 may be integrated with the transceiver 215 at least partially. The wireless transmitter 242, wireless receiver 244, and / or antenna 246 may each include multiple transmitters, multiple receivers, and / or multiple antennas for sending and / or receiving appropriate signals, respectively.

[0042] The user interface 216 may comprise one or more of several devices, such as speakers, microphones, display devices, vibration devices, keyboards, and touchscreens. The user interface 216 may comprise two or more of these devices. The user interface 216 may be configured to allow the user to interact with one or more applications hosted by the UE200. For example, the user interface 216 may store instructions for analog and / or digital signals in memory 211 so that they are processed by the DSP 231 and / or general-purpose / application processor 230 in response to user actions. Similarly, an application hosted on the UE200 may store instructions for analog and / or digital signals in memory 211 to present output signals to the user. The user interface 216 may include audio input / output (I / O) devices, such as speakers, microphones, digital-analog circuit configurations, analog-digital circuit configurations, amplifiers, and / or gain control circuit configurations (including two or more of these devices). Other configurations of audio I / O devices may be used. Alternatively, the user interface 216 may include, for example, one or more touch sensors that respond to touch and / or pressure on the keyboard and / or touchscreen of the user interface 216.

[0043] An SPS receiver 217 (e.g., a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver) may be capable of receiving and acquiring SPS signals 260 via an SPS antenna 262. The SPS antenna 262 is configured to convert the SPS signals 260 from wireless signals to wired signals, such as electrical or optical signals, and may be integrated with antenna 246. The SPS receiver 217 may be configured to process the acquired SPS signals 260, either entirely or partially, to estimate the location of the UE 200. For example, the SPS receiver 217 may be configured to determine the location of the UE 200 by trilateration using the SPS signals 260. A general-purpose / application processor 230, memory 211, DSP 231, and / or one or more dedicated processors (not shown) may be used with the SPS receiver 217 to process the acquired SPS signals, either entirely or partially, and / or to calculate the estimated location of the UE 200. Memory 211 may store indications (e.g., measured values) of the SPS signal 260 and / or other signals (e.g., signals obtained from the wireless transceiver 240) for use when performing positioning operations. The general-purpose / application processor 230, DSP 231, and / or one or more dedicated processors, and / or memory 211 may provide or support a location engine used when processing measured values ​​to estimate the location of the UE200.

[0044] The UE200 may include a camera 218 for capturing still or moving images. The camera 218 may include, for example, an imaging sensor (e.g., a charge-coupled device or a CMOS (Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor) imager), a lens, analog-digital circuitry, a frame buffer, and the like. Additional processing, adjustment, encoding, and / or compression of the signal representing the captured image may be performed by a general-purpose / application processor 230 and / or a DSP 231. Alternatively, a video processor 233 may perform the adjustment, encoding, compression, and / or manipulation of the signal representing the captured image. The video processor 233 may decode / decompress the stored image data for display on a display device (not shown) of the user interface 216, for example.

[0045] Referring also to Figure 3, an example of the TRP300 for gNB110a, 110b, and / or ng-eNB114 comprises a computing platform including a processor 310, a memory 311 containing software (SW) 312, and a transceiver 315. The processor 310, memory 311, and transceiver 315 may be coupled to each other communicatively by a bus 320 (which may be configured, for example, for optical and / or telecommunications). One or more of the devices shown (e.g., wireless transceivers) may be omitted from the TRP300. The processor 310 may include one or more hardware devices, such as a central processing unit (CPU), a microcontroller, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), etc. The processor 310 may comprise multiple processors (for example, including a general-purpose / application processor, a DSP, a modem processor, a video processor, and / or a sensor processor, as shown in Figure 2). Memory 311 may be a non-temporary storage medium, including random access memory (RAM), flash memory, disk memory, and / or read-only memory (ROM). Memory 311 may store software 312, which may be processor-readable processor-executable software code containing instructions configured to cause the processor 310 to perform various functions described herein when executed. Alternatively, software 312 may not be directly executable by the processor 310, but may be configured to cause the processor 310 to perform functions when compiled and executed, for example.

[0046] The description herein may refer to the processor 310 performing a function, including other implementations such as when the processor 310 runs software and / or firmware. The description herein may refer to the processor 310 performing a function as a brief description of one or more of the processors included in the processor 310 performing a function. The description herein may refer to the TRP300 performing a function as a brief description of one or more appropriate components of the TRP300 (and accordingly one of gNB110a, 110b, and / or ng-eNB114) (e.g., processor 310 and memory 311) performing a function. The processor 310 may include, in addition to and / or instead of memory 311, memory in which instructions are stored. The functions of the processor 310 will be discussed in more detail below.

[0047] The transceiver 315 may include a wireless transceiver 340 and / or a wired transceiver 350, respectively, configured to communicate with other devices via wireless and wired connections. For example, the wireless transceiver 340 may include a wireless transmitter 342 and a wireless receiver 344 coupled to one or more antennas 346 to transmit and / or receive a wireless signal 348 (e.g., over one or more uplink channels and / or one or more downlink channels) and convert the signal from the wireless signal 348 to a wired (e.g., electrical and / or optical) signal and from the wired (e.g., electrical and / or optical) signal to the wireless signal 348. Thus, the wireless transmitter 342 may include multiple transmitters, which may be individual components or combined / integrated components, and / or the wireless receiver 344 may include multiple receivers, which may be individual components or combined / integrated components. The Wireless Transceiver 340 can be configured to communicate signals (for example, with UE200, one or more other UEs, and / or one or more other devices) in accordance with various Radio Access Technologies (RATs) such as 5G New Radio (NR), GSM (Global System for Mobile), UMTS (Universal Mobile Communications System), AMPS (Advanced Mobile Phone System), CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access), WCDMA (Wideband CDMA), LTE (Long Term Evolution), LTE Direct (LTE-D), 3GPP LTE-V2X (PC5), IEEE 802.11 (including IEEE 802.11p), WiFi®, WiFi® Direct (WiFi®-D), Bluetooth®, and Zigbee®.The wired transceiver 350 may include a wired transmitter 352 and a wired receiver 354 configured for wired communication, for example, a network interface that can be used to communicate with NG-RAN135 and / or one or more other network entities to send communications to and receive communications from LMF120. The wired transmitter 352 may include multiple transmitters that can be individual components or combined / integrated components, and / or the wired receiver 354 may include multiple receivers that can be individual components or combined / integrated components. The wired transceiver 350 may be configured for optical communications and / or telecommunications, for example. In other examples, communication between network entities may be wireless.

[0048] The configuration of the TRP300 shown in Figure 3 is an example of the present disclosure, including the claims, and is not limited to it; other configurations may be used. For example, the description herein discusses that the TRP300 may be configured to perform or is configured to perform several functions, one or more of which may be performed by the LMF120 and / or UE200 (i.e., the LMF120 and / or UE200 may be configured to perform one or more of these functions).

[0049] Referring also to Figure 4, the server 400, which may be an example of the LMF120, may comprise a computing platform comprising a processor 410, memory 411 containing software (SW) 412, and transceivers 415. The processor 410, memory 411, and transceivers 415 may be coupled to each other communicatively by a bus 420 (which may be configured, for example, for optical and / or telecommunications). One or more of the devices shown (e.g., wireless transceivers) may be omitted from the server 400. The processor 410 may comprise one or more hardware devices, such as a central processing unit (CPU), a microcontroller, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), etc. The processor 410 may comprise multiple processors (for example, including a general-purpose / application processor, a DSP, a modem processor, a video processor, and / or a sensor processor, as shown in Figure 2). Memory 411 may be a non-temporary storage medium, including random access memory (RAM), flash memory, disk memory, and / or read-only memory (ROM). Memory 411 may store software 412, which may be processor-readable processor-executable software code containing instructions, which, when executed, cause the processor 410 to perform various functions described herein. Alternatively, software 412 may not be directly executable by the processor 410, but may be configured to cause the processor 410 to perform functions, for example, when compiled and executed. The description herein may refer to the processor 410 performing a function, which includes other implementations such as when the processor 410 executes software and / or firmware. The description herein may refer to the processor 410 performing a function as an abbreviation for one or more of the processors included in the processor 410 performing a certain function. In this specification, the description may refer to the server 400 performing a function as an abbreviation for one or more appropriate components of the server 400 performing a function.The processor 410 may include, in addition to and / or instead of, memory 411, memory in which instructions are stored. The functions of the processor 410 will be discussed in more detail below.

[0050] The transceiver 415 may include a wireless transceiver 440 and / or a wired transceiver 450, respectively, configured to communicate with other devices via wireless and wired connections. For example, the wireless transceiver 440 may include a wireless transmitter 442 and a wireless receiver 444 coupled to one or more antennas 446 to transmit and / or receive a wireless signal 448 (e.g., over one or more downlink channels) and / or receive it (e.g., over one or more uplink channels) and convert the signal from the wireless signal 448 to a wired (e.g., electrical and / or optical) signal and from the wired (e.g., electrical and / or optical) signal to the wireless signal 448. Thus, the wireless transmitter 442 may include multiple transmitters, which may be individual components or combined / integrated components, and / or the wireless receiver 444 may include multiple receivers, which may be individual components or combined / integrated components. The Wireless Transceiver 440 can be configured to communicate signals (for example, with UE200, one or more other UEs, and / or one or more other devices) in accordance with various Radio Access Technologies (RATs) such as 5G New Radio (NR), GSM (Global System for Mobile), UMTS (Universal Mobile Communications System), AMPS (Advanced Mobile Phone System), CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access), WCDMA (Wideband CDMA), LTE (Long Term Evolution), LTE Direct (LTE-D), 3GPP LTE-V2X (PC5), IEEE 802.11 (including IEEE 802.11p), WiFi®, WiFi® Direct (WiFi®-D), Bluetooth®, and Zigbee®. The wired transceiver 450 may include a wired transmitter 452 and a wired receiver 454 configured for wired communication, and a network interface that can be used to communicate with NG-RAN135 and / or one or more other network entities, for example, to send communications to and receive communications from TRP300.The wired transmitter 452 may include multiple transmitters, which may be individual components or combined / integrated components, and / or the wired receiver 454 may include multiple receivers, which may be individual components or combined / integrated components. The wired transceiver 450 may be configured, for example, for optical communications and / or telecommunications. In other examples, communication between two or more network entities may be wireless.

[0051] The description herein may refer to the processor 410 performing a function, but also to other implementations, such as when the processor 410 runs software and / or firmware (stored in memory 411). The description herein may refer to the server 400 performing a function as an abbreviation for when one or more appropriate components of the server 400 (e.g., the processor 410 and memory 411) perform a function.

[0052] The configuration of the server 400 shown in Figure 4 is an example, not a limitation of this disclosure, including the claims, and other configurations may be used. For example, the wireless transceiver 440 may be omitted. Similarly, or alternatively, the description herein discusses that the server 400 is configured to perform or to perform several functions, one or more of which may be performed by the TRP 300 and / or UE 200 (i.e., the TRP 300 and / or UE 200 may be configured to perform one or more of these functions).

[0053] Referring to Figures 5A to 5C, three examples of carrier aggregation (CA) are shown. Wireless nodes in communication system 100 may be configured to utilize CA to improve connectivity between nodes. Generally, CA can be classified into two types: in-band CA and inter-band CA. In-band CA refers to the operation of multiple carriers within the same band, while inter-band CA refers to the operation of multiple carriers in different bands. Figures 5A to 5C include examples of low-band and high-band designations. In the use case of mmWave, the low-band may correspond to 24.25 GHz to 29.5 GHz (e.g., bands n257, n258, n261), and the high-band may correspond to 37.0 GHz to 43.5 GHz (e.g., bands n259, n260). Other frequency ranges can also be designated as low-band and high-band; for example, n262 (47.2 GHz to 48.2 GHz) is in the high-band.

[0054] Figure 5A shows an example of consecutive in-band CA. In the example shown in Figure 5A, the wireless nodes (e.g., UE 200, TRP 300) consist of four consecutive carriers within the same low-bandwidth area. Wireless devices can transmit and / or receive on multiple consecutive carriers within the same band. In mmWave use cases, channel bandwidths can be 50 MHz, 100 MHz, 200 MHz, and 400 MHz. Other bandwidths can be defined, and more or fewer carriers may be utilized.

[0055] Figure 5B shows an example of discontinuous intraband carrier aggregation (CA). In the example shown in Figure 5B, the wireless node consists of four discontinuous carriers within the same low-bandwidth area. The carriers may be divided into 50 MHz, 100 MHz, or several other quantities. The wireless device may transmit and / or receive on multiple discontinuous carriers within the same band. As shown, two groups of two carriers may be implemented, but other groups and / or quantities of carriers may be used.

[0056] Figure 5C shows an example of interband CA in different band groups. In the example shown in Figure 5C, the wireless node consists of four carriers from two bands in different band groups, including two carriers from one band in the low band and two additional carriers from another band in the high band. A wireless device can send and / or receive transmissions on multiple carriers in different bands in different band groups (e.g., low band and high band in Figure 5C). As illustrated, two groups of two carriers may be implemented, but other groups and / or amounts of carriers may be used. Figures 5A to 5C show three examples of carrier aggregation. Carrier aggregation may also be supported for other combinations of bands and band groups. For example, carrier aggregation may be supported for low band and high band, mid band and high band, high band and high band, and other band combinations with ultra-high band and long-term evolution in unlicensed spectrum (LTE-U).

[0057] Referring to Figure 6, a block diagram of an example of a radio frequency receiver 600 including high-bandwidth and low-bandwidth receiver circuits is shown. Receiver 600 is an example of a downconverter configured to select a destination signal using a front-end scheme and to convert the received radio frequency (RF) signal to an intermediate frequency (IF) signal using another scheme (e.g., heterodyne scheme), instead of directly converting an RF signal to a baseband (BB) signal. Transceiver 240 in UE 200 (e.g., receiver 244), transceiver 340 in TRP 300 (e.g., receiver 344), and transceiver 440 in server 400 (e.g., receiver 444) may be based on the heterodyne scheme of receiver 600. Receiver 600 may include an antenna circuit 604, a receiver circuit 602, and a control circuit 606. In one example, the antenna circuit 602 may include one or more antenna arrays and may be located in a different location from the receiver circuit 602. The receiver circuit 602 may be included in a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC) and may be operably coupled to the antenna circuit 604 via one or more cables. In another example, the antenna circuit 604 and the receiver circuit 602 may be integrated components in a system-on-chip (SoC) and / or module configuration. The control circuit 606 may be operably coupled to the receiver circuit 602 or may be included within the receiver circuit 602. The control circuit 606 may be configured to cause the receiver circuit 602 to operate in the CA mode and non-CA mode described herein. The receiver circuit 602 may include an RF front-end circuit 608, a high-bandwidth circuit 610, a low-bandwidth circuit 614, and an IF oscillator circuit 612. The receiver circuit 602 is configured to provide an output for baseband processing in stage 618. In one example, the modem processor 232 may be configured to perform baseband processing. Between the receiver circuit 602 and the modem processor 232, one or more components and / or circuits may be placed, such as a circuit configured to down-convert the IF signal to baseband and to convert the analog baseband signal to digital.The high-bandwidth circuit 610 can function as a high-bandwidth receiving chain, and the low-bandwidth circuit 614 can function as a low-bandwidth receiving chain in receiver 600. The circuitry in receiver circuit 602 is an example and not limiting, and other receiver architectures may be used.

[0058] During operation, the RF signal received from the antenna circuit 604 may be supplied to an RF front-end circuit 608, which consists of components such as low-noise amplifiers (LNAs) and phase shifters. Certain components of the RF front-end circuit 608, combined with some of the antennas in the antenna circuit 604, may be configured to implement a phased array (e.g., a phased array for low bandwidth and / or a phased array for high bandwidth). The RF front-end circuit 608 may be configured to provide signals through two paths, one for the high-bandwidth circuit 610 and the other for the low-bandwidth circuit 614. The high-bandwidth circuit 610 and the low-bandwidth circuit 614 each include a mixer and their respective dedicated signal paths and frequency down-conversion stages. These stages may be configured to perform frequency conversion to an intermediate frequency (IF) suitable for subsequent processing. The high-bandwidth circuit 610 may be configured to down-convert the high-frequency signal from the RF front-end circuit 608 to a higher or lower IF frequency, as will be further described below. In mmWave use cases, the high IF frequency can be in the range of 10 GHz to 14 GHz, but other higher IF frequency values ​​may be used depending on the system design options. The low-band circuit 614 may be configured to downconvert low-frequency signals from the RF front-end circuit 608 to a lower IF frequency. In one example, the low IF frequency may be in the range of 8 GHz to 10 GHz, but other lower IF frequency values ​​may be used. The IF oscillator circuit 612 may include one or more LOs configured to generate the IF frequencies required for the high-band and low-band circuits 610, 614. In one example, the functions and components of the IF oscillator circuit 612 may be included in the respective high-band and low-band circuits 610, 614. After downconversion, the signal may be further processed in stage 618 (e.g., using modem processor 232). In one example, baseband processing in stage 618 may include known operations such as filtering, demodulation, analog-to-digital conversion, decoding, and other digital signal processing operations. The processed signal is provided as the output signal of the receiver system.

[0059] In one example, the IF oscillator circuit 612 may include multiple (e.g., two) local oscillators (LOs) and a filter. The filter may be adjustable (during operation), for example, by adjusting the passive devices that constitute the filter. Using multiple LOs, the center frequency of the filter may be set to any desired frequency determined by the LO frequencies. As an example, but not limited to, the center frequencies of the lowband and highband signals, respectively, may be 9 GHz and 12 GHz.

[0060] Referring to Figure 7, a block diagram of an example of a high-bandwidth circuit 610 with a configurable intermediate frequency (IF) path 702 is shown. The high-bandwidth circuit 610 may include a configurable IF path 702 and a high-bandwidth receive chain 704. The high-bandwidth receive chain 704 may include a multiplexer, an LNA or VGA or other amplifier, and associated components configured to perform down-conversion of the high-bandwidth signal based on a selected IF frequency. The low-bandwidth receive chain 708 in the low-bandwidth circuit 614 may include a multiplexer, an LNA or VGA or other amplifier, and associated components configured to perform down-conversion of the low-bandwidth signal based on (e.g., a predetermined) IF frequency (e.g., in the range of 8 GHz to 10 GHz). The IF output 710 may include multiple frequencies in CA mode, or a single frequency in single-bandwidth mode. During operation, the high-bandwidth IF path is configurable based on whether the control circuit 606 indicates that the receiver 600 is in CA mode or single-bandwidth mode (i.e., non-CA mode). The high-bandwidth IF path can operate at a high IF frequency of approximately 12 GHz when receiver 600 is in CA mode and approximately 9 GHz when in single-band mode. Reducing the IF frequency in the high-bandwidth circuit 610 can enable power savings based on reduced processing requirements for relatively low-frequency signals, as well as increased component efficiency at lower frequencies. This power savings and component efficiency can be achieved in receiver 602 and in one or more downstream components, for example, in transceiver circuits configured to downconvert the IF signal to baseband. Thus, in CA mode, the high-bandwidth circuit 610 can utilize an IF frequency of 12 GHz, while the low-bandwidth circuit 614 can utilize an IF frequency of 9 GHz. In single-band mode (i.e., non-CA mode), either the high-bandwidth circuit 610 or the low-bandwidth circuit 614 (or both, e.g., time-duplex) can utilize an IF frequency of 9 GHz.

[0061] Referring to Figure 8, a system diagram of an example of a configurable IF path 702 in the high-band receiver of Figure 7 is shown. During operation, the mixer 810 is configured to receive signals from the RF front-end circuit 608 and the LO in the IF oscillator circuit 612. The LO may be configured to generate a frequency input based on the operating mode. For example, in CA mode, it is in the range of 10 GHz to 14 GHz, and in single-band mode, it is in the range of 8 GHz to 10 GHz. The configurable IF path 702 may be configured to receive one or more control signals 802a to 802b to enable the selection of a path through the high-band circuit 610 based on the selected mode. The control signals 802a to 802b may be operably coupled to the respective multiplexers 804a to 804b (e.g., demultiplexer and multiplexer). The control circuit 606 may be configured to provide the control signals 802a to 802b. Other controllers in or coupled to the receiver 600 may be configured to provide the control signals 802a to 802b. In CA mode, referring to Figure 9A, the multiplexers 804a-804b are configured to utilize a first IF path 902 that includes a high-pass filter 806. In CA mode, the high-bandwidth IF carrier is at a higher frequency (e.g., 11-14 GHz) than the low-bandwidth IF signal (e.g., 8-10 GHz). The high-pass filter 806 may be required for noise filtering and isolation from jamming caused by the low-bandwidth signal. In one example, the high-pass filter 806 may be a higher-order LC filter having multiple inductors and programmable capacitors. The performance of the high-pass filter 806 (e.g., cutoff point, bandwidth, etc.) can be selected and configured for a range of possible IF frequencies. In one example, the configurable IF path 702 may include multiple high-pass filters coupled to the multiplexers 804a-804b, and the control signals 802a-802b may be configured to select one or more of the multiple high-pass filters. In non-CA mode (e.g., single-band mode), as shown in Figure 9B, the multiplexers 804a to 804b are configured to utilize the second IF path 904 to bypass the high-pass filter 806.The second IF path 904 may include a transmission line (T-line) with an AC-coupled capacitor and is configured to operate at a lower IF frequency using an amplifier. In non-CA mode, both the high-bandwidth circuit 610 and the low-bandwidth circuit 614 utilize a lower IF frequency (e.g., 9 GHz), and only one circuit operates at a time. In one example, a lower IF frequency may be selected to support legacy CA configuration requirements. Different receivers may implement the configurable IF paths 702 described herein with respect to different IF frequencies and may require different filter designs, so the IF frequencies, high-pass filter designs 806, and bypass components 808 (e.g., transmission lines, amplifiers, and / or other components such as filters in other examples) are examples only and not limitations.

[0062] The configurable IF path 702 may output the IF signal to additional amplifiers and filters (e.g., band-pass filters) and a diplexer circuit 812 before outputting for baseband processing. Other circuits, such as attenuator circuits, may be used to shape the IF signal before baseband processing.

[0063] Figures 7 to 9B illustrate filtering and bypass configurations for operating the high-bandwidth circuit 610 at different IF frequencies, but the design can be extended to the low-bandwidth circuit 614. For example, the low-bandwidth circuit 610 may include a configurable IF path 702 that includes filtered paths and bypasses functionally similar to the first IF path 902 and the second IF path 904. The controller 606 may be configured so that the high-bandwidth circuit 610 and the low-bandwidth circuit 614 utilize high IF frequencies for single-band operation. The high-bandwidth circuit 610 can utilize high IF frequencies, while the low-bandwidth circuit 610 can utilize low IF frequencies for CA operation. In this use case, the filtered paths within the low-bandwidth circuit 614 may include low-pass filters that enable distinction from high IF frequencies.

[0064] Referring to Figure 10, and further to Figures 1-9B, Method 1000 for operating a wireless node in carrier aggregation mode or single-band mode includes the illustrated stages. However, Method 1000 is merely an example and not limiting. Method 1000 can be modified, for example, by having one or more stages that are added, removed, rearranged, combined, or run concurrently, and / or by having one or more single stages that are divided into multiple stages.

[0065] In stage 1002, the method includes configuring a wireless node to operate in at least one of carrier aggregation mode or single-band mode. UE 200, including transceiver 215 and processor 210, is a means for configuring the wireless node to operate in CA mode or single-band mode (i.e., non-CA mode). Transceiver 215 may include wireless transceiver 240, including receiver 244. Receiver 240 may be receiver 600 having a configurable IF path 702. In a 5G NR use case, UE 200 may be configured to receive network signaling to indicate an opportunity to utilize CA, and receiver 244 may be configured for CA mode. In one example, a software or firmware application stored in memory 211 may be configured to send configuration instructions for selecting CA mode or non-CA mode. In one example, the processor 210 may be a control circuit 606 and may be configured to provide signals to multiplexers 804a-804b to utilize either a first IF path 902 (e.g., CA mode) or a second IF path 904 (e.g., single-band mode).

[0066] In stage 1004, the method includes configuring a high-bandwidth receive chain and optionally a low-bandwidth receive chain in the wireless node to utilize a first intermediate frequency, in response to configuring the wireless node to operate in single-band mode. The UE 200, including the processor 210, is a means for configuring the high-bandwidth receive chain and the low-bandwidth receive chain. In one example, the UE 200 may select a non-CA mode and configure multiplexers 804a-804b to utilize a second IF path 904 in a configurable IF path 702. As a result, either the low-bandwidth circuit 614 or the high-bandwidth circuit 610 is configured to utilize a lower IF frequency (e.g., 9 GHz). In one example, the high-bandwidth receive chain may be configured to utilize the first IF frequency, while the low-bandwidth receive chain may be placed in a low-power state (e.g., turned off and / or configured not to receive). The selection of a non-CA mode may be based on legacy single-band requirements. While in non-CA mode, the high-bandwidth circuit 610 utilizes lower IF frequencies, and therefore can achieve power savings based on reduced processing power required for lower frequencies, as well as improved efficiency of lower frequency components (compared to processing high-frequency signals).

[0067] In stage 1006, the method includes configuring a low-band receive chain to utilize a first intermediate frequency and a high-band receive chain to utilize a second intermediate frequency, in response to configuring a wireless node to operate in carrier aggregation mode. The UE 200, including the processor 210, is a means for configuring the high-band receive chain and the low-band receive chain to operate in CA mode. In one example, the UE 200 may select CA mode and configure multiplexers 804a to 804b to utilize the first IF path 902 in a configurable IF path 702. The second IF frequency may be 12 GHz or another frequency that allows the high-band receive chain to process signals separately from the low-band signals. A high-pass filter 806 is designed to filter out noise and other interference signals associated with the low-band signals. In CA mode, in one example, the low-band circuit 614 is configured to utilize a lower IF frequency (e.g., 9 GHz), and the high-band circuit 610 is configured to utilize a higher IF frequency (e.g., 12 GHz).

[0068] Method 1000 may be implemented for other dual-band modes that do not utilize carrier aggregation and / or utilize different frequency combinations. For example, the high-band circuit 610, the low-band circuit 614, and the IF oscillator circuit 612 may be configured to operate at other frequencies not associated with the carrier aggregation scheme as described in Figures 5A-5C. Thus, the high-band circuit 610 may switch from using a high IF in a configuration where multiple unaggregated carriers are received (simultaneously) to a low IF in a configuration where two IFs are not required (e.g., single-band). In some examples (which may or may not include CA mode), the low IF used when two IFs are not required is different from the low IF used when two IFs are required. For example, when two IFs are used, the IFs may be 12 GHz and 9 GHz, while when only one IF is used, the IF may be 10 GHz or 8 GHz. In some examples, the high IF and / or low IF may be variable. For example, a high IF is not always 12 GHz, but can fluctuate between 11 GHz and 14 GHz during operation. The frequency at which the IF is set may depend on the carrier allocated by the network, LO capability and configuration, frequency planning and / or coexistence, etc.

[0069] Other embodiments are within the scope of this disclosure and the appended claims. For example, due to the nature of software and computers, the above functions can be implemented using software, hardware, firmware, hardwiring, or any combination thereof, executed by a processor. The features implementing the functions can also be physically located in various locations, including being distributed so that parts of the functions are implemented in different physical locations.

[0070] As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” also include the plural forms unless the context otherwise explicitly indicates. Thus, a singular reference to a device in the claims (e.g., “a device,” “the device”) includes one or more such devices (e.g., “processor” includes one or more processors, “processor” includes one or more processors, “memory” includes one or more memory, “memory” includes one or more memory, etc.). As used herein, the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes,” and / or “including” specify the presence of the features, integers, steps, actions, elements, and / or components described, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, actions, elements, components, and / or groups thereof.

[0071] Furthermore, as used herein in enumerations of items (which may in some cases begin with "at least one of" or "one or more of"), "or" indicates a disjunctive enumeration, such as the enumeration "at least one of A, B, or C," or "one or more of A, B, or C," or "A or B or C," meaning A, or B, or C, or AB (A and B), or AC (A and C), or BC (B and C), or ABC (i.e., A and B and C), or a combination of two or more features (e.g., AA, AAB, ABBC, etc.). Accordingly, a statement that an item, for example, a processor, is configured to perform a function of at least one of A or B, or that an item is configured to perform function A or function B, means that the item may be configured to perform a function of A, or may be configured to perform a function of B, or may be configured to perform functions of both A and B. For example, the phrase "a processor configured to measure at least one of A or B" or "a processor configured to measure A or B" means that the processor may be configured to measure A (and may or may not be configured to measure B), or may be configured to measure B (and may or may not be configured to measure A), or may be configured to measure A and B (and may be configured to choose whether to measure A or B, or to choose whether to measure both A and B). Similarly, the statement "means for measuring at least one of A or B" includes means for measuring A (which may or may not be capable of measuring B), or means for measuring B (which may or may not be configured to measure A), or means for measuring A and B (which may be capable of choosing whether to measure A or B, or to choose whether to measure both A and B).As another example, a statement that an item, for example, a processor is configured to perform at least one of function X or function Y, means that the item may be configured to perform function X, or may be configured to perform function Y, or may be configured to perform function X and function Y. For example, the phrase "a processor configured to perform at least one of measuring X or measuring Y" means that the processor may be configured to measure X (and may or may not be configured to measure Y), or may be configured to measure Y (and may or may not be configured to measure X), or may be configured to measure X and measure Y (and may be configured to choose whether to measure X or Y, or to choose whether to measure X and Y).

[0072] Where used herein, unless otherwise specified, the phrase "based on" an item or condition means that the function or operation is based on the item or condition described, and may be based on one or more items and / or conditions in addition to the item or condition described.

[0073] Significant modifications may be made to meet specific requirements. For example, customized hardware may be used, and / or certain elements may be implemented in hardware, software executed by a processor (including portable software such as applets), or both. Furthermore, connections to other computing devices, such as network input / output devices, may be utilized. Components shown in the diagrams and / or discussed herein, whether functional or not, are connected to or communicate with one another, unless otherwise specified, in a way that allows for communication between them. That is, components may be connected directly or indirectly to enable communication between them.

[0074] The systems and devices described above are examples. Various configurations may omit, replace, or add various procedures or components as needed. For example, features described in relation to a particular configuration may be combined in various other configurations. Different aspects and elements of configurations may be combined in the same way. Furthermore, technology evolves, and therefore many of the elements are examples and do not limit the scope of this disclosure or the claims.

[0075] A wireless communication system is a communication system in which communication is transmitted wirelessly, that is, between wireless communication devices, by electromagnetic waves and / or sound waves that propagate through the atmosphere rather than through wires or other physical connections. A wireless communication system (also called a wireless communication system, wireless communication network, or wireless communication network) is configured to transmit at least some, but not all, communications wirelessly. Furthermore, the term “wireless communication device” or similar terms does not require that the functionality of the device is exclusively, or even primarily, for communication, or that the communication using the wireless communication device is exclusively, or even primarily, wireless, or that the device is a mobile device, but that the device includes wireless communication capabilities (unidirectional or bidirectional), for example, including at least one radio for wireless communication (each radio being part of a transmitter, receiver, or transceiver).

[0076] Specific details are given in this description to provide a complete understanding of exemplary configurations (including implementations). However, configurations can be practiced without these specific details. For example, well-known circuits, processes, algorithms, structures, and techniques are shown without unnecessary details to avoid obscuring the configurations. This description provides exemplary configurations and does not limit the scope, applicability, or configurations of the claims. Rather, the foregoing descriptions of configurations provide descriptions of implementing the techniques described. Various modifications may be made in the function and arrangement of elements.

[0077] As used herein, the terms “processor-readable medium,” “machine-readable medium,” and “computer-readable medium” refer to any medium involved in providing data that causes a machine to operate in a particular manner. Using a computing platform, various processor-readable media may be involved in providing instructions / code to one or more processors to execute and / or may be used to store and / or carry such instructions / code (e.g., signals). In many implementations, processor-readable media are physical and / or tangible storage media. Such media can take many forms, including but not limited to non-volatile and volatile media. Non-volatile media include, for example, optical disks and / or magnetic disks. Volatile media include, but are not limited to, dynamic memory.

[0078] While several exemplary configurations have been described, various modifications, alternative configurations, and equivalents may be used. For example, the elements described above may be components of a larger system, in which case other rules may take precedence over the examples of application of this disclosure, or the examples of application of this disclosure may be modified in a different way. Also, several actions may occur before, during, or after the consideration of the elements described above. Therefore, the above description does not limit the scope of the claims.

[0079] Unless otherwise specified, “about” and / or “approximately” as used herein when referring to measurable values ​​such as quantity, duration, etc., include variations of ±20%, ±10%, ±5%, or ±0.1% from the specified value, where such variations are appropriate in the context of the systems, devices, circuits, methods, and other forms of implementation described herein. Unless otherwise specified, “substantially” as used herein when referring to measurable values ​​such as quantity, duration, physical attributes (such as frequency), etc., also include variations of ±20%, ±10%, ±5%, or +0.1% from the specified value, where such variations are appropriate in the context of the systems, devices, circuits, methods, and other forms of implementation described herein.

[0080] The phrase "the value exceeds (or is greater than or above) the first threshold" is equivalent to saying that the value meets or exceeds a second threshold that is slightly greater than the first threshold, for example, the second threshold being a single value higher than the first threshold in the resolution of the computing system. The phrase "the value is less than (or is within or below) the first threshold" is equivalent to saying that the value is less than or equal to a second threshold that is slightly lower than the first threshold, for example, the second threshold being a single value lower than the first threshold in the resolution of the computing system.

[0081] Implementation examples are described in the following numbered clauses.

[0082] Clause 1. A method for operating a wireless node in carrier aggregation mode or single-band mode, comprising: configuring the wireless node to operate in at least one of carrier aggregation mode or single-band mode; configuring a high-band receive chain in the wireless node to utilize a first intermediate frequency in response to configuring the wireless node to operate in single-band mode; and configuring a low-band receive chain to utilize a first intermediate frequency and a high-band receive chain to utilize a second intermediate frequency in response to configuring the wireless node to operate in carrier aggregation mode.

[0083] Clause 2. The method of Clause 1, wherein the wireless node is configured to utilize the millimeter-wave spectrum.

[0084] Clause 3. The method of Clause 2, wherein the low-band receiving chain is configured to receive radio frequency signals with frequencies of 29.5 GHz or less, and the high-band receiving chain is configured to receive radio frequency signals with frequencies greater than 29.5 GHz.

[0085] Clause 4. The method of Clause 2, wherein the first intermediate frequency is 11 GHz or less and the second intermediate frequency is greater than 11 GHz.

[0086] Clause 5. The method of Clause 4, wherein the first intermediate frequency is approximately 9 GHz and within the range of 8-10 GHz, and the second intermediate frequency is approximately 12 GHz and within the range of 11-14 GHz.

[0087] Clause 6. The method of Clause 1, wherein configuring a high-bandwidth receiving chain to utilize a second intermediate frequency includes utilizing a high-pass filter in the intermediate frequency path.

[0088] Clause 7. The method of Clause 6, which involves configuring a highband receiving chain to utilize a first intermediate frequency, including bypassing a high-pass filter in the intermediate frequency path.

[0089] Clause 8. The method of Clause 6, further comprising providing a control signal to a multiplexer in order to utilize a high-pass filter, which is one of a plurality of high-pass filters, in an intermediate frequency path.

[0090] Clause 9. The method of Clause 1, which includes receiving configuration instructions from a software or firmware application, to configure a wireless node to operate in at least one of carrier aggregation mode or single-band mode.

[0091] Clause 10. A method for operating a wireless node in carrier aggregation mode or single-band mode, comprising: configuring the wireless node to operate in at least one of carrier aggregation mode or single-band mode; configuring a low-band receive chain in the wireless node to utilize a first intermediate frequency in response to configuring the wireless node to operate in single-band mode; and configuring a high-band receive chain to utilize a first intermediate frequency and a low-band receive chain to utilize a second intermediate frequency in response to configuring the wireless node to operate in carrier aggregation mode.

[0092] Clause 11. The method of Clause 10, wherein configuring a lowband receiving chain to utilize a second intermediate frequency includes utilizing a low-pass filter in the intermediate frequency path.

[0093] Clause 12. The method of Clause 11, further comprising providing a control signal to a multiplexer in order to utilize a low-pass filter, which is one of a plurality of low-pass filters, in an intermediate frequency path.

[0094] Clause 13. The method of Clause 11, wherein configuring a lowband receiving chain to utilize a first intermediate frequency includes bypassing a low-pass filter in the intermediate frequency path.

[0095] Clause 14. An apparatus comprising at least one memory, at least one receiver having a low-bandwidth circuit and a high-bandwidth circuit including a configurable intermediate frequency path, and at least one processor communically coupled to the at least one memory and the at least one receiver, and configured to operate the at least one receiver in either a carrier aggregation mode or a single-bandwidth mode, and configured to configure the high-bandwidth circuit to utilize a first intermediate frequency in response to configuring the at least one receiver to operate in single-bandwidth mode, and to configure the low-bandwidth circuit to utilize a first intermediate frequency and the high-bandwidth circuit to utilize a second intermediate frequency in response to configuring the at least one receiver to operate in carrier aggregation mode.

[0096] Clause 15. The apparatus of Clause 14, wherein at least one receiver is configured to receive radio frequency signals in the millimeter-wave spectrum.

[0097] Clause 16. The apparatus of Clause 15, wherein a low-bandwidth circuit is configured to receive radio frequency signals with frequencies of 29.5 GHz or less, and a high-bandwidth circuit is configured to receive radio frequency signals with frequencies greater than 29.5 GHz.

[0098] Clause 17. The apparatus of Clause 16, wherein the first intermediate frequency is 11 GHz or less and the second intermediate frequency is greater than 11 GHz.

[0099] Clause 18. The apparatus of Clause 17, wherein the first intermediate frequency is approximately 9 GHz and within the range of 8-10 GHz, and the second intermediate frequency is approximately 12 GHz and within the range of 11-14 GHz.

[0100] Clause 19. The apparatus of Clause 14, wherein at least one processor is further configured to select a configurable intermediate frequency path including a high-pass filter.

[0101] Clause 20. The apparatus of Clause 19, further configured with at least one processor to provide a control signal to a multiplexer to select a high-pass filter from a plurality of high-pass filters.

[0102] Clause 21. The apparatus of Clause 19, wherein at least one processor is further configured to select a configurable intermediate frequency path that bypasses a high-pass filter.

[0103] Clause 22. The apparatus of Clause 14, wherein at least one processor is further configured to receive configuration instructions from a software or firmware application.

[0104] Clause 23. An apparatus comprising: at least one receiver having a low-bandwidth circuit and a high-bandwidth circuit including at least one memory and a configurable intermediate frequency path; and at least one processor communicatively coupled to at least one memory and at least one receiver, and configured to operate at least one of carrier aggregation mode or single-bandwidth mode, and configured to configure the low-bandwidth circuit to utilize a first intermediate frequency in response to configuring at least one receiver to operate in single-bandwidth mode, and to configure the high-bandwidth circuit to utilize a first intermediate frequency and the low-bandwidth circuit to utilize a second intermediate frequency in response to configuring at least one receiver to operate in carrier aggregation mode.

[0105] Clause 24. The apparatus of Clause 23, wherein at least one processor is further configured to select a configurable intermediate frequency path including a low-pass filter.

[0106] Clause 25. The apparatus of Clause 24, wherein at least one processor is further configured to provide a control signal to a multiplexer for utilizing a low-pass filter, which is one of a plurality of low-pass filters, in an intermediate frequency path.

[0107] Clause 26. The apparatus of Clause 24, wherein at least one processor is further configured to select a configurable intermediate frequency path that bypasses a low-pass filter.

[0108] Clause 27. Apparatus for operating a wireless node in carrier aggregation mode or single-band mode, comprising: means for configuring the wireless node to operate in at least one of carrier aggregation mode or single-band mode; means for configuring a high-band receiving chain in the wireless node to utilize a first intermediate frequency in response to configuring the wireless node to operate in single-band mode; and means for configuring a low-band receiving chain to utilize a first intermediate frequency and a high-band receiving chain to utilize a second intermediate frequency in response to configuring the wireless node to operate in carrier aggregation mode.

[0109] Clause 28. Apparatus for operating a wireless node in carrier aggregation mode or single-band mode, comprising: means for configuring the wireless node to operate in at least one of carrier aggregation mode or single-band mode; means for configuring a low-band receiving chain in the wireless node to utilize a first intermediate frequency in response to configuring the wireless node to operate in single-band mode; and means for configuring a high-band receiving chain to utilize a first intermediate frequency and a low-band receiving chain to utilize a second intermediate frequency in response to configuring the wireless node to operate in carrier aggregation mode.

[0110] Clause 29. A non-temporary processor-readable storage medium comprising processor-readable instructions configured to cause one or more processors to operate a wireless node in carrier aggregation mode or single-band mode, comprising code for configuring the wireless node to operate in at least one of carrier aggregation mode or single-band mode, configuring a high-band receive chain in the wireless node to utilize a first intermediate frequency in response to configuring the wireless node to operate in single-band mode, and configuring a low-band receive chain to utilize a first intermediate frequency and a high-band receive chain to utilize a second intermediate frequency in response to configuring the wireless node to operate in carrier aggregation mode.

[0111] Clause 30. A non-temporary processor-readable storage medium comprising processor-readable instructions configured to cause one or more processors to operate a wireless node in carrier aggregation mode or single-band mode, comprising code for configuring the wireless node to operate in at least one of carrier aggregation mode or single-band mode, configuring a low-band receive chain in the wireless node to utilize a first intermediate frequency in response to configuring the wireless node to operate in single-band mode, and configuring a high-band receive chain to utilize a first intermediate frequency and a low-band receive chain to utilize a second intermediate frequency in response to configuring the wireless node to operate in carrier aggregation mode.

Claims

1. A method for operating a wireless node in carrier aggregation mode or single-band mode, The wireless node is configured to operate in at least one of the carrier aggregation mode or the single-band mode, In response to configuring the wireless node to operate in the single-band mode, a high-band receiving chain is configured in the wireless node to utilize a first intermediate frequency, In response to configuring the wireless node to operate in the carrier aggregation mode, a low-band receiving chain is configured to utilize the first intermediate frequency, and a high-band receiving chain is configured to utilize the second intermediate frequency. A method that includes this.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the wireless node is configured to utilize the millimeter-wave spectrum.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the low-band receiving chain is configured to receive radio frequency signals with a frequency of 29.5 GHz or less, and the high-band receiving chain is configured to receive radio frequency signals with a frequency greater than 29.5 GHz.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein the first intermediate frequency is 11 GHz or less and the second intermediate frequency is greater than 11 GHz.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the first intermediate frequency is approximately 9 GHz and within the range of 8 to 10 GHz, and the second intermediate frequency is approximately 12 GHz and within the range of 11 to 14 GHz.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein configuring the high-bandwidth receiving chain to utilize the second intermediate frequency includes using a high-pass filter in the intermediate frequency path.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein configuring the high-bandwidth receiving chain to utilize the first intermediate frequency includes bypassing the high-pass filter in the intermediate frequency path.

8. The method according to claim 6, further comprising providing a control signal to a multiplexer to utilize the high-pass filter in the intermediate frequency path, wherein the high-pass filter is one of a plurality of high-pass filters.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein configuring the wireless node to operate in at least one of the carrier aggregation mode or the single-band mode includes receiving a configuration instruction from a software or firmware application.

10. A method for operating a wireless node in carrier aggregation mode or single-band mode, Configuring the wireless node to operate in at least one of the carrier aggregation mode or the single-band mode, In response to configuring the wireless node to operate in the single-band mode, a low-band receiving chain is configured in the wireless node to utilize a first intermediate frequency, In response to configuring the wireless node to operate in the carrier aggregation mode, a high-bandwidth receiving chain is configured to utilize the first intermediate frequency, and a low-bandwidth receiving chain is configured to utilize the second intermediate frequency. A method that includes this.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein configuring the low-band receiving chain to utilize the second intermediate frequency includes using a low-pass filter in the intermediate frequency path.

12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising providing a control signal to a multiplexer to utilize the low-pass filter in the intermediate frequency path, wherein the low-pass filter is one of a plurality of low-pass filters.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein configuring the lowband receiving chain to utilize the first intermediate frequency includes bypassing the low-pass filter in the intermediate frequency path.

14. At least one memory, A receiver comprising a low-band and high-band circuits including a configurable intermediate frequency path, A device comprising at least one memory and at least one processor communicatively coupled to at least one receiver, wherein the at least one processor is The at least one receiver is configured to operate in at least one of the following modes: carrier aggregation mode or single-band mode. In response to configuring the at least one receiver to operate in the single-band mode, the high-band circuit is configured to utilize the first intermediate frequency, In response to configuring at least one receiver to operate in carrier aggregation mode, the low-bandwidth circuit is configured to utilize the first intermediate frequency, and the high-bandwidth circuit is configured to utilize the second intermediate frequency. A device configured to perform the following actions.

15. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the at least one receiver is configured to receive radio frequency signals in the millimeter-wave spectrum.

16. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the low-bandwidth circuit is configured to receive radio frequency signals with a frequency of 29.5 GHz or less, and the high-bandwidth circuit is configured to receive radio frequency signals with a frequency greater than 29.5 GHz.

17. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the first intermediate frequency is 11 GHz or less, and the second intermediate frequency is greater than 11 GHz.

18. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the first intermediate frequency is approximately 9 GHz and within the range of 8 to 10 GHz, and the second intermediate frequency is approximately 12 GHz and within the range of 11 to 14 GHz.

19. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to select the configurable intermediate frequency path including a high-pass filter.

20. The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to provide a control signal to a multiplexer for selecting the high-pass filter from a plurality of high-pass filters.

21. The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to select the configurable intermediate frequency path that bypasses the high-pass filter.

22. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to receive configuration instructions from a software or firmware application.

23. At least one memory, A receiver comprising a low-band and high-band circuits including a configurable intermediate frequency path, A device comprising at least one memory and at least one processor communicatively coupled to at least one receiver, wherein the at least one processor is The at least one receiver is configured to operate in at least one of the following modes: carrier aggregation mode or single-band mode. In response to configuring the at least one receiver to operate in the single-band mode, the low-band circuit is configured to utilize the first intermediate frequency, In response to configuring at least one receiver to operate in carrier aggregation mode, the high-bandwidth circuit is configured to utilize the first intermediate frequency, and the low-bandwidth circuit is configured to utilize the second intermediate frequency. A device configured to perform the following actions.

24. The apparatus according to claim 23, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to select the configurable intermediate frequency path including a low-pass filter.

25. The apparatus according to claim 24, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to provide a control signal to a multiplexer to utilize the low-pass filter in an intermediate frequency path, and the low-pass filter is one of a plurality of low-pass filters.

26. The apparatus according to claim 24, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to select the configurable intermediate frequency path that bypasses the low-pass filter.

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