Transmitting configuration for target radar signals with different target radar signal densities in the time domain
The method of configuring target radar signals with varying time-domain densities addresses inefficiencies in 5G networks, enhancing spectral and signaling efficiency for target detection.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- JP2023524186
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Patents
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Priority Date
- 2020-11-27
- Filing Date
- 2021-10-28
- Publication Date
- 2025-12-04
- Estimated Expiration
- 2041-10-28
AI Technical Summary
Existing wireless communication systems face challenges in efficiently managing target radar signals with varying densities in the time domain, particularly in 5G networks, which require higher data rates, numerous connections, and reduced latency, impacting spectral and signaling efficiency.
A method and system for configuring target radar signals with different time-domain densities by determining and transmitting specific time-domain portions with varying radar signal densities, allowing for efficient detection of targets using a radar controller and wireless communication devices.
Enhances spectral and signaling efficiency in 5G networks by optimizing radar signal configurations for target detection, supporting a greater number of connections and reducing latency.
Smart Images

Figure 0007780520000007 
Figure 0007780520000008 
Figure 0007780520000009
Abstract
Description
[Technical Field]
[0001] Aspects of the present disclosure relate generally to wireless communications, and more particularly to transmission configurations for target radar signals having different target radar signal densities in the time domain. [Background technology]
[0002] Wireless communication systems have evolved through various generations, including first-generation analog wireless telephone service (1G), second-generation (2G) digital wireless telephone service (including interim 2.5G and 2.75G networks), third-generation (3G) high-speed data, Internet-enabled wireless service, and fourth-generation (4G) service (e.g., Long Term Evolution (LTE) or WiMax). Many different types of wireless communication systems are currently in use, including cellular systems and personal communications services (PCS) systems. Examples of known 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), time division multiple access (TDMA), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), etc.
[0003] The fifth-generation (5G) wireless standard, known as New Radio (NR), calls for higher data rates, a greater number of connections, and wider coverage, among other improvements. 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, delivering 1 gigabit per second to dozens of workers on an office floor. To support large-scale sensor deployments, hundreds of thousands of simultaneous connections must be supported. Therefore, the spectral efficiency of 5G mobile communications must be significantly increased compared to the current 4G standard. Furthermore, signaling efficiency must be increased and latency must be significantly reduced compared to current standards.
[0004] 5G makes it possible to utilize mmW RF signals for wireless communication between network nodes such as base stations, user equipment (UE), vehicles, and factory automation machines. However, mmW RF signals can also be used for other purposes. For example, mmW RF signals can be used in weapons systems (e.g., short-range fire-control radar in tanks and aircraft), security screening systems (e.g., scanners that detect weapons and other dangerous objects carried under clothing), pharmaceuticals (e.g., to treat diseases by altering cell growth), etc. Summary of the Invention [Means for solving the problem]
[0005] In some aspects, a method of operating a radar controller includes determining at least one transmit configuration for a target radar signal from a first wireless communication device to a second wireless communication device, the target radar signal being for detection of at least one target, the at least one transmit configuration configuring a first time-domain portion associated with a first time-domain target radar signal density and a second time-domain portion associated with a second time-domain target radar signal density different from the first time-domain target radar signal density; and transmitting the at least one transmit configuration to the first wireless communication device and the second wireless communication device.
[0006] In some aspects, the first wireless communication device corresponds to a base station, a transmission / reception point, a relay, or a user equipment (UE).
[0007] In some aspects, the second wireless communication device corresponds to a base station, a transmission / reception point, a relay, or a user equipment (UE).
[0008] In some aspects, the at least one transmission configuration comprises a single transmission configuration that configures both the first time domain portion and the second time domain portion.
[0009] In some aspects, the at least one transmission configuration comprises a first transmission configuration constituting a first time domain portion, and the at least one transmission configuration comprises a second transmission configuration constituting a second time domain portion.
[0010] In some aspects, the first transmission configuration and the second transmission configuration are transmitted at different times.
[0011] In some aspects, the first time domain portion and the second time domain portion are adjacent to one another with no intervening time gap.
[0012] In some aspects, a time domain gap is disposed between the first time domain portion and the second time domain portion.
[0013] In some aspects, the first time domain portion and the second time domain portion are associated with the same target radar signal opportunity for detection of at least one target.
[0014] In some aspects, the first time domain portion and the second time domain portion have the same time length.
[0015] In some aspects, the first time domain portion and the second time domain portion have different time lengths.
[0016] In some aspects, the at least one transmission configuration further configures a third time domain portion.
[0017] In some aspects, the third time-domain portion is associated with a third time-domain target radar signal density that is the same as or different from the first time-domain target radar signal density or the second time-domain target radar signal density.
[0018] In some aspects, a method of operating a first wireless communication device includes receiving, from a radar controller, at least one transmit configuration for a target radar signal from the first wireless communication device to a second wireless communication device, the target radar signal being for detection of at least one target, the at least one transmit configuration configuring a first time-domain portion associated with a first time-domain target radar signal density and a second time-domain portion associated with a second time-domain target radar signal density different from the first time-domain target radar signal density; and transmitting the target radar signal to the second wireless communication device in accordance with the at least one transmit configuration.
[0019] In some aspects, the first wireless communication device corresponds to a base station, a transmission / reception point, a relay, or a user equipment (UE).
[0020] In some aspects, the second wireless communication device corresponds to a base station, a transmission / reception point, a relay, or a user equipment (UE).
[0021] In some aspects, the at least one transmission configuration comprises a single transmission configuration that configures both the first time domain portion and the second time domain portion.
[0022] In some aspects, the at least one transmission configuration comprises a first transmission configuration constituting a first time domain portion, and the at least one transmission configuration comprises a second transmission configuration constituting a second time domain portion.
[0023] In some aspects, the first transmission configuration and the second transmission configuration are received at different times.
[0024] In some aspects, the first time domain portion and the second time domain portion are adjacent to one another with no intervening time gap.
[0025] In some aspects, a time domain gap is disposed between the first time domain portion and the second time domain portion.
[0026] In some aspects, the first time domain portion and the second time domain portion are associated with the same target radar signal opportunity for detection of at least one target.
[0027] In some aspects, the first time domain portion and the second time domain portion have the same time length.
[0028] In some aspects, the first time domain portion and the second time domain portion have different time lengths.
[0029] In some aspects, the at least one transmission configuration further configures a third time domain portion.
[0030] In some aspects, the third time-domain portion is associated with a third time-domain target radar signal density that is the same as or different from the first time-domain target radar signal density or the second time-domain target radar signal density.
[0031] In some aspects, a method of operating a second wireless communication device includes receiving, from a radar controller, at least one transmit configuration for a target radar signal from a first wireless communication device to the second wireless communication device, the target radar signal being for detection of at least one target, the at least one transmit configuration configuring a first time-domain portion associated with a first time-domain target radar signal density and a second time-domain portion associated with a second time-domain target radar signal density different from the first time-domain target radar signal density; and receiving the target radar signal from the first wireless communication device in accordance with the at least one transmit configuration.
[0032] In some aspects, the first wireless communication device corresponds to a base station, a transmission / reception point, a relay, or a user equipment (UE).
[0033] In some aspects, the second wireless communication device corresponds to a base station, a transmission / reception point, a relay, or a user equipment (UE).
[0034] In some aspects, the at least one transmission configuration comprises a single transmission configuration that configures both the first time domain portion and the second time domain portion.
[0035] In some aspects, the at least one transmission configuration comprises a first transmission configuration constituting a first time domain portion, and the at least one transmission configuration comprises a second transmission configuration constituting a second time domain portion.
[0036] In some aspects, the first transmission configuration and the second transmission configuration are received at different times.
[0037] In some aspects, the first time domain portion and the second time domain portion are adjacent to one another with no intervening time gap.
[0038] In some aspects, a time domain gap is disposed between the first time domain portion and the second time domain portion.
[0039] In some aspects, the first time domain portion and the second time domain portion are associated with the same target radar signal opportunity for detection of at least one target.
[0040] In some aspects, the first time domain portion and the second time domain portion have the same time length.
[0041] In some aspects, the first time domain portion and the second time domain portion have different time lengths.
[0042] In some aspects, the at least one transmission configuration further configures a third time domain portion.
[0043] In some aspects, the third time-domain portion is associated with a third time-domain target radar signal density that is the same as or different from the first time-domain target radar signal density or the second time-domain target radar signal density.
[0044] In some aspects, the radar controller includes a memory, at least one transceiver, and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, the at least one processor configured to determine at least one transmit configuration for a target radar signal from a first wireless communication device to a second wireless communication device, the target radar signal being for detection of at least one target, the at least one transmit configuration configuring a first time-domain portion associated with a first time-domain target radar signal density and a second time-domain portion associated with a second time-domain target radar signal density different from the first time-domain target radar signal density, and transmit the at least one transmit configuration to the first wireless communication device and the second wireless communication device.
[0045] In some aspects, the first wireless communication device corresponds to a base station, a transmission / reception point, a relay, or a user equipment (UE).
[0046] In some aspects, the second wireless communication device corresponds to a base station, a transmission / reception point, a relay, or a user equipment (UE).
[0047] In some aspects, the at least one transmission configuration comprises a single transmission configuration that configures both the first time domain portion and the second time domain portion.
[0048] In some aspects, the at least one transmission configuration comprises a first transmission configuration constituting a first time domain portion, and the at least one transmission configuration comprises a second transmission configuration constituting a second time domain portion.
[0049] In some aspects, the first transmission configuration and the second transmission configuration are transmitted at different times.
[0050] In some aspects, the first time domain portion and the second time domain portion are adjacent to one another with no intervening time gap.
[0051] In some aspects, a time domain gap is disposed between the first time domain portion and the second time domain portion.
[0052] In some aspects, the first time domain portion and the second time domain portion are associated with the same target radar signal opportunity for detection of at least one target.
[0053] In some aspects, the first time domain portion and the second time domain portion have the same time length.
[0054] In some aspects, the first time domain portion and the second time domain portion have different time lengths.
[0055] In some aspects, the at least one transmission configuration further configures a third time domain portion.
[0056] In some aspects, the third time-domain portion is associated with a third time-domain target radar signal density that is the same as or different from the first time-domain target radar signal density or the second time-domain target radar signal density.
[0057] In some aspects, a first wireless communication device includes a memory, at least one transceiver, and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, wherein the at least one processor is configured to receive from the radar controller at least one transmission configuration for a target radar signal from the first wireless communication device to the second wireless communication device, the target radar signal being for detection of at least one target, the at least one transmission configuration configuring a first time-domain portion associated with a first time-domain target radar signal density and a second time-domain portion associated with a second time-domain target radar signal density different from the first time-domain target radar signal density, and to transmit the target radar signal to the second wireless communication device in accordance with the at least one transmission configuration.
[0058] In some aspects, the first wireless communication device corresponds to a base station, a transmission / reception point, a relay, or a user equipment (UE).
[0059] In some aspects, the second wireless communication device corresponds to a base station, a transmission / reception point, a relay, or a user equipment (UE).
[0060] In some aspects, the at least one transmission configuration comprises a single transmission configuration that configures both the first time domain portion and the second time domain portion.
[0061] In some aspects, the at least one transmission configuration comprises a first transmission configuration constituting a first time domain portion, and the at least one transmission configuration comprises a second transmission configuration constituting a second time domain portion.
[0062] In some aspects, the first transmission configuration and the second transmission configuration are received at different times.
[0063] In some aspects, the first time domain portion and the second time domain portion are adjacent to one another with no intervening time gap.
[0064] In some aspects, a time domain gap is disposed between the first time domain portion and the second time domain portion.
[0065] In some aspects, the first time domain portion and the second time domain portion are associated with the same target radar signal opportunity for detection of at least one target.
[0066] In some aspects, the first time domain portion and the second time domain portion have the same time length.
[0067] In some aspects, the first time domain portion and the second time domain portion have different time lengths.
[0068] In some aspects, the at least one transmission configuration further configures a third time domain portion.
[0069] In some aspects, the third time-domain portion is associated with a third time-domain target radar signal density that is the same as or different from the first time-domain target radar signal density or the second time-domain target radar signal density.
[0070] In some aspects, the second wireless communication device includes a memory, at least one transceiver, and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, the at least one processor configured to receive from the radar controller at least one transmission configuration for a target radar signal from the first wireless communication device to the second wireless communication device, the target radar signal being for detection of at least one target, the at least one transmission configuration configuring a first time-domain portion associated with a first time-domain target radar signal density and a second time-domain portion associated with a second time-domain target radar signal density different from the first time-domain target radar signal density, and receive the target radar signal from the first wireless communication device in accordance with the at least one transmission configuration.
[0071] In some aspects, the first wireless communication device corresponds to a base station, a transmission / reception point, a relay, or a user equipment (UE).
[0072] In some aspects, the second wireless communication device corresponds to a base station, a transmission / reception point, a relay, or a user equipment (UE).
[0073] In some aspects, the at least one transmission configuration comprises a single transmission configuration that configures both the first time domain portion and the second time domain portion.
[0074] In some aspects, the at least one transmission configuration comprises a first transmission configuration constituting a first time domain portion, and the at least one transmission configuration comprises a second transmission configuration constituting a second time domain portion.
[0075] In some aspects, the first transmission configuration and the second transmission configuration are received at different times.
[0076] In some aspects, the first time domain portion and the second time domain portion are adjacent to one another with no intervening time gap.
[0077] In some aspects, a time domain gap is disposed between the first time domain portion and the second time domain portion.
[0078] In some aspects, the first time domain portion and the second time domain portion are associated with the same target radar signal opportunity for detection of at least one target.
[0079] In some aspects, the first time domain portion and the second time domain portion have the same time length.
[0080] In some aspects, the first time domain portion and the second time domain portion have different time lengths.
[0081] In some aspects, the at least one transmission configuration further configures a third time domain portion.
[0082] In some aspects, the third time-domain portion is associated with a third time-domain target radar signal density that is the same as or different from the first time-domain target radar signal density or the second time-domain target radar signal density.
[0083] In some aspects, the radar controller includes means for determining at least one transmit configuration for a target radar signal from a first wireless communication device to a second wireless communication device, the target radar signal being for detection of at least one target, the at least one transmit configuration configuring a first time-domain portion associated with a first time-domain target radar signal density and a second time-domain portion associated with a second time-domain target radar signal density different from the first time-domain target radar signal density; and means for transmitting the at least one transmit configuration to the first wireless communication device and the second wireless communication device.
[0084] In some aspects, the first wireless communication device corresponds to a base station, a transmission / reception point, a relay, or a user equipment (UE).
[0085] In some aspects, the second wireless communication device corresponds to a base station, a transmission / reception point, a relay, or a user equipment (UE).
[0086] In some aspects, the at least one transmission configuration comprises a single transmission configuration that configures both the first time domain portion and the second time domain portion.
[0087] In some aspects, the at least one transmission configuration comprises a first transmission configuration constituting a first time domain portion, and the at least one transmission configuration comprises a second transmission configuration constituting a second time domain portion.
[0088] In some aspects, the first transmission configuration and the second transmission configuration are transmitted at different times.
[0089] In some aspects, the first time domain portion and the second time domain portion are adjacent to one another with no intervening time gap.
[0090] In some aspects, a time domain gap is disposed between the first time domain portion and the second time domain portion.
[0091] In some aspects, the first time domain portion and the second time domain portion are associated with the same target radar signal opportunity for detection of at least one target.
[0092] In some aspects, the first time domain portion and the second time domain portion have the same time length.
[0093] In some aspects, the first time domain portion and the second time domain portion have different time lengths.
[0094] In some aspects, the at least one transmission configuration further configures a third time domain portion.
[0095] In some aspects, the third time-domain portion is associated with a third time-domain target radar signal density that is the same as or different from the first time-domain target radar signal density or the second time-domain target radar signal density.
[0096] In some aspects, the first wireless communication device includes means for receiving, from the radar controller, at least one transmission configuration for a target radar signal from the first wireless communication device to the second wireless communication device, the target radar signal being for detection of at least one target, the at least one transmission configuration configuring a first time-domain portion associated with a first time-domain target radar signal density and a second time-domain portion associated with a second time-domain target radar signal density different from the first time-domain target radar signal density; and means for transmitting the target radar signal to the second wireless communication device in accordance with the at least one transmission configuration.
[0097] In some aspects, the first wireless communication device corresponds to a base station, a transmission / reception point, a relay, or a user equipment (UE).
[0098] In some aspects, the second wireless communication device corresponds to a base station, a transmission / reception point, a relay, or a user equipment (UE).
[0099] In some aspects, the at least one transmission configuration comprises a single transmission configuration that configures both the first time domain portion and the second time domain portion.
[0100] In some aspects, the at least one transmission configuration comprises a first transmission configuration constituting a first time domain portion, and the at least one transmission configuration comprises a second transmission configuration constituting a second time domain portion.
[0101] In some aspects, the first transmission configuration and the second transmission configuration are received at different times.
[0102] In some aspects, the first time domain portion and the second time domain portion are adjacent to one another with no intervening time gap.
[0103] In some aspects, a time domain gap is disposed between the first time domain portion and the second time domain portion.
[0104] In some aspects, the first time domain portion and the second time domain portion are associated with the same target radar signal opportunity for detection of at least one target.
[0105] In some aspects, the first time domain portion and the second time domain portion have the same time length.
[0106] In some aspects, the first time domain portion and the second time domain portion have different time lengths.
[0107] In some aspects, the at least one transmission configuration further configures a third time domain portion.
[0108] In some aspects, the third time-domain portion is associated with a third time-domain target radar signal density that is the same as or different from the first time-domain target radar signal density or the second time-domain target radar signal density.
[0109] In some aspects, the second wireless communication device includes means for receiving, from the radar controller, at least one transmission configuration for a target radar signal from the first wireless communication device to the second wireless communication device, the target radar signal being for detection of at least one target, the at least one transmission configuration configuring a first time-domain portion associated with a first time-domain target radar signal density and a second time-domain portion associated with a second time-domain target radar signal density different from the first time-domain target radar signal density; and means for receiving the target radar signal from the first wireless communication device in accordance with the at least one transmission configuration.
[0110] In some aspects, the first wireless communication device corresponds to a base station, a transmission / reception point, a relay, or a user equipment (UE).
[0111] In some aspects, the second wireless communication device corresponds to a base station, a transmission / reception point, a relay, or a user equipment (UE).
[0112] In some aspects, the at least one transmission configuration comprises a single transmission configuration that configures both the first time domain portion and the second time domain portion.
[0113] In some aspects, the at least one transmission configuration comprises a first transmission configuration constituting a first time domain portion, and the at least one transmission configuration comprises a second transmission configuration constituting a second time domain portion.
[0114] In some aspects, the first transmission configuration and the second transmission configuration are received at different times.
[0115] In some aspects, the first time domain portion and the second time domain portion are adjacent to one another with no intervening time gap.
[0116] In some aspects, a time domain gap is disposed between the first time domain portion and the second time domain portion.
[0117] In some aspects, the first time domain portion and the second time domain portion are associated with the same target radar signal opportunity for detection of at least one target.
[0118] In some aspects, the first time domain portion and the second time domain portion have the same time length.
[0119] In some aspects, the first time domain portion and the second time domain portion have different time lengths.
[0120] In some aspects, the at least one transmission configuration further configures a third time domain portion.
[0121] In some aspects, the third time-domain portion is associated with a third time-domain target radar signal density that is the same as or different from the first time-domain target radar signal density or the second time-domain target radar signal density.
[0122] In some aspects, a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a set of instructions includes one or more instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a radar controller, cause the radar controller to determine at least one transmit configuration for a target radar signal from a first wireless communication device to a second wireless communication device, the target radar signal being for detection of at least one target, the at least one transmit configuration configuring a first time-domain portion associated with a first time-domain target radar signal density and a second time-domain portion associated with a second time-domain target radar signal density different from the first time-domain target radar signal density, and to transmit the at least one transmit configuration to the first wireless communication device and the second wireless communication device.
[0123] In some aspects, the first wireless communication device corresponds to a base station, a transmission / reception point, a relay, or a user equipment (UE).
[0124] In some aspects, the second wireless communication device corresponds to a base station, a transmission / reception point, a relay, or a user equipment (UE).
[0125] In some aspects, the at least one transmission configuration comprises a single transmission configuration that configures both the first time domain portion and the second time domain portion.
[0126] In some aspects, the at least one transmission configuration comprises a first transmission configuration constituting a first time domain portion, and the at least one transmission configuration comprises a second transmission configuration constituting a second time domain portion.
[0127] In some aspects, the first transmission configuration and the second transmission configuration are transmitted at different times.
[0128] In some aspects, the first time domain portion and the second time domain portion are adjacent to one another with no intervening time gap.
[0129] In some aspects, a time domain gap is disposed between the first time domain portion and the second time domain portion.
[0130] In some aspects, the first time domain portion and the second time domain portion are associated with the same target radar signal opportunity for detection of at least one target.
[0131] In some aspects, the first time domain portion and the second time domain portion have the same time length.
[0132] In some aspects, the first time domain portion and the second time domain portion have different time lengths.
[0133] In some aspects, the at least one transmission configuration further configures a third time domain portion.
[0134] In some aspects, the third time-domain portion is associated with a third time-domain target radar signal density that is the same as or different from the first time-domain target radar signal density or the second time-domain target radar signal density.
[0135] In some aspects, a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a set of instructions includes one or more instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a first wireless communication device, cause the first wireless communication device to receive, from a radar controller, at least one transmission configuration for a target radar signal from the first wireless communication device to a second wireless communication device, the target radar signal being for detection of at least one target, the at least one transmission configuration configuring a first time-domain portion associated with a first time-domain target radar signal density and a second time-domain portion associated with a second time-domain target radar signal density that differs from the first time-domain target radar signal density, and transmit the target radar signal to the second wireless communication device in accordance with the at least one transmission configuration.
[0136] In some aspects, the first wireless communication device corresponds to a base station, a transmission / reception point, a relay, or a user equipment (UE).
[0137] In some aspects, the second wireless communication device corresponds to a base station, a transmission / reception point, a relay, or a user equipment (UE).
[0138] In some aspects, the at least one transmission configuration comprises a single transmission configuration that configures both the first time domain portion and the second time domain portion.
[0139] In some aspects, the at least one transmission configuration comprises a first transmission configuration constituting a first time domain portion, and the at least one transmission configuration comprises a second transmission configuration constituting a second time domain portion.
[0140] In some aspects, the first transmission configuration and the second transmission configuration are received at different times.
[0141] In some aspects, the first time domain portion and the second time domain portion are adjacent to one another with no intervening time gap.
[0142] In some aspects, a time domain gap is disposed between the first time domain portion and the second time domain portion.
[0143] In some aspects, the first time domain portion and the second time domain portion are associated with the same target radar signal opportunity for detection of at least one target.
[0144] In some aspects, the first time domain portion and the second time domain portion have the same time length.
[0145] In some aspects, the first time domain portion and the second time domain portion have different time lengths.
[0146] In some aspects, the at least one transmission configuration further configures a third time domain portion.
[0147] In some aspects, the third time-domain portion is associated with a third time-domain target radar signal density that is the same as or different from the first time-domain target radar signal density or the second time-domain target radar signal density.
[0148] In some aspects, a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a set of instructions includes one or more instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a second wireless communication device, cause the second wireless communication device to receive, from a radar controller, at least one transmission configuration for a target radar signal from the first wireless communication device to the second wireless communication device, the target radar signal being for detection of at least one target, the at least one transmission configuration configuring a first time-domain portion associated with a first time-domain target radar signal density and a second time-domain portion associated with a second time-domain target radar signal density that differs from the first time-domain target radar signal density, and receive the target radar signal from the first wireless communication device in accordance with the at least one transmission configuration.
[0149] In some aspects, the first wireless communication device corresponds to a base station, a transmission / reception point, a relay, or a user equipment (UE).
[0150] In some aspects, the second wireless communication device corresponds to a base station, a transmission / reception point, a relay, or a user equipment (UE).
[0151] In some aspects, the at least one transmission configuration comprises a single transmission configuration that configures both the first time domain portion and the second time domain portion.
[0152] In some aspects, the at least one transmission configuration comprises a first transmission configuration constituting a first time domain portion, and the at least one transmission configuration comprises a second transmission configuration constituting a second time domain portion.
[0153] In some aspects, the first transmission configuration and the second transmission configuration are received at different times.
[0154] In some aspects, the first time domain portion and the second time domain portion are adjacent to one another with no intervening time gap.
[0155] In some aspects, a time domain gap is disposed between the first time domain portion and the second time domain portion.
[0156] In some aspects, the first time domain portion and the second time domain portion are associated with the same target radar signal opportunity for detection of at least one target.
[0157] In some aspects, the first time domain portion and the second time domain portion have the same time length.
[0158] In some aspects, the first time domain portion and the second time domain portion have different time lengths.
[0159] In some aspects, the at least one transmission configuration further configures a third time domain portion.
[0160] In some aspects, the third time-domain portion is associated with a third time-domain target radar signal density that is the same as or different from the first time-domain target radar signal density or the second time-domain target radar signal density.
[0161] The following presents a simplified summary of one or more aspects disclosed herein. As such, the following summary is not intended to be an extensive overview of all contemplated aspects, nor is it intended to identify key or critical elements of all contemplated aspects or to delineate the scope associated with any particular aspect. Thus, the sole purpose of the following summary is to present some concepts of one or more aspects of the mechanisms disclosed herein in a simplified form prior to the detailed description presented below.
[0162] Other objects and advantages associated with the embodiments disclosed herein will become apparent to those skilled in the art based on the accompanying drawings and detailed description.
[0163] The accompanying drawings are presented to aid in the explanation of examples of one or more aspects of the disclosed subject matter and are provided by way of illustration only, not limitation. [Brief explanation of the drawings]
[0164] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary wireless communication system in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 2A] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary wireless network structure in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 2B] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary wireless network structure in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 3A]FIG. 1 is a simplified block diagram of several sample aspects of components that may be employed in a wireless communication node and configured to support communication as taught herein; [Figure 3B] FIG. 1 is a simplified block diagram of several sample aspects of components that may be employed in a wireless communication node and configured to support communication as taught herein; [Figure 3C] FIG. 1 is a simplified block diagram of several sample aspects of components that may be employed in a wireless communication node and configured to support communication as taught herein; [Figure 4A] FIG. 1 illustrates an example frame structure according to an aspect of the present disclosure. [Figure 4B] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of channels within a frame structure according to aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 5A] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary monostatic radar system. [Figure 5B] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary bistatic radar system. [Figure 5C] 1 is an exemplary graph illustrating radio frequency (RF) channel response over time. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary single target beam management use case for bistatic radio frequency sensing. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary multi-target beam management use case for bistatic radio frequency sensing. [Figure 8A] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary scanning stage using bistatic radio frequency sensing. [Figure 8B] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary tracking stage using bistatic radio frequency sensing. [Figure 9] FIG. 1 is a simplified diagram illustrating the basic operation of a bistatic radar system. [Figure 10] FIG. 1 illustrates an implementation of a bistatic radar system in a wireless communication system, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 11] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a wireless communication system that may include a radar controller, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 illustrates an example of a radar configuration parameter list provided by a radar controller to a TX base station and an RX base station for a bistatic or multistatic radar measurement session, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 illustrates an example of a TX / RX timing sublist, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 illustrates an example of a Doppler sublist, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 15] FIG. 1 illustrates a cellular reference signal resource configuration for Doppler estimation, according to an aspect of the present disclosure. [Figure 16] FIG. 1 illustrates an interference scenario in a wireless communication system, according to certain embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 17] FIG. 1 illustrates an interference scenario in a wireless communication system according to another aspect of the present disclosure. [Figure 18A] FIG. 1 illustrates a DL-PRS resource configuration according to an aspect of the present disclosure. [Figure 18B] FIG. 1 illustrates a DL-PRS resource configuration according to an aspect of the present disclosure. [Figure 18C] FIG. 1 illustrates a DL-PRS resource configuration according to an aspect of the present disclosure. [Figure 18D] FIG. 1 illustrates a DL-PRS resource configuration according to an aspect of the present disclosure. [Figure 18E] FIG. 1 illustrates a DL-PRS resource configuration according to an aspect of the present disclosure. [Figure 18F] FIG. 1 illustrates a DL-PRS resource configuration according to an aspect of the present disclosure. [Figure 18G] FIG. 1 illustrates a DL-PRS resource configuration according to an aspect of the present disclosure. [Figure 18H] FIG. 1 illustrates a DL-PRS resource configuration according to an aspect of the present disclosure. [Figure 19] FIG. 1 illustrates a PRS resource allocation according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 20] FIG. 10 illustrates a PRS resource allocation according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 21] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary process for communication according to aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 22] FIG. 1 illustrates an example process for wireless communication according to aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 23] FIG. 1 illustrates an example process for wireless communication according to aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 24] FIG. 10 illustrates a transmission configuration for a target radar signal opportunity configured with time-domain portions having different time-domain target radar signal densities, according to certain aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 25] FIG. 10 illustrates a transmission configuration for a target radar signal opportunity configured with time-domain portions having different time-domain target radar signal densities, according to another aspect of the disclosure. [Figure 26] FIG. 10 illustrates a transmission configuration for a target radar signal opportunity configured with time-domain portions having different time-domain target radar signal densities, according to another aspect of the disclosure. [Figure 27] FIG. 10 illustrates a transmission configuration for a target radar signal opportunity configured with time-domain portions having different time-domain target radar signal densities, according to another aspect of the disclosure. [Figure 28] FIG. 10 illustrates a transmission configuration for a target radar signal opportunity configured with time-domain portions having different time-domain target radar signal densities, according to another aspect of the disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0165] Aspects of the present disclosure are provided in the following description and related drawings, directed to various examples provided for illustrative purposes. Alternative aspects may be devised without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Additionally, well-known elements of the present disclosure will not be described in detail or will be omitted so as not to obscure the relevant details of the present disclosure.
[0166] The words "exemplary" and / or "example" are used herein to mean "serving as an example, instance, or illustration." Any aspect described herein as "exemplary" and / or "example" is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other aspects. Likewise, the term "aspects of the present disclosure" does not require that all aspects of the present disclosure include the discussed feature, advantage or mode of operation.
[0167] Those skilled in the art will understand that the information and signals described below may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referenced throughout the following description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof, depending in part on the particular application, in part on the desired design, in part on the corresponding technology, etc.
[0168] Further, many aspects are described in terms of sequences of actions to be performed, for example, by elements of a computing device. It will be appreciated that the various actions described herein may be performed by particular circuitry (e.g., an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC)), by program instructions executed by one or more processors, or by a combination of both. In addition, a sequence of actions described herein may be considered to be embodied entirely in any form of non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a corresponding set of computer instructions that, when executed, cause or instruct an associated processor of a device to perform the functions described herein. Accordingly, various aspects of the present disclosure may be embodied in several different forms, all of which are contemplated to be within the scope of the claimed subject matter. Additionally, for each aspect described herein, the corresponding form of any such aspect may be described herein, for example, as “logic configured to” perform the described actions.
[0169] The terms “user equipment” (UE) and “base station” (BS), as used herein, are not intended to be specific to or otherwise limited to any particular radio access technology (RAT) unless otherwise specified. In general, a UE may be any wireless communication device (e.g., a mobile phone, a router, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a tracking device, a wearable (e.g., a smart watch, glasses, an augmented reality (AR) / virtual reality (VR) headset, etc.), a vehicle (e.g., an automobile, a motorcycle, a bicycle, etc.), an Internet of Things (IoT) device, etc.) used by a user to communicate over a wireless communication network. A UE may be mobile or may be stationary (e.g., at some time) and may communicate with a radio access network (RAN). The term “UE” as used herein may be referred to interchangeably as an “access terminal” or “AT,” “client device,” “wireless device,” “subscriber device,” “subscriber terminal,” “subscriber station,” “user terminal” or UT,” “mobile device,” “mobile terminal,” “mobile station,” or variations thereof. In general, a UE can communicate with a core network via a RAN, through which the UE can be connected to external networks such as the Internet and to other UEs. Of course, other mechanisms for connecting to the core network and / or the Internet are also possible for a UE, such as via a wired access network, a wireless local area network (WLAN) network (e.g., based on IEEE 802.11, etc.), etc.
[0170] A base station may operate according to one of several RATs with which it communicates with UEs depending on the network in which it is deployed and may alternatively be referred to as an access point (AP), network node, Node B, evolved Node B (eNB), next generation eNB (ng-eNB), New Radio (NR) Node B (also referred to as gNB or gNodeB), etc. Base stations may be used primarily to support wireless access by UEs, including supporting data, voice, and / or signaling connections for supported UEs. In some systems, base stations may provide purely edge node signaling functionality, while in other systems, base stations may provide additional control and / or network management functions. A communication link through which a UE can send signals to a base station is called an uplink (UL) channel (e.g., a reverse traffic channel, a reverse control channel, an access channel, etc.). A communication link through which a base station can send signals to a UE is called a downlink (DL) or forward link channel (e.g., a paging channel, a control channel, a broadcast channel, a forward traffic channel, etc.). As used herein, the term Traffic Channel (TCH) can refer to either an uplink / reverse traffic channel or a downlink / forward traffic channel.
[0171] The term "base station" can refer to a single physical transmit / receive point (TRP) or multiple physical TRPs that may or may not be co-located. For example, when the term "base station" refers to a single physical TRP, the physical TRP may be an antenna of the base station corresponding to the base station's cell (or several cell sectors). When the term "base station" refers to multiple co-located physical TRPs, the physical TRPs may be an array of antennas of the base station (e.g., as in a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system or when the base station employs beamforming). When the term "base station" refers to multiple non-co-located physical TRPs, the physical TRPs may be a distributed antenna system (DAS) (a network of spatially separated antennas connected to a common source via a transport medium) or a remote radio head (RRH) (a remote base station connected to a serving base station). Alternatively, a non-co-located physical TRP may be a serving base station that receives measurement reports from a UE and neighboring base stations whose reference RF signals (or simply "reference signals") the UE is measuring. A TRP is a point from which a base station transmits and receives wireless signals, and therefore, as used herein, references to transmission from or reception at a base station should be understood as references to the particular TRP of the base station.
[0172] In some implementations that support UE positioning, a base station may not support wireless access by the UE (e.g., may not support data, voice, and / or signaling connections for the UE), but instead may transmit reference signals to the UE to be measured by the UE and / or may receive and measure signals transmitted by the UE. Such a base station may be referred to as a positioning beacon (e.g., when it transmits signals to the UE) and / or a position measurement unit (e.g., when it receives and measures signals from the UE).
[0173] An "RF signal" comprises electromagnetic waves of a given frequency that transport information through space between a transmitter and a receiver. As used herein, a transmitter may transmit a single "RF signal" or multiple "RF signals" to a receiver. However, the receiver may receive multiple "RF signals" corresponding to each transmitted RF signal due to the propagation characteristics of RF signals through a multipath channel. The same RF signal transmitted over different paths between a transmitter and a receiver may be referred to as a "multipath" RF signal. As used herein, an RF signal may also be referred to as a "wireless signal," or simply a "signal" when it is clear from the context that the term "signal" refers to a wireless signal or an RF signal.
[0174] 1, an exemplary wireless communication system 100 is shown. The wireless communication system 100 (sometimes referred to as a wireless wide area network (WWAN)) may include various base stations 102 and various UEs 104. The base stations 102 may include macrocell base stations (high-power cellular base stations) and / or small cell base stations (low-power cellular base stations). In an aspect, the macrocell base stations may include eNBs and / or ng-eNBs, if the wireless communication system 100 corresponds to an LTE network, or gNBs, if the wireless communication system 100 corresponds to an NR network, or a combination of both, and the small cell base stations may include femtocells, picocells, microcells, etc.
[0175] The base stations 102 collectively form the RAN and may interface with a core network 170 (e.g., evolved packet core (EPC) or 5G core (5GC)) through backhaul links 122 and through the core network 170 to one or more location servers 172 (which may be part of the core network 170 or may be external to the core network 170). In addition to other functions, the base stations 102 may perform functions related to one or more of forwarding user data, radio channel encryption and decryption, integrity protection, header compression, mobility control functions (e.g., handover, dual connectivity), inter-cell interference coordination, connection setup and release, load balancing, distribution for non-access stratum (NAS) messages, NAS node selection, synchronization, RAN sharing, multimedia broadcast multicast services (MBMS), subscriber and device tracking, RAN information management (RIM), paging, positioning, and distribution of alert messages. The base stations 102 may communicate with each other directly or indirectly (e.g., through EPC / 5GC) via backhaul links 134, which may be wired or wireless.
[0176] The base stations 102 may communicate wirelessly with the UEs 104. Each of the base stations 102 may provide communication coverage for a respective geographic coverage area 110. In an aspect, one or more cells may be supported by the base station 102 in each geographic coverage area 110. A “cell” is a logical communication entity used for communication with a base station (e.g., over some frequency resources referred to as a carrier frequency, component carrier, carrier, band, etc.) and may be associated with an identifier (e.g., a physical cell identifier (PCI), a virtual cell identifier (VCI), a cell global identifier (CGI)) to distinguish between cells operating over the same or different carrier frequencies. In some cases, different cells may be configured according to different protocol types (e.g., machine type communication (MTC), narrowband IoT (NB-IoT), enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), or others) that may provide access to different types of UEs. Because a cell is supported by a particular base station, the term “cell” can refer to one or both of the logical communication entity and its supporting base station, depending on the context. Additionally, the terms "cell" and "TRP" may be used interchangeably, since a TRP is typically the physical transmission point of a cell. In some cases, the term "cell" may also refer to the geographic coverage area (e.g., sector) of a base station, so long as the carrier frequency can be detected and used for communication within some portion of the geographic coverage area 110.
[0177] The geographic coverage areas 110 of neighboring macrocell base stations 102 may partially overlap (e.g., in handover regions), but some of the geographic coverage areas 110 may significantly overlap with larger geographic coverage areas 110. For example, a small cell base station 102' may have a geographic coverage area 110' that significantly overlaps with the geographic coverage area 110 of one or more macrocell base stations 102. A network that includes both small cell base stations and macrocell base stations may be known as a heterogeneous network. A heterogeneous network may also include Home eNBs (HeNBs), which may serve closed groups known as Closed Subscriber Groups (CSGs).
[0178] The communication link 120 between the base station 102 and the UE 104 may include an uplink (also called a reverse link) transmission from the UE 104 to the base station 102, and / or a downlink (also called a forward link) transmission from the base station 102 to the UE 104. The communication link 120 may use MIMO antenna techniques, including spatial multiplexing, beamforming, and / or transmit diversity. The communication link 120 may be over one or more carrier frequencies. The allocation of carriers may be asymmetric for the downlink and uplink (e.g., more or fewer carriers may be allocated to the downlink than the uplink).
[0179] The wireless communication system 100 may further include a wireless local area network (WLAN) access point (AP) 150 communicating with a wireless local area network (WLAN) station (STA) 152 via a communication link 154 in an unlicensed frequency spectrum (e.g., 5 GHz). When communicating in the unlicensed frequency spectrum, the WLAN STA 152 and / or the WLAN AP 150 may perform a clear channel assessment (CCA) or listen-before-talk (LBT) procedure before communicating to determine whether a channel is available.
[0180] The small cell base station 102' may operate in a licensed and / or unlicensed frequency spectrum. When operating in an unlicensed frequency spectrum, the small cell base station 102' may utilize LTE or NR technology and use the same 5 GHz unlicensed frequency spectrum used by the WLAN AP 150. A small cell base station 102' utilizing LTE / 5G in an unlicensed frequency spectrum may extend coverage to and / or increase the capacity of an access network. NR in an unlicensed spectrum may be referred to as NR-U. LTE in an unlicensed spectrum may be referred to as LTE-U, licensed assisted access (LAA), or MultiFire.
[0181] The wireless communication system 100 may further include a millimeter-wave (mmW) base station 180 that may operate within millimeter-wave (mmW) and / or sub-mmW frequencies in communication with the UE 182. Extremely high frequency (EHF) is the RF portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. EHF ranges from 30 GHz to 300 GHz and has wavelengths between 1 and 10 millimeters. Radio waves in this band are sometimes referred to as millimeter waves. Sub-mmW can extend down to frequencies of 3 GHz, with wavelengths of 100 millimeters. The very high frequency (SHF) band, also known as centimeter wave, extends between 3 GHz and 30 GHz. Communications using the mmW / sub-mmW radio frequency bands have high path loss and relatively short distances. The mmW base station 180 and the UE 182 may utilize beamforming (transmit and / or receive) over the mmW communication link 184 to compensate for the significant path loss and short distances. It will be understood that in alternative configurations, one or more base stations 102 may also transmit using mmW or sub-mmW and beamforming. Therefore, it will be understood that the above exemplification is merely illustrative and should not be construed as limiting the various aspects disclosed herein.
[0182] Transmit beamforming is a technique for focusing an RF signal in a specific direction. Traditionally, when a network node (e.g., a base station) broadcasts an RF signal, it broadcasts the signal in all directions (omnidirectionally). With transmit beamforming, the network node determines where a given target device (e.g., a UE) is located (relative to the transmitting network node) and emits a stronger downlink RF signal in that specific direction, thereby providing a stronger RF signal at a faster speed (in terms of data rate) to the receiving device. To change the directionality of the RF signal when transmitting, the network node can control the phase and relative amplitude of the RF signal at each of one or more transmitters broadcasting the RF signal. For example, the network node may use an array of antennas (also called a "phased array" or "antenna array") that creates beams of RF waves that can be "steered" to point in different directions without actually moving the antennas. Specifically, RF currents from the transmitters are supplied to individual antennas with the appropriate phase relationship so that the radio waves from the separate antennas combine together to increase radiation in desired directions while suppressing or eliminating radiation in undesired directions.
[0183] Transmit beams may be quasi-colocated, meaning that they appear to a receiver (e.g., a UE) as having the same parameters, regardless of whether the network node's transmit antennas themselves are physically co-located. In NR, there are four types of quasi-collocation (QCL) relationships. Specifically, a given type of QCL relationship means that some parameters for a second reference RF signal on a second beam can be derived from information about a source reference RF signal on a source beam. Thus, if the source reference RF signal is QCL Type A, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the Doppler shift, Doppler spread, mean delay, and delay spread of a second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is QCL Type B, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the Doppler shift and Doppler spread of a second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is QCL Type C, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the Doppler shift and average delay of a second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is QCL Type D, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate spatial reception parameters of a second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel.
[0184] In receive beamforming, a receiver uses a receive beam to amplify RF signals detected on a given channel. For example, the receiver can increase the gain setting and / or adjust the phase setting of an array of antennas in a particular direction to amplify (e.g., increase the gain level of) RF signals received from that direction. Thus, when a receiver is said to beamform in a certain direction, it means that the beam gain in that direction is higher than the beam gain along other directions, or that the beam gain in that direction is highest compared to the beam gain in that direction of all other receive beams available to the receiver. This results in a stronger received signal strength (e.g., reference signal received power (RSRP), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), signal-to-interference-and-noise ratio (SINR), etc.) of RF signals received from that direction.
[0185] The receive beams may be spatially related. Spatial relationship means that parameters of a transmit beam for a second reference signal can be derived from information about the receive beam for the first reference signal. For example, a UE may use a particular receive beam to receive one or more reference downlink reference signals (e.g., a positioning reference signal (PRS), a tracking reference signal (TRS), a phase tracking reference signal (PTRS), a cell-specific reference signal (CRS), a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS), a primary synchronization signal (PSS), a secondary synchronization signal (SSS), a synchronization signal block (SSB), etc.) from a base station. The UE can then form a transmit beam for transmitting one or more uplink reference signals (e.g., an uplink positioning reference signal (UL-PRS), a sounding reference signal (SRS), a demodulation reference signal (DMRS), a PTRS, etc.) to that base station based on the parameters of the receive beam.
[0186] Note that a "downlink" beam can be either a transmit beam or a receive beam, depending on the entity that forms it. For example, if the base station forms a downlink beam to transmit a reference signal to the UE, the downlink beam is a transmit beam. However, if the UE forms a downlink beam, it is a receive beam to receive the downlink reference signal. Similarly, an "uplink" beam can be either a transmit beam or a receive beam, depending on the entity that forms it. For example, if the base station forms an uplink beam, it is an uplink receive beam, and if the UE forms an uplink beam, it is an uplink transmit beam.
[0187] In 5G, the frequency spectrum in which wireless nodes (e.g., base station 102 / 180, UE 104 / 182) operate is divided into multiple frequency ranges: FR1 (450 MHz to 6000 MHz), FR2 (24250 MHz to 52600 MHz), FR3 (above 52600 MHz), and FR4 (between FR1 and FR2). In a multi-carrier system such as 5G, one of the carrier frequencies is called the “primary carrier” or “anchor carrier” or “primary serving cell” or “PCell,” and the remaining carrier frequencies are called “secondary carriers” or “secondary serving cells” or “SCells.” In carrier aggregation, the anchor carrier is the carrier operating on the primary frequency (e.g., FR1) utilized by the UE 104 / 182 and the cell on which the UE 104 / 182 either performs an initial radio resource control (RRC) connection establishment procedure or initiates an RRC connection re-establishment procedure. The primary carriers all carry common and UE-specific control channels and may (but are not always) be carriers in licensed frequencies. The secondary carrier is a carrier operating on a second frequency (e.g., FR2) that can be configured once an RRC connection is established between the UE 104 and the anchor carrier and can be used to provide additional radio resources. In some cases, the secondary carrier may be a carrier in unlicensed frequencies. Because both the primary uplink carrier and the primary downlink carrier are typically UE-specific, the secondary carrier may contain only necessary signaling information and signals; for example, UE-specific signaling information and signals may not be present in the secondary carrier. This means that different UEs 104 / 182 in a cell may have different downlink primary carriers. The same applies to the uplink primary carrier. The network can change the primary carrier of any UE 104 / 182 at any time. This is done, for example, to balance the load on different carriers.Since a "serving cell" (whether a PCell or an SCell) corresponds to the carrier frequency / component carrier over which some base station is communicating, terms such as "cell," "serving cell," "component carrier," and "carrier frequency" may be used interchangeably.
[0188] For example, with continued reference to FIG. 1, one of the frequencies utilized by the macrocell base station 102 may be an anchor carrier (i.e., a "PCell"), and other frequencies utilized by the macrocell base station 102 and / or the mmW base station 180 may be secondary carriers ("SCells"). Simultaneous transmission and / or reception of multiple carriers allows the UE 104 / 182 to significantly increase its data transmission and / or reception rates. For example, two aggregated 20 MHz carriers in a multi-carrier system theoretically double the data rate (i.e., to 40 MHz) compared to that achieved by a single 20 MHz carrier.
[0189] Wireless communications system 100 may further include a UE 164, which may communicate with macrocell base station 102 via communications link 120 and / or with mmW base station 180 via mmW communications link 184. For example, macrocell base station 102 may support a PCell and one or more SCells for UE 164, and mmW base station 180 may support one or more SCells for UE 164.
[0190] The wireless communication system 100 may further include one or more UEs, such as a UE 190, that indirectly connect to one or more communication networks via one or more device-to-device (D2D) peer-to-peer (P2P) links (referred to as “sidelinks”). In the example of FIG. 1, the UE 190 has a D2D P2P link 192 with one of the UEs 104 connected to one of the base stations 102 (e.g., through which the UE 190 may indirectly obtain cellular connectivity) and a D2D P2P link 194 with a WLAN STA 152 connected to a WLAN AP 150 (through which the UE 190 may indirectly obtain WLAN-based Internet connectivity). In an example, the D2D P2P links 192 and 194 may be supported using any well-known D2D RAT, such as LTE Direct (LTE-D), WiFi Direct (WiFi-D), Bluetooth®, etc.
[0191] 2A , an exemplary wireless network structure 200 is shown. For example, the 5GC 210 (also referred to as the Next Generation Core (NGC)) can be viewed functionally as a control plane function 214 (e.g., UE registration, authentication, network access, gateway selection, etc.) and a user plane function 212 (e.g., UE gateway function, access to data network, IP routing, etc.), which operate in cooperation to form a core network. A user plane interface (NG-U) 213 and a control plane interface (NG-C) 215 connect the gNB 222 to the 5GC 210, specifically to the control plane function 214 and the user plane function 212. In an additional configuration, the ng-eNB 224 may also be connected to the 5GC 210 via the NG-C 215 to the control plane function 214 and the NG-U 213 to the user plane function 212. Additionally, the ng-eNB 224 may communicate directly with the gNB 222 via a backhaul connection 223. In some configurations, the New RAN 220 may have only one or more gNBs 222, while other configurations include one or more of both the ng-eNB 224 and the gNB 222. Either the gNB 222 or the ng-eNB 224 may communicate with the UE 204 (e.g., any of the UEs shown in FIG. 1). Another optional aspect may include a location server 230, which may be in communication with the 5GC 210 to assist in locating the UE 204. The location servers 230 may be implemented as multiple separate servers (e.g., physically separate servers, different software modules on a single server, different software modules spread across multiple physical servers, etc.), or alternatively, each may correspond to a single server. The location server 230 may be configured to support one or more location services for UEs 204 that can connect to the location server 230 via the core network 5GC 210 and / or via the Internet (not shown). Furthermore, the location server 230 may be integrated into a component of the core network, or alternatively, may be external to the core network.
[0192] 2B , another exemplary wireless network structure 250 is shown. For example, the 5GC 260 can be viewed functionally as a control plane function provided by an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) 264 and a user plane function provided by a User Plane Function (UPF) 262, which cooperate to form a core network (i.e., the 5GC 260). A user plane interface 263 and a control plane interface 265 connect the ng-eNB 224 to the 5GC 260, specifically to the UPF 262 and the AMF 264, respectively. In an additional configuration, the gNB 222 may also be connected to the 5GC 260 via the control plane interface 265 to the AMF 264 and the user plane interface 263 to the UPF 262. Furthermore, the ng-eNB 224 may communicate directly with the gNB 222 via the backhaul connection 223, with or without a gNB direct connection to the 5GC 260. In some configurations, the New RAN 220 may have only one or more gNBs 222, while other configurations include one or more of both the ng-eNB 224 and the gNB 222. Either the gNB 222 or the ng-eNB 224 may communicate with the UE 204 (e.g., any of the UEs shown in FIG. 1). The base stations of the New RAN 220 communicate with the AMF 264 via an N2 interface and with the UPF 262 via an N3 interface.
[0193] The AMF 264 functions include registration management, connection management, reachability management, mobility management, lawful intercept, transport for session management (SM) messages between the UE 204 and a session management function (SMF) 266, a transparent proxy service for routing SM messages, access authentication and access authorization, transport for short message service (SMS) messages between the UE 204 and a short message service function (SMSF) (not shown), and a security anchor function (SEAF). The AMF 264 also interacts with an authentication server function (AUSF) (not shown) and the UE 204 to receive intermediate keys established as a result of the UE 204 authentication process. In the case of authentication based on a universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS) subscriber identity module (USIM), the AMF 264 retrieves security material from the AUSF. The AMF 264 also functions as a security context management (SCM). The SCM receives keys from the SEAF that the SCM uses to derive access network specific keys. The functions of the AMF 264 also include location service management for regulated services, transport of location service messages between the UE 204 and the Location Management Function (LMF) 270 (acting as the location server 230), transport of location service messages between the New RAN 220 and the LMF 270, allocation of EPS bearer identities for interworking with an evolved packet system (EPS), and mobility event notification for the UE 204. In addition, the AMF 264 also supports functions for non-3GPP access networks ("3GPP" is a registered trademark).
[0194] The functions of the UPF 262 include serving as an anchor point for intra- / inter-RAT mobility (when applicable), serving as an outer protocol data unit (PDU) session point for interconnection to a data network (not shown), packet routing and forwarding, packet inspection, user plane policy rule enforcement (e.g., gating, redirection, traffic steering), lawful interception (user plane collection), traffic usage reporting, quality of service (QoS) processing for the user plane (e.g., uplink / downlink rate enforcement, reflective QoS marking in the downlink), uplink traffic validation (service data flow (SDF) to QoS flow mapping), transport-level packet marking in the uplink and downlink, downlink packet buffering and downlink data notification triggering, as well as sending and forwarding one or more "end markers" to the source RAN node. The UPF 262 may also support the transfer of location service messages over the user plane between the UE 204 and a location server such as the Secure User Plane Location (SUPL) Location Platform (SLP) 272.
[0195] The functions of the SMF 266 include session management, UE Internet Protocol (IP) address allocation and management, selection and control of user plane functions, configuration of traffic steering in the UPF 262 to route traffic to the appropriate destination, control of policy enforcement and parts of QoS, and downlink data notification. The interface through which the SMF 266 communicates with the AMF 264 is called the N11 interface.
[0196] Another optional aspect may include an LMF 270 that may be in communication with the 5GC 260 to provide location assistance for the UE 204. The LMF 270 may be implemented as multiple separate servers (e.g., physically separate servers, different software modules on a single server, different software modules across multiple physical servers, etc.), or alternatively, each may correspond to a single server. The LMF 270 may be configured to support one or more location services for the UE 204 that may connect to the LMF 270 via the core network, the 5GC 260, and / or via the Internet (not shown). The SLP 272 may support similar functions as the LMF 270, except that the LMF 270 may communicate with the AMF 264, the New RAN 220, and the UE 204 via the control plane (e.g., using interfaces and protocols intended to carry signaling messages rather than voice or data), and the SLP 272 may communicate with the UE 204 and external clients (not shown in FIG. 2B) via the user plane (e.g., using protocols intended to carry voice and / or data, such as Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and / or IP).
[0197] In certain aspects, the LMF 270 and / or the SLP 272 may be integrated into a base station, such as the gNB 222 and / or the ng-eNB 224. When integrated into the gNB 222 and / or the ng-eNB 224, the LMF 270 and / or the SLP 272 may be referred to as a "location management component" or "LMC." However, as used herein, references to the LMF 270 and the SLP 272 include both when the LMF 270 and the SLP 272 are components of a core network (e.g., the 5GC 260) and when the LMF 270 and the SLP 272 are components of a base station.
[0198] 3A, 3B, and 3C, several example components (represented by corresponding blocks) are shown that may be incorporated within a UE 302 (which may correspond to any of the UEs described herein), a base station 304 (which may correspond to any of the base stations described herein), and a network entity 306 (which may correspond to or embody any of the network functions described herein, including location server 230 and LMF 270) to support file transmission operations. It will be understood that these components may be implemented in different types of devices in different implementations (e.g., in an ASIC, in a system-on-chip (SoC), etc.). The illustrated components may also be incorporated into other devices in a communication system. For example, other devices in the system may include components similar to the illustrated components to provide similar functionality. Also, a given device may include one or more of the components. For example, a device may include multiple transceiver components that enable the device to operate on multiple carriers and / or communicate via different technologies.
[0199] The UE 302 and the base station 304 each include a wireless wide area network (WWAN) transceiver 310 and 350, respectively, configured to communicate via one or more wireless communications networks (not shown), such as an NR network, an LTE network, a GSM network, etc. The WWAN transceivers 310 and 350 may be connected to one or more antennas 316 and 356, respectively, for communicating with other network nodes, such as other UEs, access points, base stations (e.g., eNBs, gNBs), etc., via at least one designated RAT (e.g., NR, LTE, GSM, etc.) over a targeted wireless communications medium (e.g., some set of time / frequency resources within a particular frequency spectrum). The WWAN transceivers 310 and 350 may be variously configured to transmit and encode signals 318 and 358, respectively (e.g., messages, instructions, information, etc.), and conversely, to receive and decode signals 318 and 358, respectively (e.g., messages, instructions, information, pilots, etc.), in accordance with the designated RAT. Specifically, transceivers 310 and 350 include one or more transmitters 314 and 354, respectively, for transmitting and encoding signals 318 and 358, and include one or more receivers 312 and 352, respectively, for receiving and decoding signals 318 and 358, respectively.
[0200] The UE 302 and base station 304 also, at least in some cases, include wireless local area network (WLAN) transceivers 320 and 360, respectively. The WLAN transceivers 320 and 360 may be connected to one or more antennas 326 and 366, respectively, for communicating with other network nodes, such as other UEs, access points, base stations, etc., via at least one designated RAT (e.g., WiFi, LTE-D, Bluetooth, etc.) over a target wireless communications medium. The WLAN transceivers 320 and 360 may be variously configured to transmit and encode signals 328 and 368, respectively (e.g., messages, instructions, information, etc.), and conversely, to receive and decode signals 328 and 368, respectively (e.g., messages, instructions, information, pilots, etc.), in accordance with the designated RAT. Specifically, transceivers 320 and 360 include one or more transmitters 324 and 364, respectively, for transmitting and encoding signals 328 and 368, and include one or more receivers 322 and 362, respectively, for receiving and decoding signals 328 and 368, respectively.
[0201] Transceiver circuitry including at least one transmitter and at least one receiver may in some implementations comprise an integrated device (e.g., embodied as transmitter and receiver circuitry in a single communications device), in some implementations comprise separate transmitter and receiver devices, or in other implementations may be embodied in other ways. In certain aspects, a transmitter may include or be coupled to multiple antennas, such as an antenna array (e.g., antennas 316, 326, 356, 366), enabling each device to perform transmit “beamforming” as described herein. Similarly, a receiver may include or be coupled to multiple antennas, such as an antenna array (e.g., antennas 316, 326, 356, 366), enabling each device to perform receive beamforming as described herein. In certain aspects, a transmitter and a receiver may share the same multiple antennas (e.g., antennas 316, 326, 356, 366), such that each device can only receive or transmit at a given time, but not both simultaneously. The wireless communication device of the UE 302 and / or base station 304 (e.g., one or both of the transceivers 310 and 320 and / or 350 and 360) may also include a network listen module (NLM) or the like for performing various measurements.
[0202] The UE 302 and base station 304 also, at least in some cases, include satellite positioning system (SPS) receivers 330 and 370. The SPS receivers 330 and 370 may be connected to one or more antennas 336 and 376, respectively, for receiving SPS signals 338 and 378, respectively, such as Global Positioning System (GPS) signals, Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS) signals, Galileo signals, Beidou signals, Navigation Satellite System of India (NAVIC), Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS), etc. The SPS receivers 330 and 370 may comprise any suitable hardware and / or software for receiving and processing the SPS signals 338 and 378, respectively. The SPS receivers 330 and 370 request information and operations from other systems as appropriate and perform the calculations necessary to determine the positions of the UE 302 and base station 304 using measurements obtained by any suitable SPS algorithms.
[0203] The base station 304 and the network entity 306 each include at least one network interface 380 and 390 for communicating with other network entities. For example, the network interfaces 380 and 390 (e.g., one or more network access ports) may be configured to communicate with one or more network entities via a wired connection or a wireless backhaul connection. In some aspects, the network interfaces 380 and 390 may be implemented as transceivers configured to support wired or wireless signal communication. This communication may involve, for example, sending and receiving messages, parameters, and / or other types of information.
[0204] The UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 also include other components that may be used in conjunction with operations as disclosed herein. The UE 302 includes processor circuitry implementing a processing system 332, e.g., for providing functionality related to RF sensing and for providing other processing functions. The base station 304 includes a processing system 384, e.g., for providing functionality related to RF sensing and for providing other processing functions as disclosed herein. The network entity 306 includes a processing system 394, e.g., for providing functionality related to RF sensing and for providing other processing functions as disclosed herein. In certain aspects, the processing systems 332, 384, and 394 may include, e.g., one or more general-purpose processors, multi-core processors, ASICs, digital signal processors (DSPs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other programmable logic devices or processing circuitry.
[0205] The UE 302, the base station 304, and the network entity 306 include memory circuitry implementing memory components 340, 386, and 396, respectively (e.g., each including a memory device) for maintaining information (e.g., information indicative of reserved resources, thresholds, parameters, etc.). In some cases, the UE 302, the base station 304, and the network entity 306 may include radar components 342, 388, and 398, respectively. The radar components 342, 388, and 398 may be hardware circuits that are part of or coupled to the processing systems 332, 384, and 394, respectively, that, when executed, cause the UE 302, the base station 304, and the network entity 306 to perform the functions described herein. In other aspects, the radar components 342, 388, and 398 may be external to the processing systems 332, 384, and 394 (e.g., may be part of a modem processing system, may be integrated with another processing system, etc.). Alternatively, radar components 342, 388, and 398 may be memory modules stored in memory components 340, 386, and 396, respectively (as shown in FIGS. 3A-3C) that, when executed by processing systems 332, 384, and 394 (or a modem processing system, another processing system, etc.), cause UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 to perform the functions described herein.
[0206] The UE 302 may include one or more sensors 344 coupled to the processing system 332 to provide motion and / or orientation information independent of motion data derived from signals received by the WWAN transceiver 310, the WLAN transceiver 320, and / or the SPS receiver 330. By way of example, the sensors 344 may include an accelerometer (e.g., a microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) device), a gyroscope, a geomagnetic sensor (e.g., a compass), an altimeter (e.g., a barometric altimeter), and / or any other type of motion detection sensor. Furthermore, the sensors 344 may include multiple different types of devices and combine their outputs to provide motion information. For example, the sensors 344 may use a combination of a multi-axis accelerometer and an orientation sensor to provide the ability to calculate location in a 2D and / or 3D coordinate system.
[0207] Additionally, the UE 302 includes a user interface 346 for providing instructions (e.g., audio and / or visual instructions) to the user and / or receiving user input (e.g., upon the user activating a sensing device such as a keypad, touch screen, microphone, etc.). Although not shown, the base station 304 and the network entity 306 may also include user interfaces.
[0208] Referring more particularly to the processing system 384, on the downlink, IP packets from the network entity 306 may be provided to the processing system 384. The processing system 384 may implement functionality for an RRC layer, a Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer, a Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, and a Medium Access Control (MAC) layer. The processing system 384 may provide RRC layer functions related to broadcasting of system information (e.g., Master Information Block (MIB), System Information Block (SIB)), RRC connection control (e.g., RRC connection paging, RRC connection establishment, RRC connection modification, and RRC connection release), inter-RAT mobility, and measurement configuration for UE measurement reporting; PDCP layer functions related to header compression / decompression, security (encryption, decryption, integrity protection, integrity verification), and handover support functions; RLC layer functions related to transfer of upper layer packet data units (PDUs), error correction through automatic repeat request (ARQ), concatenation, segmentation, and reassembly of RLC service data units (SDUs), resegmentation of RLC data PDUs, and reordering of RLC data PDUs; and MAC layer functions related to mapping between logical channels and transport channels, scheduling information reporting, error correction, priority handling, and logical channel prioritization.
[0209] The transmitter 354 and receiver 352 may implement Layer 1 functions related to various signal processing functions. Layer 1, including the physical (PHY) layer, may include error detection on transport channels, forward error correction (FEC) coding / decoding of transport channels, interleaving, rate matching, mapping onto physical channels, modulation / demodulation of physical channels, and MIMO antenna processing. The transmitter 354 handles mapping to signal constellations based on various modulation schemes (e.g., binary phase-shift keying (BPSK), quadrature phase-shift keying (QPSK), M-phase-shift keying (M-PSK), M-ary quadrature amplitude modulation (M-QAM)). The coded and modulated symbols may then be split into parallel streams. Each stream may then be mapped to an orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) subcarrier, multiplexed with reference signals (e.g., pilots) in the time and / or frequency domains, and then combined together using an inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) to generate a physical channel carrying a time-domain OFDM symbol stream. The OFDM symbol stream is spatially precoded to generate multiple spatial streams. Channel estimates from a channel estimator may be used to determine the coding and modulation scheme and for spatial processing. The channel estimates may be derived from a reference signal and / or channel condition feedback transmitted by the UE 302. Each spatial stream may then be provided to one or more different antennas 356. The transmitter 354 may modulate an RF carrier with each spatial stream for transmission.
[0210] At the UE 302, the receiver 312 receives the signal through its respective antenna 316. The receiver 312 recovers the information demodulated onto the RF carrier and provides the information to the processing system 332. The transmitter 314 and receiver 312 implement Layer 1 functions related to various signal processing functions. The receiver 312 may perform spatial processing on the information to recover any spatial streams destined for the UE 302. If multiple spatial streams are destined for the UE 302, they may be combined into a single OFDM symbol stream by the receiver 312. The receiver 312 then converts the OFDM symbol stream from the time domain to the frequency domain using a fast Fourier transform (FFT). The frequency-domain signal includes a separate OFDM symbol stream for each subcarrier of the OFDM signal. The symbols on each subcarrier, as well as the reference signal, are recovered and demodulated by determining the signal constellation point that is most likely transmitted by the base station 304. These soft decisions may be based on channel estimates calculated by a channel estimator. The soft decisions are then decoded and deinterleaved to recover the data and control signals originally transmitted on the physical channel by the base station 304. The data and control signals are then provided to a processing system 332 that implements Layer 3 and Layer 2 functions.
[0211] In the uplink, the processing system 332 performs demultiplexing between transport and logical channels, packet reassembly, decryption, header decompression, and control signal processing to recover IP packets from the core network. The processing system 332 is also responsible for error detection.
[0212] Similar to the functionality described with respect to downlink transmissions by the base station 304, the processing system 332 provides RRC layer functionality related to system information (e.g., MIB, SIB) acquisition, RRC connection, and measurement reporting; PDCP layer functionality related to header compression / decompression and security (encryption, decryption, integrity protection, integrity verification); RLC layer functionality related to transfer of upper layer PDUs, error correction via ARQ, concatenation, segmentation, and reassembly of RLC SDUs, resegmentation of RLC data PDUs, and reordering of RLC data PDUs; and MAC layer functionality related to mapping between logical channels and transport channels, multiplexing of MAC SDUs onto transport blocks (TBs), demultiplexing of MAC SDUs from TBs, scheduling information reporting, error correction via hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ), priority handling, and logical channel prioritization.
[0213] Channel estimates derived by the channel estimator from a reference signal or feedback transmitted by the base station 304 may be used by the transmitter 314 to select an appropriate coding and modulation scheme and to facilitate spatial processing. The spatial streams generated by the transmitter 314 may be provided to different antennas 316. The transmitter 314 may modulate an RF carrier with each spatial stream for transmission.
[0214] Uplink transmissions are processed at the base station 304 in a manner similar to that described with respect to the receiver function at the UE 302. The receiver 352 receives the signal through its respective antenna 356. The receiver 352 recovers the information demodulated onto the RF carrier and provides the information to the processing system 384.
[0215] In the uplink, the processing system 384 performs demultiplexing between transport and logical channels, packet reassembly, decryption, header decompression, and control signal processing to recover IP packets from the UE 302. The IP packets from the processing system 384 may be provided to the core network. The processing system 384 is also responsible for error detection.
[0216] For convenience, the UE 302, the base station 304, and / or the network entity 306 are illustrated in Figures 3A-3C as including various components that may be configured in accordance with various examples described herein, although it will be understood that the illustrated blocks may have different functions in different designs.
[0217] The various components of the UE 302, the base station 304, and the network entity 306 may communicate with one another via data buses 334, 382, and 392, respectively. The components of FIGS. 3A-3C may be implemented in various ways. In some implementations, the components of FIGS. 3A-3C may be implemented in one or more circuits, such as, for example, one or more processors and / or one or more ASICs (which may include one or more processors), where each circuit may use and / or incorporate at least one memory component for storing information or executable code used by the circuit to provide its functionality. For example, some or all of the functionality represented by blocks 310-346 may be implemented by the processor and memory components of the UE 302 (e.g., by execution of appropriate code and / or by appropriate configuration of the processor components). Similarly, some or all of the functionality represented by blocks 350-388 may be implemented by the processor and memory components of the base station 304 (e.g., by execution of appropriate code and / or by appropriate configuration of the processor components). Also, some or all of the functionality represented by blocks 390-398 may be implemented by the processor and memory components of the network entity 306 (e.g., by execution of appropriate code and / or by appropriate configuration of the processor components). For simplicity, various operations, acts, and / or functions are described herein as being performed "by the UE," "by the base station," "by the positioning entity," etc. However, it should be understood that such operations, acts, and / or functions may actually be performed by particular components or combinations of components, such as the UE, base station, positioning entity, etc., such as the processing systems 332, 384, 394, the transceivers 310, 320, 350, and 360, the memory components 340, 386, and 396, and the radar components 342, 388, and 398.
[0218] 4A is a diagram 400 illustrating an example DL frame structure according to an aspect of the present disclosure. FIG. 4B is a diagram 430 illustrating an example channel within a DL frame structure according to an aspect of the present disclosure. Other wireless communication technologies may have different frame structures and / or different channels.
[0219] LTE, and possibly NR, utilizes OFDM on the downlink and single-carrier frequency-division multiplexing (SC-FDM) on the uplink. However, unlike LTE, NR also has the option of using OFDM on the uplink. OFDM and SC-FDM partition the system bandwidth into multiple (K) orthogonal subcarriers, also commonly referred to as tones, bins, etc. Each subcarrier may be modulated with data. Generally, modulation symbols are transmitted in the frequency domain with OFDM and in the time domain with SC-FDM. The spacing between adjacent subcarriers may be fixed, or the total number of subcarriers (K) may depend on the system bandwidth. For example, the subcarrier spacing may be 15 kHz, and the minimum resource allocation (resource block) may be 12 subcarriers (i.e., 180 kHz). Thus, the nominal FFT size may be equal to 128, 256, 512, 1024, or 2048 for a system bandwidth of 1.25, 2.5, 5, 10, or 20 megahertz (MHz), respectively. The system bandwidth may also be partitioned into subbands. For example, a subband may cover 1.08 MHz (i.e., 6 resource blocks), and there may be 1, 2, 4, 8, or 16 subbands for a system bandwidth of 1.25, 2.5, 5, 10, or 20 MHz, respectively.
[0220] LTE supports a single numerology (subcarrier spacing, symbol length, etc.). In contrast, NR may support multiple numerologies; for example, subcarrier spacings of 15 kHz, 30 kHz, 60 kHz, 120 kHz, and 204 kHz or greater may be available. Table 1, given below, lists some various parameters for different NR numerologies. [Table 1]
[0221] In the example of Figures 4A and 4B, a 15 kHz numerology is used. Thus, in the time domain, a frame (e.g., 10 ms) is divided into 10 equally sized subframes of 1 ms each, with each subframe containing one time slot. In Figures 4A and 4B, time is represented horizontally (e.g., on the X-axis), with time increasing from left to right, while frequency is represented vertically (e.g., on the Y-axis), with frequency increasing (or decreasing) from bottom to top.
[0222] A resource grid may be used to represent a time slot, with each time slot including one or more time-parallel resource blocks (RBs) (also called physical RBs (PRBs)) in the frequency domain. The resource grid is further divided into multiple resource elements (REs). An RE may correspond to one symbol length in the time domain and one subcarrier in the frequency domain. In the numerology of Figures 4A and 4B, for a normal cyclic prefix, an RB may include 12 consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain and 7 consecutive symbols (OFDM symbols for DL and SC-FDMA symbols for UL) in the time domain, for a total of 84 REs. For an extended cyclic prefix, an RB may include 12 consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain and 6 consecutive symbols in the time domain, for a total of 72 REs. The number of bits carried by each RE depends on the modulation scheme.
[0223] As shown in Figure 4A, some of the REs carry DL reference (pilot) signals (DL-RS) for channel estimation at the UE. The DL-RS may include demodulation reference signals (DMRS) and channel state information reference signals (CSI-RS), example locations of which are labeled "R" in Figure 4A.
[0224] 4B shows an example of various channels within a DL subframe of a frame. The physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) carries DL control information (DCI) within one or more control channel elements (CCEs), each containing nine RE groups (REGs), with each REG containing four consecutive REs within an OFDM symbol. The DCI carries information about UL resource allocation (persistent and non-persistent) and a description of the DL data to be transmitted to the UE. Multiple (e.g., up to eight) DCIs may be configured within the PDCCH, and these DCIs can have one of several formats. For example, there are various DCI formats for UL scheduling, for non-MIMO DL scheduling, for MIMO DL scheduling, and for UL power control.
[0225] The primary synchronization signal (PSS) is used by the UE to determine subframe / symbol timing and physical layer identity. The secondary synchronization signal (SSS) is used by the UE to determine the physical layer cell identity group number and radio frame timing. Based on the physical layer identity and the physical layer cell identity group number, the UE can determine the PCI. Based on the PCI, the UE can determine the location of the DL-RS mentioned above. The physical broadcast channel (PBCH) carrying the MIB may be logically grouped with the PSS and SSS to form an SSB (also referred to as SS / PBCH). The MIB provides the number of RBs in the DL system bandwidth and the system frame number (SFN). The physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) carries user data, broadcast system information not transmitted over the PBCH, such as system information blocks (SIBs), and paging messages. In some cases, the DL RS shown in FIG. 4A may be a positioning reference signal (PRS).
[0226] Wireless communication signals (e.g., RF signals configured to carry OFDM symbols) transmitted between a UE and a base station may be repurposed for environmental sensing (also referred to as "RF sensing" or "radar"). Using wireless communication signals for environmental sensing may be considered a consumer-level radar with advanced detection capabilities, enabling, among other things, touchless / device-free interaction with devices / systems. The wireless communication signals may be cellular communication signals, such as LTE or NR signals, WLAN signals, etc. As a specific example, the wireless communication signals may be OFDM waveforms, such as those utilized in LTE and NR. High-frequency communication signals, such as mmW RF signals, are particularly beneficial for use as radar signals, since higher frequencies provide, at the very least, more accurate range (distance) detection.
[0227] Generally, there are different types of radar, particularly monostatic radar and bistatic radar. FIGS. 5A and 5B illustrate two of these various types of radar. Specifically, FIG. 5A is a diagram 500 illustrating a monostatic radar scenario, and FIG. 5B is a diagram 530 illustrating a bistatic radar scenario. In FIG. 5A, a base station 502 may be configured for full-duplex operation, and thus the transmitter (Tx) and receiver (Rx) are co-located. For example, a transmitted radio signal 506 may be reflected from a target object, such as a building 504, and a receiver on the base station 502 is configured to receive and measure the reflected beam 508. This is a typical use case of legacy or conventional radar. In FIG. 5B, the base station 505 may be configured as a transmitter (Tx), and the UE 532 may be configured as a receiver (Rx). In this example, the transmitter and receiver are not co-located, i.e., the transmitter and receiver are separated. The base station 505 may be configured to transmit a beam, such as an omnidirectional downlink RF signal 506, that can be received by the UE 532. A portion of the RF signal 506 may be reflected or refracted by the building 504, and the UE 532 may receive this reflected signal 534. This is a typical use case for wireless communication-based (e.g., WiFi-based, LTE-based, NR-based) RF detection. Note that while FIG. 5B illustrates the use of the downlink RF signal 506 as the RF detection signal, an uplink RF signal may also be used as the RF detection signal. In a downlink scenario, as shown, the transmitter is the base station 505 and the receiver is the UE 532, while in an uplink scenario, the transmitter is the UE and the receiver is the base station.
[0228] 5B in more detail, the base station 505 transmits RF detection signals (e.g., PRS) to the UE 532, and some of the RF detection signals are reflected off a target object, such as a building 504. The UE 504 can measure the ToA of the RF signal 506 received directly at the base station and the ToA of the reflected signal 534 reflected off the target object (e.g., building 504).
[0229] The base station 505 may be configured to transmit a single RF signal 506 or multiple RF signals to a receiver (e.g., a UE 532). However, the UE 532 may receive multiple RF signals corresponding to each transmitted RF signal due to the propagation characteristics of the RF signal through a multipath channel. Each path may be associated with one or more clusters of channel taps. Generally, the time at which the receiver detects the first cluster of channel taps is considered the ToA of the RF signal on a line-of-site (LOS) path (i.e., the shortest path between the transmitter and receiver). Subsequent clusters of channel taps are considered to have reflected off objects between the transmitter and receiver and thus followed a non-LOS (NLOS) path between the transmitter and receiver.
[0230] 5B, RF signal 506 follows an LOS path between base station 505 and UE 532, and reflected signal 534 represents an RF detection signal that follows an NLOS path between base station 505 and UE 532 due to reflection off building 504 (or another target object). Base station 505 may have transmitted multiple RF detection signals (not shown in FIG. 5B), some of which followed an LOS path and others of which followed an NLOS path. Alternatively, base station 505 may have transmitted a single RF detection signal in a beam wide enough that a portion of the RF detection signal followed an LOS path and a portion of the RF detection signal followed an NLOS path.
[0231] Based on the difference between the ToA of the LOS path, the ToA of the NLOS path, and the speed of light, the UE 532 can determine the distance to the building 504. Additionally, if the UE 532 is capable of receive beamforming, the UE 532 may be able to determine a rough direction to the building 504 as the direction of the reflected signal 534, which is an RF sensing signal that, when received, follows the NLOS path. The UE 532 may then optionally report this information to the transmitting base station 505, an application server associated with the core network, an external client, a third-party application, or some other entity. Alternatively, the UE 532 may report the ToA measurements to the base station 505, or other entity, and the base station 505 may determine the distance and, optionally, the direction to the target object.
[0232] It should be noted that if the RF sensing signal is an uplink RF signal transmitted by the UE 532 to the base station 505, the base station 505 performs object detection based on the uplink RF signal, just as the UE 532 performs object detection based on the downlink RF signal.
[0233] Referring to FIG. 5C , an exemplary graph 550 illustrating an RF channel response at a receiver (e.g., any of the UEs or base stations described herein) over time is shown. In the example of FIG. 5C , the receiver receives multiple (four) clusters of channel taps. Each channel tap represents the multipaths that the RF signal has traveled between the transmitter (e.g., any of the UEs or base stations described herein) and the receiver. That is, the channel taps represent the arrival of the RF signal on the multipaths. Each cluster of channel taps indicates that the corresponding multipaths have traveled essentially the same path. There may be different clusters due to the RF signals being transmitted on different transmit beams (and therefore at different angles), or due to the propagation characteristics of the RF signals (which may follow significantly different paths due to reflections), or both.
[0234] Under the channel shown in FIG. 5C, the receiver receives a first cluster of two RF signals on channel taps at time T1, a second cluster of five RF signals on channel taps at time T2, a third cluster of five RF signals on channel taps at time T3, and a fourth cluster of four RF signals on channel taps at time T4. In the example of FIG. 5C, because the first cluster of RF signals at time T1 arrives first, it is presumed to be a line-of-sight (LOS) data stream (i.e., a data stream arriving on the line-of-sight or shortest path) and may correspond to the LOS path (e.g., RF signal 506) shown in FIG. 5B. The third cluster at time T3 consists of the strongest RF signal and may correspond to the non-LOS path (e.g., reflected signal 534) shown in FIG. 5B. Note that while FIG. 5C shows clusters of two to five channel taps, it should be understood that a cluster may have more or fewer channel taps than shown.
[0235] Referring to FIG. 6, an exemplary single-target beam management use case 600 for bistatic radio frequency sensing is shown. The use case 600 includes a base station 602, such as a 5G NR gNB, configured to transmit multiple beamformed signals along different azimuth and / or elevation angles, and a UE 610 configured to utilize receive beamforming to improve signal gain based on the angle of arrival. The base station 602 may be configured to generate N different reference beams and various azimuth, elevation, and / or beamwidths. In one example, the beams transmitted by the base station 602 may be based on SS blocks, CSI-RS, TRS, or PRS resource sets. Other sensing and tracking reference signals may also be used. The UE 610 may be configured to utilize phase shifters and other software and hardware techniques to generate receive beams, such as a first receive beam 612, a second receive beam 614, and a third receive beam 616. The UE 610 may also be configured to utilize beamforming for the transmitted beams. The base station 602 may transmit a first reference signal 604 in the direction of a target object, such as a building 504, which may be reflected, and the UE 610 may receive a reflected signal 606 using a first receive beam 612. The reflected signal 606 represents the NLOS path of the first reference signal 604 to the UE 610. The base station 602 also transmits a second reference signal 608 on a second beam. In an example, the second reference signal 608 may be quasi-co-located (QCL) with the first reference signal 604. The UE 610 receives the second reference signal 608 using a second receive beam 614. The second reference signal 608 is the LOS path to the UE 610.
[0236] In operation, the UE 610 may be configured to report a channel response for each of the first and second reference signals 604, 608 to the base station 602 or another serving cell, and the base station 602 may be configured to manage transmit and receive beam pairs for object detection. For example, the base station 602 may be configured to provide transmit beam identification information and receive beam identification information to the UE 610 to track an object such as a building 504. The beam identification information may be a transmission configuration indicator (TCI) sent in a DCI message that includes configurations such as a QCL relationship between the transmit beam and the receive beam.
[0237] With reference to FIG. 7 and with further reference to FIG. 6, an exemplary multi-target use case 700 for bistatic radio frequency sensing is illustrated. Use case 700 extends the single-target use case 600 of FIG. 6 by including a second target. The second target may be, by way of example and not limitation, a second building 704. The number and nature of targets may vary based on the environment and the wireless sensing application. In use case 700, a base station 602 transmits a third reference signal 702 that is reflected by the second building 704, and the resulting reflected signal 708 is detected by a second receive beam 614 of a UE 610. The UE 610 may report a channel response for the third reference signal 702 along with an indication that the measurement was obtained using the second receive beam 614. The base station 602 is configured to manage a beam pair (i.e., the third reference signal 702 and the second receive beam 614) associated with the second target. Additional targets and corresponding beam pairs may also be managed by the base station 602. The base station 602 may be configured to track one or more of the targets and, accordingly, may provide corresponding beam pair information to the UE 610 as QCL / TCI for the respective targets.
[0238] Referring to FIG. 8A, an exemplary scanning stage 800 using bistatic radio frequency sensing is shown. Base station 802 is an example of base station 304 and is configured to transmit multiple beamformed reference signals at different azimuth angles, elevation angles, and / or beam widths. The reference signals may be SS blocks, CSI-RS, TRS, PRS, or a sensing scanning reference signal (SSRS) configured for RF sensing applications. UE 810 is an example of UE 302 and may be configured to perform receive beam scanning along different azimuth angles, elevation angles, and / or beam widths relative to the orientation of UE 810. In operation, base station 802 may transmit one or more of the reference signals in a sequential order (i.e., beam sweep), and UE 810 is configured to beam sweep through different receive beams. Scanning stage 800 may be used to initially detect potential objects to be tracked via RF sensing. For example, the first reference signal 804 may be reflected by a first object 820a, and the first reflected reference signal 804a may be detected by the UE 810. The UE 810 may cycle through different receive beams, such as a first receive beam 812, a second receive beam 814, and a third receive beam 816. As shown in FIG. 8A , the first reflected reference signal 804a may be received using the first receive beam 812. The UE 810 may also detect the second reference signal 805 via the LOS path using the second receive beam 814. Beam sweeping on the base station 802 may generate a third reference signal 806 that is reflected on a second object 820b, and the third reflected reference signal 806a is received by the UE 810 on the third receive beam 816.
[0239] In an embodiment, the UE 810 may be configured to detect targets based on the RSRP of received signals. For example, the UE 810 may report that the RSRP values associated with the first reference signal 804 and the third reference signal 806 are above a threshold. The threshold may be a fixed value or may be scaled based on the RSRP of the LOS signal, such as the second reference signal 805. The UE 810 is configured to report one or more channel measurements (e.g., RSRP, RSRQ, SINR) associated with the received reference signals to the base station 802 or other network node. The measurements obtained during the scanning phase 800 may be used for a subsequent tracking phase.
[0240] With reference to FIG. 8B and with further reference to FIG. 8A, an exemplary tracking stage 850 using bistatic radio frequency sensing is shown. Continuing with the example of FIG. 8A, the base station 802 (or another network node in the communication system 100) may determine to track one or more of the objects detected in the scanning stage 800. For example, the base station 802 may select to track a first object 820a and transmit beam configuration information to the UE 810 to enable the UE 810 to track the first object 820a. The beam configuration information may include reference signal information and receive beam configuration information for the UE 810. The base station 802 may utilize a detection and tracking reference signal (STRS) based on the first reference signal 804 to track the first object or improve measurements related to the first object. In an example, the STRS may be QCL'd with the corresponding SSRS (i.e., the first reference signal 804). The SS block, CSI-RS, TRS, and PRS may be used as the STRS. Other reference signals may also be developed and used as the STRS. The beam configuration information transmitted to the UE 810 may be transmitted via RRC, a medium access control control element (MAC-CE), DCI, or other signaling protocol. Upon receiving the beam configuration information, the UE 810 may, for example, use the first receive beam 812 with STRS to detect the first object 820a.
[0241] The base station 802 may be configured to track multiple targets based on the number of reference signals the base station 802 may generate. In an embodiment, the base station 802 may be configured to track one object per reference signal. For example, the base station 802 may track the second object 820b by generating a second STRS based on the third reference signal 806. The beam configuration information transmitted to the UE 810 may include beam parameters for the second STRS and corresponding receive beam information (e.g., the third receive beam 816) provided by the UE 810 during the scanning phase 800. Thus, the UE 810 may be configured to track both the first object 820a and the second object 820b. Additional objects may be tracked, up to the number of reference signals generated by the base station 802.
[0242] FIG. 9 is a simplified diagram illustrating the basic operation of a bistatic radar system 900. A transmitter 902 and a receiver 904 are used to transmit and receive radar signals for detecting a target 906. While a bistatic radar example is shown, the same operating principles may apply to multistatic radar utilizing three or more transmitters / receivers. For example, a multistatic radar may utilize one transmitter and two receivers. In another example, a multistatic radar may utilize two transmitters and one receiver. A greater number of transmitters and / or receivers may also be possible.
[0243] In bistatic radar system 900, transmitter 902 sends out a transmit signal 908 that travels a distance RT to reach target 906. The transmit signal 908 reflects off target 906, resulting in an echo signal 910 that travels a distance RR to reach receiver 904. The primary function performed by bistatic radar system 900 is to detect the range, or distance RR, from target 906 to receiver 904. The system primarily relies on the fact that transmit signal 908 and echo signal 910 travel a distance RT to reach the total range R, which is the sum of RT and RR. sumThe distance RR is determined by detecting the time it takes to travel the R sum = R T + R R (Formula 1)
[0244] Overall distance R sum defines an ellipsoid surface (also known as an equidistant contour) with foci at the locations of the transmitter 902 and receiver 904, respectively. The ellipsoid surface is sum represents all possible positions of the target 906, given the range R sum For example, if perfect timing synchronization between the transmitter 902 and the receiver 904 can be assumed, the time length T between the moment the transmitter 902 sends the transmitted signal 908 and the moment the receiver 904 receives the echo signal 910 can be measured. sum It is easy to simply measure the speed of a signal through free space, say about c = 3 * 908 meters / second, and the time duration T sum Multiplying by R sum Thus, the ellipsoidal surface of all possible positions of the target 906 is determined by the "time of flight" T sum can be found by measuring
[0245] According to some embodiments, the distance R can be determined without strict time synchronization between the transmitter 902 and the receiver 904. sum can be measured. In one embodiment, a line-of-sight (LOS) signal 912 may be transmitted from the transmitter 902 to the receiver 904. That is, at the same time that the transmitter 902 transmits a transmit signal 908 to the target 906, the transmitter 902 may also transmit the LOS signal 912 to the receiver 904. According to a particular embodiment, the transmit signal 908 may correspond to a main lobe of a transmit antenna beam pattern emitted from the transmitter 902, while the LOS signal 912 corresponds to a side lobe of the same transmit antenna beam pattern emitted from the transmitter 902.
[0246] The receiver 904 receives both the echo signal 910 and the LOS signal 912 and can use the timing of the reception of these two signals to measure the total range Rsum using the following equation:
number
[0247] where TRx_echo is the time of receipt of the echo signal 910. TRxLOS is the time of receipt of the LOS signal 912. As mentioned, c=3*108 meters / second is the speed of a signal through free space. L is the distance between the transmitter 902 and the receiver 904. Once Rsum is found, it can be used to calculate the target range RR, i.e., the distance between the target 906 and the receiver 904, using the following formula:
number
[0248] The bistatic radar system 900 also measures the angle of arrival (AoA) θ at which the echo signal 910 is received by the receiver 904. R This can be done in a variety of ways. One way is to use an antenna array at the receiver 904 to determine θ R The aim is to estimate θ. An antenna array with multiple antenna elements can operate as a programmable directional antenna capable of detecting the angle at which a signal is received. Thus, the receiver 904 can utilize the antenna array to detect the angle of arrival of the echo signal 910. RAnother method for estimating σ involves multilateration. Multilateration refers to determining the intersection of two or more curves or surfaces that represent the possible locations of a target. For example, the bistatic radar system 900 shown in FIG. 9 can define a first ellipsoidal surface that represents the possible locations of the target 906, as previously described. A second bistatic radar system with a transmitter and / or receiver in a different location can define a second, different ellipsoidal surface that also represents the possible locations of the target 906. The intersection of the first and second ellipsoidal surfaces can narrow the possible locations of the target 906. In three-dimensional space, four such ellipsoidal surfaces are typically required to narrow the possible locations to a single point and thus identify the location of the target 906. In two-dimensional space (e.g., assuming all transmitters, receivers, and targets are confined to being on the ground), three such ellipsoidal surfaces (in two-dimensional space, ellipsoidal surfaces become elliptical curves) are generally required to narrow down the possible locations to a single point and thus locate the target 906. Multilateration can also be achieved in a similar manner using multistatic radar systems rather than multiple bistatic radar systems.
[0249] Additionally, the bistatic radar system 900 may also be used to determine a Doppler frequency associated with the target 906. The Doppler frequency indicates the relative velocity of the target 906 with respect to the receiver 904, i.e., the rate at which the target 906 is moving toward / away from the receiver 904. For a stationary transmitter 902 and a stationary receiver 904, the Doppler frequency of the target 906 may be calculated as follows:
number
[0250] where f Dis the Doppler frequency, and v is the velocity of the target 906 relative to a fixed reference frame defined by the stationary transmitter 902 and receiver 904. β is the angle formed between the transmitted signal 908 and the echo signal 910 at the target 906. δ is the angle between the velocity vector v and the centerline (half angle) defined within the angle β.
[0251] In Figure 9, a fixed reference frame is defined with respect to a stationary transmitter 902 and a stationary receiver 904. Specifically, a base line of length L can be drawn between the transmitter 902 and the receiver 904. The base line can extend beyond the transmitter 902 and the receiver 904. One or more normal lines can be drawn perpendicular to the base line. The transmission angle θ T may be defined relative to a normal drawn from the position of the transmitter 902. The reception angle θ, referred to above as the angle of arrival R may be defined relative to a normal drawn from the position of the receiver 904.
[0252] As previously mentioned, the bistatic radar system 900 can operate to detect targets in two-dimensional or three-dimensional space, where additional degrees of freedom are provided, however, the same basic principles apply and similar calculations can be performed.
[0253] FIG. 10 illustrates an implementation of a bistatic radar system 900 in a wireless communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The wireless communication system may comprise a wireless communication system 1000, as shown in FIG. 10. The wireless communication system 1000 may comprise multiple transmit / receive points (TRPs), which transmit and / or receive signals with other devices. Examples of TRPs in the wireless communication system 1000 include base stations 1002 and 1004, which serve to provide wireless communications for user equipment (UE), such as vehicles, wireless phones, wearable devices, personal access points, and numerous other types of nearby user devices requiring wireless data communications. For example, the base stations 1002 and 1004 may be configured to support data communications with UE devices by transmitting data symbols to or receiving data symbols from the UE devices. Thus, resources within the wireless communication system 1000, such as the base stations 1002 and 1004, may be utilized to serve a “dual role” to support not only wireless communication operations but also bistatic and / or multistatic radar operations. The wireless communication system 900 may be a cellular communication system.
[0254] For example, base station 1002 and base station 1004 may function as transmitter 902 and receiver 904, respectively, of bistatic radar system 900 shown in Figure 9. Base station 1002 may transmit a transmit signal 1008, which reflects off target 906 and becomes an echo signal 1010 that is received by base station 1004. Base station 1004 may also receive a line-of-sight (LOS) signal from base station 1002. By receiving both the LOS signal 1012 and the echo signal 1010, RX base station 1004 can measure a value related to the time difference between the receive time TRx_echo and TRxLOS associated with receiving the LOS signal 1012 and the echo signal 1010, respectively. For example, the RX base station 1004 may cross-correlate the received LOS signal 1012 with the received echo signal 1010, such as by mixing the two signals in analog or digital form, to produce a value representing the time difference (TRx_echo-TRxLOS). This time difference can be used to find the overall range Rsum. The overall range Rsum can then be used to define an ellipsoid surface, which is then related to the target 1006 using one or more techniques previously discussed with respect to FIG. 9 , to determine the target range RR, angle of arrival (AoA) θ, and the like, associated with the target 1006. R , and / or can be used to find the Doppler frequency.
[0255] Here, target 906 may be, but need not be, a UE supported by wireless communication system 1000. In some cases, target 906 may be a UE configured to transmit and receive wireless signals carrying voice, text, and / or wireless data using base stations of wireless communication system 1000. In other cases, target 906 may simply be a distant object within the bistatic radar range of base station 1002 and base station 1004, or may be a distant object otherwise unrelated to the wireless communication capabilities of system 1000.
[0256] In the bistatic example shown in FIG. 10 , the transmitter is referred to as the TX base station 1002 and the receiver is referred to as the RX base station 1004. More generally, the TX base station 1002 may be referred to as the TX TRP, and the RX base station 1004 may be referred to as the RX TRP. Here, “TX” and “RX” refer only to the fact that the base station 1002 is used to transmit the radar transmit signal 1008, and the base station 1004 is used to receive the radar return signal 1010. The terms “TX” and “RX” in this context do not limit the operation of the base stations 1002 and 1004 to serve other functions, for example, as a transmitter and / or receiver in other bistatic or multistatic radar operations (beyond those shown in FIG. 9 ), or as base stations that transmit and receive data communications in the normal operation of the wireless communications system 1000. While FIG. 10 shows a simple bistatic radar system, multistatic radar systems may also be implemented within a wireless communications system in a similar manner. Also, while FIG. 10 shows a simple example in two-dimensional space, the same operation can be extended to three-dimensional space.
[0257] Implementing a bistatic or multistatic radar system within a wireless communication system according to embodiments of the present disclosure may yield many advantages. One particular advantage is flexible utilization of bandwidth allocated to wireless communications. An example of the wireless communication system 1000 is a cellular communication system. For example, according to one embodiment, the wireless communication system 1000 may conform to the “5G” standard introduced in Release 15 of the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) specifications. The ever-increasing bandwidth allocated to current and future wireless communication systems, including 5G and beyond, may be utilized for transmission of bistatic and multistatic radar signals. Thus, radio frequency (RF) sensing (e.g., radar) may be enabled by utilizing available wireless RF spectrum resources. For example, one or more of the transmit signal 1008, the echo signal 1010, and / or the LOS signal 1012 may occupy bandwidth within a portion of the radio frequency (RF) spectrum allocated to the wireless communication system 1000 for data communications. Another example of the wireless communication system 1000 is a Long-Term Evolution (LTE) wireless communication system. Other examples of the wireless communication system 1000 include a wireless local area network (WLAN), a wireless wide area network (WWAN), a small cell-based wireless communication system, a millimeter wave-based (mmWave-based) communication system, and other types of communication-based systems, including TRP.
[0258] Additionally, the inherent advantages of bistatic and multistatic radar systems can be realized through existing widespread networks of suitable transmitters and receivers in the form of wireless base stations. Compared to monostatic radar systems, bistatic or multistatic radar systems mitigate self-interference by having physically separated transmitter and receiver units. Wireless base stations, such as base stations 1002 and 1004 shown in FIG. 10, already exist and cover large geographic areas where users, vehicles, and other objects of interest are likely to appear. Such wireless base stations are well distributed, thereby providing the opportunity for selection of appropriately located base stations to serve as transmitters and receivers for bistatic and multistatic radar operations.
[0259] A significant challenge posed in the development of bistatic or multistatic radar systems is coordination between transmitters and receivers. Various techniques for addressing such coordination issues are presented using embodiments of the present disclosure, as discussed in the sections below.
[0260] According to some embodiments, a "radar controller" may be implemented to support the operation of one or more bistatic and / or multistatic radar systems implemented within a wireless communications system. Here, a "radar controller" may be realized as a combination of hardware and / or software resources present within a wireless communications network. Thus, a radar controller may be defined as, for example, a functional block, facility, or node responsible for configuring and / or controlling parameters relied upon by TX and RX base stations involved in bistatic and / or multistatic radar operation.
[0261] 11 is a block diagram of a wireless communication system 1100 that may include a radar controller according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The wireless communication system 1100 comprises a core network (CN) 1102, a radio access network (RAN) 1104, and one or more user equipments (UEs) 1106. In one embodiment, the radar controller 1108 may be implemented within the CN 1102. The CN 1102 provides the system 1100 with connectivity to the Internet and application services. The CN 1102 may be implemented with various computing resources, which may include memory and one or more processors that run an operating system and execute applications comprising programmed instructions. In a particular embodiment, the radar controller 1108 may be implemented within the computing resources of the CN 1102.
[0262] In another embodiment, the radar controller 1110 may be implemented within the RAN 1104. For example, the RAN 1104 may comprise base stations 1002-1004. Each of the base stations 1002-1004 may comprise transmitter and receiver hardware such as antennas, antenna elements, cabling, physical tower structures, modems, encoders / decoders, networking equipment, computing resources, and other components. The computing resources associated with each base station may include memory and one or more processors that run an operating system and execute applications comprising programmed instructions. In a particular embodiment, the radar controller 1110 may be implemented within one or more computing resources of the base stations 1002-1004.
[0263] The radar controller 1108 (or 1110) may be implemented in a radio access network (RAN), a core network (CN) 1110, or elsewhere in the wireless communication system, e.g., the cellular communication system 1100. The radar controller 1108 (or 1110) does not have to be a dedicated server. For example, the radar controller 1108 (or 1110) may be a general-purpose server, a positioning server, an assisted driver server, a tracker server, or another server providing different functions. Furthermore, the radar controller 1108 (or 1110) may be, but need not be, operated or owned by a network operator. The radar controller 1108 (or 1110) may be a network-independent server (e.g., a third-party server).
[0264] Whenever implemented, the radar controller 1108 (or 1110) may be communicatively coupled to transmit / receive points (TRPs) in the RAN 1104, e.g., base stations 1002 and 1004, via one or more interfaces. The one or more interfaces may comprise point-to-point interfaces. An example of such a point-to-point interface is an interface that implements the Internet Protocol (IP) communication protocol over a wired network (e.g., a “backhaul” network).
[0265] In some embodiments, the wireless communications system 1100 may conform to the "5G" standard. In such cases, the CN 1102 may be a 5G Core Network (5G CN), the RAN 1104 may be a 3GPP Next Generation Radio Access Network (NG RAN), and each of the base stations 1002 and 1004 may be a "gNodeB" or a "gNB."
[0266] 12 illustrates an example of a radar configuration parameter list 1200 provided by the radar controller 1108 (or 1110) to the TX base station 1002 and the RX base station 1004 for a bistatic or multistatic radar measurement session, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. Here, a radar measurement session may comprise one or more radar signal transmissions / receptions related to range, Doppler, or angle estimation relative to a target. An example of such a radar measurement session may be a sequence of “chirps” of a frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) radar signal transmitted by the TX base station, and a corresponding sequence of echoed “chirps” of the FMCW radar signal received by the RX base station.
[0267] 12, the radar configuration parameter list 1200 may include several entries that may include values for parameters such as a radar session ID, a TX base station ID, an RX base station ID, a TX / RX timing parameter, a Doppler parameter, a radar waveform type, a radar signal center frequency, a radar signal bandwidth (BW), a radar period, a radar repetition factor, and a linear frequency modulation (LFM) frequency slope. These parameters are presented for illustrative purposes, and the entries in the configuration parameter list of any given radar system implemented within a wireless communications system may vary from the example shown in FIG.
[0268] Referring again to FIG. 12 , the radar session ID identifies a particular radar measurement session. The TX base station ID identifies a particular base station in the wireless communication system as a transmitter of a radar transmission signal. The RX base station ID identifies a particular base station in the wireless communication system as a receiver of a radar echo signal reflected off a target. The example shown in FIG. 12 assumes a basic bistatic radar measurement session using one transmitter and one receiver. Additional transmitter and / or receiver IDs may be included for multistatic radar measurement sessions. The TX / RX timing parameters may contain multiple entries and may comprise sublists (described in more detail in a later section). Links or pointers may be provided to the sublists. Similarly, the Doppler parameters may contain multiple entries and may comprise sublists for which links or pointers may be provided. The radar waveform type specifies the type of waveform to be used. Different tuple values may correspond to different types of waveforms. By way of example only, the following values and corresponding waveforms may be given: "0" = FMCW "1" = Positioning Reference Signal (PRS) "2" = Single Sideband Modulation (SSB) "3" = Tracking Reference Signal (TRS) "4" = Demodulated Reference Signal (DMRS) "5" = Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS)
[0269] Various waveforms may be selected. Some waveforms, such as FMCW, may be particularly associated with radar system operation. However, other waveforms, such as PRS, SSB, TRS, DMRS, and CSI-RS, may also be associated with wireless system operation. Thus, waveforms already present in wireless communication systems may be advantageously used as radar signal waveforms in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.
[0270] The radar controller 1108 (or 1110) may specify one or more parameters associated with the selected reference signal. The reference signal may be defined by selecting a waveform format type, such as those listed above. In addition, the reference signal may be defined by specifying one or more other attributes. For example, the radar configuration parameter list 1200 or other configuration parameters may be used to specify such attributes. Referring back to FIG. 12 , the radar signal center frequency specifies the center frequency of the radar transmit signal. By way of example only, a center frequency of 79 GHz is shown in FIG. 12 . The center frequency in this example is therefore within the spectrum allocated for the wireless communications system 1000 (e.g., within the 5G spectrum spanning 300 MHz to 100 GHz). The center frequency of the radar echo signal may exhibit a Doppler shift away from the radar center frequency. Such Doppler shifts are discussed in more detail in a later section. The radar signal bandwidth (BW) specifies the bandwidth of the transmitted radar signal. By way of example only, a bandwidth of 2 GHz is shown in FIG. 12 . The radar echo signal is expected to have the same bandwidth. The radar repetition factor specifies the number of times the radar waveform may be repeated in a specified radar session, e.g., radar session 12345678. In this example, the waveform is repeated 10 times. The LMF frequency slope specifies the slope, or rate of change, of the frequency of the linear frequency modulated (LFM) radar waveform, where the slope is 100 MHz / μsec. One type of LFM waveform format is the FMCW waveform mentioned previously.
[0271] In summary, the radar session specified in FIG. 12 may utilize an FMCW waveform that forms 10 repeated "chirps" for a total time length of 200 μsec. Each chirp may have a time length of 20 μsec, during which the center frequency of the continuous wave (CW) signal increases linearly from 79 GHz to 81 GHz at a rate of 100 MHz / μsec. Even though the CW signal has a very narrow bandwidth, the effective bandwidth of the entire sweep of the FMCW signal is 2 GHz. These and other characteristics of the reference signal, in this case the FMCW reference signal, may be specified as one or more parameters provided by the radar controller 1108 (or 1110).
[0272] Embodiments of the present disclosure can utilize the wireless communication system 1000 to estimate certain physical characteristics of a radar system. For example, the distance L between the TX base station 1002 and the RX base station 1004 is an important figure that can be useful in calculating the target range RR and other values. The resources available within the wireless communication system 1000 can provide various methods for determining L. One possibility is to use the known locations of the TX base station 1002 and the RX base station 1004. Such location information may be available, for example, in a collected physical descriptor almanac available for all base stations within the wireless communication system 1000. Another possibility is to use GNSS (e.g., GPS) reports from base stations such as the TX base station 1002 and the RX base station 1004. Often, the GNSS reports include the base station locations. With the precise longitude and latitude information available for the base station locations, the distance L between the TX base station 1002 and the RX base station 1004 can be calculated. Yet another possibility is to use inter-base station positioning signals to obtain position fixes for the TX base station 1002 and the RX base station 1004. For example, positioning signals, such as positioning reference signals (PRS), may be transmitted and received between base stations in accordance with positioning techniques available with New Radio / 5G standards. Such inter-base station positioning signals may be used to determine location fixes for the TX base station 1002 and the RX base station 1004, and thus the distance L between them.
[0273] 13 illustrates an example of a TX / RX timing sublist 1300, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In one particular embodiment, the TX / RX timing sublist 1300 may simply be incorporated as an additional entry in the radar configuration parameter list 1200. In another particular embodiment, the TX / RX timing sublist 1300 may be a separate but linked sublist.
[0274] The timing parameters specified in the TX / RX timing sublist 1300 depend on some level of timing synchronization between the TX base station 1002 and the RX base station 1004. Such TX / RX timing synchronization is important for a variety of reasons. Radar system performance can be greatly improved if the RX base station 1004 begins “listening” at exactly the right time, i.e., upon (or just before) the arrival of the first expected signal, which can be either the LOS signal 1012 or the echo signal 1010. If the RX base station 1004 begins listening too early, the system will prematurely turn on equipment such as intermediate frequency (IF) receive hardware, wasting power and computational resources and increasing the probability of false alarms in the radar system. If the RX base station 1004 begins listening too late, the system may miss receiving the LOS signal 1012 or the echo signal 1010. If some level of timing synchronization can be achieved between the TX base station 1002 and the RX base station 1004, then calculations can be made to predict (with some acceptable degree of uncertainty) the arrival time of the LOS signal 1012 or the echo signal 1010 at the RX base station 1004, provided it is known when the transmit signal 1008 is transmitted from the TX base station 1002. In that way, the RX base station 1004 can be controlled to start "listening" at just the right time to reduce unnecessary waste of power and computational resources, and to minimize false alarms while ensuring that the LOS signal 1012 and the echo signal 1010 are not missed.
[0275] Aspects of the present disclosure advantageously utilize a wireless communication system 1000 to meet such radar TX / RX timing synchronization requirements. For example, the wireless communication system 1000 may comprise a 5G system (e.g., system 1100) that guarantees that the timing synchronization error between any two base stations does not exceed a certain amount of time. By way of example only, the 5G system may utilize orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) signals for data communication and may guarantee that the timing synchronization error between any two base stations does not exceed the time length of the cyclic prefix (CP) of the OFDM signal. The CP is a temporal guard band that separates consecutive data symbols and provides protection against inter-symbol interference (ISI). In a 60 kHz subcarrier channel, the CP time length may be, for example, 1.69 μsec. Thus, the wireless communication system 1000 in this case may guarantee that the timing error between any two base stations does not exceed 1.69 μsec. Ensuring such time synchronization may enable the radar controller 1108 (or 1110) to more effectively control the timing of when the TX base station 1002 transmits the transmit signal 1008 and when the RX base station begins listening for the LOS signal 1012 and the echo signal 1010.
[0276] 13 , the TX / RX timing sublist 1300 may comprise a radar session ID (discussed previously), a TX transmit time, an expected receive time, and an expected receive time uncertainty. The radar controller 1108 (or 1110) may provide all or relevant portions of the TX / RX timing sublist 1300 to the TX base station 1002 and the RX base station 1004. For example, the radar controller 1108 (or 1110) may provide the TX transmit time, specified as 20000.00 μsec in this example, to the TX base station 1002. In response, the TX base station begins transmitting the transmit time 1008 at time 20000.00 μsec. By way of example only, the value “20000.00 μsec” may correspond to the time elapsed since the last “tick” of a periodic reference event / signal used to synchronize timing across entities within the wireless communications network 1000, e.g., all base stations and other equipment.
[0277] The radar controller 1108 (or 1110) may also provide the RX base station 1002 with the expected receive time, which in this example is specified as 20133.33 μsec. The radar controller 1108 (or 1110) may be able to calculate the expected receive time in different ways. In one embodiment, the expected receive time may be estimated by assuming that the LOS signal 1012 is likely to arrive at the RX base station before the echo signal 1010, which is a reasonable assumption in many cases. Under that assumption, the expected receive time may be estimated as the TX transmission time plus the amount of time it is expected to take the LOS signal 1012 to travel the distance L. Expected reception time = L / c + TX transmission time (Equation 5)
[0278] The radar controller 1108 (or 1110) may also provide an expected time of reception uncertainty, specified in this example as a pair of values [upper bound, lower bound]. The lower bound may simply be the negative of the network synchronization error. By way of example only, the network synchronization error may be 1.69 μsec. The upper bound may include two components. The first component of the upper bound may correspond to the signal propagation time associated with the maximum possible range of a detectable target. In one embodiment, such a maximum range, L_Max, may be specified as part of the link budget. Thus, the first component of the upper bound may be expressed as L_Max / c = L / c. The second component of the upper bound may simply be the positive of the network synchronization error, which is specified as 1.69 μsec in this example. Thus, the expected time of reception uncertainty may be expressed as: Expected Receipt Time Uncertainty =[lower limit,upper limit] = [- network synchronization uncertainty, L_max / cL / c+ network synchronization error] (Equation 6)
[0279] There may also be flexibility in the manner in which these and other configuration parameters are specified and communicated. For example, to specify an upper bound on the expected reception time uncertainty, it may be sufficient for the radar controller 1108 (or 1110) to simply send the value of “L_max / c+network synchronization error” to the RX base station 1004, especially if the term L / c is already known locally at the RX base station 1004.
[0280] In response, the RX base station 1004 may begin "listening," i.e., detecting for the LOS signal 1012 and the echo signal 1010, in a time window specified by: Expected Receipt Time + Expected Receipt Time Uncertainty = Expected reception time + [lower limit, upper limit] = [Lc + TX transmission time - network synchronization uncertainty, L_max / c + TX transmission time + network synchronization error] (Equation 7)
[0281] The above shows the TX / RX timing parameters for one bistatic radar session involving one TX base station and one RX base station. In practice, many such bistatic radar sessions (as well as multistatic radar sessions) may be specified in a similar manner. For each unique path L, i.e., a unique pair of TX and RX stations, radar controller 1108 (or 1110) may specify a different set of TX / RX timing parameters. In a simple multistatic case with one transmitter and multiple receivers, the unique pairs may share a common TX base station but have different RX base stations. In such a case, one TX transmission time and multiple sets of expected receive times and expected receive time uncertainties may be specified.
[0282] 14 illustrates an example of a Doppler sublist 1400, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In one particular embodiment, the Doppler sublist 1400 may simply be incorporated as an additional entry in the radar configuration parameter list 1200. In another particular embodiment, the Doppler sublist 1400 may be a separate but linked sublist.
[0283] The Doppler sublist 1400 is primarily responsible for estimating the Doppler shift and Doppler spread for the RX base station 1004. As shown in FIG. 14, the Doppler sublist 1400 may comprise a radar session ID (discussed previously), an expected Doppler shift value, and an expected Doppler spread value. The radar controller 1108 (or 1110) generally provides these frequency domain parameters to enhance the performance of the RX base station 1004. It is possible that the target 906 may be moving at high speed, which may result in a large Doppler shift and / or Doppler spread. By providing the Doppler sublist 1400, the radar controller 1108 (or 1110) can dynamically configure the “expected Doppler shift” and “expected Doppler spread” assumed by the RX base station 1004.
[0284] For example, in acquisition mode, the Doppler sublist 1400 may specify larger values for the expected Doppler shift and expected Doppler spread. This allows the RX base station 1004 to receive signals over a wider range of Doppler frequencies, which improves the detection rate. By way of example only, FIG. 14 shows an expected Doppler shift value specified as 80,000 m / s and an expected Doppler spread specified as 10,000 m / s.
[0285] In contrast, in tracking mode, the Doppler sublist 1400 may specify more refined and narrower values. These values may be based on a history of measurements already made. A more refined set of Doppler parameters may focus on a particular target. An instance of the Doppler sublist 1400 may be specified for each target being tracked. Thus, a particular RX base station 1004 may receive multiple Doppler sublists 1400 corresponding to multiple targets.
[0286] The specific parameters shown in Figures 12, 13, and 14 are described for illustrative purposes. Depending on the implementation, there may be the omission or addition of certain parameters, and various parameters may be specified all together. Nevertheless, according to embodiments of the present disclosure, configuration parameters for the TX base station and / or the RX base station in a bistatic or multistatic radar system may be provided by a radar controller located within an entity in the wireless communications network, such as a core network (CN) or radio access network (RAN).
[0287] FIG. 15 illustrates a cellular reference signal resource configuration 1500 for Doppler estimation according to certain aspects of the present disclosure. Specifically, the cellular reference signal resource configuration 1500 is associated with reference signal observations over sixteen 0.5 ms slots, some of which correspond to the downlink "D" slot format and some of which correspond to the special "S" slot format. In the cellular reference signal resource configuration 1500, there is one RS transmitted every 14 symbols. Over X ms, the Doppler resolution can be characterized as 1000 / X Hz. In the example of FIG. 15, the Doppler resolution is 125 Hz (e.g., X = 8 ms over sixteen 0.5 ms slots, 1000 / 8 = 125), and the maximum resolvable Doppler is 2000 Hz (e.g., X = 0.5 ms over a single 0.5 ms slot, 1000 / 0.5 = 2000).
[0288] Implementations of RF radar signals that also function as reference signals (e.g., DL-PRS, CSI-PRS, etc.) can be difficult to implement. For example, radar signals for tracking targets may require a relatively long duration per opportunity or instance (e.g., due to high path loss on the NLOS path to the Rx gNB). In some designs, radar signals may only be available sporadically (e.g., non-periodically). In some designs, multiple targets may need to be tracked or detected, and delay and Doppler estimates may be combined.
[0289] With respect to slot configuration, the multistatic radar signal may be communicated using downlink (DL) slots, uplink (UL) slots, or flexible (FL) slots. In some designs, the Tx gNB that transmits the multistatic radar signal may use the DL slots, while the Rx gNB that receives and measures the multistatic radar signal may use the UL slots.
[0290] FIG. 16 illustrates an interference scenario 1600 in a wireless communication system in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 16 is similar to FIG. 10 except that a UE 302 is further illustrated. In FIG. 16, because an LOS signal 1012 and an echo signal 1010 are received on an UL slot, there may be a simultaneous interfering UL transmission from the UE 302, as shown with respect to an UL signal 1605. In this case, the UL signal 1605 may increase interference to the LOS signal 1012 and / or the echo signal 1010 at the base station 1004, the LOS signal 1012 and / or the echo signal 1010 may increase interference to the UL signal 1605 at the base station 1004, or both. In some designs, the base station 1004 may attempt to avoid scheduling the UL signal 1605 to mitigate potential interference.
[0291] FIG. 17 illustrates an interference scenario 1700 in a wireless communication system in accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 17 is similar to FIG. 10 except that a UE 302 is further illustrated. In FIG. 17, because the LOS signal 1012 and the echo signal 1010 are transmitted on DL slots, there may be simultaneous interfering DL transmissions from the base stations 1002 and / or 1004, as shown with respect to the DL signals 1705-1710. In this case, the DL signals 1705-1710 may increase interference to the LOS signal 1012 and / or the echo signal 1010 at the UE 302, the LOS signal 1012 and / or the echo signal 1010 may increase interference to the DL signals 1705-1710 at the UE 302, or both. In some designs, the base station 1002 and / or the base station 1004 may attempt to avoid scheduling the DL signals 1705-1710 to mitigate potential interference.
[0292] The DL-PRS resources may be transmitted by the TRP using various transmission schedules (also called transmission parameters), for example, the following table: [Table 2]
[0293] 18A-18H illustrate DL-PRS resource configurations according to aspects of the present disclosure. In the DL-PRS resource configurations of FIG. 18A-18H, columns represent different symbols, rows represent different subcarriers, and dark boxes represent sounded resource elements (symbol-subcarrier combinations) for a TRP. Unsounded resource elements may be sounded by one or more other TRPs.
[0294] Figure 18A shows a DL-PRS resource configuration 1802 for comb-2, 2-symbol resources with a symbol offset of 3 symbols in a slot containing 14 symbols with 12 subcarriers each. Figure 18B shows a DL-PRS resource configuration 1804 for comb-4, 4-symbol resources. Figure 18C shows a DL-PRS resource configuration 1806 for comb-6, 6-symbol resources. Figure 18D shows a DL-PRS resource configuration 1812 for comb-12, 12-symbol resources. Figure 18E shows a DL-PRS resource configuration 1814 for comb-2, 12-symbol resources. Figure 18F shows a DL-PRS resource configuration 1816 for comb-4, 12-symbol resources. Figure 18G shows a DL-PRS resource configuration 1818 for comb-2, 6-symbol resources. Figure 18H shows a DL-PRS resource configuration 1820 for comb-6, 12-symbol resources. Each of the transmission patterns in Figures 18A-18H has at least one sounded RE in each subcarrier and is therefore a fully staggered transmission pattern. If each DL-PRS resource configuration (or pattern) corresponds to a PRS resource, then each PRS resource is a fully staggered resource. DL-PRS resources may be configured in any higher layer configured DL or FL symbols of a slot. A constant energy per resource element (EPRE) may be used for all REs of a given DL-PRS resource.
[0295] A PRS may comprise a PRS resource, a PRS resource set, or a PRS resource of a frequency layer. A DL PRS positioning frequency layer (or simply a frequency layer) is a collection of DL PRS resource sets with a common parameter configured by the parameter DL-PRS-PositioningFrequencyLayer. Each frequency layer has the same DL PRS subcarrier spacing (SCS) for the DL PRS resource sets and DL PRS resources in the frequency layer. Each frequency layer has the same DL PRS cyclic prefix (CP) type for the DL PRS resource sets and DL PRS resources in the frequency layer. The DL PRS point A parameter also defines the frequency of the reference resource block. DL PRS resources belong to the same DL PRS resource set with the same point A, and all DL PRS resource sets belong to the same frequency layer with the same point A. The PRS resource sets of a frequency layer also have the same starting PRB (and center frequency) and the same comb size value.
[0296] As used herein, a positioning session may comprise multiple PRS instances, with each PRS instance comprising a PRS resource set. The PRS resource set, in turn, comprises multiple PRS resources. For example, in some implementations, a positioning session may span approximately 20 seconds, while each PRS instance may span approximately 160 ms. DL PRS resources may be repeated to facilitate Rx beam sweeping across different repetitions, combining gains for coverage extension, and / or in-instance muting. In some designs, the PRS configuration may support a number of repetition counts (PRS-ResourceRepetitionFactor) and a number of time gaps (PRS-ResourceTimeGap), as shown in Table 2. [Table 3]
[0297] 19 illustrates a PRS resource allocation 1900 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. The PRS resource allocation 1900 reflects a DL-PRS resource set with four resources, a PRS-ResourceRepetitionFactor of 4, and a PRS-ResourceTimeGap of 1 slot.
[0298] 20 illustrates a PRS resource allocation 2000 according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. The PRS resource allocation 2000 reflects a DL-PRS resource set with four resources, a PRS-ResourceRepetitionFactor of 4, and a PRS-ResourceTimeGap of 4 slots.
[0299] In some designs, two different PRS configurations may be used as part of a so-called two-stage PRS instance. For example, a first PRS configuration for the first stage may be used for coarse positioning but without aliasing ambiguities (e.g., comb-1 or substantially comb-1 after destaggering). For example, the first PRS configuration for the first stage may have a lower BW and a longer period (e.g., may be based on SSB in some designs) compared to a second PRS configuration for the second stage to reduce overhead. For example, the first PRS configuration for the first stage may be designed to provide positioning estimates sufficient to resolve aliasing ambiguities associated with the second PRS configuration.
[0300] In some designs, the second PRS configuration for the second stage of a two-stage PRS instance may tolerate aliasing ambiguities but still enable accurate positioning. For example, ambiguities associated with the second PRS configuration may be resolved using a coarse (or lower quality) estimate based on the first PRS configuration. In some designs, use of a two-stage PRS instance may enable reuse of existing waveforms, such as CSI-RS or TRS. In some designs, use of a two-stage PRS instance may implicitly indicate ambiguity resolution parameters (e.g., indicate to the UE that the UE is expected to resolve ambiguities from comb-N (N>1) in the second PRS configuration based on the first PRS configuration). In some designs, parameters in one of the PRS configurations may be implicit or indirectly indicated based on parameters explicitly configured in the other PRS configuration (e.g., the BW of the second PRS configuration may be twice the BW of the first PRS configuration, both PRS configurations may be assumed to be associated with the same period, etc.). Alternatively, both the first PRS configuration and the second PRS configuration may be combined into a single PRS configuration (e.g., a PRS of M OFDM symbols, where after destaggering, the first M1 OFDM symbols are effectively comb-1 and the remaining OFDM symbols are comb-N).
[0301] 15, as described above, a transmission configuration such as cellular reference signal resource configuration 1500 may be used for Doppler estimation with multistatic radar. In some designs, the Doppler estimation may be based on a 2D-FFT, and interpolation may be used to fill in any missing observations (e.g., due to S slots, etc.). In cellular reference signal resource configuration 1500, there is one RS transmitted every 14 symbols, which may be referred to herein as the RS density. A higher RS density (i.e., a higher density of target radar signals) may facilitate more precise tracking of targets, at the expense of greater overhead.
[0302] In other designs, Doppler estimation may be based on a power delay profile (PDP). In this case, a comb structure may be exploited in the frequency domain with linear preprocessing of the delay. To handle non-periodic RS patterns, nonlinear processing may be performed only in the time domain. For example, all symbols are transformed into the time domain, the LoS paths and corresponding delays for each path are found, and the Doppler frequency is estimated for each path by measuring the phase rotation over time. However, two objects with the same distance but different velocities may be difficult to distinguish (e.g., therefore, multi-target Doppler estimation may be required).
[0303] One or more aspects of the present disclosure are directed to implementations of transmission configurations for target radar signals with different target radar signal densities in the time domain. In contrast to the cellular reference signal resource configuration 1500 of FIG. 15 , the target radar signal density may be adapted within a particular time-domain portion of a particular target radar signal burst or opportunity. Such aspects may provide various technical advantages, such as supporting more accurate target tracking in time portions with higher target radar signal density while reducing overhead in time portions with lower target radar signal density (e.g., without being forced to choose one target radar signal density for all time-domain portions of a particular target radar signal burst or opportunity, thereby sacrificing either target tracking accuracy or overhead).
[0304] 21 shows an example process 2100 of communication according to an aspect of the disclosure. In an aspect, process 2100 may be performed by a radar controller, which may be integrated with a RAN component such as BS 304, or a core network component such as network entity 306, or an external server, as described above. In some designs, the radar controller may be integrated with the first or second wireless communication device as described above, in which case any exchange of data between the radar controller and the respective wireless communication device represents an internal transfer of data rather than signals being communicated over a network.
[0305] At 2110, a radar controller (e.g., processing system 384 or 394, radar component 388 or 389, etc.) determines at least one transmit configuration for a target radar signal from a first wireless communication device to a second wireless communication device, the target radar signal being for detection of at least one target, the at least one transmit configuration configuring a first time-domain portion associated with a first time-domain target radar signal density and a second time-domain portion associated with a second time-domain target radar signal density different from the first time-domain target radar signal density. In some designs, the first wireless communication device may correspond to a network component (e.g., the BS 304, which may be configured as a relay, or a particular TRP associated with the BS 304, etc.). In other designs, the first wireless communication device may correspond to a UE, such as the UE 302. In some designs, the second wireless communication device may correspond to a network component (e.g., the BS 304, which may be configured as a relay, or a particular TRP associated with the BS 304, etc.). In other designs, the second wireless communication device may correspond to a UE, such as UE 302. Moreover, aspects are directed to various permutations of device types of the first and second wireless communication devices for transport of target radar signals (e.g., from a UE to a BS / TRP / relay, from a BS / TRP / relay to a UE, from a BS / TRP / relay to another BS / TRP / relay, etc.). In some designs, the determination at 2110 may be based on time-varying target tracking accuracy requirements (e.g., high accuracy desired at the beginning, middle, or end of burst detection, etc.), whereby the time-domain target radar signal density is proportional to the target tracking accuracy requirement across burst detection.
[0306] At 2120, the radar controller (e.g., data bus 382, network interface 380 or 390, etc.) transmits to the first wireless communication device at least one transmission configuration for the first and second wireless communication devices.
[0307] FIG. 22 shows an example process 2200 of communication according to an aspect of the present disclosure. In an aspect, process 2200 may be performed by a first wireless communication device. In some designs, the first wireless communication device may correspond to a network component (e.g., the BS 304, which may be configured as a relay, or a particular TRP associated with the BS 304, etc.). In other designs, the wireless communication device may correspond to a UE, such as the UE 302. For example, the first wireless communication device described with reference to FIG. 22 may correspond to the first wireless communication device described above with reference to FIG. 21 (e.g., a Tx gNB or UE transmitting a radar signal to the Rx gNB or UE). In some designs, the radar controller may be integrated with the first wireless communication device as described above, in which case any exchange of data between the radar controller and the first wireless communication device corresponds to an internal transfer of data rather than signals being communicated over a network.
[0308] At 2210, a first wireless communication device (e.g., receiver 312 or 322, network interface 380, data bus 382, etc.) receives from a radar controller at least one transmit configuration for a target radar signal from the first wireless communication device to a second wireless communication device, the target radar signal being for detection of at least one target, the at least one transmit configuration configuring a first time-domain portion associated with a first time-domain target radar signal density and a second time-domain portion associated with a second time-domain target radar signal density different from the first time-domain target radar signal density. In some designs, the second wireless communication device may correspond to a network component (e.g., BS 304, which may be configured as a relay, or a particular TRP associated with BS 304, etc.). In other designs, the second wireless communication device may correspond to a UE, such as UE 302. Additionally, aspects are directed to various permutations of device types of the first and second wireless communications devices for transport of target radar signals (e.g., from a UE to a BS / TRP / relay, from a BS / TRP / relay to a UE, from a BS / TRP / relay to another BS / TRP / relay, etc.).
[0309] At 2220, the first wireless communication device (e.g., transmitter 314 or 314 or 354 or 364, radar component 342 or 388, processing system 332 or 384, etc.) transmits a target radar signal to a second wireless communication device according to at least one transmission configuration.
[0310] FIG. 23 shows an example process 2300 of communication according to an aspect of the present disclosure. In an aspect, process 2300 may be performed by a second wireless communication device. In some designs, the second wireless communication device may correspond to a network component (e.g., the BS 304, which may be configured as a relay, or a particular TRP associated with the BS 304, etc.). In other designs, the second wireless communication device may correspond to a UE, such as the UE 302. For example, the second wireless communication device described with reference to FIG. 23 may correspond to the second wireless communication device described above with reference to FIG. 21 (e.g., an Rx gNB or UE receiving a radar signal from a Tx gNB or UE). In some designs, the radar controller may be integrated with the second wireless communication device as described above, in which case any exchange of data between the radar controller and the second wireless communication device corresponds to an internal transfer of data rather than signals being communicated over a network.
[0311] At 2310, a second wireless communication device (e.g., receiver 312 or 322, network interface 380, data bus 382, etc.) receives from the radar controller at least one transmit configuration for a target radar signal from the first wireless communication device to the second wireless communication device, the target radar signal being for detection of at least one target, the at least one transmit configuration configuring a first time-domain portion associated with a first time-domain target radar signal density and a second time-domain portion associated with a second time-domain target radar signal density different from the first time-domain target radar signal density. In some designs, the first wireless communication device may correspond to a network component (e.g., BS 304, which may be configured as a relay, or a particular TRP associated with BS 304, etc.). In other designs, the wireless communication device may correspond to a UE, such as UE 302. Additionally, aspects are directed to various permutations of device types of the first and second wireless communications devices for transport of target radar signals (e.g., from a UE to a BS / TRP / relay, from a BS / TRP / relay to a UE, from a BS / TRP / relay to another BS / TRP / relay, etc.).
[0312] At 2320, the second wireless communication device (e.g., receiver 312 or 322 or 352 or 362, radar component 342 or 388, processing system 332 or 384, etc.) transmits the target radar signal to the second wireless communication device according to at least one transmission configuration.
[0313] 21-23, in some designs, the target radar signal may have an OFDM waveform. In some designs, the target radar signal may be transported over a PHY channel, or a signal from a cellular or sidelink technology (e.g., PDSCH, PDCCH, CSIRS, DMRS, TRS, PSSCH, PSCCH), or a new reference signal type defined within the NR RAT.
[0314] 21-23 , in some designs, the at least one transmit configuration comprises a single transmit configuration constituting both the first time domain portion and the second time domain portion (e.g., as described above with reference to PRS configurations with different effective combs for different OFDM symbols rather than separate two-stage PRS configurations). In other designs, similar to the two-stage PRS configurations described above, the at least one transmit configuration may comprise a first transmit configuration constituting the first time domain portion and a second transmit configuration constituting the second time domain portion. In some designs, the first transmit configuration and the second transmit configuration are transmitted by the radar controller to the first and second wireless communication devices at different times. In other designs, the first transmit configuration and the second transmit configuration are transmitted by the radar controller to the first and second wireless communication devices simultaneously.
[0315] 21-23 , in some designs, the first and second time-domain portions are adjacent to one another with no intervening time gap. In other designs, a time-domain gap is disposed between the first and second time-domain portions. As described in more detail below, the time-domain gap may or may not be defined as a discrete number of OFDM symbols. In some designs, the first and second time-domain portions are associated with the same target radar signal opportunity (or burst) for detection of at least one target.
[0316] 21-23 , in some designs, the first and second time-domain portions have the same time length. In other designs, the first and second time-domain portions have different time lengths. In some designs, the at least one transmit configuration further configures a third time-domain portion (e.g., in some designs, any number of additional time-domain portions may also be configured). In some designs, the third time-domain portion is associated with a third time-domain target radar signal density that is the same as or different from the first or second time-domain target radar signal density. For example, the third time-domain target radar signal density may correspond to the first time-domain target radar signal density while being offset in the time domain from the first time-domain portion. The third time-domain portion may also be configured with the same time length as one or both of the first and second time-domain portions, or alternatively, may be configured with an entirely different time length.
[0317] 24 illustrates a transmission configuration 2400 for a target radar signal opportunity configured with time-domain portions having different time-domain target radar signal densities, according to certain aspects of the present disclosure. In FIG. 24 , a first time-domain portion 2402 having a time length of X1 (X1=1.0 ms, or two 0.5 ms OFDM slots) and a time-domain target radar signal density of D1 (D1=four target radar symbols per slot) is followed by a second time-domain portion 2404 having a time length of X2 (X2=4.0 ms, or eight 0.5 ms OFDM slots) and a time-domain target radar signal density of D2 (D2=one target radar symbol per slot). In transmission configuration 2400, there is no time gap between first time-domain portion 2402 and second time-domain portion 2404.
[0318] FIG. 25 illustrates a transmission configuration 2500 for a target radar signal opportunity configured with time-domain portions having different time-domain target radar signal densities according to another aspect of the present disclosure. In FIG. 25, a first time-domain portion 2502 having a time length of X1 (X1=1.0 ms, or two 0.5 ms OFDM slots) and a time-domain target radar signal density of D1 (D1=four target radar symbols per slot) is followed by a second time-domain portion 2506 having a time length of X2 (X2=4.0 ms, or eight 0.5 ms OFDM slots) and a time-domain target radar signal density of D2 (D2=one target radar symbol per slot). In transmission configuration 2500, a time gap (T) 2504 is disposed between first time-domain portion 2502 and second time-domain portion 2506. In the example of FIG. 25, time gap (T) 2504 has a time length of 1.0 ms, or two 0.5 ms OFDM symbols.
[0319] FIG. 26 illustrates a transmission configuration 2600 for target radar signal opportunities configured with time-domain portions having different time-domain target radar signal densities according to another aspect of the present disclosure. In FIG. 26, a first time-domain portion 2602 having a time length of X1 (X1=1.0 ms, or two 0.5 ms OFDM slots) and a time-domain target radar signal density of D1 (D1=four target radar symbols per slot) is followed by a second time-domain portion 2606 having a time length of X2 (X2=4.0 ms, or eight 0.5 ms OFDM slots) and a time-domain target radar signal density of D2 (D2=one target radar symbol per slot). In transmission configuration 2600, a time gap (T) 2604 is disposed between first time-domain portion 2602 and second time-domain portion 2606. In the example of FIG. 26, time gap (T) 2604 is shorter than a single 0.5 ms OFDM symbol (i.e., not defined as a discrete number of OFDM symbols). In some designs, the time gap (T) 2604 may be specified as a constant (e.g., starting at the next DL slot after the first time domain portion 2602, or starting at a subframe boundary, or starting at a frame boundary, etc.). In some designs, the resources configured for the first time domain portion 2602 and the second time domain portion 2606 may be within the same resource set, or the configurations implying which ports transmit in the first time domain portion 2602 and the second time domain portion 2606 are the same or QCL'd (e.g., spatially, Doppler shift, Doppler spread, delay spread, delay shift, or a combination).
[0320] 27 illustrates a transmission configuration 2700 for target radar signal opportunities configured with time-domain portions having different time-domain target radar signal densities in accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure. In FIG. 27, a first time-domain portion 2702 having a time length of X1 (X1=1.0 ms, or two 0.5 ms OFDM slots) and a time-domain target radar signal density of D1 (D1=4 target radar symbols per slot) is followed by a second time-domain portion 2706 having a time length of X2 (X2=2.0 ms, or four 0.5 ms OFDM slots) and a time-domain target radar signal density of D2 (D2=1 target radar symbol per slot), which is followed by a third time-domain portion 2710 having a time length of X1 (X1=1.0 ms, or two 0.5 ms OFDM slots) and a time-domain target radar signal density of D1 (D1=4 target radar symbols per slot). In transmission configuration 2700, a first time gap (T) 2704 is disposed between first time domain portion 2702 and second time domain portion 2706, and a second time gap (T) 2708 is disposed between second time domain portion 2706 and third time domain portion 2710. In the example of FIG. 27 , time gaps (T) 2704 and 2708 each have a time length of 1.0 ms or two 0.5 ms OFDM symbols. In some designs, time gaps (T) 2704 and 2708 may be specified as constants (e.g., starting at the next DL slot after the respective time domain portion, or starting at a subframe boundary, or starting at a frame boundary, etc.). As an example, from transmission configuration 2700, the second wireless communication device may know that all pilots transmitted within each configured resource for target radar signal opportunities spanning the first through third time portions are QCL'd or associated with the same port.
[0321] 28 illustrates a transmission configuration 2800 for a target radar signal opportunity configured with time-domain portions having different time-domain target radar signal densities in accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure. In FIG. 28, a first time-domain portion 2802 having a time length of X1 (X1=1.0 ms, or two 0.5 ms OFDM slots) and a time-domain target radar signal density of D1 (D1=four target radar symbols per slot) is followed by a second time-domain portion 2806 having a time length of X2 (X2=2.0 ms, or four 0.5 ms OFDM slots) and a time-domain target radar signal density of D2 (D2=one target radar symbol per slot), which is followed by a third time-domain portion 2810 having a time length of X1 (X1=1.0 ms, or two 0.5 ms OFDM slots) and a time-domain target radar signal density of D3 (D3=two target radar symbols per slot). In transmission configuration 2800, a first time gap (T) 2804 is disposed between first time domain portion 2802 and second time domain portion 2806, and a second time gap (T) 2808 is disposed between second time domain portion 2806 and third time domain portion 2810. In the example of FIG. 28 , time gaps (T) 2804 and 2808 each have a time length of 1.0 ms or two 0.5 ms OFDM symbols. In some designs, time gaps (T) 2804 and 2808 may be specified as constants (e.g., starting at the next DL slot after the respective time domain portion, or starting at a subframe boundary, or starting at a frame boundary, etc.). As an example, from transmission configuration 2800, the second wireless communication device may know that all pilots transmitted within each configured resource for target radar signal opportunities spanning the first through third time portions are QCL'd or associated with the same port.
[0322] As can be seen from the illustrated examples in FIGS. 24-28, various combinations of time-domain target radar signal densities, time lengths, time gaps, etc. may be implemented for each time-domain portion of various transmission configurations in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.
[0323] In the above detailed description, it can be seen that various features are grouped together in the examples. This manner of disclosure should not be understood as an intention that the exemplary clauses have more features than are expressly stated in each clause. Rather, various aspects of the present disclosure may include fewer than all of the features of each disclosed exemplary clause. Accordingly, the following clauses should be considered incorporated into the description, and each clause may stand alone as a separate example. Although each dependent clause may refer to a specific combination with one of the other clauses within that clause, the aspects of that dependent clause are not limited to that specific combination. It will be understood that other exemplary clauses may also include combinations of aspects of the dependent clause with the subject matter of any other dependent clause or independent clause, or combinations of any features with other dependent clauses and independent clauses. Unless a specific combination is not intended (e.g., conflicting aspects, such as defining an element as both an insulator and a conductor) is expressly expressed or can be readily inferred, the various aspects disclosed herein expressly include these combinations. It is further contemplated that aspects of a clause may be included in any other independent clause, even if the clause is not directly dependent on the independent clause.
[0324] Example implementations are described in the following numbered clauses.
[0325] Clause 1. A method of operating a radar controller, the method comprising: determining at least one transmit configuration for a target radar signal from a first wireless communication device to a second wireless communication device, the target radar signal being for detection of at least one target, the at least one transmit configuration configuring a first time-domain portion associated with a first time-domain target radar signal density and a second time-domain portion associated with a second time-domain target radar signal density different from the first time-domain target radar signal density; and transmitting the at least one transmit configuration to the first wireless communication device and the second wireless communication device.
[0326] Clause 2. The method of clause 1, wherein the first wireless communication device corresponds to a base station, a transmission / reception point, a relay, or a user equipment (UE).
[0327] Clause 3. The method of clause 1 or 2, wherein the second wireless communication device corresponds to a base station, a transmission / reception point, a relay, or a user equipment (UE).
[0328] Clause 4. The method of any of clauses 1 to 3, wherein at least one transmission configuration comprises a single transmission configuration that configures both the first time domain portion and the second time domain portion.
[0329] Clause 5. The method of any of clauses 1 to 4, wherein at least one transmission configuration comprises a first transmission configuration constituting a first time domain portion and at least one transmission configuration comprises a second transmission configuration constituting a second time domain portion.
[0330] Clause 6. The method of clause 5, wherein the first transmission configuration and the second transmission configuration are transmitted at different times.
[0331] Clause 7. The method of any of clauses 1 to 6, wherein the first time domain portion and the second time domain portion are adjacent to each other with no intervening time gap.
[0332] Clause 8. The method of any of clauses 1 to 7, wherein a time domain gap is disposed between the first time domain portion and the second time domain portion.
[0333] Clause 9. The method of any of clauses 1 to 8, wherein the first time domain portion and the second time domain portion are associated with the same target radar signal opportunity for detection of at least one target.
[0334] Clause 10. The method of any of clauses 1 to 9, wherein the first time domain portion and the second time domain portion have the same time length.
[0335] Clause 11. The method of any of clauses 1 to 10, wherein the first time domain portion and the second time domain portion have different time lengths.
[0336] Clause 12. The method of any of clauses 1 to 11, wherein at least one transmission configuration further comprises a third time domain portion.
[0337] Clause 13. The method of clause 12, wherein the third time-domain portion is associated with a third time-domain target radar signal density that is the same as or different from the first time-domain target radar signal density or the second time-domain target radar signal density.
[0338] Clause 14. A method of operating a first wireless communication device, the method comprising: receiving, from a radar controller, at least one transmission configuration for a target radar signal from the first wireless communication device to a second wireless communication device, the target radar signal being for detection of at least one target, the at least one transmission configuration configuring a first time-domain portion associated with a first time-domain target radar signal density and a second time-domain portion associated with a second time-domain target radar signal density different from the first time-domain target radar signal density; and transmitting the target radar signal to the second wireless communication device in accordance with the at least one transmission configuration.
[0339] Clause 15. The method of clause 14, wherein the first wireless communication device corresponds to a base station, a transmission / reception point, a relay, or a user equipment (UE).
[0340] Clause 16. The method of clause 14 or 15, wherein the second wireless communication device corresponds to a base station, a transmission / reception point, a relay, or a user equipment (UE).
[0341] Clause 17. The method of any of clauses 14 to 16, wherein at least one transmission configuration comprises a single transmission configuration that configures both the first time domain portion and the second time domain portion.
[0342] Clause 18. The method of any of clauses 14 to 17, wherein at least one transmission configuration comprises a first transmission configuration constituting a first time domain portion and at least one transmission configuration comprises a second transmission configuration constituting a second time domain portion.
[0343] Clause 19. The method of clause 18, wherein the first transmission configuration and the second transmission configuration are received at different times.
[0344] Clause 20. Any of clauses 14 to 19, wherein the first time domain portion and the second time domain portion are adjacent to one another with no intervening time gap.
[0345] Clause 21. The method of any of clauses 14 to 20, wherein a time domain gap is disposed between the first time domain portion and the second time domain portion.
[0346] Clause 22. The method of any of clauses 14 to 21, wherein the first time domain portion and the second time domain portion are associated with the same target radar signal opportunity for detection of at least one target.
[0347] Clause 23. The method of any of clauses 14 to 22, wherein the first time domain portion and the second time domain portion have the same time length.
[0348] Clause 24. The method of any of clauses 14 to 23, wherein the first time domain portion and the second time domain portion have different time lengths.
[0349] Clause 25. The method of any of clauses 14 to 24, wherein at least one transmission configuration further comprises a third time domain portion.
[0350] Clause 26. The method of clause 25, wherein the third time-domain portion is associated with a third time-domain target radar signal density that is the same as or different from the first time-domain target radar signal density or the second time-domain target radar signal density.
[0351] Clause 27. A method of operating a second wireless communication device, the method comprising: receiving, from a radar controller, at least one transmission configuration for a target radar signal from a first wireless communication device to the second wireless communication device, the target radar signal being for detection of at least one target, the at least one transmission configuration configuring a first time-domain portion associated with a first time-domain target radar signal density and a second time-domain portion associated with a second time-domain target radar signal density different from the first time-domain target radar signal density; and receiving the target radar signal from the first wireless communication device in accordance with the at least one transmission configuration.
[0352] Clause 28. The method of clause 27, wherein the first wireless communication device corresponds to a base station, a transmission / reception point, a relay, or a user equipment (UE).
[0353] Clause 29. The method of clause 27 or 28, wherein the second wireless communication device corresponds to a base station, a transmission / reception point, a relay, or a user equipment (UE).
[0354] Clause 30. The method of any of clauses 27 to 29, wherein at least one transmission configuration comprises a single transmission configuration that configures both the first time domain portion and the second time domain portion.
[0355] Clause 31. The method of any of clauses 27 to 30, wherein at least one transmission configuration comprises a first transmission configuration constituting a first time domain portion and at least one transmission configuration comprises a second transmission configuration constituting a second time domain portion.
[0356] Clause 32. The method of clause 31, wherein the first transmission configuration and the second transmission configuration are received at different times.
[0357] Clause 33. The method of any of clauses 27 to 32, wherein the first time domain portion and the second time domain portion are adjacent to each other with no intervening time gap.
[0358] Clause 34. The method of any of clauses 27 to 33, wherein a time domain gap is disposed between the first time domain portion and the second time domain portion.
[0359] Clause 35. The method of any of clauses 27 to 34, wherein the first time domain portion and the second time domain portion are associated with the same target radar signal opportunity for detection of at least one target.
[0360] Clause 36. The method of any of clauses 27 to 35, wherein the first time domain portion and the second time domain portion have the same time length.
[0361] Clause 37. The method of any of clauses 27 to 36, wherein the first time domain portion and the second time domain portion have different time lengths.
[0362] Clause 38. The method of any of clauses 27 to 37, wherein at least one transmission configuration further comprises a third time domain portion.
[0363] Clause 39. The method of clause 38, wherein the third time domain portion is associated with a third time domain target radar signal density that is the same as or different from the first time domain target radar signal density or the second time domain target radar signal density.
[0364] Clause 40. An apparatus comprising a memory and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory, wherein the memory and the at least one processor are configured to perform a method according to any of clauses 1 to 39.
[0365] Clause 41. Apparatus comprising means for carrying out a method according to any of clauses 1 to 39.
[0366] Clause 42. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions, the computer-executable instructions comprising at least one instruction for causing a computer or processor to perform a method according to any of clauses 1 to 39.
[0367] Those skilled in the art will understand that information and signals may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, the data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referred to throughout the above description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof.
[0368] Furthermore, those skilled in the art will understand that the various illustrative logical blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithm steps described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein may be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or a combination of both. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have been described above generally in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends on the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system. Those skilled in the art may implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present disclosure.
[0369] The various example logic blocks, modules, and circuits described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein may be implemented or performed using a general-purpose processor, a DSP, an ASIC, an FPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but alternatively, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.
[0370] The methods, sequences, and / or algorithms described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two. The software module may reside in random access memory (RAM), flash memory, read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable ROM (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), registers, hard disk, removable disk, CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor such that the processor can read information from, and write information to, the storage medium. Alternatively, the storage medium may be integral to the processor. The processor and the storage medium may reside in an ASIC. The ASIC may reside in a user terminal (e.g., UE). Alternatively, the processor and the storage medium may reside as discrete components in the user terminal.
[0371] In one or more exemplary aspects, the functions described may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, the functions may be stored on or transmitted over as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media includes both computer storage media and communication media, including any medium that facilitates transfer of a computer program from one place to another. Storage media may be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example, and not limitation, such computer-readable media may comprise RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer. Also, any connection is properly termed a computer-readable medium. For example, if software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave, the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave are included within the definition of medium. Disk and disc, as used herein, include compact discs (CDs), laser discs, optical discs, digital versatile discs (DVDs), floppy disks, and Blu-ray discs, where disks typically reproduce data magnetically and discs reproduce data optically using lasers. Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.
[0372] While the above disclosure illustrates exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, it should be noted that various changes and modifications can be made herein without departing from the scope of the present disclosure, which is defined by the appended claims. The functions, steps, and / or actions of the method claims according to the embodiments of the present disclosure described herein need not be performed in any particular order. Furthermore, although elements of the present disclosure may be described or claimed in the singular, the plural is contemplated unless limitation to the singular is explicitly stated. [Explanation of symbols]
[0373] 102 Base station 104UE 110 Geographic Coverage Areas 120 Communication Links 122 backhaul links 134 backhaul links 150 AP 152 STA 164 UE 170 Core Network 172 Location Server 180 mmW base station 182 UE 184 mmW communication link 190 UE 192 D2D P2P links 194 D2D P2P links 204 UE 210 5GC 212 User Plane Functions 213 User Plane Interface 214 Control Plane Functions 215 Control Plane Interface 220 New RAN 222 gNB 223 Backhaul Connection 224 ng-eNB 230 Location Server 260 5GC 262 UPF 263 User Plane Interface 264 AMF 265 Control Plane Interface 266 Session Management Facility (SMF) 270 Location Management Function (LMF) 272 SLP 302 UE 304 base station 306 Network Entity 310 WWAN transceiver 312 Receiver 314 Transmitter 316 Antenna 318 Signal 320 WLAN Transceiver 322 Receiver 324 Transmitter 326 Antenna 328 signal 330 SPS receiver 332 Processing System 334 Data Bus 336 Antenna 338 SPS signal 340 Memory Components 342 Radar Components 344 Sensors 346 User Interface 350 WWAN transceiver 352 receiver 354 Transmitter 356 Antenna 358 Signal 360 WLAN Transceiver 362 Receiver 364 Transmitter 366 Antenna 368 signal 370 SPS receiver 376 Antenna 378 SPS signal 380 Network Interface 382 Data Bus 384 Processing Systems 386 Memory Components 388 Radar Components 390 Network Interface 392 Data Bus 394 Processing Systems 396 Memory Components 398 Radar Components 502 base station 504 Building 506 Radio Signal 508 Beam 532 UE 534 Reflected signal 602 base station 604 First Reference Signal 606 Reflected signal 608 Second Reference Signal 610 UE 612 First receive beam 614 Second receive beam 616 Third receiving beam 702 Third Reference Signal 704 Second Building 708 Reflected signal 802 base station 804 First Reference Signal 805 Second Reference Signal 806 Third Reference Signal 810UE 812 First receive beam 814 Second receive beam 816 Third receiving beam 820a First Object 820b Second Object 902 Transmitter 904 Receiver 906 Target 908 Transmitted Signal 910 Echo Signal 912 LOS signal 1002 Base station 1004 Base station 1006 Target 1008 Transmitted signal 1010 echo signal 1012 LOS signal 1102 Core Network (CN) 1104 Radio Access Network (RAN) 1106 User Equipment (UE) 1108 Radar Controller 1110 Radar Controller 1605 UL signal 1705 DL signal 1710 DL signal 2402 first time domain part 2404 Second Time Domain Part 2502 First time domain part 2504 Time Gap 2506 Second Time Domain Part 2602 First time domain part 2604 Time Gap 2606 Second Time Domain Part 2702 First time domain part 2704 First Time Gap 2706 Second Time Domain Part 2708 Second Time Gap 2710 Third Time Domain Part 2802 First time domain part 2804 Time Gap 2806 Second Time Domain Part 2808 Time Gap 2810 Third Time Domain Part
Claims
1. 1. A method of operating a radar controller, comprising: determining at least one transmission configuration for target radar signals from a first wireless communication device to a second wireless communication device, the target radar signals being for detection of at least one target, the at least one transmission configuration comprising a first time-domain portion associated with a first time-domain target radar signal density including a first set of target radar signals and a second time-domain portion associated with a second time-domain target radar signal density including a second set of target radar signals, the second time-domain target radar signal density being different from the first time-domain target radar signal density; transmitting the at least one transmission configuration to the first wireless communication device and the second wireless communication device; A method comprising:
2. The method described in claim 1, wherein the first set of target radar signals is composed of a first number of target radar symbols per slot, and the second set of target radar signals is composed of a second number of target radar symbols per slot.
3. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first wireless communication device and / or the second wireless communication device corresponds to a base station, a transmission / reception point, a relay, or a user equipment (UE).
4. the at least one transmission configuration comprises a single transmission configuration that configures both the first time domain portion and the second time domain portion; or 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one transmission configuration comprises a first transmission configuration constituting the first time domain portion and a second transmission configuration constituting the second time domain portion, the first transmission configuration and the second transmission configuration being transmitted at different times.
5. the first time-domain portion and the second time-domain portion are adjacent to each other with no intervening time gap; or The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein a time domain gap is disposed between the first time domain portion and the second time domain portion.
6. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first time-domain portion and the second time-domain portion are associated with time-domain portions of the same target radar signal for detecting the at least one target.
7. the first time domain portion and the second time domain portion have the same duration; or The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the first time-domain portion and the second time-domain portion have different time lengths.
8. the at least one transmission configuration further comprises a third time domain portion; 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the third time-domain portion is associated with a third time-domain target radar signal density that is the same as or different from the first time-domain target radar signal density or the second time-domain target radar signal density.
9. 1. A method of operating a first wireless communication device, comprising: receiving, from a radar controller, at least one transmission configuration for target radar signals from the first wireless communication device to a second wireless communication device, the target radar signals for detection of at least one target, the at least one transmission configuration configuring a first time-domain portion associated with a first time-domain target radar signal density including a first set of target radar signals and a second time-domain portion associated with a second time-domain target radar signal density including a second set of target radar signals, the second time-domain target radar signal density being different from the first time-domain target radar signal density; transmitting the target radar signal to the second wireless communication device in accordance with the at least one transmission configuration; A method comprising:
10. 1. A method of operating a second wireless communication device, comprising: receiving, from a radar controller, at least one transmission configuration for target radar signals from a first wireless communication device to the second wireless communication device, the target radar signals for detection of at least one target, the at least one transmission configuration configuring a first time-domain portion associated with a first time-domain target radar signal density including a first set of target radar signals and a second time-domain portion associated with a second time-domain target radar signal density including a second set of target radar signals, the second time-domain target radar signal density being different from the first time-domain target radar signal density; receiving the target radar signal from the first wireless communication device in accordance with the at least one transmission configuration; A method comprising:
11. means for determining at least one transmission configuration for target radar signals from a first wireless communication device to a second wireless communication device, the target radar signals being for detection of at least one target, the at least one transmission configuration comprising a first time-domain portion associated with a first time-domain target radar signal density including a first set of target radar signals, and a second time-domain portion associated with a second time-domain target radar signal density including a second set of target radar signals, the second time-domain target radar signal density being different from the first time-domain target radar signal density; means for transmitting the at least one transmission configuration to the first wireless communication device and the second wireless communication device; A radar controller comprising:
12. means for receiving, from a radar controller, at least one transmission configuration for target radar signals from a first wireless communication device to a second wireless communication device, the target radar signals for detection of at least one target, the at least one transmission configuration comprising a first time-domain portion associated with a first time-domain target radar signal density including a first set of target radar signals, and a second time-domain portion associated with a second time-domain target radar signal density including a second set of target radar signals, the second time-domain target radar signal density being different from the first time-domain target radar signal density; means for transmitting the target radar signal to the second wireless communication device in accordance with the at least one transmission configuration; a first wireless communication device comprising:
13. means for receiving, from a radar controller, at least one transmission configuration for target radar signals from a first wireless communication device to a second wireless communication device, the target radar signals for detection of at least one target, the at least one transmission configuration comprising a first time-domain portion associated with a first time-domain target radar signal density including a first set of target radar signals, and a second time-domain portion associated with a second time-domain target radar signal density including a second set of target radar signals, the second time-domain target radar signal density being different from the first time-domain target radar signal density; means for receiving the target radar signal from the first wireless communication device in accordance with the at least one transmission configuration; a second wireless communication device comprising:
14. A radar controller as claimed in claim 11, a first wireless communication device as claimed in claim 12, or a second wireless communication device as claimed in claim 13, configured to perform the method of any one of claims 1, 2, 9, and 10.
15. 11. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a set of instructions comprising one or more instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the method of any one of claims 1, 2, 9, and 10.
Citation Information
Patent Citations
Sharing spectrum between radar and communications applications
GB2428921A
Radar equipment
JP1998054873A
Coexistence of wireless communication and radar probing
JP2019525134A
Controlling Radar Transmissions Within a Licensed Frequency Band
US20200107249A1