Beam Management Using Sparse Antenna Arrays

Abstract

Methods, systems, and device communications are described. A terminal may be identified by a geographic region. First beam coefficients may be determined for an antenna array having different antenna inter-element spacings across the antenna array. The first beam coefficients may be used to form a first beam for the terminal, where a coverage area of ​​the first beam may encompass the geographic region. The first beam may be used to communicate with the terminal. Second beam coefficients for the antenna array may be determined based on the utilization rate of the first beam exceeding a threshold. The second beam coefficients may be used to form a second beam, where a coverage area of ​​the second beam may differ from the coverage area of ​​the first beam. The second beam may be used to communicate with the terminal.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The following relates generally to communications involving beamforming using sparse antenna arrays.

[0002] Communication devices may communicate with each other using wired connections, wireless (e.g., radio frequency (RF)) connections, or both. Wireless communication between devices may be performed using a wireless spectrum designated for a service provider, a wireless technology, or both. In some examples, the amount of information that can be communicated over a wireless communication network is based on the amount of wireless spectrum designated for the service provider and the amount of frequency reuse in the area in which the service is provided. Wireless communications (e.g., cellular communications, satellite communications, etc.) may use beamforming and multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) techniques for communication between devices to increase frequency reuse, but providing high levels of frequency reuse in some types of communication systems, such as satellite communications, presents challenges. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The terminal may be identified by a geographic region. First beam coefficients may be determined for an antenna array having different antenna inter-element spacings across the antenna array. The first beam coefficients may be used to form a first beam for the terminal, where a coverage area of ​​the first beam may encompass the geographic region. The first beam may be used to communicate with the terminal. Second beam coefficients for the antenna array may be determined based on the utilization of the first beam exceeding a threshold. The second beam coefficients may be used to form a second beam, where a coverage area of ​​the second beam may differ from the coverage area of ​​the first beam. The second beam may be used to communicate with the terminal. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0004] [Figure 1] 1 illustrates an example of a satellite communications system that supports beam management using a sparse antenna array, according to examples described herein. [Figure 2] 1 illustrates an example of a communication network that supports beam management using sparse antenna arrays, according to examples described herein. [Figure 3] 1 illustrates an example communications subsystem that supports beam management using a sparse antenna array, according to examples described herein. [Figure 4] 1 illustrates an example communications subsystem that supports beam management using a sparse antenna array, according to examples described herein. [Figure 5] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary coverage diagram for beam management using a sparse antenna array, according to examples described herein. [Figure 6A] 1 illustrates an example communications subsystem that supports beam management using a sparse antenna array, according to examples described herein. [Figure 6B] 1 illustrates an example communications subsystem that supports beam management using a sparse antenna array, according to examples described herein. [Figure 7A] 1 illustrates an example communications subsystem that supports beam management using a sparse antenna array, according to examples described herein. [Figure 7B] 1 illustrates an example communications subsystem that supports beam management using a sparse antenna array, according to examples described herein. [Figure 8] 10 illustrates an example set of operations for beam management using a sparse antenna array, according to examples described herein. [Figure 9] 10 illustrates an example set of operations for beam management using a sparse antenna array, according to examples described herein. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0005] A communication system (e.g., a satellite system) may communicate with terminals using wide communication beams (e.g., having a coverage area spanning tens of kilometers), narrow communication beams (e.g., having a coverage area spanning less than 5 kilometers), or a combination thereof. In some examples, enhancement techniques (e.g., geometric interpretation, geometrically informed MIMO, etc.) may be used to form the narrow communication beams. Narrow communication beams may be formed within the wide communication beams and used to increase the capacity of the communication system, to enhance signal quality for the terminals, or a combination thereof.

[0006] Techniques may be established to support the use of both wide and narrow communications beams to carry out communications. In some examples, techniques may be established for determining when to activate one or more narrow communications beams based, for example, on utilization of the wide communications beam above a threshold. Techniques may also be established for repositioning (e.g., centering) the beam coverage area of ​​a narrow communications beam to enhance (e.g., maximize) the quality of signals transmitted by a terminal using the narrow communications beam, as well as for maintaining (e.g., by moving) the beam coverage area of ​​a narrow communications beam in a preferred location when the terminal moves. In addition, techniques may be established for forming additional narrow communications beams to serve terminals left behind by the mobile beam coverage area of ​​a narrow communications beam.

[0007] 1 illustrates an example of a satellite communications system 100 supporting beam management using a sparse antenna array, according to examples described herein. The satellite communications system 100 may include a ground system 135, terminals 120, and a satellite system 101. The ground system 135 may include a network of access nodes 140 configured to communicate with the satellite system 101. The access nodes 140 may be coupled to access node transceivers 145 configured to process signals received from and to be transmitted through corresponding access nodes 140. The access node transceivers 145 may also be configured to interface with a network 125 (e.g., the Internet) via, for example, a network device 130 (e.g., a network operations center, a satellite and gateway terminal command center, or other central processing center or device) that may provide an interface for communicating with the network 125.

[0008] Terminals 120 may include various devices configured to communicate signals with satellites 101, which may include fixed terminals (e.g., terrestrial stationary terminals) or mobile terminals, such as terminals located on ships, aircraft, ground vehicles, etc. User terminals 120 may communicate data and information with access node terminals 140 via satellites 101. The data and information may be communicated to a destination device, such as network device 130, or some other device or distributed server associated with network 125.

[0009] The satellite system 101 may include a single satellite or a network of satellites deployed in space orbit (e.g., low Earth orbit, medium Earth orbit, geostationary orbit, etc.). One or more satellites included in the satellite system 101 may include multiple antennas (e.g., one or more antenna arrays). In some examples, one or more satellites with multiple antennas may each include one or more antenna panels including an array of evenly distributed antennas (sometimes referred to as antenna elements). In some examples, a satellite may include an antenna array including antennas that are unevenly distributed over a large area. In some examples, the antennas may be connected to a central entity via wired or wireless links. Deploying antennas over a large area may increase the aperture size of the satellite's antenna array relative to an antenna array including uniformly distributed antennas (e.g., due to limitations associated with manufacturing and deploying large antenna arrays with uniformly distributed antennas). In some examples, a set of satellites, each including an antenna, may be unevenly distributed over a large area, and each satellite may communicate with a central entity (e.g., a central server or ground station). In such cases, the antennas of the set of satellites may be used to form an antenna array. In some examples, a set of satellites, each including an antenna subarray, may be distributed non-uniformly over a wide area, and each satellite may communicate with a central entity (e.g., a central server or a ground station), and the antenna subarray may include an array of uniformly distributed antennas. In such cases, the antenna subarrays of the set of satellites may be used to form an antenna array.

[0010] The satellite system 101 may use one or more satellites to support multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) techniques to increase utilization of frequency resources used for communication, for example, by allowing the wireless spectrum to be reused in time and frequency in different geographic regions of a geographic area. Similarly, the satellite system 101 may use one or more satellites to support beamforming techniques to increase utilization of frequency resources used for communication.

[0011] MIMO techniques can be used to exploit multipath signal propagation and increase spectral efficiency by transmitting or receiving multiple signals via different spatial layers. The multiple signals can be transmitted by a transmitting device (e.g., a satellite system) via a set of antennas according to a set of weighting coefficients. Similarly, the multiple signals can be received by a receiving device (e.g., a satellite system) via a set of antennas according to a set of weighting coefficients. Each of the multiple signals can be associated with a separate spatial stream and can carry bits associated with the same data stream (e.g., the same codeword) or different data streams (e.g., different codewords). MIMO techniques include single-user MIMO (SU-MIMO), in which multiple spatial layers are used to communicate with one device, and multiple-user MIMO (MU-MIMO), in which multiple spatial layers are used to communicate with multiple devices.

[0012] To determine weighting coefficients to apply to the set of antennas such that N spatial layers are formed, an (M×N) MIMO matrix may be formed, where M may represent the number of antennas in the set of antennas. In some examples, M may be equal to N. The MIMO matrix may be determined based on the channel matrix and used to separate different spatial layers of the channel. In some examples, the weighting coefficients are selected to emphasize signals transmitted using different spatial layers while reducing interference of signals transmitted in other spatial layers. Thus, processing signals received at each antenna (e.g., signals received at the set of antennas) with the set of antennas using a MIMO matrix may result in multiple signals being output, each of the multiple signals may correspond to one of the spatial layers. The elements of the MIMO matrix used to form the spatial layers of the channel may be determined based on, for example, channel sounding probes received at the satellite system 101 from one or more devices. In some examples, the weighting coefficients used for MIMO communications may be referred to as beam coefficients, and the multiple signals or spatial layers may be referred to as beam signals.

[0013] Beamforming techniques may be used to shape or steer communication beams along a spatial path between the satellite system 101 and a geographic area. A communication beam may be formed by determining weighting coefficients for antenna elements of an antenna array that cause signals transmitted from or received at the antenna elements to be combined such that signals propagating in a particular direction relative to the antenna array are subject to constructive interference, while other signals are subject to destructive interference. Thus, beamforming may be used to transmit signals with energy focused in the direction of the communication beam and receive signals arriving in the direction of communication with increased signal power (relative to the absence of beamforming). Weighting coefficients may be used to apply an amplitude offset, a phase offset, or both to signals carried via the antenna. In some examples, weighting coefficients applied to an antenna may be used to form multiple beams associated with multiple directions, and multiple beams may be used to simultaneously communicate multiple signals having the same frequency. Weighting coefficients used for beamforming may be referred to as beam coefficients, and the multiple signals may be referred to as beam signals.

[0014] In some examples, beamforming techniques may be used by the satellite system 101 to form spot beams that are tiled (e.g., mosaicked) across a geographic area. In some examples, the wireless spectrum used by the satellite system 101 may be reused across a set of spot beams for communications between terminals 120 and the satellite system. In some examples, the wireless spectrum may be reused in non-overlapping spot beams, and adjacent geographic areas may be covered by overlapping spot beams that each use orthogonal resources (e.g., orthogonal time, frequency, or polarization resources).

[0015] To support an increased number of users within a geographic area, antenna arrays having antennas with different inter-element spacings across the antenna array (which may be referred to as large sparse antenna arrays) may be used to increase the resolution of beamforming techniques. That is, large sparse antenna arrays may be used (e.g., in combination with respective beam coefficients) to form communication beams having small coverage areas (e.g., less than 10 kilometers in diameter). A large sparse antenna array, such as antenna array 105, may include multiple antennas 110 (e.g., hundreds or thousands of antennas) distributed unevenly across an area, e.g., in space. In some examples, each antenna 110 is or is located on an individual satellite. In other examples, antennas 110 are located on a single satellite, with each antenna 110 tethered to a central location, e.g., via a physical connection.

[0016] Additionally, the distance between the antennas 110 may be greater than the distance associated with the wavelength of the signals supported for communication by the large sparse antenna array, e.g., the distance between the antennas 110 may be greater than the distance associated with the wavelength. In some examples, the distance between the antennas 110 may be greater than 10 times the wavelength. In some examples, a first distance (d1) between a first one of the antennas 110 and a second one of the antennas 110 may be different from a second distance (d2) between a second one of the antennas 110 and a third one of the antennas 110, such as across the entire antenna array 105. In some examples, the large sparse antenna array includes multiple antenna subarrays 115 (e.g., tens or hundreds of antenna subarrays) that are distributed non-uniformly across an area. In some examples, each antenna subarray may include a group of antennas 110. In some examples, each antenna subarray 115 may include antennas 110 (which may be referred to as antenna elements) that are distributed evenly across the corresponding antenna subarray 115. In some examples, in addition to being highly sparse, the antenna array 105 may be random or semi-random such that the distances between the antennas 110 of the antenna array 105 may be uncontrolled or partially controlled (e.g., unconstrained in one or more dimensions or allowed to drift in one or more dimensions relative to other antennas 110).

[0017] The geometric relationship between the geographic regions and the antennas 110 of the large sparse antenna array 105 may be used to form small communication beams. In some examples, the geometric relationship between the geographic regions and the antennas 110 of the large sparse antenna array 105 may also be used to simplify processing used for massive MIMO techniques, for example, based on limited directions of signal incidence, location information known for terminals, or any combination thereof.

[0018] In some examples, to support communicating using communication beams 117 having small coverage areas, a large sparse antenna array 105 may be used (e.g., in combination with respective beam coefficients) to form discovery beams 119 within a geographic area 150, where each discovery beam 119 may be formed by a corresponding set of antennas 110 of the antenna array 105 and may cover a discovery area 155 within the geographic area 150. For example, each antenna subarray 115 may form a discovery beam 119, where the discovery beams may be tiled across the geographic area 150. Preambles 118 transmitted from terminals 120 within the discovery area 155 of a discovery beam 119 may be detected using the large sparse antenna array 105 (e.g., each antenna subarray 115 may detect preambles 118 transmitted from within the corresponding discovery area 155). Based on detecting the preamble 118 using the discovery beam 119, the presence of the terminal 120 within the discovery area 155 of the discovery beam 119 can be determined.

[0019] In some examples, based on detecting the presence of terminal 120 within discovery area 155, one or more antennas 110 (e.g., antenna subarrays 115 or groups of antennas 110) may be selected to communicate with terminal 120. In some cases, a set of antennas 110 and a corresponding set of beamforming coefficients are used to form a wide communication beam having a wide coverage area that includes the location of terminal 120. In some examples, the size of the wide coverage area may be similar to the size of discovery area 155.

[0020] In some examples, based on detecting the presence of terminal 120, a second set of antennas 110 of antenna array 105 (e.g., antennas from two or more antenna subarrays 115, a substantial portion of antennas 110, most of antennas 110, or all of antennas 110) and corresponding beam coefficients may be selected to form a communications beam 117 (e.g., a small beam or a narrow beam) having a beam coverage area 160 within a discovery area 155 that includes the location of terminal 120. The second set of antennas may include a greater number of antennas than the one or more antennas used to form the wide communications beam. Signals detected at antenna array 105 may then be processed according to the beam coefficients used to form the narrow communications beam 117, resulting in a beam signal for the narrow communications beam 117. In some examples, the beam signal may include one or more signals transmitted from one or more terminals positioned within the beam coverage area 160.

[0021] In some examples, the antenna array 105 includes multiple antenna subarrays 115, where each antenna subarray 115 may be used to form a discovery beam 119 associated with a corresponding discovery area 155. Preambles from a set of terminals 120 may be detected using a subset of the discovery beams 119. Based on detecting terminals using the subset of the discovery beams 119, a communication beam 117 may be formed (e.g., using geometric interpretation or MIMO-based techniques) within the corresponding discovery area 155, where a beam coverage area 160 of the communication beam 117 may encompass the detected terminals 120. Communication may be performed between the antenna array 105 and the detected terminals 120 using the communication beams 117, where at least a subset of the communication beams 117 may reuse common time, frequency, and polarization resources.

[0022] In some examples, techniques for supporting communications using wide and narrow communications beams may be used. For example, techniques may be used to determine when to use a wide communications beam, a narrow communications beam 117, or a combination thereof. For example, a narrow communications beam 117 within the wide coverage area of ​​a wide communications beam may be activated based on utilization of the wide communications beam reaching a threshold (e.g., greater than 80% of the capacity of the wide communications beam). In some examples, techniques may be used to adjust the beam coverage area 160 of the narrow communications beam 117 to improve the quality of signals received from a terminal 120 used as a reference for the narrow communications beam 117. Also, techniques may be used to keep the beam coverage area 160 of the narrow communications beam 117 focused on the location of the reference terminal 120 (which may be referred to as “beam tracking”). Additionally, techniques may be used to adjust the size of the beam coverage area 160 of the narrow communications beam 117 (or to form additional narrow communications beams 117) to accommodate other terminals.

[0023] FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a communication network 200 that supports beam management using sparse antenna arrays, according to examples described herein.

[0024] Communications network 200 illustrates a system for communicating using one or more of MIMO techniques, geometric interpretation techniques, and geometrically informed MIMO techniques. Communications network 200 may include antenna array 205, bus 215, beam manager 220, signal detector 240, positioning component 245, processor 247, communications manager 250, and memory 255. At least a portion (e.g., all) of communications network 200 may be located within a spatial segment of communications network 200 (e.g., within a satellite system). In some examples, portions of communications network 200 not included in a spatial segment may be located within a terrestrial segment of communications network 200 (e.g., within a terrestrial system). For example, antenna array 205, beam manager 220, signal detector 240, positioning component 245, processor 247, and memory 255 may be included in the spatial segment of communications network 200, while communications manager 250 may be included in the terrestrial segment of communications network 200. In another example, the antenna array 205 may be included in the spatial segment of the communication network 200, while the beam manager 220, the signal detector 240, the positioning component 245, the processor 247, the memory 255, and the communication manager 250 may be included in the terrestrial segment of the communication network 200.

[0025] Antenna array 205 may be an example of the antenna array of FIG. 1 and may include antenna 210. Antenna 210 may be an example of antenna 110 described with reference to FIG. 1. In some examples, one or more of antennas 210 may be or include an antenna subarray similar to antenna subarray 115 described with reference to FIG. 1. Spacing between antennas 210 may vary across antenna array 205. In some examples, the distance (e.g., average distance) between antennas 210 is greater than a distance associated with the wavelength of signals communicated using antenna array 205. In some examples, the distance (e.g., average distance) between antennas 210 is greater than a distance associated with ten times the wavelength of signals communicated with antenna array 205.

[0026] The bus 215 may represent an interface through which signals may be exchanged between the antenna array 205 and a central location that may be used to distribute signals to the signal processing components of the communications network 200 (e.g., the beam manager 220, the signal detector 240, and the positioning component 245). The bus 215 may include a collection of wires that connect to each of the antennas. Additionally or alternatively, the bus 215 may be a wireless interface used to wirelessly communicate signaling between the antenna array 205 and the signal processing components, for example, according to a communications protocol.

[0027] The beam manager 220 may be configured to form beams including discovery beams, communication beams, geometric interpretation-based beams, MIMO-based beams, etc. In some examples, the beam manager 220 may be configured to form one or more discovery beams (e.g., a discovery beam covering the discovery area 155 of FIG. 1) within a geographic area covered by the antenna array 205 (e.g., the geographic area 150 of FIG. 1). To form a discovery beam, the native antenna pattern of the set of antennas 210 may be used or may be combined with beamforming techniques, MIMO techniques, or a combination thereof.

[0028] The beam manager 220 may also be configured to form one or more communications beams (e.g., communications beams that form the beam coverage area 160 of FIG. 1). To form the communications beams, a geometric interpretation-based beamforming technique, a MIMO technique, or a geometry-informed MIMO technique may be used. The beam manager 220 may include a geometry component 225, a MIMO component 230, a refinement component 232, and a tracking component 234.

[0029] The geometric component 225 may be configured to form small communications beams (e.g., communications beams having diameters smaller than 10 km or smaller than 5 km) using a geometric relationship between the terminal's location and a set (e.g., including up to all) of the antennas 210 of the antenna array 205. In some examples, the geometric component 225 may determine beam coefficients (e.g., phase shifts, amplitude components) that can be used to align signals detected at different antennas 210 in time so that the signals can be added together according to the terminal's spatial location, increasing the signal strength of the transmitted signal associated with each of the detected signals. In some examples, the geometric component 225 may determine a first set of beam coefficients associated with a first beam coverage area, a second set of beam coefficients associated with a second beam coverage area, and so on. Thus, the geometric component 225 may independently determine multiple sets of beam coefficients and apply them to signals received from the antenna array 205, with each set of beam coefficients associated with a different beam coverage area.

[0030] The MIMO component 230 may be configured to use multipath signal propagation to form MIMO-based beams. In some examples, the MIMO component 230 may receive channel sounding probes from a set of transmitters (e.g., terminals), the structure of the channel sounding probes may be known to the MIMO component 230, and the channel sounding probes transmitted from different transmitters may be orthogonal to one another. The MIMO component 230 may use the channel sounding probes to estimate the channel between the antenna array 205 and the transmitter. Based on the estimated channel, the MIMO component 230 may determine beam coefficients (e.g., amplitude and phase shift) that can be used to account for the spatial layers of the channel. In some examples, the MIMO component 230 may determine beam coefficients that can be used to separate signals transmitted on spatial layers from one another, for example, by emphasizing the signals transmitted in the spatial layer and canceling interference from signals transmitted in other spatial layers. The MIMO component 230 may determine a single set of beam coefficients to apply to signals detected at a set (e.g., all) of the antennas 210 in the antenna array 205. The beam coefficients may be included in an M×N matrix, where the value of M may indicate the number of antennas 210, the value of N may indicate the number of spatial layers, and the value of N may be less than or equal to the value of M.

[0031] The refinement component 232 may be configured to refine the positioning of the beam coverage area relative to the reference terminal. For example, in the case of a narrow communications beam, the refinement component 232 may be configured to reposition the beam coverage area of ​​the narrow communications beam to enhance (e.g., maximize) the quality of signals received from the terminal on which the narrow communications beam is formed, for example, by dithering the coverage area of ​​the communications beam, sweeping the coverage area of ​​the communications beam over a geographic region, etc.

[0032] The tracking component 234 can be configured to maintain a beam coverage area over a terminal for which a corresponding narrow communications beam is formed. For example, in the case of a narrow communications beam formed for a terminal, the tracking component 234 can be configured to keep the terminal within a high SNR area of ​​the beam coverage area, such as the center of the beam coverage area, so as to move the beam coverage area with movement of the terminal.

[0033] The signal detector 240 may be configured to detect preambles transmitted from one or more terminals. In some examples, the preamble includes a waveform repetition and is used to indicate the presence of the transmitting terminal. The preamble may also include positioning information (e.g., GPS coordinates). In some examples, the preamble is encoded and difficult to spoof, for example, by using a spreading code, encrypted data, etc. In some examples, the preamble may be a two-part preamble. For example, the preamble may include a first part (e.g., a waveform repetition) used for preamble detection and a second part including positioning information. In some examples, the first part of the preamble including the repetition is transmitted first, and the second part of the preamble including the positioning data is transmitted after a response is received from the communication network 200 acknowledging the detection of the first part of the preamble.

[0034] The positioning component 245 may be configured to determine the location of one or more detected terminals within a geographic region, for example, based on detecting one or more corresponding preambles. In some examples, the positioning component 245 determines the location of one or more terminals based on positioning information received in the preambles. Additionally or alternatively, the positioning component 245 may determine the location of one or more terminals based on dithering the beam coverage area of ​​a communication beam to determine the location of the beam coverage area that maximizes signal quality for the terminal, and the terminal may be centered within the beam coverage area.

[0035] The positioning component 245 may be further configured to determine the position of the antenna 210. In some examples, the positioning component 245 may determine the position of the antenna based on signals transmitted from transmitters at known geographic locations and the geometric relationship between the transmitters and the antenna array 205. In some examples, the transmitters may be located on the ground, in space, on a satellite that includes the antenna array 205, on the antenna 210, or a combination thereof.

[0036] The communications manager 250 may be configured to process beam signals received from the beam manager 220. The communications manager 250 may decode data symbols included in the beam signals. In some examples, the communications manager 250 may configure different modes in the beam manager 220. For example, the communications manager 250 may configure a first mode in the beam manager 220 used to discover terminals within a geographic area. While the first mode is configured, the beam manager 220 may form a discovery area using beamforming and / or MIMO techniques. The communications manager 250 may also configure a second mode in the beam manager 220 used to communicate with terminals within the geographic area using small beams. While the second mode is configured, the beam manager 220 may form a beam coverage area for communicating with discovered terminals using geometric interpretation. In some examples, the first mode and the second mode may be configured simultaneously in the beam manager 220. Thus, the antenna array 205 may be used to form discovery beams and communication beams simultaneously. When a discovery beam and a communication beam are formed simultaneously, the communication beams within the discovery beam may use different frequency, time, or polarization resources. Communications manager 250 may also configure a third mode in beam manager 220 to be used to communicate with terminals within a geographic area using small beams. While the third mode is configured, beam manager 220 may form a beam coverage area for communicating with discovered terminals using geometry-informed MIMO. In some examples, the first mode and the third mode are configured simultaneously, and the second mode and the third mode are configured alternatively in beam manager 220.

[0037] In some examples, communications manager 250 may be configured to instruct beam manager 220 to activate a narrow communications beam to serve a geographic region. In some cases, a narrow communications beam may be used simultaneously with a wide communications beam to provide communications services to a geographic region. In other cases, a narrow communications beam may be used instead of a wide communications beam to provide communications services to a geographic region, e.g., a set of communications resources within the geographic region may be reserved for control signaling, such as preamble transmissions. In some examples, communications manager 250 may be configured to instruct beam manager 220 to adjust the size of a narrow communications beam, e.g., to accommodate terminals within the beam coverage area of ​​the narrow communications beam.

[0038] The processor 247 may include an intelligent hardware device (e.g., a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a central processing unit (CPU), a microcontroller, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic component, a discrete hardware component, or any combination thereof). The processor 247 may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in a memory (e.g., memory 255) to cause the communications device 200 to perform various functions (e.g., functions or tasks supporting beam management using a sparse antenna array). For example, the communications network 200 or a component of the communications network 200 may include the processor 247 and the memory 255 coupled to the processor 247, which are configured to perform various functions described herein.

[0039] Memory 255 may include random access memory (RAM) and / or read-only memory (ROM). Memory 255 may store computer-readable and computer-executable code. The code may include instructions that, when executed by processor 247, cause communications network 200 to perform various functions described herein. Code 260 may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium, such as system memory or another type of memory. In some cases, code 260 may not be directly executable by processor 247, but may (e.g., when compiled and executed) cause a computer to perform the functions described herein. In some cases, memory 255 may include a basic I / O system (BIOS), which may control basic hardware or software operations, such as interaction with peripheral components or devices, among other things.

[0040] In some examples, beam manager 220, signal detector 240, positioning component 245, communications manager 250, or various combinations or components thereof may be implemented in hardware (e.g., in communications management circuitry). The hardware may include a processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof configured as or otherwise supporting means for performing the functions described in this disclosure. In some examples, the processor and memory coupled to the processor may be configured to perform one or more of the functions described herein (e.g., by the processor executing instructions stored in the memory).

[0041] Additionally or alternatively, beam manager 220, signal detector 240, positioning component 245, communications manager 250, or various combinations or components thereof, may be implemented in code 260 executed by processor 247 (e.g., as communications management software or firmware). When implemented in code 260 executed by processor 247, the functionality of beam manager 220, signal detector 240, positioning component 245, communications manager 250, or various combinations or components thereof, may be performed by a general-purpose processor, a DSP, a central processing unit (CPU), an ASIC, an FPGA, or any combination of these or other programmable logic devices (e.g., configured as or otherwise supporting a means for performing the functions described in this disclosure).

[0042] 3 illustrates an example of a communications subsystem 300 supporting beam management using a sparse antenna array, according to examples described herein. The communications subsystem 300 illustrates communications between an antenna array 305 and terminals 320 that are processed using a geometric relationship between the antennas 310 of the antenna array 305 and the terminals 320. In some examples, a first set of signals 325 is transmitted between a first terminal 320-1 and the antenna array 305, and a second set of signals 330 is transmitted between a second terminal 320-2 and the antenna array 305. In some examples, the first set of signals 325 may relate to a single signal (e.g., a preamble or data signal) transmitted from the first terminal 320-1 to the antenna array 305, or the first set of signals 325 may be components (e.g., multipath components) of the signal transmitted from the first terminal 320-1. In other examples, the first set of signals 325 may be associated with a single signal (e.g., a preamble response or a data signal) acquired at the antenna array 305 for transmission to the first terminal 320-1, and the first set of signals 325 may be a component (e.g., an element) of a signal transmitted from the antenna array 305. Similarly, the second set of signals 330 may be associated with a single signal (e.g., a preamble or a data signal) transmitted from the second terminal 320-2 to the antenna array 305, or a single signal (e.g., a preamble response or a data signal) acquired at the antenna array 305 for transmission to the second terminal 320-2.

[0043] In some examples, a first set of antennas 310 and first beam coefficients are used to form a discovery beam 319 having a discovery area 355. Signals received at the antenna array 305 using the first set of antennas 310 and first beam coefficients may be analyzed to determine whether the signals include a preamble indicating the presence of a terminal. In some examples, the presence of the first terminal 320-1 is detected based on the first terminal 320-1 transmitting a preamble, and the first set of signals 325 may be a signal component of the preamble transmission. The preamble may include a repeating waveform. In some examples, the waveform may be modulated with a spreading code before transmission or may include coded data to increase the difficulty associated with spoofing the preamble. The preamble may also include positioning information, for example, in a second part of the preamble.

[0044] In some examples, the location of the first terminal 320-1 may be determined based on positioning information included in the preamble. Additionally or alternatively, the location of the first terminal 320-1 may be determined based on dithering beam coverage areas around the discovery area 355 after detecting the presence of the first terminal 320-1. The location of the first terminal 320-1 may be determined based on whether the signal quality associated with the first beam coverage area 360-1 meets a threshold, is higher than the signal quality associated with other beam coverage areas covered by the dithering operation, or both. The presence and location of the second terminal 320-2 may similarly be detected based on a preamble transmitted from the second terminal 320-2, and the second set of signals 330 may be signal components of the preamble transmission.

[0045] Second beam coefficients may be determined for the first terminal 320-1 based on the location of the first terminal 320-1. The second beam coefficients may also be determined based on the location of the antennas 310 relative to the first terminal 320-1. The second beam coefficients, along with the second set of antennas 310, may be used in forming a first communications beam 317-1 having a first beam coverage area 360-1. The second beam coefficients may be used to apply timing shifts (e.g., phase shifts) or amplitude weighting to signals detected at different antennas of the second set of antennas 310 so that signals transmitted within the first beam coverage area 360-1 are distinguishable from signals transmitted in adjacent beam coverage areas. In some examples, the second beam coefficients may be represented using an M×1 vector, where M may represent the number of antennas in the second set of antennas 310 (e.g., 100 antennas, 1000 antennas, etc.). In some cases, the M1×1 vector may include coefficients for all of the antennas 310, with some coefficients being zero (e.g., the second set of antennas 310 contributing to the first communication beam 317-1 may be a subset of the antennas 310).

[0046] Third beam coefficients may be similarly determined for the second terminal 320-2. In some examples, the third beam coefficients may be represented using an M2 x 1 vector, where M2 may represent the number of antennas in the third set of antennas 310 (e.g., 100 antennas, 1000 antennas, etc.). In some examples, the third set of antennas 310 and the second set of antennas 310 overlap (e.g., partially or completely).

[0047] In some examples, the first set of antennas 310 associated with the discovery beam 319 may detect the first set of signals 325 within the discovery area 360, and second beam coefficients used to form the first communications beam 317-1 may be determined. Based on the determination, the second beam coefficients may be applied to a subsequent set of detected signals output by the second set of antennas 310 associated with the first communications beam 317-1 (e.g., corresponding to a subsequent data signal transmitted by the first terminal 320-1). In some examples, the second set of antennas 310 includes a majority (e.g., greater than 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, or 90%) of the antennas 310 in the antenna array 305. In some cases, the second set of antennas 310 may include a portion (or all) of the first set of antennas 310 associated with the discovery beam 319, and the second set of antennas 310 may include a greater number of antennas 310 than the first set of antennas 310.

[0048] The first set of antennas 310 associated with the discovery beam 319 may also detect a second set 330 of signals within the discovery area 360, and third beam coefficients used to form the second communications beam 317-2 may be determined. Based on the determination, the third beam coefficients may be applied to a subsequent set of detected signals (corresponding to a subsequent data signal transmitted by the second terminal 320-2) output by the third set of antennas 310 associated with the second communications beam 317-2. The third set of antennas 310 may overlap with the second set of antennas 310, for example, may include a portion of or be the same as the second set of antennas 310. The second set of antennas 310 may also include a majority (e.g., greater than 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, or 90%) of the antennas 310 in the antenna array 305.

[0049] Signal diagram 301 illustrates a first set of elemental signals 335 detected at a second set of antennas 310 associated with a first communications beam 317-1 and a second set of elemental signals 340 detected at a third set of antennas 310 associated with a second communications beam 317-2. Signal diagram 301 also illustrates the time delays associated with when first set of elemental signals 335 and second set of elemental signals 340 are detected at their respective antennas. First set of elemental signals 335 may correspond to first set of signals 325, and second set of elemental signals 340 may correspond to second set of signals 330. In some examples, first set of elemental signals 335 and first set of signals 325 may be associated with data signals transmitted from a first terminal 320-1. Also, second set of elemental signals 340 and second set of signals 330 may be associated with data signals transmitted from a second terminal 320-2.

[0050] Signal diagram 301 also shows the result of applying first beam coefficients 364-1 (which may correspond to second beam coefficients used to form first communications beam 317-1) to first set of element signals 335 to obtain resultant element signals 365. In some examples, each beam coefficient of first beam coefficients 364-1 may be applied to a respective antenna of second set of antennas 310. Each beam coefficient of first beam coefficients 364-1 may be used to apply a time delay (e.g., a phase shift) or an amplitude weight, or both, to signals received at a respective antenna element, so that the resultant element signals 365 are aligned in time and may be combined with each other (e.g., summed via summing component 366) to form first beam signal 375-1 for first communications beam 317-1, where the SNR value of first beam signal 375-1 may be proportional to the number of element signals 365. In some examples, summing component 366 may include separate summing components used to sum the element signals obtained for each communications beam.

[0051] A second beam coefficient 364-2 (which may correspond to a third beam coefficient used to form the second communications beam 317-2) may similarly be applied to the second set of element signals 340, and the resulting element signals 370 may be combined (e.g., summed via summing component 366) to obtain a second beam signal 375-2 for the second communications beam 317-2. Thus, the beam coefficients used to form the communications beam 317 may be independently determined and applied to signals received at the antenna 310.

[0052] In some examples, transmissions of associated data signals from the first terminal 320-1 and the second terminal 320-2 may overlap each other in time (e.g., partially or completely). In such cases, the first set of element signals 335 and the second set of element signals 340 may be superimposed to form a composite signal. Also in such cases, first beam coefficients 364-1 may be applied to the composite signal to obtain resultant element signal 365, and second beam coefficients 364-2 may be applied to the composite signal to obtain resultant element signal 370. In such cases, undesired signals in the composite signal may contribute noise in the resulting beam signal 375 and may approach cancellation for many of the element signals.

[0053] In some examples, the following equation may be used to determine the beam signals received from the multiple communication beams 317:

[0054]

number

[0055]

number

[0056]

number

[0057]

number

[0058]

number

[0059] 4 illustrates an example of a communications subsystem 400 supporting beam management using a sparse antenna array, according to examples described herein. The communications subsystem 400 illustrates communications between an antenna array 405 and terminals 420 that are processing using MIMO processing or geometry-informed MIMO processing. In some examples, the first terminal 420-1 is an example of the first terminal 320-1 of FIG. 3, and the second terminal 420-2 is an example of the second terminal 320-2 of FIG. 3.

[0060] A communication path between a terminal 420 and the antenna array 405 may be referred to as a channel. A channel may be composed of multiple spatial layers, and the multiple antennas 410 of the antenna array 405 (along with sets of beam coefficients) may be used to expose the spatial layers of the channel. In some examples, a set of beam coefficients (which may also be referred to as MIMO coefficients) is selected to expose a first spatial layer of the channel containing the first terminal 420-1 and a second spatial layer of the channel containing the second terminal 420-2 (which may also be referred to as a communication beam or MIMO beam).

[0061] In some examples, beam coefficients are determined based on channel sounding probes transmitted from the terminal 420. The channel sounding probes may have signal patterns known to the communication network and may be used to adapt the beam coefficients to ensure that a spatial layer is focused on each terminal (or group of terminals). The channel sounding probes may be orthogonal to one another. Estimation techniques such as maximum ratio combining (MRC), minimum mean square error (MMSE), zero forcing, successive interference cancellation, maximum likelihood estimation, or neural network MIMO detection techniques may be used to estimate the channel between the antenna array 405 and the terminal 420 and determine the beam coefficients. Because the beam coefficients are formed using channel sounding probes received from multiple terminals, the resulting beam coefficients may depend on the channel sounding probes transmitted in different spatial layers. That is, the beam coefficients may be determined to reduce interference from the channel sounding probes relative to each other, and changes to one beam coefficient may result in changes to other beam coefficients. Therefore, the beam coefficients may be included in a single MIMO matrix (e.g., an M×N matrix, where M may represent the number of antennas 410 and N may represent the number of spatial streams), and the elements of the matrix may be dependent on each other.

[0062] In some examples, the operations for determining beam coefficients use high-level processing and are very complex. The amount and complexity of processing may increase as the number of antennas and the number of spatial streams increase. In some examples, the geometric relationship between the terminal 420 and the antenna 410 may be used to simplify the operations for determining beam coefficients, for example, by constraining the channel matrix, reducing the set of possible beam coefficients, or both. In some examples, the channel sounding probe may experience less scattering based on the relative positions of the terminal 420 and the antenna array 405. Thus, the channel estimated using the channel sounding probe may be constrained, which may reduce the complexity associated with determining beam coefficients.

[0063] The geometric relationship between the terminal 420 and the antenna 410 may allow the set of possible beam coefficients to be reduced for one or more of the following reasons: the position of the antenna in space may reduce the amount of scattering and multipath components that are considered for terrestrial applications, the position of the antenna in space may reduce the angles at which a signal transmitted from the terminal 420 may arrive, time delays at different antennas 410 may be utilized to determine spatial information that facilitates determining beam coefficients, etc.

[0064] Signal diagram 401 may show a first set of element signals 435 received at antenna array 405, where each element signal may be received at a respective antenna, e.g., first element signal 435-1 may correspond to a first one of antennas 410. Each element signal 435 may receive signal components associated with signals transmitted from first terminal 420-1 and second terminal 420-2 (and, in some examples, from other terminals), including direct path signals and multipath signals.

[0065] A MIMO matrix 440 may be applied to the component signals 435, and the elements of the MIMO matrix 440 may be predetermined using channel sounding probes transmitted from a set of terminals. After the MIMO matrix 440 is applied to the component signals 435, a set of beam signals 475 may be output, and the beam signals 475 may be associated with respective spatial layers of the channel exposed by the MIMO matrix 440.

[0066] FIG. 5 shows an example coverage diagram 500 for beam management using a sparse antenna array, according to examples described herein. Coverage diagram 500 illustrates a pattern of coverage areas formed by a set of beams, where the coverage area includes a wide coverage area 565 and a beam coverage area 560. Beam coverage area 560 may be an example of the beam coverage area described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 3. In some examples, wide coverage area 565 may have a diameter similar to the discovery area described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 3. Also, in some examples, wide coverage area 565 may be used to receive discovery signals, such as preambles transmitted by terminals to indicate their presence.

[0067] In some examples, the communications network uses wide coverage area 565 to communicate with terminals within geographic area 550. Communications using wide coverage area 565 may use less power than communications using beam coverage area 560. While conducting communications using wide coverage area 565, the communications network may determine that the utilization of the wide communications beam used to form wide coverage area 565 exceeds a threshold (e.g., 80% or 90% of the capacity of the wide communications beam). Thus, the communications network may determine that the wide beam is congested (or may become congested) to provide communications services to terminals within the corresponding wide coverage area 565.

[0068] In some examples, to increase the amount of or demand from terminals that can be served within a corresponding wide coverage area 565, a communications network may form narrow communications beams that cover beam coverage areas 560 within the wide coverage area 565. In some examples, narrow communications beams may be formed such that the corresponding beam coverage areas 560 cover populated areas (e.g., cities, metropolitan areas, popular tourist or recreational areas, etc.). In some examples, the boundaries of the beam coverage areas 560 may be determined based on the locations of one or more reference terminals and may change over time.

[0069] As shown in FIG. 5 , a set of narrow communications beams may be used, for example, using geometric interpretation or geometrically informed MIMO, to form a set of beam coverage areas 560. The beam coverage areas 560 may be focused on populated areas within a wide coverage area 565. In some examples, communications may be carried out simultaneously using the wide communications beams and the narrow communications beams. For example, a communications network may receive a first signal using a wide communications beam corresponding to a second wide coverage area 565-2 and receive a second signal using a narrow communications beam used to form the beam coverage area 560 within the second wide coverage area 565-2. The first signal may be associated with a transmitter located in a rural area, and the second signal may be associated with a transmitter located in a populated area.

[0070] In some examples, the location of the beam coverage area 560 may be fixed, e.g., the beam coverage area 560 covers a high-density area. A fixed beam coverage area 560 may be linked to a particular geographic area, e.g., relative to county or city boundaries. In other cases, the location of one or more of the beam coverage areas 560 may be adjustable, e.g., the beam coverage area 560 covers a low-density area. An adjustable beam coverage area 560 may be linked to the location of a particular terminal (which may be referred to as a reference terminal) and therefore may move as the reference terminal moves. In contrast, a fixed beam coverage area 560 may be independent of movement of terminals within their boundaries.

[0071] However, in some cases, communications using narrow communications beams may unduly interfere with simultaneous communications using wide communications beams. In some examples, when a large number of narrow communications beams are formed in a wide coverage area, such as the first wide coverage area 565-1, communications using narrow communications beams interfere with communications using wide communications beams. In some examples, when a large number of narrow communications beams overlap with each other, communications using narrow communications beams interfere with communications using wide communications beams, for example, because more orthogonal communications resources (e.g., time, frequency, polarization) are used to support the overlapping narrow communications beams, which may limit the use of such communications resources for the wide communications beams.

[0072] In some examples, the communication network may use only narrow communication beams when the narrow communication beams interfere with communications using wide communication beams. In other examples, the communication network may reserve communication resources when the narrow communication beams interfere with communications using wide communication beams so that communications can be performed in the wide communication beams using the reserved communication resources. In some examples, the reserved communication resources are designated for control signaling, such as a preamble used to indicate the presence of a terminal within the wide coverage area 565.

[0073] FIG. 6A illustrates a communications subsystem that supports beam management using a sparse antenna array, according to an example described herein.

[0074] Communications subsystem 600-a illustrates communications between antenna array 605 and terminal 620 using narrow communications beams, which may be formed using geometric interpretation, geometrically informed MIMO, or both. Communications subsystem 600-a also illustrates techniques for positioning the coverage area of ​​the communications beams to enhance the quality of signals received from terminals using the communications beams.

[0075] In some examples, the communications network may use antenna array 605 to form wide communications beam 619 having wide coverage area 665 and communications beam 617 having beam coverage area 660-a. Communications beam 617 may be an example of a communications beam described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 3 and may have a beam coverage area described with reference to FIGS. 1, 3, and 5. Wide communications beam 619 may be formed using MIMO or beamforming techniques and may be an example of a wide communications beam used to form wide coverage area 565, as described with reference to FIG. 5. Communications beam 617 may be formed using geometric interpretation or geometrically informed MIMO techniques and may be an example of a narrow communications beam used to form beam coverage area 560, as described with reference to FIG.

[0076] In some examples, the communications network may identify the presence of the terminal based on a received preamble, which may be received within the boundaries of a wide coverage area, for example, via a discovery beam. In some examples, the communications network determines a location (e.g., a rough location) of the terminal based on the preamble transmission. In some examples, the communications network may further refine the determined location of the terminal by dithering the coverage area of ​​the communications beam over a geographic region and identifying the coverage area that results in the highest quality (e.g., SNR, SINR, etc.) for signals received from the terminal.

[0077] For example, the communications network may receive a preamble from the first terminal 620-1. Based on receiving the preamble, the communications network may form a communications beam 617 using the antenna array 605. In some examples, the coverage area of ​​the communications beam 617 encompasses the first terminal 620-1, for example, based on positioning information determined for the first terminal 620-1 using the preamble. That said, in some cases, the determined positioning information provides a rough estimate of the location of the first terminal 620-1. In such cases, the quality of signals received from the first terminal 620-1 may be enhanced by repositioning the coverage area of ​​the communications beam 617; for example, the quality of signals transmitted from the first terminal 620-1 via the communications beam 617 may be enhanced when the first terminal 620-1 is centered within the coverage area of ​​the communications beam 617.

[0078] To determine a preferred location on the coverage area of ​​the communications beam 617, the communications network may adjust the coverage area of ​​the communications beam 617 across a geographic region, for example, by using different sets of beam coefficients for the communications beam 617 corresponding to different coverage areas for the communications beam 617. In some cases, the communications beam 617 may dither the coverage area of ​​the communications beam 617 around the determined location of the first terminal 620-1. In other cases, the communications network may adjust the coverage area of ​​the communications beam across most (or all) of the wide coverage area 665. In some examples, dithering or adjusting the coverage area of ​​the communications beam 617 includes covering discrete amounts of coverage areas and measuring the quality of signals received from the first terminal 620-1 in each of the coverage areas. In some examples, dithering or adjusting the coverage area of ​​the communications beam 617 may be performed for the same set of signals received at the antenna array 605. That is, a communications beam signal may be generated based on applying a current set of beamforming coefficients to component signals from the antenna array 605 for the communications beam 617, and an additional set of beamforming coefficients may be applied to a stored version of the component signals from the antenna array 605 to determine an updated set of beamforming coefficients (e.g., used to determine a subsequent communications beam signal). In some examples, the communications network determines that the quality of the signal received from the first terminal 620-1 is best within the beam coverage area 660-a. As such, the communications network may configure the beam coefficients used to form the communications beam 617 such that the communications beam 617 covers the beam coverage area 660-a.

[0079] In some examples, the second terminal 620-2 may be located within the beam coverage area 660-a. In such cases, the communications network may also use the communications beam 617 to communicate with the second terminal 620-2, e.g., using different time or frequency resources than the first terminal 620-1. The second terminal 620-2 may be separated from the first terminal 620-1 by a distance that may be referred to as d.

[0080] In some examples, the communications network may communicate with the second terminal 620-2 using the communications beam 617 based on identifying the location of the second terminal 620-2 within the beam coverage area 660-a, e.g., based on a preamble received from the second terminal 620-2, rather than a different beam coverage area established within the wide coverage area 665. In some examples, after detecting the second terminal 620-2, the beam coverage area 660-a may be adjusted to increase (e.g., maximize) the average quality of signals received from both the first terminal 620-1 and the second terminal 620-2, e.g., based on centering the beam coverage area 660-a over a common point between the first terminal 620-1 and the second terminal 620-2. In such a case, relative to a location prior to the beam coverage area 660 (e.g., the location of the beam coverage area 660-a), the quality of the signal received from the first terminal 620-1 may be reduced, but the quality of the signal received from the second terminal 620-2 may be increased. In some examples, the communications network may similarly dither the location of the beam coverage area 660 to identify a preferred positioning of the beam coverage area 660 that achieves a threshold signal quality from both the first terminal 620-1 and the second terminal 620-2.

[0081] FIG. 6B illustrates a communications subsystem that supports beam management using a sparse antenna array, according to an example described herein.

[0082] Communications subsystem 600-a illustrates techniques for adjusting the coverage area of ​​a communications beam based on the changing locations of terminals using the communications beam. In some examples, the communications network adjusts the coverage area of ​​communications beam 617 based on the changing location of first terminal 620-1, which may be referred to as beam tracking. In some examples, based on a change in the location of first terminal 620-1 (e.g., greater than a threshold distance), the communications network may determine updated beam coefficients for communications beam 617, which may result in communications beam 617 having beam coverage area 660-b. Beam coverage area 660-b may encompass the most recent location of first terminal 620-1, and signals received from the first terminal using communications beam 617 may have been received using the updated beam coefficients.

[0083] In some examples, the first terminal 620-1 may periodically transmit a channel sounding probe. The communication network may use the channel sounding probe to track the location of the first terminal 620-1. In some examples, the communication network may use the tracked location of the first terminal 620-1 to determine when to update the coverage area of ​​the communication beam 617 and determine an updated set of beam coefficients.

[0084] In some examples, the adjusted coverage area of ​​the communications beam 617 may no longer include a second terminal previously included by the original coverage area of ​​the communications beam 617, e.g., based on the communications beam 617 being used to track a first terminal 620-1, which may be referred to as a reference terminal. For example, the beam coverage area 660-b may not include the second terminal 620-2. In other examples, a terminal within the original coverage area of ​​the communications beam 617 may move outside of the original coverage area. Techniques for managing communications with terminals that leave or move away from the coverage area of ​​a communications beam are described in more detail herein.

[0085] FIG. 7A illustrates a communications subsystem that supports beam management using a sparse antenna array, according to an example described herein.

[0086] The communications subsystem 700-a illustrates techniques for adjusting the coverage area of ​​a communications beam based on the changing locations of terminals using the communications beam. In some examples, the communications network adjusts the coverage area of ​​the communications beam 717 based on the changing location of the second terminal 720-2. In some examples, the second terminal 720-2 may move outside of the original coverage area of ​​the communications beam 717. In some examples, the communications network may determine that the second terminal 720-2 has moved outside of its original coverage area and adjust the size of the coverage area of ​​the communications beam 717 to continue serving the second terminal 720-2. In some examples, the communications network determines updated beam coefficients that increase the coverage area of ​​the communications beam 717, resulting in a beam coverage area 760-a that includes the locations of the first terminal 720-1 and the second terminal 720-2.

[0087] Even as the coverage area of ​​the communications beam 717 increases to encompass the second terminal 720-2, the communications beam 717 may remain focused and track the position of the first terminal 720-1, which may be referred to as the reference terminal of the communications beam 717. Thus, in some examples, adjustments to the coverage area of ​​the communications beam 717 may be limited based on the movement of other terminals, such as the second terminal 720-2, in order to maintain an acceptable service level for the first terminal 720-1.

[0088] FIG. 7B illustrates a communications subsystem that supports beam management using a sparse antenna array, according to an example described herein.

[0089] The communications subsystem 700-b illustrates techniques for adjusting the coverage area of ​​a communications beam based on the changing locations of terminals using the communications beam. In some examples, the communications network adjusts the coverage area of ​​the communications beam 717 based on the changing location of the second terminal 720-2. In some examples, the second terminal 720-2 may move outside of the original coverage area of ​​the communications beam 717 (e.g., first beam coverage area 760-b-1). In some examples, the communications network may determine that the second terminal 720-2 has moved outside of the original coverage area and form a second communications beam 717-2 having a second beam coverage area 760-b-2.

[0090] In some examples, the second terminal 720-2 may be a reference terminal for the second communications beam 717-2, while the first terminal 720-1 may be a reference terminal for the communications beam 717. Thus, in some examples, the communications network may adjust the coverage area of ​​the second communications beam 717-2 based on the current location of the second terminal 720-2, for example, using beam tracking techniques.

[0091] Additionally or alternatively, the communications subsystem 700-b may exhibit techniques for adjusting the coverage area of ​​a communications beam based on a utilization rate of the communications beam exceeding a threshold. In some examples, based on determining that the utilization rate of the communications beam 717 exceeds a threshold, the communications network may identify the second terminal 720-2 as a reference terminal for a new communications beam, the second communications beam 717-2. Based on forming the second communications beam 717-2, the communications network may focus the communications beam 717 on the first terminal 720-1 and focus the second communications beam 717-2 on the second terminal 720-2.

[0092] In another example, based on determining that the utilization rate of the wide communication beam 719 has reached a threshold, the communication network may identify the second terminal 720-2 as the reference terminal for a new communication beam, for example, to further increase the capacity of the communication system to provide service to the geographic region covered by the wide coverage area 765.

[0093] In some examples, when the second communications beam 717-2 is formed, the communications network may manage resources allocated to different communications beams. For example, the communications network may allocate communications resources to the second communications beam 717-2 that are orthogonal to the resources allocated to the communications beam 717, e.g., if the second beam coverage area 760-b-2 overlaps with the first beam coverage area 760-b-1. Or, the communications network may change the resources allocated to the communications beam 717 to be orthogonal to the communications resources allocated to the second communications beam 717-2. In some examples, if the second beam coverage area 760-b-2 moves a distance away from the first beam coverage area 760-b-1 (e.g., so that the beam coverage areas no longer overlap), overlapping resources may be allocated to the communications beam 717 and the second communications beam 717-2.

[0094] FIG. 8 illustrates an example set of operations for beam management using a sparse antenna array, according to examples described herein.

[0095] Flowchart 800 may be performed by a communications network (e.g., a satellite network), which may be an example of a communications system or subsystem described above with reference to Figures 1-8. In some examples, flowchart 800 illustrates an exemplary sequence of exemplary operations performed to support beam management using a sparse antenna array. For example, flowchart 800 illustrates operations for activating a narrow communications beam based on a capacity parameter, for tracking a terminal using the communications beam, and for adjusting the communications beam based on terminal movement.

[0096] One or more of the operations described in flowchart 800 may be performed earlier or later in the process, omitted, replaced, supplemented, or combined with other operations, and additional operations described herein may be included in flowchart 800.

[0097] At 820, the communications network may identify the presence of one or more terminals within one or more wide coverage areas of one or more wide communications beams. In some examples, the communications network identifies the presence of the one or more terminals based on a preamble transmitted from the one or more terminals. The preamble may be received using one or more discovery beams. In some examples, the discovery area of ​​a discovery beam overlaps with the coverage area of ​​the wide communications beam having similar boundaries. In other examples, the discovery area of ​​a discovery beam differs from the coverage area of ​​the wide communications beam, e.g., has a different diameter, a different pattern, etc. In some examples, the communications network may determine a location (e.g., a rough location) of the terminal based on receiving the preamble using the discovery beam, e.g., based on positioning information included in the preamble, boundaries of the discovery beam used to receive the preamble, etc.

[0098] At 825, the communication network may use one or more wide communications beams to communicate with one or more terminals. Within each wide communications beam, the communication network may communicate with multiple terminals. In some examples, the communication network determines which wide communications beam to use to communicate with which terminal based on positioning information determined for the terminal. For example, the communication network may use a wide communications beam having a wide coverage area with boundaries that overlap boundaries of a discovery area of ​​a discovery beam used to receive the preamble.

[0099] At 830, the communications network may determine that the utilization of one or more wide communications beams has reached a threshold (e.g., greater than 80% or 90% capacity) based on, for example, the number of terminals in the wide coverage area, the service level of terminals in the wide coverage area, usage history by terminals in the wide coverage area, or a combination thereof.

[0100] At 835, the communications network may form one or more narrow communications beams within the one or more wide communications beams that have reached a capacity threshold. In some examples, the communications network forms one or more narrow communications beams within the wide communications beam, such that the center of the beam coverage area of ​​the one or more narrow communications beams is within the boundary of the wide coverage area of ​​the wide communications beam. In some examples, the one or more narrow communications beams may be region-specific (e.g., formed to cover an area with a high density of terminals), terminal-specific (e.g., formed to track a particular terminal), or some combination thereof. In some examples, the time, frequency, and polarization resources of the narrow beam within the wide communications beam are orthogonal to the time, frequency, and polarization resources of the wide communications beam. In some examples, the communications network simultaneously operates the wide communications beam and one or more narrow communications beams within the wide communications beam, where the one or more narrow communications beams supplement the capacity of the wide communications beam. In other examples, the communications network operates the wide communications beam or one or more narrow communications beams alternately (e.g., in time) to serve a geographic region covered by the wide coverage area. Thus, a communication network may reserve a set of communication resources (eg, time, frequency, or polarization resources) across a wide coverage area for control signaling, such as preamble transmissions, channel sounding probe transmissions, and the like.

[0101] In some examples, forming the one or more narrow communications beams includes positioning the one or more narrow communications beams such that the quality of signals received from a reference terminal associated with the one or more narrow communications beams is enhanced. For example, the communications system may dither the narrow communications beams around a rough location of the reference terminal for the narrow communications beam and select a beam coverage area for the narrow communications beam associated with signals received from the reference terminal having the highest quality.

[0102] At 840, the communications network may adjust the narrow communications beams based on the location of the reference terminal within one or more wide coverage areas. In some examples, the communications network may adjust the beam coverage area of ​​one or more narrow communications beams based on movement of the corresponding reference terminal. For example, in the case of a narrow communications beam corresponding to a reference terminal, the communications network may adjust the coverage area of ​​the communications beam to accommodate movement by the reference terminal using beam tracking techniques, such as, for example, widening the narrow communications beam, moving the narrow communications beam, etc.

[0103] Additionally or alternatively, the communications network may form additional narrow communications beams based on the changing location of the reference terminal, and the additional narrow communications beams may be linked to additional reference terminals.

[0104] 9 shows an example set of operations for beam management using a sparse antenna array, according to examples described herein. Method 900 may be performed by components of an antenna array, a ground system, or a combination thereof, which may be examples of the communications network (or components thereof) described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. In some examples, the communications network may execute a set of instructions to control functional elements of the communications network to perform the described functions. Additionally or alternatively, the communications network may perform aspects of the described functions using dedicated hardware.

[0105] At 905, method 900 may include identifying terminals within the geographic area. The operations of 905 may be performed according to examples disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 905 may be performed by a signal detector, as described herein with reference to FIG. 2.

[0106] At 910, method 900 may include determining first beam coefficients for an antenna array to form a first beam for the terminal, the coverage area of ​​the first beam encompassing a geographic area and antenna inter-element spacing of the antenna array varying across the antenna array. The operations of 910 may be performed in accordance with examples disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 910 may be performed by a beam manager as described herein with reference to FIG. 2.

[0107] At 915, the method 900 may include communicating with the terminal using the first beam. The operations of 915 may be performed in accordance with examples disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 915 may be performed by a communications manager, as described herein with reference to FIG. 2.

[0108] At 920, method 900 may include determining that the utilization of the first beam exceeds a threshold. The operations of 920 may be performed according to examples disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 920 may be performed by a beam manager, as described herein with reference to FIG. 2.

[0109] At 925, the method 900 may include determining, for the antenna array, second beam coefficients for a second beam based at least in part on the utilization rate of the first beam exceeding a threshold, wherein the coverage area of ​​the second beam is different from the coverage area of ​​the first beam. The operations of 925 may be performed according to examples disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 925 may be performed by a beam manager, as described herein with reference to FIG. 2.

[0110] At 930, the method 900 may include communicating with the terminal using the second beam. The operations of 930 may be performed in accordance with examples disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 930 may be performed by a communications manager, as described herein with reference to FIG. 2.

[0111] In some examples, an apparatus described herein may perform one or more methods, such as method 900. The apparatus may include features, circuitry, logic, means, or instructions (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions executable by a processor) for: identifying a terminal within a geographic region; determining, for an antenna array, first beam coefficients to form a first beam for the terminal, where a coverage area of ​​the first beam encompasses the geographic region and where inter-element spacing of antennas of the antenna array varies across the antenna array; communicating with the terminal using the first beam; determining that a utilization rate of the first beam exceeds a threshold; determining, for the antenna array, second beam coefficients for a second beam based at least in part on the utilization rate of the first beam exceeding the threshold, where the coverage area of ​​the second beam differs from the coverage area of ​​the first beam; and communicating with the terminal using the first beam.

[0112] In some examples, the device may include features, circuitry, logic, means, or instructions for forming a first beam based at least in part on the first beam coefficients, and the coverage area of ​​the second beam has a center that is within the coverage area of ​​the first beam.

[0113] In some examples, the apparatus may include features, circuitry, logic, means, or instructions for: identifying a plurality of terminals within a geographic region, the plurality of terminals including a terminal; and communicating with the plurality of terminals using a first beam, wherein utilization of the first beam is determined to exceed a threshold based at least in part on communicating with the plurality of terminals.

[0114] In some examples, the gain of the first beam is lower than the gain of the second beam.

[0115] In some examples, the apparatus may include features, circuitry, logic, means, or instructions for: identifying a plurality of terminals within a geographic region, the plurality of terminals including a terminal; and determining, for the antenna array, a plurality of beam coefficients to form a plurality of beams for the plurality of terminals having respective coverage areas with respective centers within the coverage area of ​​a first beam, the coverage areas of each of the plurality of beams corresponding to respective positions of the plurality of terminals, and the plurality of beam coefficients including a second beam coefficient.

[0116] In some examples, the apparatus may include features, circuitry, logic, means, or instructions for reserving communication resources in the first beam to identify additional terminals within the geographic region.

[0117] In some examples, the coverage area of ​​the second beam corresponds to a location of the terminal, and the apparatus may include features, circuitry, logic, means, or instructions for identifying the second terminal within the geographic region and determining third beam coefficients for forming a third beam for the second terminal with respect to the antenna array, the coverage area of ​​the third beam corresponding to the location of the second terminal.

[0118] In some examples, the apparatus may include features, circuitry, logic, means, or instructions for receiving first positioning information of the terminal and second positioning information of the second terminal based at least in part on identifying the terminal and the second terminal, and the second beam coefficients and third beam coefficients are determined based at least in part on the first positioning information and the second positioning information.

[0119] In some examples, the apparatus may include features, circuitry, logic, means, or instructions for receiving a first reference signal from the terminal and a second reference signal from the second terminal based at least in part on identifying the terminal and the second terminal, and wherein second and third beam coefficients are determined based at least in part on the first and second reference signals.

[0120] In some examples, the apparatus may include features, circuitry, logic, means, or instructions for communicating with a second terminal using a third beam, where communicating with the terminal using the second beam includes detecting signals at an antenna array, the detected signals including respective components of a first signal transmitted from the terminal and detected at the antenna array and respective components of a second signal transmitted from the second terminal and detected at the antenna array; applying second beam coefficients to the detected signals to obtain a first beam signal for the terminal; and applying third beam coefficients to the detected signals to obtain a second beam signal for the second terminal.

[0121] In some examples, the apparatus may include features, circuitry, logic, means, or instructions for determining a position of an antenna of the antenna array based at least in part on a first signal received from a first transmitter, a second signal received from a second transmitter, a position of the first transmitter, and a position of the second transmitter.

[0122] In some examples, the coverage area of ​​the second beam corresponds to a position of the terminal, and the apparatus may include features, circuitry, logic, means, or instructions for determining, for the antenna array, third beam coefficients for adjusting the coverage area of ​​the second beam based at least in part on forming the second beam, wherein the adjusted coverage area of ​​the second beam corresponds to the second position of the terminal.

[0123] In some examples, the coverage area of ​​the second beam has a first size based at least in part on the second beam coefficient, and the adjusted coverage area of ​​the beam has a second size based at least in part on the third beam coefficient.

[0124] In some examples, the apparatus may include features, circuitry, logic, means, or instructions for identifying a second terminal within a coverage area of ​​the second beam, the terminal's location being a first distance from the location of the second terminal, and determining, relative to the antenna array, third beam coefficients associated with an adjusted coverage area of ​​the second beam based at least in part on the location of the second terminal, based at least in part on identifying the second terminal.

[0125] In some examples, the apparatus may include features, circuitry, logic, means, or instructions for identifying a second terminal within a coverage area of ​​a second beam, the terminal's location being a first distance from the location of the second terminal; determining a change in distance between the terminal's location and the second terminal's location; and determining, for the antenna array, third beam coefficients that adjust the size of the coverage area of ​​the second beam based at least in part on the change in distance.

[0126] In some examples, the apparatus may include features, circuitry, logic, means, or instructions for: identifying a second terminal within a coverage area of ​​a second beam, the terminal's location being a first distance from the second terminal's location; determining a change in distance between the terminal's location and the second terminal's location; and determining third beam coefficients for forming a third beam for the second terminal with respect to the antenna array, the third beam's coverage area corresponding to the second terminal's location.

[0127] In some examples, the apparatus may include features, circuitry, logic, means, or instructions for identifying a second terminal within a coverage area of ​​the second beam and communicating with the second terminal using the second beam.

[0128] In some examples, the apparatus may include features, circuitry, logic, means, or instructions for: applying a plurality of sets of beam coefficients to signals detected at the antenna array based at least in part on determining a first beam coefficient, wherein a plurality of coverage areas are formed for a second beam according to the plurality of sets of beam coefficients, each coverage area of ​​the plurality of coverage areas covering a different geographical region, the plurality of coverage areas including a coverage area of ​​the second beam, and the plurality of sets of beam coefficients including the second beam coefficient; determining, for each coverage area of ​​the plurality of coverage areas, a signal quality of a signal received in a respective beam signal transmitted from the terminal and associated with the plurality of sets of beam coefficients; and selecting the second beam coefficient based at least in part on a signal quality of a signal received according to the second beam coefficient relative to a signal quality of a signal received according to another set of beam coefficients among the plurality of sets of beam coefficients.

[0129] In some examples, the signal quality of the signal is determined based at least in part on a bit error rate of the signal, a signal-to-noise ratio of the signal, a signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio of the signal, or a combination thereof.

[0130] In some examples, a system described herein may perform one or more methods, such as method 900. The system may include a signal detector configured to identify a terminal within a geographic region; a beam manager configured to determine first beam coefficients for an antenna array to form a first beam for the terminal, a coverage area of ​​the first beam encompassing the geographic region and inter-element spacing of antennas of the antenna array varying across the antenna array; and a communications manager configured to communicate with the terminal using the first beam and determine that utilization of the first beam exceeds a threshold, wherein the beam manager is further configured to determine second beam coefficients for the antenna array based at least in part on the utilization of the first beam exceeding the threshold, and the communications manager is further configured to communicate with the terminal using the second beam.

[0131] In some examples of the system, the beam manager is further configured to form a first beam based at least in part on the first beam coefficients, and the coverage area of ​​the second beam has a center that is within the coverage area of ​​the first beam.

[0132] In some examples of the system, the signal detector is further configured to identify a plurality of terminals within the geographic region, the plurality of terminals including a terminal, and the communications manager is further configured to communicate with the plurality of terminals using the first beam, and a utilization of the first beam is determined to exceed a threshold based at least in part on communicating with the plurality of terminals.

[0133] In some examples of the system, the signal detector is further configured to identify a plurality of terminals within the geographic region, the plurality of terminals including a terminal, and the beam manager is further configured to determine a plurality of beam coefficients for forming, for the antenna array, a plurality of beams for the plurality of terminals having respective coverage areas with respective centers within the coverage area of ​​the first beam, the respective coverage areas of the plurality of beams corresponding to respective positions of the plurality of terminals, and the plurality of beam coefficients including a second beam coefficient.

[0134] In some examples of the system, the communications manager is further configured to reserve communications resources in the first beam for identifying additional terminals within the geographic region.

[0135] In some examples of the system, the coverage area of ​​the second beam corresponds to the location of the terminal, the signal detector is further configured to identify the second terminal within the geographical region, and the beam manager is further configured to determine third beam coefficients for forming a third beam for the second terminal for the antenna array, the coverage area of ​​the third beam corresponding to the location of the second terminal.

[0136] In some examples, the system includes a positioning component configured to determine a position of an antenna of the antenna array based at least in part on a first signal received from a first transmitter, a second signal received from a second transmitter, a position of the first transmitter, and a position of the second transmitter.

[0137] In some examples of the system, the coverage area of ​​the second beam corresponds to a position of the terminal, and the beam manager is further configured to determine third beam coefficients for adjusting the coverage area of ​​the second beam based at least in part on forming the second beam for the antenna array, the adjusted coverage area of ​​the second beam corresponding to a second position of the terminal.

[0138] In some examples of the system, the signal detector is further configured to identify a second terminal within a coverage area of ​​the second beam, the location of the terminal being a first distance from the location of the second terminal, and the beam manager is further configured to determine, relative to the antenna array, third beam coefficients associated with an adjusted coverage area of ​​the second beam based at least in part on the location of the second terminal, based at least in part on identifying the second terminal.

[0139] In some examples of the system, the signal detector is further configured to identify a second terminal within the coverage area of ​​the second beam, the location of the terminal being a first distance from the location of the second terminal. The system may also include a positioning component configured to determine a change in distance between the location of the terminal and the location of the second terminal, and the beam manager is further configured to determine, for the antenna array, third beam coefficients that adjust the size of the coverage area of ​​the second beam based at least in part on the change in distance.

[0140] In some examples of the system, the signal detector is further configured to identify a second terminal within a coverage area of ​​the second beam, the location of the terminal being a first distance from the location of the second terminal. The system may also include a positioning component configured to determine a change in distance between the location of the terminal and the location of the second terminal, and the beam manager is further configured to determine third beam coefficients for forming a third beam for the second terminal, for the antenna array, the coverage area of ​​the third beam corresponding to the location of the second terminal.

[0141] In some examples of the system, the signal detector is further configured to identify a second terminal within the coverage area of ​​the second beam, and the communications manager is further configured to communicate with the second terminal using the second beam.

[0142] In some examples of the system, the beam manager is further configured to apply multiple sets of beam coefficients to signals detected at the antenna array based at least in part on determining the first beam coefficient; multiple coverage areas are formed for a second beam according to the multiple sets of beam coefficients, each coverage area of ​​the multiple coverage areas covering a different geographical region, the multiple coverage areas including a coverage area of ​​the second beam, and the multiple sets of beam coefficients including the second beam coefficient; the signal detector is further configured to determine, for each coverage area of ​​the multiple coverage areas, a signal quality of a signal received in each beam signal transmitted from the terminal and associated with the multiple sets of beam coefficients; and the beam manager is further configured to select the second beam coefficient based at least in part on a signal quality of a signal received according to the second beam coefficient relative to a signal quality of a signal received according to another set of beam coefficients among the multiple sets of beam coefficients.

[0143] It should be noted that these methods describe example implementations, and that the acts and steps can be rearranged or otherwise modified so that other implementations are possible. In some examples, aspects from two or more methods can be combined. For example, aspects of each method can include steps or aspects of other methods, or other steps or techniques described herein.

[0144] The information and signals described herein 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 description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof.

[0145] The various example blocks and modules described in connection with the disclosure herein may be implemented or performed by 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).

[0146] The functions described herein may be implemented in hardware, software executed by a processor, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software executed by a processor, the functions may be stored on or transmitted as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Other examples and embodiments are within the scope of this disclosure and the appended claims. For example, due to the nature of software, the functions described herein may be implemented using software executed by a processor, hardware, firmware, hardwiring, or any combination thereof. Features implementing the functions may also be physically located in various locations, including being distributed such that portions of the functions are implemented in different physical locations.

[0147] Computer-readable media includes both non-transitory computer storage media and communication media, including any medium that facilitates transfer of a computer program from one place to another. Non-transitory storage media may be any available medium that can be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer. By way of example, and not limitation, non-transitory computer-readable media may include RAM, ROM, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, compact disk read-only memory (CDROM) or other optical disk storage devices, magnetic disk storage devices or other magnetic storage devices, or any other non-transitory medium that can be used to execute or store desired program code means in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer or a general-purpose or special-purpose processor. Also, any connection is properly termed a computer-readable medium. For example, if 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, microwave, etc., the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, microwave, etc. are included within the definition of media. As used herein, disk and disc include CDs, laser discs, optical discs, digital versatile discs (DVDs), floppy disks, and Blu-ray discs, where discs typically reproduce data magnetically, while discs reproduce data optically using lasers. Combinations of the above are also included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0148] As used herein, including the claims, the use of "or" in a list of items (e.g., a list of items preceded by a phrase such as "at least one of" or "one or more of") indicates an inclusive list, so that, for example, a list of at least one of A, B, or C means A or B or C, or AB or AC or BC, or ABC (i.e., A and B and C). Also, as used herein, the phrase "based on" should not be construed as referring to an exclusive set of conditions. For example, an example step described as "based on condition A" could be based on both condition A and condition B without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. In other words, as used herein, the phrase "based on" is to be interpreted the same as the phrase "based at least in part on."

[0149] In the accompanying drawings, similar components or features may have the same reference label. Furthermore, various components of the same type may be distinguished by following the reference label with a dash and a second label that distinguishes between the similar components. If only a first reference label is used herein, the description is applicable to any of the similar components having the same first reference label, regardless of a second reference label or other subsequent reference label.

[0150] The description set forth herein, with reference to the accompanying drawings, describes exemplary configurations and does not represent every example that may be implemented or that is within the scope of the claims. As used herein, the term "exemplary" means "serving as an example, instance, or illustration," and does not mean "preferred" or "advantageous over other examples." The detailed description includes specific details for the purpose of providing an understanding of the described technology. However, these technologies may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form in order to avoid obscuring the concepts of the described examples.

[0151] The description herein is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the disclosure. Various modifications to the disclosure will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other variations without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Thus, the disclosure is not intended to be limited to the embodiments and designs described herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. 1. A communication method comprising: Identifying terminals (120) within a geographic region (155); determining positions of antennas (110) of an antenna array (105) mounted on one or more satellites based at least in part on a first signal received from a first transmitter (120), a second signal received from a second transmitter (120), a position of the first transmitter (120), and a position of the second transmitter (120), the antennas (110) of the antenna array (105) being deployed in space orbit and distances between adjacent antennas (110) of the antenna array (105) varying across the antenna array (105); determining first beam coefficients for forming a first beam (619) for the terminal (120) for the antenna array (105), the coverage area (665) of the first beam (619) encompassing the geographic region (155); communicating with the terminal (120) using the first beam (619); determining that the utilization of the first beam (619) exceeds a threshold; determining second beam coefficients for a second beam (617) for the antenna array (105) based at least in part on a location of the terminal (120) and a location of the antenna (110) relative to the terminal (120) based at least in part on the utilization rate of the first beam (619) exceeding the threshold, wherein a coverage area (660) of the second beam (617) is different from a coverage area (665) of the first beam (619); and communicating with the terminal (120) using the second beam (617).

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of: the coverage area (660) of the second beam (617) having a center within the coverage area (665) of the first beam (619).

3. identifying a plurality of terminals (120) within said geographic region (155), said plurality of terminals (120) including said terminal (120); 3. The method of claim 1 or 2, further comprising: a step of communicating with the plurality of terminals (120) using the first beam (619), wherein the utilization rate of the first beam (619) is determined to exceed the threshold based at least in part on communicating with the plurality of terminals (120).

4. The method of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the gain of the first beam (619) is lower than the gain of the second beam (617).

5. identifying a plurality of terminals (120) within said geographic region (155), said plurality of terminals (120) including said terminal (120); 5. The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining, for the antenna array (105), a plurality of beam coefficients to form a plurality of beams (617) for the plurality of terminals (120) having respective coverage areas each centered within the coverage area (665) of the first beam (619), wherein the coverage area of ​​each of the plurality of beams (617) corresponds to a respective position of the plurality of terminals (120), and the plurality of beam coefficients include the second beam coefficient.

6. The method of any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising reserving communication resources in the first beam (619) for identifying additional terminals (120) within the geographical region (155).

7. The coverage area (660) of the second beam (617) corresponds to a location of the terminal (120), and the method includes: Identifying a second terminal (120) within said geographic region (155); The method of any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising the step of determining third beam coefficients for the antenna array (105) to form a third beam (717) for the second terminal (120), wherein a coverage area (760) of the third beam (717) corresponds to a position of the second terminal (120).

8. receiving first positioning information of the terminal (120) and second positioning information of the second terminal (120) based at least in part on identifying the terminal (120) and the second terminal (120); The method of claim 7 , wherein the second beam coefficients and the third beam coefficients are determined based at least in part on the first positioning information and the second positioning information.

9. receiving a first reference signal from the terminal and a second reference signal from the second terminal based at least in part on identifying the terminal and the second terminal; The method of claim 7 , wherein the second beam coefficients and the third beam coefficients are determined based at least in part on the first reference signal and the second reference signal.

10. The method further includes a step of communicating with the second terminal (120) using the third beam (717), wherein the step of communicating with the terminal (120) using the second beam (617) and communicating with the second terminal (120) using the third beam (717) comprises: detecting signals at the antenna array (105), the detected signals including respective components (325) of a first signal transmitted from the terminal (120) and detected at the antenna array (105) and respective components (330) of a second signal transmitted from the second terminal (120) and detected at the antenna array (105); The method of any one of claims 7 to 9, further comprising the steps of applying the second beam coefficient to the detected signal to obtain a first beam signal (375) for the terminal (120), and applying the third beam coefficient to the detected signal to obtain a second beam signal (375) for the second terminal (120).

11. The coverage area (660) of the second beam (617) corresponds to a location of the terminal (120), and the method includes: The method of any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising: determining third beam coefficients for adjusting a coverage area (660) of the second beam (617) based at least in part on forming the second beam (617) for the antenna array (105), wherein the adjusted coverage area (660) of the second beam (617) corresponds to a second position of the terminal (120).

12. 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the coverage area (660) of the second beam (617) has a first size based at least in part on the second beam coefficient, and the adjusted coverage area (760) of the second beam (617) has a second size based at least in part on the third beam coefficient.

13. identifying a second terminal (120) within the coverage area (660) of the second beam (617), the location of the terminal (120) being a first distance from the location of the second terminal (120); The method of any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising: determining third beam coefficients associated with an adjusted coverage area (660) of the second beam (617) based at least in part on a position of the second terminal (120) based at least in part on identifying the second terminal (120) for the antenna array (105).

14. identifying a second terminal (120) within a coverage area (660) of the second beam (617), the location of the terminal (120) being at a first distance from the location of the second terminal (120); determining a change in distance between the location of the terminal (120) and the location of the second terminal (120); and determining, for the antenna array (105), third beam coefficients that adjust a size of a coverage area (660) of the second beam (617) based at least in part on the change in distance.

15. identifying a second terminal (120) within a coverage area (660) of the second beam (617), the location of the terminal (120) being at a first distance from the location of the second terminal (120); determining a change in distance between the location of the terminal (120) and the location of the second terminal (120); The method of any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising the step of determining third beam coefficients for the antenna array (105) to form a third beam (717) for the second terminal (120), wherein a coverage area (760) of the third beam (717) corresponds to a position of the second terminal (120).

16. identifying a second terminal (120) within a coverage area (660) of the second beam (617), the coverage area (660) of the second beam (617) being smaller than a coverage area (665) of the first beam (619); The method of any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising the step of: communicating with the second terminal (120) using the second beam (617).

17. applying a plurality of sets of beam coefficients to signals detected at the antenna array (105) based at least in part on determining the first beam coefficients, wherein a plurality of coverage areas (660) for the second beam (617) are formed according to the plurality of sets of beam coefficients, each coverage area (660) of the plurality of coverage areas (660) covering a different geographic region (155), the plurality of coverage areas (660) including the coverage area (660) of the second beam (617), and the plurality of sets of beam coefficients including the second beam coefficients; determining, for each coverage area (660) of the plurality of coverage areas (660), a signal quality of a signal received in a respective beam signal transmitted from the terminal (120) and associated with the plurality of sets of beam coefficients; 7. The method of claim 1, further comprising: selecting the second beam coefficient based at least in part on signal quality of signals received according to the second beam coefficient relative to signal quality of signals received according to other sets of beam coefficients among the plurality of sets of beam coefficients.

18. 20. The method of claim 17, wherein the signal quality of a signal is determined based at least in part on a bit error rate of the signal, a signal-to-noise ratio of the signal, a signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio of the signal, or a combination thereof.

19. A communication network (200), comprising: a signal detector (240) configured to identify terminals (120) within a geographic region (155); a positioning component configured to determine positions of antennas of an antenna array implemented on one or more satellites based at least in part on a first signal received from a first transmitter, a second signal received from a second transmitter, a position of the first transmitter, and a position of the second transmitter, the antennas of the antenna array being deployed in space orbit, and distances between adjacent antennas of the antenna array varying across the antenna array; a beam manager (220) configured to determine first beam coefficients for forming a first beam (619) for the terminal (120) with respect to an antenna array (105), the coverage area (665) of the first beam (619) encompassing the geographic region (155); a communications manager (250) configured to communicate with the terminal (120) using the first beam (619) and determine that a utilization rate of the first beam (619) exceeds a threshold; The beam manager (220) is further configured to determine, for the antenna array (105), second beam coefficients for a second beam (617) based at least in part on a location of the terminal (120) and a location of the antenna (110) relative to the terminal (120), based at least in part on the utilization rate of the first beam (619) exceeding the threshold, wherein a coverage area (660) of the second beam (617) is different from the coverage area (665) of the first beam (619); The communications network (200), wherein the communications manager (250) is further configured to communicate with the terminal (120) using the second beam (617).

20. 20. The communication network (200) of claim 19, wherein the beam manager (220) is further configured to form the first beam (619) based at least in part on the first beam coefficients, and wherein the coverage area (660) of the second beam (617) has a center that is within the coverage area (665) of the first beam (619).

21. the signal detector (240) is further configured to identify a plurality of terminals (120) within the geographic region (155), the plurality of terminals (120) including the terminal (120); The communication network (200) of claim 19 or 20, wherein the communication manager (250) is further configured to communicate with the plurality of terminals (120) using the first beam (619), and the utilization of the first beam (619) is determined to exceed the threshold based at least in part on communicating with the plurality of terminals (120).

22. the signal detector (240) is further configured to identify a plurality of terminals (120) within the geographic region (155), the plurality of terminals (120) including the terminal (120); The communication network (200) of any one of claims 19 to 21, wherein the beam manager (220) is further configured to determine a plurality of beam coefficients for forming, for the antenna array (105), a plurality of beams (617) for the plurality of terminals (120) having respective coverage areas each centered within the coverage area (665) of the first beam (619), the coverage areas of each of the plurality of beams (617) corresponding to respective positions of the plurality of terminals (120), and the plurality of beam coefficients including the second beam coefficient.

23. The communication network (200) of any one of claims 19 to 22, wherein the communication manager (250) is further configured to reserve communication resources in the first beam (619) to identify additional terminals (120) within the geographical region (155).

24. the coverage area (660) of the second beam (617) corresponds to the location of the terminal (120); the signal detector (240) is further configured to identify a second terminal (120) within the geographic region (155); The communication network (200) of any one of claims 19 to 23, wherein the beam manager (220) is further configured to determine third beam coefficients for the antenna array (105) to form a third beam (717) for the second terminal (120), and a coverage area (760) of the third beam (717) corresponds to a position of the second terminal (120).

25. the coverage area (660) of the second beam (617) corresponds to the location of the terminal (120); The communication network (200) of any one of claims 19 to 23, wherein the beam manager (220) is further configured to determine third beam coefficients for adjusting a coverage area (660) of the second beam (617) based at least in part on forming the second beam (617) for the antenna array (105), the adjusted coverage area (660) of the second beam (617) corresponding to a second position of the terminal (120).

26. the signal detector (240) is further configured to identify a second terminal (120) within a coverage area (660) of the second beam (617), the location of the terminal (120) being at a first distance from the location of the second terminal (120); The communication network (200) of any one of claims 19 to 23, wherein the beam manager (220) is further configured to determine a third beam coefficient associated with an adjusted coverage area (660) of the second beam (617) based at least in part on a location of the second terminal (120) based at least in part on identifying the second terminal (120) for the antenna array (105).

27. the signal detector (240) is further configured to identify a second terminal (120) within a coverage area (660) of the second beam (617), the location of the terminal (120) being at a first distance from the location of the second terminal (120); The communication network (200) of any one of claims 19 to 23, wherein the positioning component (245) is further configured to determine a change in distance between the position of the terminal (120) and the position of the second terminal (120), and the beam manager (220) is further configured to determine a third beam coefficient for the antenna array (105) that adjusts the size of the coverage area (660) of the second beam (617) based at least in part on the change in distance.

28. the signal detector (240) is further configured to identify a second terminal (120) within a coverage area (660) of the second beam (617), the location of the terminal (120) being at a first distance from the location of the second terminal (120); The communication network (200) of any one of claims 19 to 23, wherein the positioning component (245) is further configured to determine a change in distance between a position of the terminal (120) and a position of the second terminal (120), and the beam manager (220) is further configured to determine third beam coefficients for the antenna array (105) to form a third beam (717) for the second terminal (120), and a coverage area (760) of the third beam (717) corresponds to the position of the second terminal (120).

29. the signal detector (240) is further configured to identify a second terminal (120) within a coverage area (660) of the second beam (617), the coverage area (660) of the second beam (617) being smaller than a coverage area (665) of the first beam (619); The communication network (200) of any one of claims 19 to 23, wherein the communication manager (250) is further configured to communicate with the second terminal (120) using the second beam (617).

30. the beam manager (220) is further configured to apply a plurality of sets of beam coefficients to signals detected at the antenna array (105) based at least in part on determining the first beam coefficients; a plurality of coverage areas (660) are formed for the second beam (617) according to the plurality of sets of beam coefficients, each coverage area (660) of the plurality of coverage areas (660) covering a different geographic region (155); the plurality of coverage areas (660) includes a coverage area (660) of the second beam (617); and the plurality of sets of beam coefficients includes the second beam coefficients; the signal detector (240) is further configured to determine, for each coverage area (660) of the plurality of coverage areas (660), a signal quality of a signal received in a respective beam signal transmitted from the terminal (120) and associated with the plurality of sets of beam coefficients; The communication network (200) of any one of claims 19 to 23, wherein the beam manager (220) is further configured to select the second beam coefficient based at least in part on the signal quality of a signal received according to the second beam coefficient relative to the signal quality of a signal received according to another set of beam coefficients among the plurality of sets of beam coefficients.

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