Integration of NTN-cellular and GNSS receive chains

Abstract

A device or receive-circuit has a first receive-chain (Rx-chain) configured to receive and process Non-Terrestrial-Network-cellular (NTN-cellular) signals received from one or more NTN-cellular access nodes, and a second Rx-chain configured to receive and process Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signals wirelessly transmitted from one or more GNSS satellites, with the first Rx-chain and the second Rx-chain being at least partially integrated with each other, including sharing at least an antenna structure, a low-noise amplifier (LNA), and an Rx signal path through the antenna structure and the LNA. Further, the device or receive circuit may include a Radio Frequency Front End (RFFE) of which the LNA is a component, and the RFFE may switch between or split apart the first and second Rx-chains for downstream processing, or the Rx-chains may be split apart after a downstream analog-to- digital converter (ADC) to help avoid signal degradation from the splitting.

Description

Integration of NTN-Cellular and GNSS Receive ChainsBACKGROUND

[0001] A typical cellular wireless communication system includes multiple access nodes configured to serve user equipment devices (UEs) such as cell phones, wearable devices, tracking devices, wirelessly equipped personal computers, gaming devices, Internet of Things (loT) devices, and other wirelessly-equipped devices, whether or not technically “user” operated.

[0002] Each such access node may include an antenna structure and associated equipment that enables the access node to provide one or more cells each defining wireless coverage in which to serve UEs over a respective air-interface. Further, each access node may be coupled through a backhaul communication connection with a core network that includes infrastructure configured to support the access node’s service of UEs and that provides connectivity with a transport network (e.g., the internet) and with various application servers.

[0003] With this arrangement, when a UE is positioned within coverage of an access node, the UE may be able to engage in air-interface communication with the access node and may thereby be able to communicate through the access node and the core network, with application servers and / or other entities.

[0004] For instance, the UE may discover coverage of the access node and may then engage in random-access and Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling with the access node to establish an RRC connection with the access node, and the UE may register with the core network through the UE’s RRC connection. Once the UE is connected and registered, the UE may then engage in communication with a remote entity via the UE’s RRC connection and the core network. For instance, when a remote entity transmits data to the UE, the data may flow to the core network and through the core network to the access node, and the access node may then coordinate transmission of the data over the air to the UE. And when the UE has data to transmit to the remote entity, the UE may send a scheduling request to the access node, the access node may coordinate transmission of the data over the air from the UE, and the data may then flow through the core network and from the core network to the remote entity.

[0005] To facilitate this cellular service, a representative UE may be configured with a cellular subsystem that enables the UE to engage in wireless air-interface communication with an access node according to an agreed cellular radio-access technology (RAT) and to correspondingly communicate with the cellular core network via the access node. This cellularsubsystem of the UE may include an antenna structure having one or more antennas to facilitate air-interface communication with an access node, as well as one or more, amplifiers, filters, mixers, radios, and / or other components, defining a transmit chain (or Tx-chain) for processing of outbound (uplink) signals for wireless transmission by the antenna structure to an access node and defining a receive chain (or Rx-chain) for processing of inbound (downlink) signals wirelessly received by the antenna structure from an access node.

[0006] In addition, a representative UE may also be configured to support use of a global navigation satellite system (GNSS), to enable the UE to determine its location for various purposes. A representative GNSS includes a constellation of GNSS satellites orbiting the Earth, with each GNSS satellite being equipped with an atomic clock and being configured to repeatedly broadcast a navigation message that carries a transmit timestamp, information about the satellite’s location, and other key data. By acquiring these signals from multiple GNSS satellites in the sky overhead, a UE could engage in trilateration, mathematically processing the signals from the multiple GNSS satellites to compute the UE’s location with a high level of granularity.

[0007] To facilitate this GNSS service, the representative UE may also be configured with a GNSS subsystem that enables the UE to wirelessly receive and process signals from the GNSS satellites. This GNSS subsystem may include an antenna structure having one or more antennas to facilitate wireless reception of GNSS satellite signals, as well as one or more amplifiers, filters, mixers, radios, and / or other components, defining an Rx- chain for processing of the received GNSS signals so as to determine location.SUMMARY

[0008] Traditionally, access nodes in a cellular wireless communication system would be terrestrial access nodes, i.e., access nodes provided on Earth, configured to provide terrestrial -network (TN) cellular service, and the cellular subsystem of the UE would be a TN- cellular subsystem configured accordingly.

[0009] To facilitate more widespread cellular service even in areas that may not have terrestrial cellular coverage, however, the industry has also begun to support satellite-based cellular service, namely, cellular service through non-terrestrial-network (NTN) communication. NTN-cellular service can take various forms, including for instance (i) narrowband-NTN (NB-NTN) cellular service, supporting communications of limited bandwidth and transport-block size such as non-realtime low-throughput loT data or shortmessage service (SMS) messaging, and (ii) 5G NR based NTN (NR-NTN) cellular service, supporting broadband cellular communications such as voice and video communication, among other possibilities.

[0010] In general, NTN-cellular service may work by having a satellite take the place of a terrestrial access node. For instance, just like a terrestrial access node provides a cell defining coverage in which the terrestrial access node can serve UEs, the satellite access node may provide a service area in which the satellite access node can serve UEs. Further, just like a terrestrial access node may have a backhaul communication connection with a cellular core network, the satellite access node may have a backhaul communication connection (albeit through a satellite air-interface link) with the cellular core network. With this arrangement, the satellite access node could then be configured to function as a cellular access node just like a terrestrial access node would, with similar or the same procedures for handling cellular connectivity and cellular service of a UE. Alternatively or additionally, a satellite access node may function as a relay for a ground-based access node.

[0011] Given the long distance between the satellite access node and the UE, however, air-interface communications between the satellite access node and a UE would inherently have greater signal-propagation delay than typical air-interface communication between a terrestrial access node and a UE. Further, the physical NTN air-interface between a satellite access node and a UE may be structured differently than the physical air-interface between a terrestrial access node and a UE. Consequently, for a UE to be able to engage in NTN-cellular service, the UE may need to employ specialized logic (e.g., specialized circuitry and / or program logic) configured to handle NTN signaling in particular.

[0012] Accordingly, to facilitate NTN cellular service, a representative UE may be configured with an NTN-cellular subsystem that enables the UE to engage in wireless airinterface communication with a satellite access node according to agreed NTN-cellular RAT and to correspondingly communicate with the cellular core network via the satellite access node. Analogous to the TN-cellular arrangement, this NTN-cellular subsystem may include an antenna structure having one or more antennas to facilitate air-interface communication with a satellite access node, as well as one or more, amplifiers, filters, mixers, radios, and / or other components, to facilitate processing of uplink signals for wireless transmission by the antenna structure to a satellite access node and to facilitate processing of downlink signals wirelessly received by the antenna structure from a satellite access node.

[0013] A technical issue that may arise in manufacturing such a UE or in manufacturing of components for such a UE is how to efficiently incorporate this NTN-cellular subsystem given other component-configuration needs.

[0014] One approach, especially if the procedures for cellular connectivity and cellular service are largely the same for both TN-cellular service and NTN-cellular service, would be to integrate the NTN-cellular subsystem with the TN-cellular subsystem. For instance, a UE could be equipped with a common antenna structure, common Tx-chain components, and common Rx-chain components, cooperatively configured to work for both TN-cellular service and NTN-cellular service. To accommodate the difference in propagation delay between TN signaling and NTN signaling, the UE could be equipped with separate TN and NTN radios, or with a common radio configured to support both TN service and NTN service and to differentially handle TN and NTN signaling.

[0015] Unfortunately, however, some components that may be used for TN-cellular communication in a UE may be inadequate or otherwise undesirable for use with NTN-cellular communication. One issue in particular relates to downlink communication. Given the long distance between the satellite access node and the UE, not only would there be significant signal-propagation delay as noted above, but there would also be significant path loss, which would result in low receive signal strength at the UE.

[0016] One of the Rx-chain components that can help to address this low receive signal strength is a low-noise amplifier (LNA). An LNA could boost the strength of the antenna-received radio frequency (RF) signal before the signal goes through further processing along an Rx-chain, to help increase signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and increase the chances that the UE’s radio can successfully demodulate and otherwise process the received signal.

[0017] However, an LNA in the Rx-chain of a TN-cellular subsystem, which may be optimized for the relatively short propagation path typical in a TN-cellular system, may not be sufficient to overcome the high downlink path loss in an NTN-cellular system. Furthermore, one or more of the components in the Rx-chain of the TN-cellular subsystem may have relatively high level of insertion loss (i.e., level of attenuation of signals passing through the component), which may result from factors such as resistance, impedance mismatch, dielectric loss, and / or other parasitic effects. For at least these reasons, the TN-cellular subsystem in the UE may be unable to adequately process received NTN-cellular signals.

[0018] The present disclosure provides an advance that may help to better address this technical issue, particularly as to the NTN-cellular Rx-chain. The disclosure stems from arealization that the GNSS subsystem of a UE would itself likely need to have a very high level of receive sensitivity, i.e., an ability to successfully receive and process very weak signals, and therefore that it may be technically efficient to make use of certain GNSS-subsystem components for the NTN-cellular Rx-chain as well. Thus, the disclosure provides for at least partially integrating the NTN-cellular subsystem with the GNSS subsystem, by having the NTN-cellular subsystem and GNSS subsystem share one or more Rx-chain components.

[0019] Among other possibilities, each of one or more Rx-chain components that would be shared by the NTN-cellular subsystem and the GNSS subsystem according to the disclosure may optimally have relatively low insertion loss and / or relatively high gain, so as to help meet the high sensitivity requirements of both NTN-cellular and GNSS reception. Without limitation, examples of such components may include (i) an antenna structure for wirelessly receiving signals and passing the received signals along the Rx-chain and / or (ii) an LNA for amplifying received RF signals for further processing in the Rx-chain as noted above. Further, other examples may include an analog filter, an analog frequency downconverter or mixer, and / or an analog-to-digital converter (ADC). Still other examples may be possible as well.

[0020] This at-least-partial integration of the NTN-cellular Rx-chain and the GNSS Rx-chain may work especially well in a scenario where received NTN-cellular signals and GNSS signals would be in a common frequency band (albeit on different frequencies, such as the LI band for instance), as the shared Rx-chain components may have frequency responses that are optimized for that frequency band. In addition, sharing of hardware for NTN-cellular and GNSS use can help save printed-circuit-board space, which may be especially useful in small form-factor devices such as smart watches or the like.

[0021] Accordingly, in one respect, disclosed is a UE having (i) a first Rx-chain configured to receive and process NTN-cellular signals wirelessly transmitted from one or more NTN-cellular access nodes and (ii) a second Rx-chain configured to receive and process GNSS signals received from one or more GNSS satellites. In the UE, the first Rx-chain and the second Rx-chain are at least partially integrated with each other, including sharing with each other at least an antenna structure, an LNA, and an Rx signal path through the antenna structure and the LNA.

[0022] In another respect, disclosed is an Rx circuit having (i) a first and Rx-chain configured to receive and process GNSS signals wirelessly transmitted from one or more GNSS satellites and (ii) a second Rx-chain configured to receive and process NTN-cellular signals received from one or more NTN-cellular access nodes. In the Rx circuit, the first Rx-chain andthe second Rx-chain are at least partially integrated with each other, including sharing with each other at least an antenna structure, an LNA, and an Rx signal path through the antenna structure and the LNA.

[0023] In yet another respect, disclosed is a method operable by a device to receive and process both (i) NTN-cellular signals wirelessly transmitted from one or more NTN- cellular access nodes and (ii) GNSS signals wirelessly transmitted from one or more GNSS satellites. According to the method, the device receives and processes the NTN-cellular signals through a first Rx-chain of the device, and the device receives and processes the GNSS signals through a second Rx-chain of the device. Further, the first Rx-chain and the second Rx-chain are at least partially integrated with each other, including sharing with each other at least an antenna structure, an LNA, and an Rx signal path through the antenna structure and the LNA. Therefore, the receiving and processing of the NTN-cellular signals through the first Rx-chain includes receiving and processing of the NTN-cellular signals through at least the antenna structure and the LNA, and the receiving and processing of the GNSS signals through the second Rx-chain includes receiving and processing of the GNSS signals through the same antenna structure and the same LNA.

[0024] These, as well as other aspects, advantages, and alternatives will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art by reading the following detailed description, with reference where appropriate to the accompanying drawings.

[0025] Further, it should be understood that the descriptions provided in this summary and below are intended to illustrate the invention by way of example only and not by way of limitation. Thus, numerous variations may be possible. For instance, various disclosed entities, components, connections, operations, and other elements could be added, omitted, distributed, replicated, re-located, re-ordered, combined, or changed in other ways. In addition, it will be understood that various disclosed technical operations could be implemented at least in part by one or more processing units programmed to carry out the operations or to cause one or more other entities to carry out the operations.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] Figure 1 is a simplified block diagram of an example cellular wireless communication system.

[0027] Figure 2 is a simplified block diagram of an example NTN-cellular communication system.

[0028] Figure 3 is a simplified block diagram of an example GNSS system.

[0029] Figure 4 is a simplified block diagram of an example architecture providing at least partial integration of an NTN-cellular Rx-chain and a GNSS Rx-chain.

[0030] Figure 5 is a simplified block diagram of another example architecture providing at least partial integration of an NTN-cellular Rx-chain and a GNSS Rx-chain.

[0031] Figure 6 is a simplified block diagram of another example architecture providing at least partial integration of an NTN-cellular Rx-chain and a GNSS Rx-chain.

[0032] Figure 7 is a simplified block diagram of an example UE.DETAILED DESCRIPTIONExample Cellular Wireless Service

[0033] Referring to the drawings, as noted above, Figure 1 is a simplified block diagram of an example cellular wireless communication system.

[0034] In Figure 1, the example cellular wireless communication system includes a radio access network (RAN) 100 and a core network 102. The RAN 100 may include numerous access nodes configured to cooperatively provide coverage throughout a given market area. As shown, for instance, the RAN 100 may thus include an example access node 104, which may include an antenna structure and associated equipment (neither shown) configured to provide UEs with cellular service over an example air interface 106 defining a cell. Further, the core network 102 may include a user-plane subsystem 108 for carrying user-plane communications (e.g., application-layer communications) to and from UEs, and a control-plane subsystem 110 for controlling registration and setup and management of service flows for UEs. In addition, the core network 102 is shown providing connectivity with an example transport network 112 such as the internet.

[0035] This cellular wireless communication system could operate in accordance with one or more RATs as noted above, which may define the physical structure of the air interface 106 and may also define associated procedures for handling service of UEs.

[0036] The wireless industry has evolved over the years to define various generations of RATs and continues to evolve to define new generations of RATs. Recent examples of these RATs include, without limitation, (i) “4G” Long Term Evolution (LTE), which facilitates mobile broadband service using technologies such as orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) and multiple input multiple output (MIMO), (ii) “5G NR” (5G New Radio), which may use a more scalable OFDM air interface and other advanced features to support higher data rates and advanced applications, and (iii) “6G”, which might support even higher data rates, possibly by making use of millimeter wave and Terahertz spectrum.

[0037] Under such a RAT, the access node 104 may be configured to provide a cell on a respective radio frequency (RF) carrier that may define a downlink channel for carrying communications from the access node to UEs and an uplink channel for carrying communications from UEs to the access node. Each of these channels may then further be structured in a manner that defines physical air-interface resources for carrying both control signaling and user-plane communications between the access node 104 and UEs. For instance, the air interface may be divided over time into frames, subframes, timeslots, and symbol time segments, and over frequency into subcarriers, so as to define an array of resource elements each occupying a respective subcarrier and spanning a respective symbol time segment. Each resource element may then serve to carry data (user-plane or control plane) through modulation on the resource element’s subcarrier with an applicable modulation-and-coding scheme. Further, the air interface may be divided over time and channel bandwidth into physical resource blocks (PRBs), each of which may span a certain number of subcarriers in frequency and a certain duration (e.g., half of a timeslot) in time.

[0038] In addition, certain resource elements in these PRBs may be reserved for particular use, such as to carry control signaling or to carry user-plane data communications.

[0039] On the downlink, for instance, certain resource elements may cooperatively carry signaling from the access node that UEs could measure as a basis to gauge cell coverage strength. Further, other resource elements may cooperatively define a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) for carrying downlink control signaling such as scheduling directives from the access node to UEs. Still further, other resource elements may cooperatively define a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), and the access node could schedule use of the PDSCH on a PRB basis for use to carry user-plane data from the access node to served UEs.

[0040] On the uplink, on the other hand, certain resource elements may cooperatively define an access channel for carrying access requests from UEs to the access node. Further, other resource elements may cooperatively define a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) for carrying various uplink signaling such as measurement reports and scheduling requests from UEs to the access node. Still further, other resource elements may cooperatively define a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), and the access node could schedule use of the PUSCH on a per PRB basis to carry user-plane data from served UEs to the access node.

[0041] Figure 1 illustrates an example UE 114 that may be within coverage of the example access node 104. This UE could take any of the forms noted above, among other possibilities. The UE 114 could be equipped with various components (not shown), such as an antenna structure, a radio, and associated circuitry and / or other logic to support being served by the access node 104 over the air interface 106.

[0042] When such a UE enters into coverage of this example system, the UE may detect a reference signal broadcast by the access node as an indication of presence of the access node’s coverage, and if the UE determines that the access node’s coverage is strong enough, the UE may then engage in signaling with the access node and, via the access node, with the core network control -plane system 108, to connect and register for service.

[0043] For instance, the UE may engage in random-access signaling and RRC signaling with the access node to establish an RRC connection between the access node and the UE in the cell, putting the UE into an “RRC Connected” mode. Further, if the UE is not already registered with the core network 102 to engage in cellular communication service, the UE may also engage in registration signaling with the control-plane subsystem 110, through non-access stratum (NAS) signaling via the access node 104, to register for service. For instance, the UE may send a registration request over its RRC connection to the access node 104, which the access node may forward into the control-plane subsystem 110 for processing. After authenticating the UE, the control-plane subsystem 110 may then engage in a process to set up for the UE one or more quality-of-service (QoS) flows (or bearers) for carrying userplane traffic through the user-plane subsystem 108 to and from the UE.

[0044] Once the UE has an established connection with the access node 104 and has one or more assigned service flows, the access node 104 may then serve the UE with packetdata communications on the downlink and on the uplink of the access node’s cell.

[0045] As to the downlink, for instance, when packet data on the transport network 112 arrives at the core network 102 for transmission to the UE, the data may flow through the user-plane subsystem 108 to the access node 104, which may buffer the data pending transmission of the data over the air of the UE. The access node 104 may then assign one or more downlink PRBs of the UE’s serving cell to carry the data to the UE, and the access node 104 may transmit to the UE a downlink control information (DCI) message defining a scheduling directive that specifies the assigned downlink PRB(s) and may transmit the data to the UE by modulating the data onto subcarriers of resource elements within the assigned downlink PRBs. As the UE receives this transmission, the UE may then demodulate the transmission to uncover the data.

[0046] As to the uplink, on the other hand, when the UE has packet data to transmit on the transport network 112, the UE may buffer the data in a queue, pending transmission of the data over the air to the access node 104, and the UE may transmit to the access node 104 a scheduling request that includes a buffer status report (BSR) indicating how much data the UE has buffered for uplink transmission. The access node 104 may then assign one or more uplink PRBs of the UE’s serving cell to carry the data from the UE, and the access node 104 may transmit to the UE a DCI message specifying the assigned uplink PRBs. The UE may then transmit the data to the access node 104 by modulating the data onto subcarriers of the resource elements within the assigned uplink PRBs, and the access node 104 may forward the data through user-plane subsystem 108 of the core network 102 for ultimate output onto the transport network 112.Example NTN-Cellular Service

[0047] As noted above, to facilitate more widespread cellular service even in areas that do not have terrestrial cellular coverage, the industry has also begun to support NTN- cellular service, where a satellite access node may take the place of a terrestrial access node and / or may function as a relay for terrestrial access node.

[0048] Figure 2 is a simplified illustration of an example network arrangement for NTN-cellular service.

[0049] In the arrangement of Figure 2, a representative satellite access node 200 operates above the Earth’s surface 202, such as in low Earth orbit (LEO), medium Earth orbit (MEO), or geostationary Earth orbit (GEO), for instance, and carries special payload that allows it to function as a cellular access node, much like access node 104. The satellite access 200 node may provide an NTN air interface defining a service area having a diameter that maybe on the order of tens or hundreds of kilometers, in which the satellite can serve UEs over established “service links” 204. Further, the satellite access node may have a backhaul communication connection or “feeder link” 206 with an NTN gateway 208 at the cellular core network 102. In practice, the satellite access node could then be configured to function as a full-fledged cellular access node like access node 104 and / or as a relay access node, among other possibilities.

[0050] As further noted above, the physical NTN air-interface between a satellite access node and a UE may be structured differently than the physical air-interface between a terrestrial access node and a UE. However, high-layer procedures for handling UE connection, registration, and service may be similar to or the same as those defined for terrestrial cellular service.

[0051] As with terrestrial cellular service, for instance, the satellite access node 200 may broadcast a reference signal that UEs could detect as an indication of the presence of the satellite access node’s coverage. A suitably equipped UE 210 may thus scan for and detect this reference signal and, upon determining that the reference signal is strong enough, then engage in random access and RRC connection signaling with the satellite access node and NAS-based registration signaling, via the NTN access node, with the control -plane subsystem 110 of the core network 102, triggering setup of one or more bearers or service flows for the UE.

[0052] When the core network 102 then has data to send to the UE, the data may flow to the satellite access node 200, and the satellite access node 200 may schedule and provide transmission of the data to the UE over the NTN air interface 204, by modulating the data onto an applicable carrier, and the UE may receive and demodulate this transmission to uncover the transmitted data. Likewise, when the UE has data to send, the UE may send a scheduling request to the satellite access node 200, the satellite access node 200 may schedule uplink transmission of the data from the UE, the UE may transmit the data over the NTN air interface 204 to the satellite access node 200 by modulating the data onto an applicable carrier, and the data may then flow from the satellite access node 200, through the core network 102, to its destination.Example GNSS Service

[0053] As noted above, a representative GNSS includes a constellation of GNSS satellites orbiting the Earth, each of which may repeatedly broadcast a navigation message, so that a suitably-equipped UE could receive and process the navigation messages from multipleGNSS satellites in the sky overhead in order to compute the UE’s location with a high level of granularity.

[0054] Figure 3 is a simplified illustration of an example GNSS. In particular, Figure 3 shows four example GNSS satellites, 300, 302, 304, 306, each broadcasting a respective navigation message. Further, the figure shows a UE 308 receiving the navigation messages broadcast by the example GNSS satellites.

[0055] In order for the UE 308 to determine its location, the UE 308 may receive and demodulate the navigation messages broadcast by these GNSS satellites and, for each GNSS satellite, may read the transmit timestamp and GNSS satellite location information and, by comparing the transmit time with signal receive time at the UE, compute signal propagation time and therefore distance from the GNSS satellite. Given the computed distances from the multiple GNSS satellites and given the location of each GNSS satellite, the UE may then engage in trilateration to compute its location with a high level of accuracy.

[0056] This GNSS-based location-determination process could serve various useful purposes. For instance, if the UE supports providing navigation guidance, the UE may engage in GNSS-based location-determination and may present the UE’s location and navigation guidance on a display. Further, if the UE supports NTN-cellular service as discussed above, the UE may engage in GNSS-based location-determination and, by comparing the UE’s determined location with a defined location of an NTN satellite access node, may compute signal propagation delay between the UE and the NTN satellite access node, which the UE may use as a basis to pre-compensate timing of the UE’ s scheduled uplink transmissions to the NTN satellite access node. Other examples may be possible as well.Example Integration of GNSS and NTN-Cellular Rx-Chains

[0057] As noted above, the present disclosure addresses the technical problem of how to efficiently implement an NTN-cellular Rx-chain. As indicated, one approach given the similarity in processing involved with TN-cellular service and NTN-cellular service would be to at least partially integrate the NTN-cellular Rx-chain with a TN-cellular Rx-chain. However, as further noted, that may not be optimal, since certain components configured to facilitate TN- cellular reception may be suboptimal for NTN-cellular reception. For instance, some components may not allow for the required level of receive sensitivity given the high propagation loss associated with downlink NTN-cellular transmission.

[0058] Per the present disclosure as noted above, an improved approach is to at least partially integrate the NTN-cellular Rx-chain with a GNSS Rx-chain. This approach leveragesthe likely fact that components of the GNSS Rx-chain would be configured to support a high level of receive sensitivity, such as high gain and low insertion loss, which may work well to also facilitate handling of downlink NTN-cellular communications given the high path loss of NTN-cellular signals.

[0059] The at least partial integration of the NTN-cellular Rx-chain with the GNSS Rx-chain could take various forms. Without limitation, Figures 4-6 depict three example circuit architectures.

[0060] Figure 4 depicts an example architecture where the NTN-cellular Rx-chain and GNSS Rx-chain share at least a common antenna structure and a common LNA. Specifically, Figure 4 depicts a receive circuit that includes a shared antenna structure 400 and a shared LNA 402 and further includes, downstream from the LNA 402 (i.e., further along in the Rx-processing direction), (i) a first set of components 404 that are specific to the NTN- cellular Rx-chain and are not shared with the GNSS Rx-chain and (ii) a second set of components 406 that are specific to the GNSS Rx-chain and that are not shared with the NTN- cellular Rx-chain.

[0061] In the example shown, the shared antenna structure 400 may comprise one or more antenna elements, such as one or more planar monopole antennas, inverted-F antennas, patch antennas, helical antennas, slot antennas, dipole antennas, and / or combinations of these and / or others.

[0062] This antenna structure 400 could be shared by the NTN-cellular Rx-chain and the GNSS Rx-chain in that at least of the one or more antenna elements of the antenna structure 400 would both (i) receive NTN-cellular signaling transmitted from one or more NTN-cellular satellite access nodes and pass the received NTN-cellular signaling along in the receive circuit for handling and (ii) receive GNSS signaling transmitted from one or more GNSS satellites and pass the received GNSS signaling downstream in the receive circuit for handling.

[0063] The reception of the NTN-cellular signaling and reception of the GNSS signaling may or may not be concurrent. For instance, one or more shared antenna elements of the antenna structure 400 may receive an RF waveform that represents both NTN-cellular signaling (e.g., modulated on a given carrier) and that also represents GNSS signaling (e.g., modulated on a separate carrier). Alternatively, one or more of the shared antenna elements may at one time receive an RF waveform that represents NTN-cellular signaling and at another time receive an RF waveform that represents GNSS signaling.

[0064] As shown, an output from the shared antenna structure 400 feeds into a Radio Frequency Front End (RFFE) 408 that is at least partially shared by the NTN-cellular Rx-chain and the GNSS Rx-chain. And as shown, the shared LNA 402 is a component of the RFFE 408. Further, the RFFE 408 may include one or more additional components not shown. For instance, the RFFE 408 may also include one or more filters also possibly shared by the NTN-cellular Rx-chain and the GNSS Rx-chain. Further, the RFFE 408 may include a duplexer to facilitate bidirectional NTN-cellular communication.

[0065] In the example shown, the LNA 402 is labeled as an external LNA (eLNA) because the LNA 402 may be provided separate from other downstream entities. This LNA 402 is shared by the NTN-cellular Rx-chain and the GNSS Rx-chain in that both (i) NTN- cellular signals received by the antenna structure 400 will pass through and be amplified by the LNA to help facilitate further downstream processing of the signals and (ii) GNSS signals received by the antenna structure 400 will pass through and be amplified by the LNA to help facilitate further downstream processing of the signals.

[0066] Continuing downstream in the architecture of Figure 4, the first set of components 404 that are specific to the NTN-cellular Rx-chain is shown including an internal LNA (iLNA) 410, a filter 412, a mixer (e.g., frequency downconverter) 414, an ADC 416, a NTN-cellular Digital Front End (DFE) (e.g., for frequency conversion, digital downsampling, and channel filtering) 418, and an NTN-cellular baseband modem (for demodulating received NTN-cellular signals) 420. Though other arrangements are possible as well, possibly omitting one or more components and / or including one or more other components.

[0067] These components 404 may be grouped or otherwise provided in various ways. By way of example, one or more of the components 404 may be provided on a Radio Frequency Integrated Circuit (RFIC) and other of the components 404 may be provided on a modem Integrated Circuit (Modem IC). For instance, an RFIC may include the iLNA 410, the filter 412, the mixer 414, the ADC 416, and possibly part of the NTN-cellular DFE 418, and a modem IC may include a remainder of the NTN-cellular DFE 418 and the NTN-cellular baseband modem 420.

[0068] Likewise, the set of components 406 that are specific to the GNSS Rx-chain is shown including an iLNA 422, a filter 424, a mixer 426, an ADC 428, a GNSS DFE 430, and a GNSS baseband modem (for demodulating received GNSS signals) 432. Though here too, other arrangements are possible, and it is not necessarily the case that the GNSS Rx-chainincludes the same type, order, or other arrangement of components as the NTN-cellular Rx- chain.

[0069] These components 406 of the GNSS Rx-chain may similarly be grouped or otherwise provided in various ways, such as with one or more of the components 406 being provided on an RFIC and other of the components being provided on a modem IC. For example, an RFIC may include the iLNA 422, the filter 424, the mixer 426, the ADC 428, and possibly part of the GNSS DFE 430, and a modem IC may include a remainder of the GNSS DFE 430 and the GNSS baseband modem 432.

[0070] With the example architecture of Figure 1, the NTN-cellular Rx-chain and GNSS Rx-chain are fully integrated through at least the LNA 402 of the RFFE 408. Downstream of the LNA 402, possibly within the RFFE 408 as shown, the NTN-cellular Rx- chain and GNSS Rx-chain then split apart. In particular, in the arrangement shown, the shared signal path splits at a point 434 downstream of the LNA 402, providing a first split output path 436 for processing by the first set of components 404 of the NTN-cellular Rx-chain and second split output path 438 for processing by the second set of components 406 of the GNSS Rx- chain.

[0071] With this architecture, the RF signal splitting that occurs at point 434 may result in a 3 dB loss (i.e., splitting in half) of the energy level of the signal. Namely, the energy level of the signal provided on the first split output path 436 and the energy level of the signal provided on the second split output path 438 may each be 3 dB lower than the energy level of the signal arriving at the split point 434. To help compensate for this 3 dB loss, the LNA 402 could be engineered to provide additional gain (beyond the gain would be useful to boost the RF signal received from the antenna structure 400). For instance, the LNA 402 could be configured to provide an additional 3 dB of gain.

[0072] The example architecture of Figure 1 could usefully facilitate concurrent reception and processing of NTN-cellular signaling and GNSS signaling, which could allow GNSS-based location determination while engaging in NTN-cellular communication - such as for navigation service and / or to pre-compensate the timing uplink NTN-cellular signaling, among other possibilities. (The concurrency of these two forms of communication may or may not involve the communications happening at exactly the same time as each other, but may at least allow for both forms of communication to occur whenever desired without a need to switch between the two forms of communication.)

[0073] By way of example, an RF waveform received by the shared antenna structure 400 may include both NTN-cellular signaling and GNSS signaling. That received RF waveform could then pass from the antenna structure 400 to the RFFE 408 and (possibly before or after additional processing by one or more other RFFE components) could be amplified by the shared LNA 402. With signal splitting then occurring at point 434, the RFFE 408 could provide (i) a split output signal along path 436 to be processed when applicable by the NTN- cellular-specific components 404 including being demodulated by the NTN-cellular baseband modem 420 and (ii) a split output signal along path 438, to be processed when applicable by the GNSS-specific components 406 including being demodulated by the GNSS baseband modem 432.

[0074] Figure 5 depicts an example architecture as a variation of the architecture shown in Figure 4. The architecture of Figure 5 differs from the architecture of Figure 4 at least in that the architecture of Figure 5 includes a switch (e.g., a single-pole-double-throw (SPDT) switch) 500 rather than the signal-splitting point 434.

[0075] In this architecture, the switch 500 could be processor controlled to dynamically toggle the shared signal between the first output path 436 for processing by the first set of components 404 of the NTN-cellular Rx-chain and the second output path 438 for processing by the second set of components 406 of the GNSS Rx-chain. For instance, a processor associated with the NTN-cellular Rx-chain (such as a baseband-modem processor of the NTN-cellular Rx-chain) could send control signaling to the switch 500 to direct the shared signal to the first output path 436 whenever desired to receive signaling from an NTN-cellular access node and to direct the shared signal to the second output path 438 whenever not desired to receive an NTN-cellular signal. Alternatively or additionally, a processor associated with the GNSS Rx-chain could control the switch 500 when desired to receive and process GNSS signaling.

[0076] This architecture may usefully avoid the signal-splitting issue that would occur at split point 434 as noted above. In particular, by switching the shared signal between the first output path 436 and the second output path 438 rather than splitting the signal between the first output path 436 and the second output path 438, this architecture may avoid the 3 dB loss resulting from the signal splitting. The switch 500 may have some insertion loss (perhaps on the order of 0.3 dB), but that insertion loss may be far smaller than the 3 dB loss resulting from the signal splitting. Consequently, with this architecture, it may be reasonable to use anLNA 402 that is already optimized for GNSS service, without redesigning or replacing the LNA 402 to compensate for that 3 dB loss.

[0077] This architecture might not allow processing of received NTN-cellular signaling at exactly the same time as processing of received GNSS signaling, since the switch would pass the shared signal along just one of the two output paths at a time. However, this architecture could be useful for situations where NTN-cellular service and GNSS service do not need to run at the same time as each other. Without limitation, an example situation could be where the UE is stationary and is engaging in NTN-cellular communication for emergency purposes, in which case it may be possible for the UE to engage in GNSS-based location determination and then separately engage in NTN-cellular communication that may use the determined location for uplink timing pre-compensation. Other examples may be possible as well.

[0078] Figure 6 depicts another example architecture for at least partially integrating the NTN-cellular Rx-chain with the GNSS Rx-chain. The architecture of Figure 6 includes a shared antenna structure 600 and RFFE 602 (including a shared eLNA 604), and then further includes shared processing components through an ADC. Namely, in addition to sharing the antenna structure 600 and the RFFE 602 including the eLNA 604, the NTN-cellular Rx-chain and GNSS Rx-chain in this architecture also share RFIC-typical components such as an iLNA 606, a filter 608, a mixer 610, and an ADC 612. Thus, in this arrangement, the NTN-cellular Rx-chain and the GNSS Rx-chain are fully integrated with each other until after the ADC 612.

[0079] Splitting apart the NTN-cellular Rx-chain and GNSS Rx-chain after the ADC 612 usefully means the split happens in the digital domain rather than in the analog domain, which thereby avoids signal loss from the split happening in the analog domain. In particular, with this architecture, the identical digital bit stream output from the ADC 612 (possibly with further processing) could be provided for both (i) NTN-cellular processing by an NTN-cellular DFE 614 and a NTN-cellular baseband modem 616 and (ii) GNSS processing by a GNSS DFE 618 and a GNSS baseband modem 620.

[0080] In addition, given the extent to which the NTN-cellular Rx-chain and GNSS Rx-chain share components in the architecture of Figure 6, the architecture of Figure 6 would likely be less expensive to manufacture than the other architectures discussed above. For instance, this architecture may avoid reengineering an eLNA in order to overcome a 3 dB loss from signal splitting, and may avoid providing a switch or providing separate RFICs to facilitate both NTN-cellular processing and GNSS processing.

[0081] Various other architectures for at least partially integrating an NTN-cellular Rx-chain with a GNSS Rx-chain could be possible as well. Without limitation, for instance, it may even be possible to fully integrate these Rx-chains, including having the Rx-chains share a DFE and a baseband modem processor. In that arrangement, for example, the baseband modem processor may be programmed to differentially handle received NTN-cellular signals and received GNSS-signals, to facilitate respective demodulation and handling of the NTN- cellular signals and the GNSS signals. Further, with that arrangement, if the shared antenna structure receives a summation of incoming GNSS signals and transmitted uplink NTN-cellular signals, the baseband modem processor may be aware of the uplink NTN-cellular signals and therefore cancel them from the received summation in order to help facilitate GNSS signal processing (e.g., to help reduce intermodulation distortion or other issues).

[0082] Figure 7 is a simplified block diagram of an example UE configured with an NTN-cellular Rx-chain and a GNSS Rx-chain that are at least partially integrated with each other. This UE may take any of the forms noted above, among other possibilities. For instance, the UE may be a smartphone or a wearable device (e.g., smartwatch, headset, etc.) As shown in Figure 7, the example UE includes a wireless-interface block 700, a host processor 702, and host non-transitory data storage 704, which may be integrated together and / or communicatively linked together by one or more system busses 706 and / or other connections.

[0083] As shown, the wireless-interface block 700 includes a receive circuit 708 that at least partially integrates an NTN-cellular Rx-chain and a GNSS Rx-chain. This receive circuit 708 could take any of the forms described above, among other possibilities. For instance, the receive circuit 708 may include shared elements (not shown) such as at least a shared antenna structure and a shared LNA as described above. As further shown, the wirelessinterface block 700 may also include a TN-cellular Rx-chain 710, for handling downlink terrestrial cellular communications. This TN-cellular Rx-chain 710 could additionally be integrated at least partially with the other Rx-chains. For instance, all three Rx-chains could share a common antenna structure and / or other components. The wireless-interface block 700 could include one or more chipsets interconnected with one or more antenna elements, among other possibilities.

[0084] The host processor 702 could comprise one or more general purpose processors (e.g., one or more microprocessors, etc.) and / or one or more special-purpose processors (e.g., digital signal processors, application-specific integrated circuits, etc.) Further, the host non-transitory data storage 704 could comprise one or more volatile and / or non-volatile storage components (e.g., optical, magnetic, or flash storage, RAM, ROM, EPROM, EEPROM, cache memory, and / or other computer-readable media, etc.), possibly integrated in whole or in part with the host processor 702. As shown, the host non-transitory data storage 704 may store program instructions 712, which may be executable by the host processor 702 to carry out various UE operations such a use of received NTN-cellular communications and / or use of GNSS-determined location, among other possibilities.

[0085] Accordingly, as discussed above, a UE (such as a smartphone, a wearable device, or another type of device) could comprise a first Rx-chain configured to receive and process NTN-cellular signals received from one or more NTN-cellular access nodes and a second Rx-chain configured to receive and process GNSS signals wirelessly transmitted from one or more GNSS satellites, with the first Rx-chain and the second Rx-chain being at least partially integrated with each other, including sharing with each other at least an antenna structure, an LNA, and an Rx signal path through the antenna structure and the LNA.

[0086] In line with the discussion above, the first Rx-chain and the second Rx-chain could share with each other an RFFE comprising the LNA. Further, the first Rx-chain could include, downstream from the RFFE, a first set of components that are not shared with the second Rx-chain, and the second Rx-chain could include, downstream from the RFFE, a second set of components that are not shared with the first Rx-chain.

[0087] As discussed above, the RFFE could be configured to perform signal splitting downstream from the LNA, with the signal splitting providing a first output to the first set of components to facilitate NTN-cellular processing and providing a second output to the second set of components to facilitate GNSS processing. Further, a gain of the LNA could compensate (pre-compensate) for a loss resulting from the signal splitting.

[0088] Further as discussed, the RFFE could include a switch downstream from the LNA, with the switch being configured to toggle an output of the RFFE between (i) the first set of components to facilitate NTN-cellular processing and (ii) the second set of components to facilitate GNSS processing.

[0089] Also in line with the discussion above, the UE could comprise an RFFE of which the LNA is a component, and the first Rx-chain and the second Rx-chain could additionally share with each other a set of components downstream from the RFFE. For instance, the set of components downstream from the RFFE could comprise an ADC configured to perform analog to digital conversion in both the first Rx-chain and the second Rx-chain. Further, the first Rx-chain and second Rx-chain could split apart from each otherdownstream from the ADC, and this splitting in the digital domain could avoid having the splitting cause signal degradation. Moreover, the first Rx-chain could include, downstream from the splitting apart of the first Rx-chain and the second Rx-chain, an NTN-cellular DFE and an NTN-cellular modem, and the second Rx-chain could include, downstream from the splitting apart of the first Rx-chain and the second Rx-chain, a GNSS DFE and a GNSS modem.

[0090] In addition, as discussed above, the UE could also include a third Rx-chain configured to receive and process TN-cellular signals wirelessly transmitted from one or more TN-cellular access nodes.

[0091] The present disclosure also contemplates a receive circuit (i.e., an Rx-circuit) that may be suitable for including in a UE or other device and that may be configured in line with the discussion above, at least partially integrating an NTN-cellular Rx-chain with a GNSS Rx-chain. In some implementations, the receive circuit may include some of the integration discussed above, such as sharing of an eLNA, and the receive circuit may be suitable for use in combination with a separately provided antenna structure. Other implementations may be possible as well.

[0092] Further, the present disclosure contemplates a method that could be carried out by a device (e.g., a UE or other device) to receive and process both (i) NTN-cellular signals wirelessly transmitted from one or more NTN-cellular access nodes and (ii) GNSS signals wirelessly transmitted from one or more GNSS satellites. The method could include the device receiving and processing the NTN-cellular signals through a first Rx-chain of the device, and the device receiving and processing the GNSS signals through a second Rx-chain of the device. Further, in line with the discussion above the first Rx-chain and the second Rx-chain could be at least partially integrated with each other, including sharing with each other at least an antenna structure, an LNA, and an Rx signal path through the antenna structure and the LNA. Thus, the receiving and processing of the NTN-cellular signals through the first Rx-chain could include receiving and processing of the NTN-cellular signals through at least the antenna structure and the LNA, and the receiving and processing of the GNSS signals through the second Rx-chain could include receiving and processing of the GNSS signals through the same antenna structure and the same LNA.

[0093] Various features described above could be applied in this context as well, and vice versa. Without limitation, for instance, the first Rx-chain and the second Rx-chain could share with each other an RFFE including an LNA, the receiving and processing of the NTN- cellular signals through the first Rx-chain could involve processing the NTN-cellular signalsthrough a first set of components that are downstream from the RFFE and are not shared by the second Rx-chain, and the receiving and processing of the GNSS signals through the second Rx-chain could involve processing the GNSS signals through a second set of components that are downstream from the RFFE and are not shared by the first Rx-chain.

[0094] Example embodiments have been described above. Those skilled in the art will understand, however, that changes and modifications may be made to these embodiments without departing from the true scope and spirit of the invention.

Claims

CLAIMSWhat is claimed is:

1. A user equipment device (UE) comprising: a first receive-chain (Rx-chain) configured to receive and process Non-Terrestrial- Network-cellular (NTN-cellular) signals received from one or more NTN-cellular access nodes; and a second Rx-chain configured to receive and process Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signals wirelessly transmitted from one or more GNSS satellites, wherein the first Rx-chain and the second Rx-chain are at least partially integrated with each other, including sharing with each other at least an antenna structure, a low-noise amplifier (LNA), and an Rx signal path through the antenna structure and the LNA.

2. The UE of claim 1, wherein the UE is a smartphone or a wearable device.

3. The UE of claim 1, wherein the first Rx-chain and the second Rx-chain share with each other a Radio Frequency Front End (RFFE) comprising the LNA, wherein the first Rx-chain includes, downstream from the RFFE, a first set of components that are not shared with the second Rx-chain, wherein the second Rx-chain includes, downstream from the RFFE, a second set of components that are not shared with the first Rx-chain.

4. The UE of claim 3, wherein the RFFE is configured to perform signal splitting downstream from the LNA, the signal splitting providing a first output to the first set of components to facilitate NTN-cellular processing and providing a second output to the second set of components to facilitate GNSS processing.

5. The UE of claim 4, wherein a gain of the LNA compensates for a loss resulting from the signal splitting.

6. The UE of claim 3, wherein the RFFE includes a switch downstream from the LNA, the switch being configured to toggle an output of the RFFE between (i) the first set of components to facilitate NTN-cellular processing and (ii) the second set of components to facilitate GNSS processing.

7. The UE of claim 1, wherein the UE comprises a Radio Frequency Front End (RFFE) of which the LNA is a component, wherein the first Rx-chain and the second Rx-chain additionally share with each other a set of components downstream from the RFFE.

8. The UE of claim 7, wherein the set of components downstream from the RFFE comprises an analog-to- digital converter (ADC) configured to perform analog to digital conversion in both the first Rx- chain and the second Rx-chain, and wherein the first Rx-chain and second Rx-chain split apart from each other downstream from the ADC, whereby splitting apart the first Rx-chain from the second Rx-chain downstream from the ADC rather than upstream from the ADC avoids having the splitting cause signal degradation.

9. The UE of the claim 8, wherein the first Rx-chain includes, downstream from the splitting apart of the first Rx- chain and the second Rx-chain, an NTN-cellular Digital Front End (DFE) and an NTN-cellular modem, and wherein the second Rx-chain includes, downstream from the splitting apart of the first Rx-chain and the second Rx-chain, a GNSS DFE and a GNSS modem.

10. The UE of claim 1, further comprising a third Rx-chain configured to receive and process Terrestrial -Network-cellular (TN-cellular) signals wirelessly transmitted from one or more TN-cellular access nodes.

11. A receive-circuit (Rx-circuit) comprising: a first receive-chain (Rx-chain) configured to receive and process Non-Terrestrial- Network-cellular (NTN-cellular) signals received from one or more NTN-cellular access nodes; and a second Rx-chain configured to receive and process Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signals wirelessly transmitted from one or more GNSS satellites, wherein the first Rx-chain and the second Rx-chain are at least partially integrated with each other, including sharing with each other at least an antenna structure, a low-noise amplifier (LNA), and an Rx signal path through the antenna structure and the LNA.

12. The Rx-circuit of claim 11, wherein the first Rx-chain and the second Rx-chain share with each other a Radio Frequency Front End (RFFE) comprising the LNA, wherein the first Rx-chain includes, downstream from the RFFE, a first set of components that are not shared with the second Rx-chain, wherein the second Rx-chain includes, downstream from the RFFE, a second set of components that are not shared with the first Rx-chain.

13. The Rx-circuit of claim 12, wherein the RFFE is configured to perform signal splitting downstream from the LNA, the signal splitting providing a first output to the first set of components to facilitate NTN-cellular processing and providing a second output to the second set of components to facilitate GNSS processing.

14. The Rx-circuit of claim 13, wherein a gain of the LNA compensates for a loss resulting from the signal splitting.

15. The Rx-circuit of claim 12, wherein the RFFE includes a switch downstream from the LNA, the switch being configured to toggle an output of the RFFE between (i) the first set of components to facilitate NTN-cellular processing and (ii) the second set of components to facilitate GNSS processing.

16. The Rx-circuit of claim 1, wherein the Rx-circuit comprises a Radio Frequency Front End (RFFE) of which the LNA is a component, wherein the first Rx-chain and the second Rx-chain additionally share with each other a set of components downstream from the RFFE.

17. The Rx-circuit of claim 16, wherein the set of components downstream from the RFFE comprises an analog-to- digital converter (ADC) configured to perform analog to digital conversion in both the first Rx- chain and the second Rx-chain and wherein the first Rx-chain and second Rx-chain split apart from each other downstream from the ADC, whereby splitting apart the first Rx-chain from the second Rx-chain downstream from the ADC rather than upstream from the ADC avoids having the splitting cause signal degradation.

18. The Rx-circuit of the claim 17, wherein the first Rx-chain includes, downstream from the splitting apart of the first Rx- chain and the second Rx-chain, an NTN-cellular Digital Front End (DFE) and an NTN-cellular modem, and wherein the second Rx-chain includes, downstream from the splitting apart of the first Rx-chain and the second Rx-chain, a GNSS DFE and a GNSS modem.

19. A method operable by a device to receive and process both (i) Non-Terrestrial - Network-cellular (NTN-cellular) signals wirelessly transmitted from one or more NTN-cellular access nodes and (ii) Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signals wirelessly transmitted from one or more GNSS satellites, the method comprising: receiving and processing, by the device, the NTN-cellular signals through a first Rx- chain of the device; and receiving and processing, by the device, the GNSS signals through a second Rx-chain of the device, wherein the first Rx-chain and the second Rx-chain are at least partially integrated with each other, including sharing with each other at least an antenna structure, an LNA, and an Rx signal path through the antenna structure and the LNA, whereby, the receiving and processingof the NTN-cellular signals through the first Rx-chain includes receiving and processing of the NTN-cellular signals through at least the antenna structure and the LNA, and the receiving and processing of the GNSS signals through the second Rx-chain includes receiving and processing of the GNSS signals through the same antenna structure and the same LNA.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the first Rx-chain and the second Rx-chain share with each other a Radio Frequency Front End (RFFE) comprising the LNA, wherein receiving and processing the NTN-cellular signals through the first Rx-chain comprises processing the NTN-cellular signals through a first set of components that are downstream from the RFFE and not shared by the second Rx-chain, and wherein receiving and processing the GNSS signals through the second Rx-chain comprises processing the GNSS signals through a second set of components that are downstream from the RFFE and are not shared by the first Rx-chain.

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