Apparatus for wireless communication

Abstract

A wireless communication device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure comprises: a first substrate (10) on which a first circuit (101) for applying a first radio frequency (RF) signal is mounted; a liquid crystal layer (20) stacked on the upper portion of the first substrate (10) and having a dielectric constant varying on the basis of an applied DC voltage; and a second substrate (30) which is stacked on the liquid crystal layer (20) and on which a second circuit (301) for obtaining a second RF signal from the first RF signal on the basis of coupling with the first circuit (101) is mounted, wherein both ends of the second circuit (301) each comprise via hole electrodes (302) for applying the DC voltage, and the via hole electrodes (302) may pass through the second substrate (30) and contact the upper portion of the liquid crystal layer (20).

Description

Device for wireless communication

[0001] The present disclosure relates to wireless communication, and more specifically, to various wireless communication devices including terminals or base stations in a wireless communication system.

[0002] Recently, there has been an increasing demand for high-speed and high-capacity data transmission services in mobile communications, and beamforming technology is used as a key element to implement these services. In fixed beam antennas, reception sensitivity and signal-to-interference ratios are reduced depending on the relative positions of the transmitter and receiver, and there is a disadvantage in that the multiplexing gain for multi-stream transmission is not high. Therefore, by controlling the phase of the array antenna, the radiation direction of the beam can be controlled, and multiplexing gain for multi-stream transmission can be secured.

[0003] However, in the field of 5G and 6G next-generation mobile communications, phased array antennas are being researched as extremely massive MIMO systems with a very large number of antennas. Since the number of phase shifters and RF components connected to the antennas must also be highly integrated, there are technical implementation limitations. In particular, implementation issues such as power consumption, heat generation, losses, and costs are emerging as critical problems in next-generation mobile communications.

[0004] A solution to overcome these problems is to control numerous unit array radiators through a new approach, rather than implementing phase shifts of numerous array structures using existing diode or transistor-based ICs. One such approach is a technology that implements beamforming using liquid crystals, which have been applied in displays, and other new technologies are being researched from the perspective of various materials.

[0005] The technical problem to be solved in the present disclosure is to provide a device for more efficient wireless communication. As an example, a liquid crystal-based array antenna structure suitable for performing phase shifting / beamforming through large-scale integration is proposed.

[0006] In addition to the technical challenges described above, other technical challenges can be inferred from the description below.

[0007] A wireless communication device according to one aspect of the present disclosure comprises: a first substrate (10) on which a first circuit (101) for applying a first RF (radio frequency) signal is mounted; a liquid crystal layer (20) stacked on the upper part of the first substrate (10) and having a dielectric constant that varies based on an applied DC voltage; and a second substrate (30) stacked on the upper part of the liquid crystal layer (20) and on which a second circuit (301) for obtaining a second RF signal from the first RF signal based on coupling with the first circuit (101) is mounted, wherein both ends of the second circuit (301) each include via hole electrodes (302) for applying the DC voltage, and the via hole electrodes (302) can penetrate the second substrate (30) and make contact with the upper part of the liquid crystal layer (20).

[0008] The second circuit (302) can receive the DC voltage through the via hole electrodes (302) without a DC bias line.

[0009] The phase of the second RF signal can be determined based on the dielectric constant of the liquid crystal layer (20).

[0010] Both ends of the second circuit (301) may include coupling poles (303) for coupling with the first circuit (101).

[0011] The via hole electrodes (302) and the coupling poles (303) can meet in a region where the electric field strength in the coupling poles (303) is smaller than the threshold value.

[0012] The via hole electrodes (302) and the coupling poles (303) can meet in the region where the electric field strength is minimum in the coupling poles (303).

[0013] The via holes formed by penetrating the second substrate (30) in the via hole electrodes (302) can be sealed with soldering to prevent leakage of the liquid crystal layer (20).

[0014] It may further include a DC control circuit (40) for controlling the dielectric constant of the liquid crystal layer (30) and the phase of the second RF signal by controlling the DC voltage through the via hole electrodes (302).

[0015] The above DC control circuit (40) can be laminated on the upper part of the second substrate (30).

[0016] The second circuit (302) above may include a meander line (305).

[0017] An array of the first circuit (101) may be formed on the first substrate (10), and an array of the second circuit (301) may be formed on the second substrate (30).

[0018] Beamforming can be performed based on the array of the first circuit (101) and the array of the second circuit (301).

[0019] The wireless communication device may further include a transceiver comprising the first substrate (10), the liquid crystal layer (20), and the second substrate (30); and a processor for controlling the transceiver.

[0020] The processor can shift the phase of the second RF signal by controlling the DC voltage in the transceiver.

[0021] The above wireless communication device is a terminal, and the second RF signal may include at least one of an uplink control channel, an uplink data channel, or an uplink reference signal.

[0022] The wireless communication device is a base station, and the second RF signal may include at least one of a downlink control channel, a downlink data channel, or a downlink reference signal.

[0023] According to one embodiment, a structure is provided in which a DC voltage can be directly applied through a via-hole electrode without a DC bias line, thereby reducing complexity and facilitating large-scale integration of a liquid crystal-based array antenna.

[0024] In addition to the technical effects described above, other technical effects can be inferred from the description below.

[0025] Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating the behavior of a liquid crystal according to changes in electrical characteristics.

[0026] Figure 2 is a diagram illustrating the concept of an RF element (e.g., phase shifter) for performing phase control using a liquid crystal.

[0027] FIG. 3 illustrates a liquid crystal-based RF device (e.g., phase shifter) according to one embodiment.

[0028] FIG. 4 illustrates the top / bottom of the first substrate (10), the top of the liquid crystal (20), and the top / bottom of the second substrate (30) of the RF element (e.g., phase shifter) of FIG. 3.

[0029] Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating the change in S-parameter characteristics according to the DC bias line width.

[0030] Figure 6 illustrates an example of a DC controller implemented using the integration of DC bias lines.

[0031] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an improvement of a coupled feeding structure according to one embodiment.

[0032] FIG. 8 illustrates the electric field (E-field) distribution for a metal pole or metal patch structure (303) connected to a meander line (305).

[0033] FIG. 9 shows a cross-section of an RF device (e.g., phase shifter) having an improved coupled feeding structure.

[0034] FIG. 10 illustrates the operating characteristics (e.g., impedance matching characteristics) according to the change in dielectric constant of the liquid crystal (20) in an improved coupled feeding structure.

[0035] Figure 11 shows the results of measuring the phase variation performance of the improved coupled feeding structure according to the applied DC voltage.

[0036] Figure 12 illustrates the design geometry of a series fed array antenna connected to a phase shifter, as well as the E-field distribution and 3D beam pattern at the operating frequency.

[0037] FIG. 13 illustrates the stacking of a DC control circuit (40) on a second substrate (30) according to one embodiment.

[0038] FIG. 14 illustrates a flexible network topology to which some of the examples of the present specification may be applied.

[0039] FIG. 15 illustrates an example of a communication system applicable to the present disclosure.

[0040] FIG. 16 illustrates an example of a wireless device that can be applied to the present disclosure.

[0041] FIG. 17 illustrates a communication procedure between a first node (e.g., a terminal) and a second node (e.g., a base station) applicable to the present disclosure.

[0042] In this specification, "A or B" may mean "only A," "only B," or "both A and B." Alternatively, in this specification, "A or B" may be interpreted as "A and / or B." For example, in this specification, "A, B or C" may mean "only A," "only B," "only C," or "any combination of A, B and C."

[0043] A slash ( / ) or a comma used in this specification may mean "and / or." For example, "A / B" may mean "A and / or B." Accordingly, "A / B" may mean "only A," "only B," or "both A and B." For example, "A, B, C" may mean "A, B or C."

[0044] In this specification, "at least one of A and B" may mean "only A," "only B," or "both A and B." Additionally, in this specification, the expressions "at least one of A or B" or "at least one of A and / or B" may be interpreted as synonymous with "at least one of A and B."

[0045] Additionally, in this specification, "at least one of A, B and C" may mean "only A," "only B," "only C," or "any combination of A, B and C." Also, "at least one of A, B or C" or "at least one of A, B and / or C" may mean "at least one of A, B and C."

[0046] Additionally, parentheses used in this specification may mean "for example." Specifically, when indicated as "control information (ABC)," "ABC" may be described as an example of "control information." For example, "control information" may include DEF as another example. In other words, "control information" in this specification is not limited to "ABC," and "ABC" may be described as an example of "control information." Also, when indicated as "control information (i.e., ABC)," "ABC" may be described as an example of "control information."

[0047] In addition, terms such as "first," "second," etc. in this specification are used solely for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another and are not used to limit the components, nor are they used to limit the order or importance of the components unless specifically limited. Accordingly, a first component in one embodiment of this specification may be referred to as a second component in another embodiment, and likewise, a second component in one embodiment may be referred to as a first component in another embodiment.

[0048] In the following explanation, 'when, if, in case of' can be replaced with 'based on'.

[0049] Technical features described individually within a single drawing in this specification may be implemented individually or simultaneously.

[0050] One of the conventional techniques for beamforming using array antennas is a method of controlling the electrical phase of array antenna elements, in which the electrical phase control is performed through the phase shifter IC of individual antennas.

[0051] Extremely massive MIMO systems or reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) technologies being discussed to meet the performance requirements of 6G mobile communication commonly require the implementation of a large array structure.

[0052] In massive MIMO / RIS, hundreds or thousands of antennas are required, but conventional technology that controls the phase of individual unit elements by connecting a phase shift IC to the unit element antenna cannot be implemented or faces limitations due to various inefficiencies.

[0053] Various studies are underway to overcome this, and as one of the candidate technologies, research is being conducted on RF device technologies capable of phase control using liquid crystals.

[0054] Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating the behavior of a liquid crystal according to changes in electrical characteristics.

[0055] Referring to Fig. 1, the liquid crystal is a form that simultaneously possesses solid and liquid properties, and the orientation of the liquid crystal particles changes depending on the applied voltage. When a DC voltage is applied through the upper and lower metal layers of the liquid crystal, the liquid crystal particles align along the electric field, thereby changing the dielectric constant of the corresponding liquid crystal layer.

[0056] Figure 2 is a diagram illustrating the concept of an RF element (e.g., phase shifter) for performing phase control using a liquid crystal.

[0057] Referring to FIG. 2, the RF element includes a liquid crystal (20), a first substrate (10) on which a first circuit for applying a first RF signal is mounted and disposed on the lower part of the liquid crystal, and a second substrate (30) on which a second circuit for obtaining a second RF signal from the first RF signal is mounted and disposed on the upper part of the liquid crystal.

[0058] DC control is a configuration for controlling the applied DC voltage, and the direction of the liquid crystal element changes according to the applied DC voltage, thereby controlling the characteristics of the RF element, including the dielectric constant. In particular, since the phase of the second RF signal can be changed according to the change in the dielectric constant of the liquid crystal (20), a method of performing beamforming through phase control in a large number of antenna element array structures is being studied through such characteristics.

[0059] However, such liquid crystal-based technology has limitations in replacing electronic components due to very slow response times at typical RF device thicknesses. Response time can be significantly improved if the liquid crystal layer within the RF device is configured to be very thin. For liquid crystal structures to be utilized in communication systems, they must be in the form of very thin films; however, due to the characteristics of RF devices, factors affecting RF signals increase in thin layer structures.

[0060] FIG. 3 illustrates a liquid crystal-based RF device (e.g., phase shifter) according to one embodiment.

[0061] Referring to FIG. 3, an RF element (e.g., phase shifter) includes a first substrate (10), a liquid crystal (20), and a second substrate (30).

[0062] FIG. 4 illustrates the top / bottom of the first substrate (10), the top of the liquid crystal (20), and the top / bottom of the second substrate (30) of the RF element (e.g., phase shifter) of FIG. 3.

[0063] Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, a first circuit is formed across the upper and lower portions of the first substrate (10), and a second circuit is formed across the upper and lower portions of the second substrate (3). The first circuit and the second circuit perform a role corresponding to the two metal substrates shown in FIG. 1.

[0064] Generally, since DC voltage within RF devices can cause other effects such as unintended offset phenomena, when a DC bias voltage is applied to an RF device, a DC block device or circuit is added to block or filter the DC bias voltage. Through the DC block, noise caused by the DC bias voltage in the RF signal can be controlled.

[0065] In FIG. 4, the RF signal line on the bottom surface of the first substrate (10) and the coupling slot on the top surface are parts that input and output signals connected to two RF connectors, and the RF signal is transmitted through the coupling slot to a rectangular metal patch (coupling pole) on the bottom surface of the second substrate (30).

[0066] In this structure, the first RF signal of the first substrate (10) is transmitted to the second substrate (30) only through the coupling slot and coupling characteristics without direct contact between the first substrate (10) and the second substrate (30), so the DC voltage applied to the second substrate (30) is separated from the first substrate (10). In addition, the top surface of the first substrate (10) becomes a common ground plane for the first RF signal and the DC bias voltage, so a DC block structure can be naturally implemented.

[0067] In this way, the lower part of the liquid crystal (20) meets a common ground plane formed on the upper part of the first substrate (10). On the lower part of the second substrate (30) that meets the upper part of the liquid crystal (20), there is a transmission line in the form of a meander (zigzag shape) line connected from a metal patch (coupling pole) for RF signal coupling. Such a meander line and the common ground plane form a transmission line for the second RF signal, and when the DC bias voltage is changed, the dielectric constant of the liquid crystal (20) changes, and the phase delay characteristic of the second RF signal of this transmission line changes. By utilizing this, the phase shift characteristic of the second RF signal can be adjusted.

[0068] A DC bias voltage must be transmitted to the meander line of the second substrate (30) to change the dielectric constant of the liquid crystal (20). To this end, according to the embodiment of FIGS. 3 and 4, a separate DC bias line is placed on the bottom surface of the second substrate (30). Additionally, a DC pad, which is an electrode connected to the DC bias line, is placed in a position exposed to the outside. Specifically, the electrode surface and the meander line through the DC Pad + via hole become the path for applying the DC bias voltage. In the case of this via hole, since metal plating is applied only to the surface of the hole in a plating form and the interior is empty, the via hole is separated and exists in an area away from the liquid crystal (20) so as not to cause leakage of the liquid crystal (20).

[0069] Meanwhile, if the liquid crystal (20) becomes thinner in the order of tens to several µm, the influence on the DC bias line width increases.

[0070] Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating the change in S-parameter characteristics according to the DC bias line width.

[0071] Referring to Figure 5, the thinner the linewidth, the closer it approaches the maximum performance of the existing RF design structure. This means that as the liquid crystal becomes thinner, a DC bias linewidth of hundreds to tens of nanometers is required, which is difficult to implement in a general PCB process. Consequently, the PCB fabrication process for the RF device must take the form of an expensive precision semiconductor photoresist process or a nano process; however, this is disadvantageous in terms of cost and inevitably depends on the semiconductor wafer size, which inevitably leads to the disadvantage of being difficult to apply to large array antenna structures for use in mobile communication.

[0072] Figure 6 illustrates an example of a DC controller implemented using the integration of DC bias lines.

[0073] As mentioned earlier, in the structure of Fig. 3 / 4, due to the liquid crystal leakage issue, via holes are formed in the outer region of the liquid crystal (20), and external electrodes are fabricated by connecting DC bias lines through the via holes.

[0074] In a massive MIMO antenna or intelligent surface structure that arranges a large number of unit elements, a large number of individual DC bias lines are required for the individual control of the large number of unit elements. In this case, as shown in Fig. 6, the DC bias lines occupy a larger area than the reflective surface structure, leading to problems of inefficiency and implementation complexity.

[0075] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an improvement of a coupled feeding structure according to one embodiment.

[0076] Figure 7(a) shows the coupled feeding structure and DC block structure previously examined in Figures 3 and 4, and Figure 7(a) illustrates the arrangement of the DC bias line, via hole, and electrode (DC pad) for applying the DC bias voltage. The structure of Figure 7(a) causes the problem related to the thin liquid crystal mentioned earlier.

[0077] To solve this, an improved structure as shown in FIG. 7(b) is proposed. According to the structure in FIG. 7(b), all existing DC bias lines are removed, and a method is applied in which the electrode portion connected to the via hole (302) is directly connected to the coupled feed portion. At this time, the via hole (302) meets the upper part of the liquid crystal (20). At this time, to solve the problem of liquid crystal leakage caused by the via hole (302), the electrode is fabricated directly in the via hole (302), and the hole space where liquid crystal leakage may occur is blocked through soldering of the via hole (302).

[0078] According to the coupled feeding structure of FIG. 7(b), a second circuit comprising a meander line (305) of a second substrate (30) and a metal pole or metal patch structure (303) is disposed on a first circuit comprising an RF signal line at the bottom of the first substrate (10) and a resonant slot etched on a common ground plane at the top of the first substrate (10). The first RF signal of the RF signal line is transmitted to the meander line (305) by the coupled feeding structure.

[0079] In the structure of Fig. 7(b), the size and position of each element have a significant impact on the coupling characteristics. In particular, since the via hole (302) is directly connected to the metal pole or metal patch structure (303) of the coupling structure, it is necessary to consider that the position of the via hole (302) has a significant impact on the coupling characteristics.

[0080] FIG. 8 illustrates the electric field (E-field) distribution for a metal pole or metal patch structure (303) connected to a meander line (305). It may be desirable to place the via hole (302) in the metal pole or metal patch structure (303) in an area where the E-field is below a threshold, preferably in the lowest area (e.g., 801). This minimizes the effect of the via hole (302) on the coupling characteristics, thereby improving the design difficulty and performance of the coupled feeding structure.

[0081] Figure 9 shows a cross-section of an RF device (e.g., phase shifter) based on Figure 7(b).

[0082] Referring to FIG. 9, the RF element includes a first substrate (10), a liquid crystal (20) stacked on top of the first substrate (10), and a second substrate (30) stacked on top of the liquid crystal (20).

[0083] A first circuit (101) for applying a first RF (radio frequency) signal may be mounted on the first substrate (10).

[0084] The liquid crystal (20) may have a variable dielectric constant based on the applied DC voltage.

[0085] A second circuit (301) for obtaining a second RF signal from a first RF signal based on coupling with the first circuit (101) may be mounted on the second substrate (30). Both ends of the second circuit (301) each include via hole electrodes (302) for applying the DC voltage, and the via hole electrodes (302) may penetrate the second substrate (30) and make contact with the upper part of the liquid crystal layer (20).

[0086] The second circuit (302) can receive the DC voltage through the via hole electrodes (302) without a DC bias line. In the RF device structure of FIG. 9, the DC bias line is omitted, and the via hole (302) is directly connected to a metal structure (e.g., coupling pole, 303) existing on the coupled feeding structure (e.g., slot and RF signal line of the first circuit (101). Additionally, the via hole (302) penetrates the second substrate (30) and is connected to the DC pad (306) on the upper part of the second substrate (30).

[0087] The phase of the second RF signal can be determined based on the dielectric constant of the liquid crystal layer (20).

[0088] Both ends of the second circuit (301) may include coupling poles (303) for coupling with the first circuit (101).

[0089] The via hole electrodes (302) and the coupling poles (303) can meet in a region where the electric field strength in the coupling poles (303) is smaller than the threshold value.

[0090] The via hole electrodes (302) and the coupling poles (303) can meet in the region where the electric field strength is minimum in the coupling poles (303).

[0091] The via holes formed by penetrating the second substrate (30) in the via hole electrodes (302) can be sealed with soldering to prevent leakage of the liquid crystal layer (20).

[0092] It may further include a DC control circuit (40) for controlling the dielectric constant of the liquid crystal layer (30) and the phase of the second RF signal by controlling the DC voltage through the via hole electrodes (302).

[0093] As illustrated in FIG. 13, the DC control circuit (40) can be laminated on top of the second substrate (30).

[0094] The second circuit (302) above may include a meander line (305).

[0095] An array of the first circuit (101) may be formed on the first substrate (10), and an array of the second circuit (301) may be formed on the second substrate (30).

[0096] Beamforming can be performed based on the array of the first circuit (101) and the array of the second circuit (301).

[0097] RF elements can be configured as part of a wireless communication device.

[0098] The wireless communication device may further include a transceiver comprising the first substrate (10), the liquid crystal layer (20), and the second substrate (30); and a processor for controlling the transceiver.

[0099] The processor can shift the phase of the second RF signal by controlling the DC voltage in the transceiver.

[0100] The above wireless communication device is a terminal, and the second RF signal may include at least one of an uplink control channel, an uplink data channel, or an uplink reference signal.

[0101] The wireless communication device is a base station, and the second RF signal may include at least one of a downlink control channel, a downlink data channel, or a downlink reference signal.

[0102] FIG. 10 illustrates the operating characteristics (e.g., impedance matching characteristics) according to the change in dielectric constant of the liquid crystal (20) in an improved coupled feeding structure.

[0103] Table 1 shows the phase variation amount according to the change in dielectric constant of the liquid crystal (20).

[0104] Permittivity Variation in permittivity (Reference eps 2.5) Estimated Phase Variation (8 GHz) Phase Variation for Permittivity 0.25 2.75 0.25 93°93° 3.0 0.5 0 180°87° 3.25 0.75 236°83° 3.5 1.00 346°83°

[0105] The results in FIG. 10 and Table 1 show that the improved coupled feeding structure can operate in the band between 7 and 9 GHz, which is one of the 6G candidate frequencies, and that the impedance matching characteristics (S11) are good even with the presence of via hole electrodes. In addition, since it exhibits uniform loss (S21) values ​​across the entire operating band, it can be seen that performance degradation caused by the DC bias line described in FIG. 5 does not occur.

[0106] Figure 11 shows the results of measuring the phase variation performance of the improved coupled feeding structure according to the applied DC voltage. In the case of the liquid crystal, the data includes different phase variation ranges depending on the surface treatment state of the phase shifter, but this characteristic is related to the liquid crystal treatment state and is unrelated to the performance of the proposed coupled feeding structure.

[0107] Figure 12 illustrates the design geometry of a series fed array antenna connected to a phase shifter, as well as the E-field distribution and 3D beam pattern at the operating frequency.

[0108] In Fig. 12, there are a total of 4 phase shifters connected to the array antenna of the beamformer, and the array antenna is composed of 4 columns to receive the outputs of the 4 phase shifters as inputs.

[0109] Table 2 shows the voltage input to the four phase shifters for controlling the dielectric constant of the liquid crystal and the voltage set according to the direction of beam control.

[0110] StatePhase shifter control voltage [V]Antenna 1Antenna 2Antenna 3Antenna 4State 1(-20°)4.559.525State 2(-10°)5.87.52525State 3(0°)999.29State 4(+10°)25987State 5(+20°)25654.9

[0111] In the case of liquid crystal-based RF devices, particularly massive MIMO systems or RIS structures, there were limitations in implementing technologies such as individual phase control for hundreds or thousands of array elements using existing semiconductor IC-based technologies. Utilizing liquid crystals can be used as a candidate technology to overcome these limitations of conventional technology.

[0112] However, a structure with a thin liquid crystal layer thickness is required for a fast response speed of the liquid crystal layer; consequently, this increases the influence of the DC bias line for controlling the DC voltage, and there is a problem in that the number of these lines must inevitably increase significantly to control a large number of array elements.

[0113] In this specification, an improved coupled feeding structure is proposed to solve these problems. In the proposed structure, since the DC bias line is omitted, the DC controller can be miniaturized. Furthermore, when using thin liquid crystals for fast response times, the manufacturing process costs required to implement fine DC bias line widths can be reduced. The proposed structure, such as via holes, can be implemented using a standard PCB process, thereby significantly lowering manufacturing costs.

[0114] Space efficiency can be improved when the DC controller is implemented in a multi-layered structure.

[0115] FIG. 13 illustrates the stacking of a DC control circuit (40) on a second substrate (30) according to one embodiment.

[0116] Referring to FIG. 13, the direct coupling structure between the via hole (301) and the electrode (coupling pole) has the effect of further improving expandability. In the case of the structure of FIG. 3 / 4, due to liquid crystal leakage in the liquid crystal region, the via hole was placed only in the region other than the liquid crystal, and a DC bias line was required to connect them. However, in the improved coupled feeding structure, the via hole can be placed in the liquid crystal region as well, thereby increasing usability. In addition, since the electrode is directly installed in the via hole (302) through soldering, it is very easy to expand into a vertical multilayer structure through the electrode, so the DC control circuit (40) can be implemented as a multilayer structure with vertical stacking, thereby improving space efficiency.

[0117] In this specification, a terminal is a user-side device (user equipment, UE) or a consumer-side device, and may also be referred to as a first node that receives / transmits signals from / to a base station / second node / IAB node / Transmission-Reception Point (TRP). A terminal may correspond to a physical node or a logical node. A terminal may correspond to a user-side endpoint or an intermediate point between other endpoints. In communication between two points not limited to endpoints (including one-to-one / many-to-one / one-to-many / many-to-many communication), a terminal may correspond to a served node. A terminal may be a fixed-location node or a non-fixed-location (or mobile) node.

[0118] In this specification, a Base Station (BS) is a device on the network side and may also be referred to as a second node / IAB node / x-NodeB (x-NodeB, where x may be an abbreviation related to Radio Access Technology (RAT)) / Transmission-Reception Point (TRP). A Base Station may correspond to a physical node or a logical node. A Base Station may correspond to an endpoint on the network side or an intermediate point between other endpoints. In communication between two points not limited to endpoints (including one-to-one / many-to-one / one-to-many / many-to-many communication), a Base Station may correspond to a serving node. A Base Station may be a node with a fixed location or a node with an indefinite location.

[0119] In this specification, higher layer parameters may be set for the terminal, pre-set, or pre-defined. For example, a base station may transmit higher layer parameters to the terminal. For example, the terminal may transmit parameters such as capability to the base station as higher layer parameters. For example, higher layer parameters may be transmitted via RRC (radio resource control) signaling or MAC (medium access control) signaling.

[0120] In this specification, information / state / parameters being "configured" or "pre-configured" may be interpreted as the information / state / parameters being provided / pre-provided to the terminal through pre-defined signaling (e.g., SIB, MAC, RRC) from the base station. In this specification, information / state / parameters being "defined" or "pre-defined" may be interpreted as being known or stored in advance by the base station and the terminal without signaling between the base station and the terminal.

[0121] The technology described in this specification can be used in various wireless communication systems such as CDMA (code division multiple access), FDMA (frequency division multiple access), TDMA (time division multiple access), OFDMA (orthogonal frequency division multiple access), and SC-FDMA (single carrier frequency division multiple access). CDMA can be implemented with wireless technologies such as UTRA (universal terrestrial radio access) or CDMA2000. TDMA can be implemented with wireless technologies such as GSM (global system for mobile communications) / GPRS (general packet radio service) / EDGE (enhanced data rates for GSM evolution). OFDMA can be implemented with wireless technologies such as IEEE (institute of electrical and electronics engineers) 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), IEEE 802-20, E-UTRA (evolved UTRA), LTE (long term evolution), and 5G NR.

[0122] The technology described in this specification can be implemented as 6G wireless technology and applied to various 6G systems. For example, 6G systems may have key factors such as eMBB (enhanced mobile broadband), URLLC (ultra-reliable low latency communications), mMTC (massive machine-type communication), AI (artificial intelligence) integrated communication, tactile internet, high throughput, high network capacity, high energy efficiency, low backhaul and access network congestion, and enhanced data security.

[0123] FIG. 14 illustrates an exemplary flexible network topology to which some of the examples of the present specification may be applied.

[0124] To compensate for incomplete areas of network coverage, a network topology in which the Split Radio Access Network (RAN) is configured more flexibly and resiliently may be considered. To this end, various nodes such as IAB nodes, relays, and RF repeaters, as exemplified in Fig. 14, may be applied, and NTN may be integrated. For example, an IAB node may correspond to a node providing wireless backhaul. For example, a relay may refer to any intermediate point, and in the case of a sidelink relay where a terminal functions as a relay, it may collectively refer to a terminal-to-network (U2N) relay and a terminal-to-terminal (U2U) relay. For example, an RF repeater may correspond to a node performing simple signal amplification and forwarding functions, and in the case of a network-controlled repeater, it may adjust transmit / receive settings based on information provided by the network as well as signal amplification and forwarding. For example, an NTN node may correspond to a satellite or aircraft providing NTN coverage that is difficult for a terrestrial network to provide. In addition to these examples, various intermediate points can be introduced to improve network topology.

[0125] Referring to FIG. 14, a split RAN can support the division of a base station into one centralized unit (CU) and one or more distributed units (DU). The CU and DU may correspond to logical units. The CU may be further divided into a control plane (CP) portion and one or more user planes (UP) portions. Since a failure in the CU-CP affects not only the CU-UP but also the DU, various intermediate points may be introduced to compensate for this.

[0126] An intermediate point may correspond to a terminal or a base station depending on its relative relationship with other nodes. For example, an IAB node may include a mobile-termination (MT) portion and a DU. The MT can connect the IAB node to a donor node. The DU of the IAB node may serve other terminals or connect to other IAB nodes to provide multi-hop wireless backhaul to terminals. In other words, an IAB node may correspond to a base station in its relative relationship with user-side nodes and to a terminal in its relative relationship with network-side nodes.

[0127] In some examples of this specification, the description of a terminal may apply equally to an intermediate point corresponding to a terminal in relation to a network-side endpoint as well as to a user-side endpoint. Similarly, in some examples of this specification, the description of a base station may apply equally to an intermediate point corresponding to a base station in relation to a user-side endpoint as well as to a network-side endpoint. However, in most cases where there is no additional description of the operation of three or more entities, the communication entities in this specification are briefly described by the term terminal and / or base station (or first node and / or second node), wherein the term terminal and / or base station (or first node and / or second node) is interpreted to include or replace any endpoint or any intermediate point in relation to other nodes.

[0128] That is, for the sake of brevity of description in some examples of this specification, the subject of the operation may be referred to as a base station and / or terminal (or a first node and / or a second node). Additionally, the term base station and / or terminal (or a first node and / or a second node) may be interpreted or substituted as in the following examples: for example, the base station (or the first node) and the terminal (or the second node) may correspond to a first endpoint and a second endpoint, respectively; may correspond to an endpoint and an intermediate point, respectively; may correspond to an intermediate point and an endpoint, respectively; or may correspond to a first intermediate point and a second intermediate point, respectively.

[0129] In this specification, there may be no intermediate points between the base station and the terminal, or there may be one or more. If intermediate points exist, the intermediate points may correspond to IAB nodes, relays, RF repeaters, NTN (non-terrestrial network) nodes, or nodes supporting other functions. The intermediate points may be nodes with a fixed location or nodes with an indefinite location.

[0130] FIG. 15 illustrates a communication system applicable to the present disclosure.

[0131] The communication system (x100) of FIG. 15 includes a wireless device (x110), a network device (x120), and a network (x130). Here, the wireless device (x110) refers to a device that performs communication using wireless access technology (e.g., LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A pro, NR, 5G, 5G-A, 6G) and may be referred to as a communication / wireless / 5G / 6G device. Although not limited thereto, the wireless device (x110) may include a robot (x110a), a vehicle (x110b-1, 110b-2), an XR (extended reality) device (x110c), a hand-held device (x110d), a home appliance (x110e), an IoT (Internet of Thing) device (x110f), and an AI (artificial intelligence) device / server (x110g). For example, the vehicle may include a vehicle equipped with wireless communication capabilities, an autonomous vehicle, a vehicle capable of performing inter-vehicle communication, etc. Here, the vehicle (x110b-1, 110b-2) may include an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) (e.g., a drone). The XR device (x110c) includes an augmented reality (AR) / virtual reality (VR) / mixed reality (MR) device and may be implemented in the form of a head-mounted device (HMD), a head-up display (HUD) equipped in a vehicle, a television, a smartphone, a computer, a wearable device, a home appliance, digital signage, a vehicle, a robot, etc. The portable device (x110d) may include a smartphone, a smartpad, a wearable device (e.g., a smartwatch, smart glasses), a computer (e.g., a laptop, etc.). The home appliance (x110e) may include a TV, a refrigerator, a washing machine, etc. The IoT device (x110f) may include a sensor, a smart meter, etc. The wireless device (x110) may correspond to a terminal (or first node) or an intermediate point.The network device (x120) may correspond to a base station (or a second node) or another intermediate point. For example, the network device (x120) may also be implemented as a wireless device (x110), and a specific wireless device (x120a) may act as the network device (x120) to another wireless device (x110).

[0132] Wireless devices (x110a to 110f) can be connected to a network (x130) through a network device (x120). AI technology may be applied to the wireless devices (x110a to 110f), and wireless devices (x110a to 110f) can be connected to an AI server (x110g) through the network (x130). The network (x130) can be configured using a 3G network, a 4G (e.g., LTE) network, a 5G (e.g., NR) network, or a 6G network. Wireless devices (x110a to 110f) may communicate with each other through the network device (x120) / network (x130), but may also communicate directly (e.g., sidelink communication) without going through the network device (x120) / network (x130). For example, vehicles (x110b-1, 110b-2) can communicate directly (e.g., V2V (vehicle to vehicle) / V2X (vehicle to everything) communication). Also, IoT devices (x110f) (e.g., sensors) can communicate directly with other IoT devices (e.g., sensors) or other wireless devices (x110a to 110f).

[0133] Wireless communication / connection (x150a, 150b, 150c) may be established between wireless devices (x110a to 110f) / network devices (x120) and between network devices (x120). Here, wireless communication / connection may be established through various wireless access technologies such as uplink / downlink communication (x150a), sidelink communication (x150b) (or D2D communication), and communication between network devices (x150c) (e.g., relay, IAB (integrated access backhaul)). Through wireless communication / connection (x150a, 150b, 150c), wireless devices and network devices / wireless devices, and network devices and network devices may transmit / receive wireless signals to / from each other. For example, wireless communication / connection (x150a, 150b, 150c) may transmit / receive signals through various physical channels. To this end, based on the various descriptions of the present disclosure, at least some of the following may be performed: a process for setting various configuration information for transmitting / receiving wireless signals, a process for various signal processing (e.g., channel encoding / decoding, modulation / demodulation, resource mapping / demapping, etc.), a resource allocation process, etc.

[0134] FIG. 16 illustrates an example of a wireless device that can be applied to the present disclosure.

[0135] Referring to FIG. 16, a wireless device (x200) can transmit and receive wireless signals through various wireless access technologies (e.g., LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A pro, NR, 5G, 5G-A, 6G). The wireless device (x200) includes at least one processor (x202) and at least one memory (x204), and may additionally include at least one transceiver (x206) and / or at least one antenna (x208).

[0136] The processor (x202) controls the memory (x204) and / or the transceiver (x206) and may be configured to implement the descriptions, functions, procedures, proposals, methods, and / or flowcharts of operation disclosed in this document. For example, the processor (x202) may process information within the memory (x204) to generate a first information / signal and then transmit a wireless signal containing the first information / signal through the transceiver (x206). Additionally, the processor (x202) may receive a wireless signal containing a second information / signal through the transceiver (x206) and then store information obtained from the signal processing of the second information / signal in the memory (x204). The memory (x204) may be connected to the processor (x202) and may store various information related to the operation of the processor (x202). For example, memory (x204) may store software code containing instructions for performing some or all of the processes controlled by the processor (x202) or for performing the descriptions, functions, procedures, proposals, methods, and / or sequences of operation disclosed herein. Here, the processor (x202) and memory (x204) may be part of a communication modem / circuit / chip designed to implement wireless communication technology. A transceiver (x206) may be connected to the processor (x202) and may transmit and / or receive wireless signals through at least one antenna (x208). The transceiver (x206) may include a transmitter and / or receiver. The transceiver (x206) may be interchangeably used with an RF (radio frequency) unit. In this disclosure, a wireless device may mean a communication modem / circuit / chip.

[0137] The hardware elements of the wireless device (x200) are described in more detail below. Although not limited thereto, at least one protocol layer may be implemented by at least one processor (x202). For example, at least one processor (x202) may implement at least one layer (e.g., functional layers such as PHY (physical), MAC (media access control), RLC (radio link control), PDCP (packet data convergence protocol), RRC (radio resource control), and SDAP (service data adaptation protocol). At least one processor (x202) may generate at least one Protocol Data Unit (PDU) and / or at least one Service Data Unit (SDU) according to the descriptions, functions, procedures, proposals, methods, and / or flowcharts of operation disclosed in this document. At least one processor (x202) may generate messages, control information, data, or information according to the descriptions, functions, procedures, proposals, methods, and / or flowcharts of operation disclosed in this document. At least one processor (x202) may generate a signal (e.g., baseband signal) containing a PDU, SDU, message, control information, data, or information according to the functions, procedures, proposals, and / or methods disclosed in this document and provide it to at least one transceiver (x206). At least one processor (x202) may receive a signal (e.g., baseband signal) from at least one transceiver (x206) and may obtain a PDU, SDU, message, control information, data, or information according to the descriptions, functions, procedures, proposals, methods, and / or flowcharts of operation disclosed in this document.

[0138] At least one processor (x202) may be referred to as a controller, microcontroller, microprocessor, or microcomputer. At least one processor (x202) may be implemented by hardware, firmware, software, or a combination thereof. For example, at least one application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), at least one digital signal processor (DSP), at least one digital signal processing device (DSPD), at least one programmable logic device (PLD), or at least one field programmable gate array (FPGA) may be included in at least one processor (x202). The descriptions, functions, procedures, proposals, methods, and / or flowcharts of operation disclosed in this document may be implemented using firmware or software, and the firmware or software may be implemented to include modules, procedures, functions, etc. Firmware or software configured to perform the descriptions, functions, procedures, proposals, methods, and / or flowcharts of operation disclosed in this document may be included in at least one processor (x202) or stored in at least one memory (x204) and driven by at least one processor (x202). The descriptions, functions, procedures, proposals, methods, and / or flowcharts disclosed in this document may be implemented using firmware or software in the form of code, instructions, and / or sets of instructions.

[0139] At least one memory (x204) may be connected to at least one processor (x202) and may store various forms of data, signals, messages, information, programs, codes, instructions, and / or commands. At least one memory (x204) may be composed of ROM (read-only memory), RAM (random access memory), EPROM (erasable programmable read-only memory), flash memory, hard drive, registers, cache memory, computer read storage media, and / or combinations thereof. At least one memory (x204) may be located inside and / or outside of at least one processor (x202). Additionally, at least one memory (x204) may be connected to at least one processor (x202) via various technologies, such as wired or wireless connections.

[0140] At least one transceiver (x206) may transmit user data, control information, wireless signals / channels, etc., as mentioned in the methods and / or operation flowcharts, etc., of this document to at least one other device. At least one transceiver (x206) may receive user data, control information, wireless signals / channels, etc., as mentioned in the descriptions, functions, procedures, proposals, methods and / or operation flowcharts, etc., disclosed in this document from at least one other device. For example, at least one transceiver (x206) may be connected to at least one processor (x202) and may transmit and receive wireless signals. For example, at least one processor (x202) may control at least one transceiver (x206) to transmit user data, control information, or wireless signals to at least one other device. Additionally, at least one processor (x202) may control at least one transceiver (x206) to receive user data, control information, or wireless signals from at least one other device. Additionally, at least one transceiver (x206) may be connected to at least one antenna (x208), and at least one transceiver (x206) may be configured to transmit and receive user data, control information, wireless signals / channels, etc., as described in the descriptions, functions, procedures, proposals, methods, and / or operation flowcharts disclosed in this document through at least one antenna (x208). In this document, at least one antenna may be a plurality of physical antennas or a plurality of logical antennas (e.g., antenna ports). At least one transceiver (x206) may convert the received wireless signals / channels, etc., from RF band signals to baseband signals in order to process the received user data, control information, wireless signals / channels, etc., using at least one processor (x202).At least one transceiver (x206) can convert user data, control information, wireless signals / channels, etc. processed using at least one processor (x202) from a baseband signal to an RF band signal. To this end, at least one transceiver (x206) may include an (analog) oscillator and / or filter.

[0141] The components of the wireless device described with reference to FIG. 16 may be referred to by other terms in terms of their function. For example, the processor (x202) may be referred to as the control unit, the transceiver (x206) as the communication unit, and the memory (x204) as the storage unit. In some cases, the communication unit may be used to mean at least a part of the processor (202) and the transceiver (x206).

[0142] The structure of the wireless device described with reference to FIG. 16 can be understood as the structure of at least part of various devices. For example, the structure of the wireless device illustrated in FIG. 16 may be at least part of the various devices described with reference to FIG. 15 (e.g., robot (x110a), vehicle (x110b-1, 110b-2), XR device (x110c), portable device (x110d), home appliance (x110e), IoT device (x110f), AI device / server (x110g)). Furthermore, according to various embodiments, the device may include other components in addition to the components illustrated in FIG. 16.

[0143] For example, the device may be a portable device such as a smartphone, smartpad, wearable device (e.g., smart watch, smart glasses), or portable computer (e.g., laptop, etc.). In this case, the device may further include at least one of a power supply unit that supplies power and includes a wired / wireless charging circuit, a battery, etc., an interface unit that includes at least one port for connection with another device (e.g., audio input / output port, video input / output port), and an input / output unit for inputting and outputting video information / signals, audio information / signals, data, and / or information input by a user.

[0144] For example, the device may be a mobile device such as a mobile robot, vehicle, train, manned / unmanned aerial vehicle (AV), or ship. In this case, the device may further include at least one of a drive unit comprising at least one of an engine, motor, power train, wheel, brake, and steering device of the device; a power supply unit that supplies power and includes a wired / wireless charging circuit, battery, etc.; a sensor unit that senses state information, environmental information, and user information of the device or its surroundings; an autonomous driving unit that performs functions such as path maintenance, speed control, and destination setting; and a position measurement unit that acquires position information of the moving body through a GPS (global positioning system) and various sensors.

[0145] For example, the device may be an XR device such as an HMD, a HUD (head-up display) equipped in a vehicle, a television, a smartphone, a computer, a wearable device, a home appliance, digital signage, a vehicle, a robot, etc. In this case, the device may further include at least one of a power supply unit that supplies power and includes a wired / wireless charging circuit, a battery, etc., an input / output unit that acquires control information, data, etc. from the outside and outputs a generated XR object, and a sensor unit that senses state information, environment information, and user information of the device or the surroundings of the device.

[0146] For example, the device may be a robot that can be classified into industrial, medical, household, military, etc., depending on the purpose or field of use. In this case, the device may further include at least one of a sensor unit that senses state information, environmental information, and user information of the device or its surroundings, and a drive unit that performs various physical actions, such as moving robot joints.

[0147] For example, the device may be an AI device such as a TV, projector, smartphone, PC, laptop, digital broadcasting terminal, tablet PC, wearable device, set-top box (STB), radio, washing machine, refrigerator, digital signage, robot, vehicle, etc. In this case, the device may further include at least one of an input unit that acquires various types of data from the outside, an output unit that generates output related to sight, hearing, or touch, a sensor unit that senses state information, environmental information, and user information of the device or its surroundings, and a training unit that learns a model composed of an artificial neural network using training data.

[0148] The structure of the wireless device illustrated in FIG. 16 may be understood as part of a terminal (or first node), or part of an intermediate point, or part of a base station (or second node). If the device illustrated in FIG. 16 is a base station (or second node), the device may further include a wired transceiver for front haul and / or back haul communication. However, if the front haul and / or back haul communication is based on wireless communication, at least one transceiver (x206) illustrated in FIG. 16 is used for front haul and / or back haul communication, and the wired transceiver may not be included.

[0149] FIG. 17 illustrates a communication procedure between a first node (e.g., a terminal) and a second node (e.g., a base station) applicable to the present disclosure.

[0150] The second node of FIG. 17 supports dynamic spectrum sharing (DSS) and can provide connectivity to both nodes where 6G technology is implemented and nodes where pre-6G wireless communication technology (e.g., 5G, 4G) is implemented. That is, the first node of FIG. 17 may have 6G technology implemented or pre-6G wireless communication technology (e.g., 5G, 4G) implemented. Additionally, the first node and / or the second node may support full duplex mode as well as non-overlapping full duplex mode.

[0151] In FIG. 17, for the sake of simplicity of explanation, the first node and the second node are assumed to be a terminal and a base station, respectively, and the operation of the terminal (x110) and the base station (x120) transmitting and / or receiving data, and the operation performed prior to this, are illustrated. However, the operation of FIG. 17 is not limited to the operation between the terminal and the base station, but can be interpreted as the operation between the first node and the second node. Additionally, FIG. 17 illustrates the operation of direct transmission and reception of wireless signals between the terminal (x110) and the base station (x120), but there may be one or more intermediate points between the terminal (x110) and the base station (x120), and wireless signals may be transmitted and received via one or more intermediate points.

[0152] Referring to FIG. 17, a terminal (x110) and a base station (x120) can perform synchronization (x401). For example, the terminal (x110) performs an initial cell search operation. Specifically, the terminal (x110) can detect a synchronization signal for at least one base station connection transmitted from the base station (x120) according to a predefined rule. Here, the synchronization signal may include a plurality of synchronization signals classified according to structure or use (e.g., a first synchronization signal (e.g., a primary synchronization signal), a second synchronization signal (e.g., a secondary synchronization signal), etc.). Through this, the terminal (x110) can identify the boundary of a unit (e.g., a frame, a subframe, a slot, and / or a symbol) constituting the wireless signal transmission of the base station (x120) and obtain information about the base station (x120) (e.g., a cell identifier).

[0153] The terminal (x110) can obtain system information transmitted from the base station (x120) (x403). System information is information related to the attributes, characteristics, and / or capabilities of the base station (x120) required to connect to the base station (x120) and use the service, and can be classified according to content (e.g., whether it is essential for connection), transmission structure (e.g., channel used, whether it is provided on-demand), etc., and can be classified, for example, into first system information (e.g., MIB (master information block), primary system information), second system information (e.g., SIB (system information block), secondary system information), etc. If necessary, the terminal (x110) may transmit a signal requesting system information prior to receiving the system information. However, the request and provision of system information may be performed after the random access procedure described later.

[0154] A terminal (x110) and a base station (x120) can perform a random access procedure (x405). The terminal (x110) can transmit and / or receive at least one message for a random access procedure (e.g., random access preamble, RAR (random access response) message, etc.) based on information related to the channel for the random access procedure of the base station (x120) obtained through system information (e.g., channel location, channel structure, structure of supported preamble, etc.). For example, the terminal (x110) can transmit a first message (e.g., preamble, MSG1) through the channel for the random access procedure, receive a second message (e.g., RAR message, MSG2), transmit a third message (e.g., MSG3) containing information related to the terminal (x110) (e.g., identification information) to the base station (x120) using scheduling information included in the second message, and receive a fourth message (e.g., MSG4) for contention resolution and / or connection establishment. As another example, the first message and the third message can be transmitted and received as a single message, or the second message and the fourth message can be transmitted and received as a single message.

[0155] The terminal (x110) and the base station (x120) can perform signaling of control information (x407). Here, the control information can be defined in various layers, such as a layer that controls the connection (e.g., the RRC (radio resource control) layer), a layer that handles mapping between logical channels and transmission channels (e.g., the MAC (media access control) layer), and a layer that handles physical channels (e.g., the PHY (physical) layer). For example, the terminal (x110) and the base station (x120) can perform at least one of signaling to establish a connection, signaling to determine settings related to communication, and signaling to indicate allocated resources.

[0156] The terminal (x110) and the base station (x120) can transmit and / or receive data (x409). In other words, the terminal (x110) and the base station (x120) can process data based on the signaling of control information and transmit and / or receive data. For example, when transmitting data, the terminal (x110) or the base station (x120) can perform at least one of channel encoding, rate matching, scrambling, constellation mapping, layer mapping, waveform modulation, antenna mapping, and resource mapping on the information bits. Conversely, when receiving data, the terminal (x110) or the base station (x120) can perform at least one of signal extraction from resources, antenna-specific waveform demodulation, signal placement considering layer mapping, constellation demapping, descrambling, and channel decoding.

[0157] The embodiments described above are combinations of the components and features of the present disclosure in a specific form. Each component or feature should be considered optional unless otherwise explicitly stated. Each component or feature may be implemented in a form not combined with other components or features. Additionally, it is possible to construct embodiments of the present disclosure by combining some components and / or features. The order of operations described in the embodiments of the present disclosure may be changed. Some components or features of one embodiment may be included in another embodiment, or may be replaced with corresponding components or features of another embodiment. It is obvious that embodiments may be constructed by combining claims that are not explicitly related in the claims, or that they may be included as new claims by amendment after filing.

[0158] It is obvious to those skilled in the art that the present disclosure may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the features of the present disclosure. Accordingly, the foregoing detailed description should not be interpreted restrictively in all respects and should be considered illustrative. The scope of the present disclosure shall be determined by a reasonable interpretation of the appended claims, and all modifications within the equivalent scope of the present disclosure are included within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0159] The present disclosure may be used in a terminal, base station, or other equipment of a wireless mobile communication system.

Claims

1. In a wireless communication device, A first substrate (10) on which a first circuit (101) for applying a first RF (radio frequency) signal is mounted; A liquid crystal layer (20) stacked on top of the first substrate (10) and having a dielectric constant that varies based on an applied DC voltage; and It includes a second substrate (30) that is laminated on top of the liquid crystal layer (20) and has a second circuit (301) mounted thereon for obtaining a second RF signal from the first RF signal based on coupling with the first circuit (101). Each end of the second circuit (301) includes via hole electrodes (302) for applying the DC voltage, and A wireless communication device in which the via hole electrodes (302) penetrate the second substrate (30) and contact the upper part of the liquid crystal layer (20).

2. In Paragraph 1, The above second circuit (302) is a wireless communication device that receives the DC voltage through the via hole electrodes (302) without a DC bias line.

3. In Paragraph 1, A wireless communication device in which the phase of the second RF signal is determined based on the dielectric constant of the liquid crystal layer (20).

4. In Paragraph 1, Both ends of the second circuit (301) include coupling poles (303) for coupling with the first circuit (101), and A wireless communication device in which the via hole electrodes (302) and the coupling poles (303) meet in a region where the electric field strength in the coupling poles (303) is smaller than a threshold value.

5. In Paragraph 1, A wireless communication device in which the via hole electrodes (302) and the coupling poles (303) meet in a region where the electric field strength is minimum in the coupling poles (303).

6. In Paragraph 1, A wireless communication device in which via holes formed by penetrating the second substrate (30) at the via hole electrodes (302) are sealed by soldering to prevent leakage of the liquid crystal layer (20).

7. In Paragraph 1, A wireless communication device further comprising a DC control circuit (40) for controlling the dielectric constant of the liquid crystal layer (30) and the phase of the second RF signal by controlling the DC voltage through the via hole electrodes (302).

8. In Paragraph 7, The above DC control circuit (40) is a wireless communication device that is stacked on the upper part of the second substrate (30).

9. In Paragraph 1, The above second circuit (302) is a wireless communication device including a meander line (305).

10. In Paragraph 1, An array of the first circuit (101) is formed on the first substrate (10), and A wireless communication device in which an array of the second circuit (301) is formed on the second substrate (30).

11. In Paragraph 1, A wireless communication device in which beamforming is performed based on an array of the first circuit (101) and an array of the second circuit (301).

12. In Paragraph 1, A transceiver comprising the first substrate (10), the liquid crystal layer (20), and the second substrate (30); and A wireless communication device further comprising a processor that controls the above-mentioned transceiver.

13. In Paragraph 12, A wireless communication device in which the processor controls the DC voltage in the transceiver to shift the phase of the second RF signal.

14. In Paragraph 1, The above wireless communication device is a terminal, and A wireless communication device wherein the second RF signal comprises at least one of an uplink control channel, an uplink data channel, or an uplink reference signal.

15. In Paragraph 1, The above wireless communication device is a base station, and A wireless communication device wherein the second RF signal comprises at least one of a downlink control channel, a downlink data channel, or a downlink reference signal.

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