Beam acquisition methods and communication devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10998945-B1
Application number	US-202016739760-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Jan 10, 2020
Priority date	Jan 10, 2020
Publication date	May 4, 2021
Grant date	May 4, 2021

Abstract

At a first communication device in a wireless communication network, reference signaling is received from a second communication device in two or more beams with a same direction, and one or more values associated with a direction at which the first communication device received the reference signaling from the second communication device are determined. The one or more values are determined based on the received reference signaling. The direction has a higher accuracy than a beam width associated with the received reference signaling. The direction may be or include an angle of arrival or an angle of departure, for example, and in the case of an angle of departure signaling indicative of the one or more values is transmitted by the first communication device, to the second communication device or another component such as network equipment.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
receiving, at a first communication device in a wireless communication network, reference signaling in two or more beams with a same direction from a second communication device in the wireless communication network;
determining, based on the received reference signaling, a value associated with a direction at which the first communication device received the reference signaling from the second communication device, the direction having a higher accuracy than a beam width associated with the received reference signaling.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the direction comprises an arrival direction at which the first communication device received the reference signaling from the second communication device.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the direction comprises a departure direction of transmission of the reference signaling from which the first communication device received the reference signaling, the method further comprising:
transmitting, from the first communication device, signaling indicative of the value associated with the departure direction.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the signaling indicative of the value associated with the departure direction is transmitted to the second communication device to enable the second communication device to calculate the departure direction.

5. The method of claim 3 , wherein the value associated with the departure direction specifies the departure direction.

6. The method of claim 5 , further comprising:
receiving further signaling at the first communication device,
wherein the determining comprises calculating the departure direction based on the reference signaling from the second communication device and the received further signaling.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the further signaling comprises signaling indicative of one or more of: beam pattern, the beam width, antenna configuration, and antenna structure.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the first communication device comprises a User Equipment (UE) and the second communication device comprises network equipment in the wireless communication network;
the first communication device comprises network equipment in the wireless communication network and the second communication device comprises a UE; or
the first communication device comprises a first UE and the second communication device comprises a second UE.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the determining comprises determining the value based on one or more of: separation, using beam sweeping and temporal resolution, of paths over which the reference signaling is received in the two or more beams with the same direction; phase difference between measurements of the reference signaling that is received in the two or more beams with the same direction; measurements from the reference signaling received at different times by a single radio frequency (RF) chain; and beam squint.

10. A non-transitory processor-readable medium storing instructions which, when executed by one or more processors at a first communication device in a wireless communication network, cause the one or more processors to perform a method comprising:
receiving, at the first communication device, reference signaling in two or more beams with a same direction from a second communication device in the wireless communication network;
determining, based on the received reference signaling, a value associated with a direction at which the first communication device received the reference signaling from the second communication device, the direction having a higher accuracy than a beam width associated with the received reference signaling.

11. A first communication device for a wireless communication network, the first communication device comprising:
a receiver to receive reference signaling in two or more beams with a same direction from a second communication device in the wireless communication network;
a processor, coupled to the receiver, to determine based on the received reference signaling, a value associated with a direction at which the first communication device received the reference signaling from the second communication device, the direction having a higher accuracy than a beam width associated with the received reference signaling.

12. The first communication device of claim 11 , wherein the direction comprises an arrival direction at which the first communication device received the reference signaling from the second communication device.

13. The first communication device of claim 11 , wherein the direction comprises a departure direction of transmission of the reference signaling from which the first communication device received the reference signaling, the first communication device further comprising:
a transmitter, coupled to the processor, to transmit signaling indicative of the value associated with the departure direction.

14. The first communication device of claim 13 , wherein the transmitter is configured to transmit, to the second communication device, the signaling indicative of the value associated with the departure direction to enable the second communication device to calculate the departure direction.

15. The first communication device of claim 13 , wherein the value associated with the departure direction specifies the departure direction.

16. The first communication device of claim 15 , wherein the receiver is further configured to receive further signaling, and wherein the processor is configured to determine the departure direction based on the reference signaling from the second communication device and the received further signaling.

17. The first communication device of claim 16 , wherein the further signaling comprises signaling indicative of parameters to be used by the second communication device in transmitting the reference signaling.

18. The first communication device of claim 16 , wherein the further signaling comprises signaling indicative of one or more of: beam pattern, the beam width, antenna configuration, or antenna structure.

19. The first communication device of claim 11 , wherein:
the first communication device comprises a User Equipment (UE) and the second communication device comprises network equipment in the wireless communication network;
the first communication device comprises network equipment in the wireless communication network and the second communication device comprises a UE; or
the first communication device comprises a first UE and the second communication device comprises a second UE.

20. The first communication device of claim 11 , wherein the processor is configured to determine the value based on one or more of: separation, using beam sweeping and temporal resolution, of paths over which the reference signaling is received in the two or more beams with the same direction; phase difference measurements of the reference signaling that is received in the two or more beams with the same direction; measurements from the reference signaling received at different times by a single radio frequency (RF) chain; and beam squint.

Assignees

• Baligh Mohammadhadi
• Haija Ahmad Abu Al
• Huawei Tech Co Ltd

Inventors

• Baligh Mohammadhadi
• Haija Ahmad Abu Al

Classifications

• H04B7/088

  using beam selection · CPC title

• H04B7/0695

  using beam selection · CPC title

• H04B7/086 Primary

  using weights depending on external parameters, e.g. direction of arrival [DOA], predetermined weights or beamforming · CPC title

• H04B7/0617

  for beam forming · CPC title

• H04B7/0417 Primary

  Feedback systems · CPC title