Physical alignment for multiple input multiple output devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11894889-B2
Application number	US-202117355769-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 23, 2021
Priority date	Jun 23, 2021
Publication date	Feb 6, 2024
Grant date	Feb 6, 2024

Abstract

Methods, systems, and devices for wireless communications are described. A first device, such as a user equipment (UE) or base station, may receive, at a first antenna of a first antenna array, a first set of reference signals. The first device may measure the phase for each of the reference signals and estimate a linear offset between the first antenna array and a second antenna array of a second device that transmitted the reference signals. The first device may adjust an alignment of the first antenna array according to the estimated linear offset. The first device may receive a second set of reference signals, measure the phase for each of the reference signals, and estimate one or more rotational offsets between the first antenna array and the second antenna array. The first device may adjust the alignment of the first antenna array based on the one or more rotational offsets.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for wireless communication at a first wireless communication device, comprising:
receiving, at at least a first antenna of a first antenna array of the first wireless communication device from at least a second antenna of a second antenna array of a second wireless communication device, a first set of one or more reference signals, the first antenna array including a first set of antennas that includes a plurality of antennas including the first antenna;
measuring, in association with receiving the first set of reference signals, a first set of one or more phases for the first set of reference signals;
estimating, in accordance with the measured first set of phases, a linear offset between the first antenna array and the second antenna array;
adjusting an alignment of the first antenna array in accordance with the estimated linear offset;
receiving, at the first set of antennas of the first antenna array from a second set of antennas of the second antenna array after adjusting the alignment of the first antenna array in accordance with the linear offset, a second set of reference signals that includes a plurality of reference signals;
measuring, in association with receiving the second set of reference signals, a second set of phases that includes a plurality of phases, each phase of the second set of phases being measured for a respective reference signal of the second set of reference signals;
estimating, in accordance with the second set of phases and in accordance with adjusting the alignment of the first antenna array in accordance with the estimated linear offset, one or more rotational offsets between the first antenna array and the second antenna array; and
adjusting the alignment of the first antenna array in accordance with the estimated one or more rotational offsets.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein estimating the linear offset comprises determining a difference between a first phase for a first reference signal of the first set of reference signals and the first phase for a second reference signal of the first set of reference signals, wherein estimating the linear offset is based at least in part on the difference.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining a difference between a first a linear distance between the first antenna of the first antenna array of the first wireless communication device and the second antenna of the second antenna array of the second wireless communication device and a second linear distance between the first antenna of the first antenna array and a third antenna of the second antenna array based at least in part on the first set of phases, wherein estimating the linear offset is based at least in part on the determined difference.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein receiving the first set of reference signals comprises receiving the first set of reference signals at the first antenna that is centered within the first antenna array, wherein estimating the linear offset is based at least in part on receiving the first set of reference signals at the first antenna that is centered within the first antenna array.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein estimating the linear offset comprises estimating the linear offset based at least in part on a location of the second antenna within the second antenna array.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the location is on a first axis and a second axis that is perpendicular to the first axis on the second antenna array, and wherein estimating the linear offset comprises estimating the linear offset based at least in part on the first axis and the second axis.

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein the location is a set of equidistant points from a center of the second antenna, and wherein estimating the linear offset comprises estimating the linear offset based at least in part on the set of equidistant points.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein estimating the one or more rotational offsets comprises estimating differences among a set of distances between the second antenna array and the first antenna array based at least in part on the second set of phases, each distance of the set of distances corresponding to a geographical distance between a respective antenna of the second set of antennas and a respective antenna of the first set of antennas, wherein estimating the one or more rotational offsets is based at least in part on the estimated differences.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising estimating the one or more rotational offsets further based at least in part on a condition that each distance of the set of distances is to have a same value when the first set of antennas are aligned with the second set of antennas.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein receiving the second set of reference signals comprises receiving the second set of reference signals at the first set of antennas that are positioned at a noncentral location of the first antenna array, wherein estimating one or more rotational offsets is based at least in part on receiving the second set of reference signals at the first set of antennas that are positioned at the noncentral location of the first antenna array.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein estimating the one or more rotational offsets comprises:
estimating a first rotational offset of the one or more offsets angles based at least in part on the second set of phases;
adjusting the alignment of the first antenna array in accordance with the first rotational offset; and
estimating a second rotational offset of the one or more rotational angles based at least in part on adjusting the alignment of the first antenna array in accordance with the first rotational offset.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first set of reference signals, the second set of reference signals, or both are received at both a first frequency and a second frequency, further comprising:
measuring the first set of phases, measuring the second set of phases, or both are based at least in part on receiving the first set of reference signals or the second set of reference signals at the first frequency and at the second frequency.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the first frequency and the second frequency are within a threshold frequency range that is based at least in part on a sub-carrier spacing, a physical resource block size, or both.

14. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
comparing two or more phases measured for the first set of reference signals, the second set of reference signals, or both, to a phase tolerance threshold; and
estimating the linear offset, the one or more rotational offsets, or both based at least in part on the two or more phases satisfying the phase tolerance threshold.

15. The method of claim 1 , further comprising comparing two or more of phases measured for respective two or more reference signals of the first set of reference signals, the second set of reference signals, or both, based at least in part on the two or more reference signals being received at a same time, wherein estimating the linear offset, estimating the one or more rotational offsets, or both are based at least in part on comparing the two or more phases.

16. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
reestimating a rotational offset of the one or more rotational offsets after the alignment of the first antenna array is adjusted based at least in part on the estimated one or more rotational offsets; and
readjusting the first antenna array based at least in part on the reestimated rotational offset such that the adjustment of the first antenna array satisf

Assignees

• Qualcomm Inc

Inventors

• Zhang Danlu
• Dallal Yehonatan
• Horn Idan Michael
• Landis Shay

Classifications

• H04B17/104

  of other parameters, e.g. DC offset, delay or propagation times · CPC title

• H04B17/12 Primary

  of transmit antennas, e.g. of the amplitude or phase · CPC title

• H04B7/0413 Primary

  MIMO systems · CPC title

• H01Q3/267

  Phased-array testing or checking devices · CPC title

• H01Q3/36

  with variable phase-shifters · CPC title