阅读说明：本技术 用于检测遮挡的方法及其电子装置 (Method for detecting occlusion and electronic device thereof ) 是由 孙东一 罗孝锡 于 2018-12-21 设计创作，主要内容包括：公开了一种电子装置,所述电子装置包括天线阵列和无线通信电路,其中,所述天线阵列包括多个天线元件,所述无线通信电路被配置为发送和/或接收具有在3GHz至300GHz的范围中的频率的信号。所述无线通信电路包括多对发送和接收路径。所述无线通信电路被配置为：使所述多对中的第一对使用所述第一对的发送路径并使所述多对中的第二对使用所述第二对的接收路径；使用所述第一对的发送路径来发送第一信号；监测所述第二对的接收路径；并且至少部分地基于监测接收路径的结果来确定第一信号是否被至少部分阻挡。(An electronic device is disclosed that includes an antenna array comprising a plurality of antenna elements and wireless communication circuitry configured to transmit and/or receive signals having frequencies in a range of 3GHz to 300 GHz. The wireless communication circuitry includes multiple pairs of transmit and receive paths. The wireless communication circuitry is configured to: causing a first pair of the plurality of pairs to use a transmit path of the first pair and a second pair of the plurality of pairs to use a receive path of the second pair; transmitting a first signal using the first pair of transmit paths; monitoring a receive path of the second pair; and determining whether the first signal is at least partially blocked based at least in part on a result of monitoring the receive path.)

1. An electronic device, comprising:

at least one antenna array comprising a plurality of antenna elements; and

a communication circuit electrically connected with the at least one antenna array,

wherein each of the plurality of antenna elements is selectively connected to one of a receive path or a transmit path,

wherein the communication circuitry is configured to:

providing at least one first antenna element and at least one second antenna element of the plurality of antenna elements;

transmitting a reference signal by the at least one first antenna element; and is

Detecting at least one blocked antenna element of the at least one first antenna element based at least on the signal measured by the at least one second antenna element.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the communication circuitry is configured to:

providing the at least one first antenna element and the at least one second antenna element by connecting the at least one first antenna element to a transmit path and the at least one second antenna element to a receive path;

receiving, by the at least one second antenna element, a signal induced by the reference signal; and is

Determining that at least a portion of the at least one first antenna element is blocked when the strength of the sensing signal is greater than a certain range.

3. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein the communication circuitry is configured to: the at least one first antenna element and the at least one second antenna element are arranged such that the at least one first antenna element and the at least one second antenna element are alternately arranged in the at least one antenna array.

4. The electronic device of claim 3, wherein the communication circuitry is configured to:

determining the at least one blocked antenna element based on a location of a second antenna element that detects an inductive signal having a strength of the particular range or greater.

5. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the communication circuitry is configured to:

beam scanning is performed based at least on the detected occlusion.

6. The electronic device of claim 5, wherein the communication circuitry is configured to:

performing beam scanning using remaining antenna elements of the plurality of antenna elements other than the at least one blocked antenna element.

7. The electronic device of claim 6, wherein the communication circuitry is configured to:

performing beam scanning using a maximum power for amplification of each of the remaining antenna elements when the number of the remaining antenna elements is less than a specified value.

8. The electronic device of claim 7, wherein the communication circuitry is configured to:

performing beam scanning by adjusting phases associated with the remaining antenna elements when the number of the remaining antenna elements is not less than the specified value.

9. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the communication circuitry is configured to:

setting the at least one first antenna element and the at least one second antenna element based on at least one of: movement of the electronic device and/or communication quality of the electronic device.

10. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the communication circuitry is configured to:

setting the at least one first antenna element and the at least one second antenna element based on a specified period.

11. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the communication circuitry is configured to:

setting the at least one first antenna element and the at least one second antenna element by connecting the at least one first antenna element and the at least one second antenna element to a transmission path;

obtaining, by the at least one second antenna element, a strength of a signal induced by the reference signal using a transmission signal strength indicator included in the transmission path; and is

Determining that at least a portion of the at least one first antenna element is blocked when the strength of the sensing signal is less than a certain range.

12. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the communication circuitry is configured to:

providing the at least one first antenna element and the at least one second antenna element by connecting the at least one first antenna element to a transmit path and the at least one second antenna element to a receive path;

receiving, by the at least one second antenna element, a signal induced by the reference signal; and is

Detecting the at least one blocked antenna element based on in-phase and quadrature-phase information of the reference signal and the induced signal.

13. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising:

a display; and

a processor configured to control the display and the communication circuit,

wherein the processor is configured to:

controlling the display to display information for guiding a grip of the electronic device on the display when the number of the at least one blocked antenna element is greater than a specified value.

14. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the communication circuitry is configured to: transmitting and receiving a signal having a frequency in a range of 3GHz to 300 GHz.

15. An electronic device, comprising:

a housing;

an antenna array comprising a plurality of antenna elements located inside a housing; and

a wireless communication circuit configured to transmit and/or receive a signal having a frequency in a range of 3GHz to 300GHz,

wherein the wireless communication circuitry comprises a plurality of pairs of transmit paths and receive paths,

wherein each of the plurality of pairs of transmit and receive paths is electrically connected to a respective one of the plurality of antenna elements, and

wherein the wireless communication circuitry is configured to:

causing a first pair of the plurality of pairs to use a transmit path of the first pair and causing a second pair of the plurality of pairs to use a receive path of the second pair,

transmitting a first signal using the first pair of transmit paths,

monitoring a receive path of the second pair, and

determining whether the first signal is at least partially blocked based at least in part on a result of monitoring the receive path.

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a method and an electronic device for detecting occlusion.

Background

After commercialization of the 4 th generation (4G) communication system, a communication system (e.g., 5 th generation (5G) communication system, a quasi-5G communication system, or a 5G NR (new radio)) that transmits or receives signals in a millimeter wave band (e.g., a frequency band having a center frequency of 20GHz or higher) is being developed to meet the demand for increasingly growing wireless data traffic. Antenna array technology for beamforming is being introduced to 5G communication systems for the purpose of preventing/reducing path loss of signals in the millimeter-wave band and increasing transmission distance of signals. Beamforming may refer to techniques used, for example, to direct the transmission or reception of signals.

The electronic device may perform beamforming and may receive signals having multiple directivities through multiple antennas (or antenna arrays). furthermore, a beam corresponding to optimal beamforming may be determined by measuring received signal strength indications for each direction.

The above information is presented merely as background information to aid in understanding the present disclosure. No determination is made and no statement is made as to whether any of the above is available as prior art with respect to the present disclosure.

In wireless communications associated with millimeter-wave bands, shadowing may occur due to objects, such as a user's grip of an electronic device. Since the millimeter wave signal has low diffraction, the communication quality may be significantly degraded due to occlusion. Therefore, there is a need for a method that can detect occlusions in signals of electronic devices and can select appropriate beams to cope with the occlusions.

Disclosure of Invention

Technical problem

Aspects of the present disclosure address at least the above problems and/or disadvantages and provide at least the advantages described below. Accordingly, an aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a method and an electronic device that can detect an occlusion by transmission/reception control of a Radio Frequency (RF) chain and can search for an optimal beam based on the detected occlusion.

Technical scheme

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, an electronic device may include a housing, an antenna array including a plurality of antenna elements located within the housing, and wireless communication circuitry configured to transmit and/or receive signals having frequencies in a range of approximately 3GHz and 300 GHz. The wireless communication circuitry may include multiple pairs of transmit and receive paths. The wireless communication circuitry may be configured to: causing a first pair of the plurality of pairs to use a transmit path of the first pair and a second pair of the plurality of pairs to use a receive path of the second pair; transmitting a first signal using the first pair of transmit paths; monitoring a receive path of the second pair; and determining whether the first signal is at least partially blocked based at least in part on a result of monitoring the receive path.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, an electronic device may include at least one antenna array including a plurality of antenna elements, and communication circuitry electrically connected with the at least one antenna array. Each of the plurality of antenna elements may be selectively connected to a receive path and/or a transmit path. The communication circuitry may be configured to: providing at least one first antenna element and at least one second antenna element of the plurality of antenna elements; transmitting a reference signal by the at least one first antenna element; and detecting at least one blocked antenna element of the at least one first antenna element based at least on the signal measured by the at least one second antenna element.

Advantageous effects

According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, occlusion may be detected by detecting occlusion using an RF chain without holding a sensor.

Further, according to various embodiments of the present disclosure, beam scanning may be performed using an antenna element, of the plurality of antenna elements, for which no occlusion is detected, thereby reducing beam scanning time.

Various effects directly or indirectly understood through the present disclosure may be provided.

Other aspects, advantages, and salient features of the disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, which, taken in conjunction with the annexed drawings, discloses various example embodiments of the disclosure.

Drawings

The above and other aspects, features and advantages of particular embodiments of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the following description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an electronic device in a network environment in accordance with various embodiments;

fig. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an electronic device supporting 5G communications in accordance with various embodiments;

fig. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a communication device according to various embodiments;

fig. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a communication device according to various embodiments;

fig. 5a and 5b are block diagrams illustrating a Radio Frequency (RF) chain according to various embodiments;

fig. 6 is a diagram illustrating the structure of an RF chain according to various embodiments;

fig. 7 is a diagram showing an example of transmission/reception settings of an antenna array according to an embodiment;

fig. 8 is a diagram showing an example of transmission/reception settings of an antenna array according to another embodiment;

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an open-air occlusion detection scenario, according to an embodiment;

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an occlusion detection scenario in an occlusion scenario, according to an embodiment;

fig. 11 is a diagram illustrating a structure of a power amplifier according to various embodiments;

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a partial occlusion detection scenario, according to an embodiment;

FIG. 13 is a flow diagram illustrating an occlusion detection method according to various embodiments;

fig. 14 is a flowchart illustrating a beam scanning method according to an embodiment;

fig. 15 is a flowchart illustrating a beam scanning method according to another embodiment;

FIG. 16 is a flow diagram illustrating a method of controlling an electronic device, in accordance with various embodiments;

FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating an occlusion situation of an electronic device, according to various embodiments;

FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating an example of a notification interface, according to various embodiments;

FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating another example of a notification interface, according to various embodiments;

fig. 20 is a diagram showing a configuration of a transmission chain according to the embodiment;

fig. 21 is a diagram showing a configuration of a transmission chain according to another embodiment;

fig. 22 is a diagram illustrating an example of a beam configuration according to various embodiments; and

fig. 23 is a diagram illustrating another example of a beam configuration according to various embodiments.

Detailed Description

Various example embodiments of the present disclosure may be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following describes the embodiments and terms used in relation to the embodiments. Accordingly, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that various modifications, equivalents, and/or substitutions can be made to the various example embodiments described herein without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

Fig. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an electronic device 101 in a network environment 100, in accordance with various embodiments. Referring to fig. 1, an electronic device 101 in a network environment 100 may communicate with an electronic device 102 via a first network 198 (e.g., a short-range wireless communication network) or with an electronic device 104 or a server 108 via a second network 199 (e.g., a long-range wireless communication network). According to an embodiment, the electronic device 101 may communicate with the electronic device 104 via the server 108. According to an embodiment, the electronic device 101 may include a processor 120, a memory 130, an input device 150, a sound output device 155, a display device 160, an audio module 170, a sensor module 176, an interface 177, a haptic module 179, a camera module 180, a power management module 188, a battery 189, a communication module 190, a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM)196, or an antenna module 197. In some embodiments, at least one of the components (e.g., display device 160 or camera module 180) may be omitted from electronic device 101, or one or more other components may be added to electronic device 101. In some embodiments, some of the components may be implemented as a single integrated circuit. For example, the sensor module 176 (e.g., a fingerprint sensor, an iris sensor, or an illuminance sensor) may be implemented to be embedded in the display device 160 (e.g., a display).

The processor 120 may run, for example, software (e.g., the program 140) to control at least one other component (e.g., a hardware component or a software component) of the electronic device 101 coupled to the processor 120, and may perform various data processing or calculations. According to one embodiment, as at least part of the data processing or calculation, processor 120 may load commands or data received from another component (e.g., sensor module 176 or communication module 190) into volatile memory 132, process the commands or data stored in volatile memory 132, and store the resulting data in non-volatile memory 134. According to an embodiment, the processor 120 may include a main processor 121 (e.g., a Central Processing Unit (CPU) or an Application Processor (AP)) and an auxiliary processor 123 (e.g., a Graphics Processor (GPU), an Image Signal Processor (ISP), a sensor hub processor, or a Communication Processor (CP)) capable of operating independently or in conjunction with the main processor 121. Additionally or alternatively, the auxiliary processor 123 may be adapted to consume less power than the main processor 121, or be adapted specifically for a specified function. The auxiliary processor 123 may be implemented separately from the main processor 121 or as part of the main processor.

The secondary processor 123 (rather than the primary processor 121) may control at least some of the functions or states associated with at least one of the components of the electronic device 101 (e.g., the display device 160, the sensor module 176, or the communication module 190) when the primary processor 121 is in an inactive (e.g., sleep) state, or the secondary processor 123 may control at least some of the functions or states associated with at least one of the components of the electronic device 101 (e.g., the display device 160, the sensor module 176, or the communication module 190) with the primary processor 121 when the primary processor 121 is in an active state (e.g., running an application). According to an embodiment, the auxiliary processor 123 (e.g., an image signal processor or a communication processor) may be implemented as part of another component (e.g., the camera module 180 or the communication module 190) that is functionally related to the auxiliary processor 123.

The memory 130 may store various data used by at least one component of the electronic device 101, such as the processor 120 or the sensor module 176. The various data may include, for example, software (e.g., program 140) and input data or output data for commands associated therewith. The memory 130 may include volatile memory 132 or non-volatile memory 134.

The program 140 may be stored in the memory 130 as software, and the program 140 may include, for example, an Operating System (OS)142, middleware 144, or an application 146.

The input device 150 may receive commands or data from outside of the electronic device 101 (e.g., a user) to be used by other components of the electronic device 101, such as the processor 120. The input device 150 may include, for example, a microphone, a mouse, or a keyboard.

The sound output device 155 may output a sound signal to the outside of the electronic device 101. The sound output device 155 may include, for example, a speaker or a receiver. The speaker may be used for general purposes such as playing multimedia or playing a record, and the receiver may be used for incoming calls. Depending on the embodiment, the receiver may be implemented separate from the speaker or may be implemented as part of the speaker.

Display device 160 may visually provide information to the exterior of electronic device 101 (e.g., a user). The display device 160 may include, for example, a display, a holographic device, or a projector, and control circuitry for controlling a respective one of the display, holographic device, and projector. According to embodiments, the display device 160 may include touch circuitry adapted to detect a touch or sensor circuitry (e.g., a pressure sensor) adapted to measure the intensity of a force caused by a touch.

The audio module 170 may convert sound into an electrical signal and vice versa. According to embodiments, the audio module 170 may obtain sound via the input device 150 or output sound via the sound output device 155 or a headset of an external electronic device (e.g., the electronic device 102) directly (e.g., wired) connected or wirelessly connected with the electronic device 101.

The sensor module 176 may detect an operating state (e.g., power or temperature) of the electronic device 101 or an environmental state (e.g., state of a user) external to the electronic device 101 and then generate an electrical signal or data value corresponding to the detected state. According to an embodiment, the sensor module 176 may include, for example, a gesture sensor, a gyroscope sensor, an atmospheric pressure sensor, a magnetic sensor, an acceleration sensor, a grip sensor, a proximity sensor, a color sensor, an Infrared (IR) sensor, a biometric sensor, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, or an illuminance sensor.

The interface 177 may support one or more particular protocols to be used to directly (e.g., wired) or wirelessly connect the electronic device 101 with an external electronic device (e.g., the electronic device 102). According to an embodiment, the interface 177 may include, for example, a high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI), a Universal Serial Bus (USB) interface, a Secure Digital (SD) card interface, or an audio interface.

The connection end 178 may include a connector via which the electronic device 101 may be physically connected with an external electronic device (e.g., the electronic device 102). According to an embodiment, the connection end 178 may include, for example, an HDMI connector, a USB connector, an SD card connector, or an audio connector (e.g., a headphone connector).

The haptic module 179 may convert the electrical signal into a mechanical stimulus (e.g., vibration or motion) or an electrical stimulus that may be recognized by the user via his sense of touch or kinesthesia. According to an embodiment, the haptic module 179 may include, for example, a motor, a piezoelectric element, or an electrical stimulator.

The camera module 180 may capture still images or moving images. According to an embodiment, the camera module 180 may include one or more lenses, an image sensor, an image signal processor, or a flash.

The power management module 188 may manage power to the electronic device 101. According to one embodiment, the power management module 188 may be implemented as at least a portion of a Power Management Integrated Circuit (PMIC), for example.

The battery 189 may power at least one component of the electronic device 101. According to an embodiment, the battery 189 may include, for example, a non-rechargeable primary cell, a rechargeable secondary cell, or a fuel cell.

According to embodiments, the communication module 190 may include a wireless communication module 192 (e.g., a cellular communication module, a short-range wireless communication module, or a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) communication module) or a wired communication module 194 (e.g., a local area network (L AN) communication module, or a power line communication (P L C) module). a respective one of these communication modules may be implemented in a first network 198 (e.g., a short-range communication network, such as bluetooth, wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) direct connection, or infrared data (IrDA)) or a second network (e.g., a short-range communication network, such as a cellular network, or AN infrared data (IrDA)) or a second network (e.g., a wireless internet, such as cellular network, or AN internet) or a single network, such as AN internet, or a wireless network, such as AN internet, or a wireless network identification module (AN) or a plurality of communication modules (e.g., internet, such as AN internet, or a wireless communication module (AN internet) may be implemented as a wireless communication module (AN internet) or a wireless communication module (AN internet) capable of communicating with the processor 120 (e.g., AN application processor 120) operating independently, and supporting direct (AP) or wireless communication, or wired communication, a wired communication module 194, a wired communication module 198) or a wired communication, or a wired communication module 198, a second network 198, or a second network, a communication module.

The antenna module 197 may transmit signals or power to or receive signals or power from outside of the electronic device 101 (e.g., an external electronic device). According to an embodiment, the antenna module 197 may include one or more antennas and at least one antenna suitable for a communication scheme used in a communication network, such as the first network 198 or the second network 199, may be selected from the one or more antennas by, for example, the communication module 190 (e.g., the wireless communication module 192). The signal or power may then be transmitted or received between the communication module 190 and the external electronic device via the selected at least one antenna.

At least some of the above components may be interconnected and communicate signals (e.g., commands or data) communicatively between them via an inter-peripheral communication scheme (e.g., bus, General Purpose Input Output (GPIO), Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI), or Mobile Industry Processor Interface (MIPI)).

According to an embodiment, commands or data may be sent or received between the electronic device 101 and the external electronic device 104 via the server 108 connected with the second network 199. Each of the electronic devices 102 and 104 may be the same type of device as the electronic device 101 or a different type of device from the electronic device 101. According to embodiments, all or some of the operations to be performed at the electronic device 101 may be performed at one or more of the external electronic devices 102, 104, or 108. For example, if the electronic device 101 should automatically perform a function or service or should perform a function or service in response to a request from a user or another device, the electronic device 101 may request the one or more external electronic devices to perform at least a part of the function or service instead of or in addition to performing the function or service. The one or more external electronic devices that receive the request may perform at least a part of the requested functions or services, or perform another function or another service related to the request, and transmit the result of the execution to the electronic device 101. The electronic device 101 may provide the result as at least a partial reply to the request with or without further processing of the result. To this end, for example, cloud computing technology, distributed computing technology, or client-server computing technology may be used.

The electronic device according to various embodiments may be one of various types of electronic devices. The electronic device may comprise, for example, a portable communication device (e.g., a smartphone), a computer device, a portable multimedia device, a portable medical device, a camera, a wearable device, or a home appliance. According to the embodiments of the present disclosure, the electronic devices are not limited to those described above.

It is to be understood that the various embodiments of the present disclosure and the terms used therein are not intended to limit the technical features set forth herein to the specific embodiments, but include various changes, equivalents, or substitutions for the respective embodiments. For the description of the figures, like reference numerals may be used to refer to like or related elements. It will be understood that a noun in the singular corresponding to a term can include one or more things unless the relevant context clearly dictates otherwise. As used herein, each of the phrases such as "a or B," "at least one of a and B," "at least one of a or B," "A, B or C," "at least one of A, B and C," and "at least one of A, B or C" may include all possible combinations of the items listed together with the respective one of the plurality of phrases. As used herein, terms such as "1 st" and "2 nd" or "first" and "second" may be used to distinguish a respective component from another component simply and not to limit the components in other respects (e.g., importance or order). It will be understood that, if an element (e.g., a first element) is referred to as being "joined with", "joined to", "connected with" or "connected to" another element (e.g., a second element), in the case where the term "operable" or "communicable" is used or in the case where the term "operable" or "communicable" is not used, this means that the element may be directly (e.g., wiredly) connected with the another element, wirelessly connected with the another element, or connected with the another element via a third element.

As used herein, the term "module" may include units implemented in hardware, software, or firmware, and may be used interchangeably with other terms (e.g., "logic," "logic block," "portion," or "circuitry"). A module may be a single integrated component adapted to perform one or more functions or a minimal unit or portion of the single integrated component. For example, according to an embodiment, the modules may be implemented in the form of Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs).

The various embodiments set forth herein may be implemented as software (e.g., program 140) comprising one or more instructions stored in a storage medium (e.g., internal memory 136 or external memory 138) that is readable by a machine (e.g., electronic device 101). For example, under control of a processor, a processor (e.g., processor 120) of the machine (e.g., electronic device 101) may invoke and execute at least one of the one or more instructions stored in the storage medium, with or without one or more other components. This causes the machine to be operated to perform at least one function in accordance with the invoked at least one instruction. The one or more instructions may include code generated by a compiler or code capable of being executed by an interpreter. The machine-readable storage medium may be provided in the form of a non-transitory storage medium. Where the term "non-transitory" simply means that the storage medium is a tangible device and does not include a signal (e.g., an electromagnetic wave), the term does not distinguish between data being semi-permanently stored in the storage medium and data being temporarily stored in the storage medium.

According to embodiments, methods according to various embodiments of the present disclosure may be included and provided in a computer program product. The computer program product may be used as a product for conducting a transaction between a seller and a buyer. The computer program product may be distributed in the form of a machine-readable storage medium (e.g., compact disc read only memory (CD-ROM)), or may be distributed via an application Store (e.g., Play Store)^TM) The computer program product may be published (e.g. downloaded or uploaded) online or may be published (e.g. downloaded or uploaded) directly between two user devices (e.g. smartphones). At least a part of the computer program product may be temporarily generated if it is published online, or at least a part of the computer program product may be at least temporarily stored in a machine readable storage medium, such as a memory of a manufacturer's server, a server of an application store or a relay server.

According to various embodiments, each of the above-described components (e.g., modules or programs) may comprise a single entity or multiple entities. According to various embodiments, one or more of the above-described components may be omitted, or one or more other components may be added. Alternatively or additionally, multiple components (e.g., modules or programs) may be integrated into a single component. In such a case, according to various embodiments, the integrated component may still perform one or more functions of each of the plurality of components in the same or similar manner as the corresponding one of the plurality of components performed the one or more functions prior to integration. According to various embodiments, operations performed by a module, program, or another component may be performed sequentially, in parallel, repeatedly, or heuristically, or one or more of the operations may be performed in a different order or omitted, or one or more other operations may be added.

Fig. 2 is a diagram illustrating a block diagram of an electronic device supporting 5G communication, in accordance with various embodiments.

Referring to fig. 2, an electronic device 200 (e.g., electronic device 101 of fig. 1) may include a housing 210, a processor (e.g., including processing circuitry) 240 (e.g., processor 120 of fig. 1), a communication module (e.g., including communication circuitry) 250 (e.g., communication module 190 of fig. 1), a first communication device (e.g., including communication circuitry) 221, a second communication device (e.g., including communication circuitry) 222, a third communication device (e.g., including communication circuitry) 223, a fourth communication device (e.g., including communication circuitry) 224, a first wire 231, a second wire 232, a third wire 233, and/or a fourth wire 234.

According to an embodiment, the housing 210 may protect any other components of the electronic device 200. The housing 210 may include, for example, a front plate, a back plate facing away from the front plate (opposite to the front plate), and a side member (or metal frame) surrounding a space between the front plate and the back plate. The side members may be attached to the back plate or may be integrally formed with the back plate.

According to an embodiment, the electronic device 200 may comprise at least one communication device. For example, the electronic device 200 may include at least one of a first communication device 221, a second communication device 222, a third communication device 223, or a fourth communication device 224, wherein each communication device may include various communication circuits.

According to an embodiment, the first 221, second 222, third 223, or fourth 224 communication devices may include various communication circuits and be located within the housing 210. According to an embodiment, when viewed from above the front panel of the electronic device 200, the first communication device 221 may be located at the top left (or upper left corner) of the electronic device 200, the second communication device 222 may be located at the top right (or upper right corner) of the electronic device 200, the third communication device 223 may be located at the bottom left (or lower left corner) of the electronic device 200, and the fourth communication device 224 may be located at the bottom right (or lower right corner) of the electronic device 200.

The layout of the communication devices (e.g., 221, 222, 223, and 224) is not limited to the example of fig. 2. For example, the electronic device 200 may include any communication device located at any location in the housing. According to an embodiment, the electronic device 200 may comprise a first communication device 221, a second communication device 222 and a third communication device 223. For example, with respect to the front panel of the electronic device 200, the first communication device 221 may be located at the upper left of the electronic device 200, the second communication device 222 may be located at the upper right end of the electronic device 200, and the third communication device 223 may be located at the left, center, or right side of the center portion (or lower center portion) of the electronic device 200.

According to an embodiment, the processor 240 may include various processing circuits such as, for example, but not limited to, one or more of a central processor, an Application Processor (AP), a Graphics Processing Unit (GPU), an image signal processor of a camera, a Baseband Processor (BP) (or Communication Processor (CP)), or the like. According to an embodiment, processor 240 may be implemented using a system on chip (SoC) or a System In Package (SiP).

According to an embodiment, the communication module 250 may include various communication circuits and may use at least one wire to electrically connect with at least one communication device. For example, the communication module 250 may be electrically connected with the first communication device 221, the second communication device 222, the third communication device 223, and/or the fourth communication device 224 using the first wire 231, the second wire 232, the third wire 233, and/or the fourth wire 234, respectively. The communication module 250 may include various communication circuits such as, for example, but not limited to, a Baseband Processor (BP), a Radio Frequency Integrated Circuit (RFIC), an Intermediate Frequency Integrated Circuit (IFIC), and the like. Communication module 250 may include a processor (e.g., BP) that is independent of processor 240 (e.g., AP). The first, second, third and/or fourth conductive lines 231, 232, 233 and/or 234 may include, for example, a coaxial cable and/or a Flexible Printed Circuit Board (FPCB).

According to an embodiment, the communication module 250 may include a first BP (not shown) or a second BP (not shown). The electronic device 200 may also include one or more interfaces for supporting inter-chip communication between the first BP (or the second BP) and the processor 240. The processor 240 and the first BP or the second BP may use an inter-chip interface (e.g., an inter-processor communication channel) to send/receive data.

According to embodiments, the first BP and/or the second BP may provide an interface for performing communication with any other entity. The first BP may support, for example, wireless communication with respect to a first network (not shown). The second BP may support, for example, wireless communication with respect to a second network (not shown).

According to an embodiment, the first BP and/or the second BP may form one module with the processor 240. For example, the first BP and/or the second BP may be integrally formed with the processor 240. For another example, the first BP and/or the second BP may be located within one chip or may be implemented in the form of separate chips. According to an embodiment, the processor 240 and at least one BP (e.g., a first BP) may be integrally formed within one chip (e.g., SoC), and another BP (e.g., a second BP) may be implemented in the form of a separate chip.

According to an embodiment, communication devices 221, 222, 223, and/or 224 may up-convert or down-convert. For example, the first communication device 221 may up-convert an Intermediate Frequency (IF) signal received over the first conductor 231. For another example, the first communication device 221 may down-convert millimeter-wave signals received through an antenna array (not shown) and may transmit the down-converted signals using the first wire 231. According to an embodiment, communication devices 221, 222, 223, and/or 224 may send signals directly to processor 240 and/or may receive signals directly from processor 240 via conductors 231, 232, 233, and/or 234. For example, the communication module 250 may be omitted or may be integrated in the processor 240. For example, the operations of the communication module 250 described in this disclosure may be performed by the processor 240 and/or the communication devices 221, 222, 223, and/or 224.

According to an embodiment, the first network (not shown) and/or the second network (not shown) may correspond to the network 199 of fig. 1 according to an embodiment, the first network (not shown) and the second network (not shown) may include a 4G network and a 5G network, respectively, the 4G network may support, for example, a long term evolution (L ET) protocol provided by the third generation partnership project (3GPP) or an advanced L TE (L TE-a) protocol, the 5G network may support, for example, a New Radio (NR) protocol provided by the 3 GPP.

Fig. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a communication device according to various embodiments.

Referring to fig. 3, a communication device 300 (e.g., the first communication device 221, the second communication device 222, the third communication device 223, and/or the fourth communication device 224 of fig. 2) may include at least one of a communication circuit 330 (e.g., an RFIC), a Printed Circuit Board (PCB)350, a first antenna array 340, and/or a second antenna array 345.

According to an embodiment, the communication circuitry 330, the first antenna array 340 and/or the second antenna array 345 may be located on the PCB 350. For example, the first antenna array 340 and/or the second antenna array 345 may be located on a first surface of the PCB350 and the communication circuitry 330 may be located on a second surface of the PCB 350. For another example, the first antenna array 340 and/or the second antenna array 345 may be located on a first surface of the PCB350, and the communication circuitry 330 may be located on the first surface. PCB350 may, for example, but not limited to, include a coaxial cable connector, a board-to-board (B-to-B) connector, and the like, for electrical connection with any other PCB (e.g., the PCB on which communications module 250 of fig. 2 is located) using transmission lines (e.g., wires 231, 232, 233, or 234 of fig. 2 and/or coaxial cables). PCB350 may be connected to a PCB on which communication module 250 is located by a coaxial cable using a coaxial cable connector, and the coaxial cable may be used to transmit Radio Frequency (RF) signals and/or transmit and receive Intermediate Frequency (IF) signals. For another example, power or any other control signal may be sent through the B-to-B connector.

According to an embodiment, the first antenna array 340 and/or the second antenna array 345 may comprise a plurality of antenna elements. Each of the plurality of antenna elements may include, for example, but is not limited to, a patch antenna, a loop antenna, a dipole antenna, and the like. For example, the antenna elements included in the first antenna array 340 may be patch antennas for forming a beam toward a backplane of the electronic device 200. For another example, the antenna elements included in the second antenna array 345 may be dipole antennas or loop antennas for forming a beam towards the side member of the electronic device 200.

According to an embodiment, communication circuitry 330 may support radio frequency signals in frequency bands ranging from 24GHz to 30GHz and/or from 37GHz to 40 GHz. For example, communication circuitry 330 may support radio frequency signals in a frequency band ranging from 3GHz to 300 GHz. According to an embodiment, the communication circuit 330 may up-convert and/or down-convert a frequency. For example, the communication circuit 330 included in the first communication device 221 may up-convert the IF signal received from the communication module 250 through the first conductor 231. For another example, the communication circuit 330 may downconvert millimeter wave (mmWave) signals received through the first antenna array 340 and/or the second antenna array 345 included in the first communication device 221 and may send the downconverted signals to the communication module 250 using the first conductor 231.

Fig. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a communication device 400 according to various embodiments.

Referring to fig. 4, a communication device (e.g., including communication circuitry) 400 (e.g., communication circuitry 330 of fig. 3) in accordance with various embodiments may include a first antenna array 340 and second antenna arrays 345a and 345b on a PCB 350. For example, communication circuitry (not shown), such as communication circuitry 330 of fig. 3, electrically connected to the first antenna array 340 and the second antenna arrays 345a and 345b may be mounted on a rear surface of the PCB 350.

According to various embodiments, the first antenna array 340 and the second antenna arrays 345a and 345b may comprise a plurality of antenna elements. According to an embodiment, the first antenna array 340 may include a plurality of patch antenna elements 440. For example, the first antenna array 340 may include at least one row of patch antenna elements (440) and at least one column of patch antenna elements (440). According to an embodiment, second antenna arrays 345a and 345b may include a plurality of dipole antenna elements 445. Second antenna arrays 345a and 345b may include at least one row and/or at least one column of dipole antenna elements (445). The configuration (or layout) of the first antenna array 340 and the second antenna arrays 345a and 345b of fig. 4 is provided by way of example, and the configuration of the first antenna array 340 and the second antenna arrays 345a and 345b of the present disclosure is not limited to the example of fig. 4.

According to various embodiments, the communication device 400 may be mounted at any location in the housing 210 of an electronic device (e.g., the electronic device 200 of fig. 2). According to an embodiment, the communication device 400 may transmit the RF signal through a front surface and/or a back surface of the electronic device 200 (e.g., through a surface parallel to a display of the electronic device 200 (e.g., the display device 160 of fig. 1)). According to an embodiment, the communication device 400 may transmit the RF signal through at least one side surface of the electronic device 200 (e.g., through a surface perpendicular to a display of the electronic device 200 (e.g., the display device 160 of fig. 2)).

Fig. 5a is a block diagram 500 illustrating a Radio Frequency (RF) chain in accordance with various embodiments.

According to various embodiments, a communication module (e.g., including communication circuitry) 531 (e.g., communication module 250 of fig. 2) may be connected with the plurality of RF chains 540-1, 540-2 … …, and 540-N. According to an embodiment, communication module 531 may be connected to "N" RF chains 540-1, 540-2 … …, and 540-N (N being, for example, but not limited to, an integer of 3 or more). For example, the communication module 531 may be connected with 16 RF chains. For example, the transmit/receive switches 543-1 through 543-N, the amplifiers 545-1 through 545-N, and the amplifiers 547-1 through 547-N may constitute a front end (e.g., the communication circuit 330 of FIG. 3). The structure of the RF chains 540-1, 540-2 … …, and 540-N shown in fig. 5a is provided by way of example, and the communication module 531 may include two or more RF chains.

According to an embodiment, when the transmit/receive switches 543-1, 543-2 … … 543-N are connected to the receive path, the RF chains 540-1, 540-2 … … 540-N may amplify signals received through the antenna elements 541-1, 541-26 … … 541-N (e.g., the antenna elements included in the first antenna array 340 or the second antenna array 345 of fig. 3) using the amplifiers 545-1, 545-2 … … 545-N. According to an embodiment, when the transmit/receive switches 543-1, 543-2 … … 543-N are connected to the transmit path, the RF chains 540-1, 540-2 … … 540-N may transmit signals amplified using the amplifiers 547-1, 547-2 … … 547-N through the antenna elements 541-1, 541-2 … … 541-N. For example, the antenna elements 541-1, 541-2 … …, and 541-N may be located (e.g., on the PCB 350) facing in the same direction. The structure of RF chains 540-1, 540-2 … …, and 540-N of fig. 5a is an example of a simplified structure, and each of RF chains 540-1, 540-2 … …, and 540-N may also include components not shown in fig. 5 a. The structure of RF chains 540-1, 540-2 … …, and 540-N of FIG. 5a is an example of a logical structure, and RF chains 540-1, 540-2 … …, and 540-N may be implemented in a variety of ways. For example, the transmit/receive switches 543-1 to 543-N may be implemented with one component that may control the transmit path and/or the receive path with respect to all RF chains 540-1 to 540-N. For example, the transmit/receive switches 543-1 to 543-N and/or the amplifiers 545-1 to 545-N and 547-1 to 547-N may be implemented within the communication module 531.

Fig. 5b is a block diagram 501 of an RF chain according to various embodiments.

According to various embodiments, communication circuitry (e.g., including communication circuitry) 530 (e.g., communication circuitry 330 of fig. 3) may be connected with a plurality of RF chains 540-1, 540-2 … …, and 540-N. According to an embodiment, communication circuit 530 may be connected to "N" RF chains 540-1, 540-2 … …, and 540-N (N being, for example, but not limited to, an integer of 3 or greater). According to an embodiment, the communication circuit 530 may communicate with the processor 240 directly or with the processor 240 through a communication module (e.g., the communication module 250 of fig. 2). For example, communication circuit 530 may be connected to communication module 250 by a wire (e.g., wires 231, 232, 233, or 234 of fig. 2). The structure of the RF chains 540-1, 540-2 … … 540-N shown in fig. 5b is provided by way of example, and the communication circuit 530 may include two or more RF chains.

According to an embodiment, the transmit path Tx and the receive path Rx, which are connected with the communication circuit 530, may be connected to each of the antenna elements 541-1, 541-2 … …, and 541-N. For example, the communication circuit 530 may include switching means (e.g., transmit/receive switches 543-1 to 543-N) for using the respective antenna elements 541-1, 541-2 … …, and 541-N for purposes of receiving or transmitting signals. For another example, the communication circuit 530 may include a transmit switch, wherein the transmit switch may change the transmit path of each of the antenna elements 541-1, 541-2 … …, and 541-N. For example, communication circuit 530 may include amplifiers (e.g., amplifiers 545-1 through 545-N and 547-1 through 547-N of FIG. 5 a), where each of the amplifiers is used to amplify a signal of receive path Rx and/or transmit path Tx. The structure of RF chains 540-1, 540-2 … …, and 540-N of fig. 5b is an example of a simplified structure, and each of RF chains 540-1, 540-2 … …, and 540-N may also include components not shown in fig. 5 b.

Fig. 6 is a diagram illustrating the structure of an RF chain 640 according to various embodiments.

Referring to fig. 6, an RF chain 640 (e.g., RF chain 540-1, 540-2 … …, or 540-N of fig. 5 a) according to various embodiments may include an antenna element 641 (e.g., antenna element 541-1, 541-2 … …, or 541-N of fig. 5 a), a transmit/receive switch 643 (e.g., transmit/receive switch 543-1, 543-2 … …, or 543-N of fig. 5 a), a power amplifier 645 (e.g., amplifier 547-1, 547-2 … …, or 547-N of fig. 5 a), a phase shifter 646, a power amplifier 647, a power pre-amplifier 648, and a phase shifter 649.

According to an embodiment, a communication module (e.g., the communication module 531 of fig. 5 a) may include various communication circuits and connect the antenna element 641 to the receive path Rx or the transmit path Tx by controlling the transmit/receive switch 643. For example, RF chain 640 may include a pair of receive and transmit paths. According to an embodiment, the communication module 531 may perform beamforming on the received signal by controlling the power amplifier 645 and the phase shifter 646 of the reception path. According to various embodiments, the communication module 531 may perform beamforming on the transmission signal by controlling the power amplifier 647, the power pre-amplifier 648, and the phase shifter 649 of the transmission path.

The structure of the RF chain 640 shown in fig. 6 is provided by way of example, and the structure of the RF chain 640 of the present disclosure is not limited thereto. According to an embodiment, as shown in fig. 5b, the antenna element 641 may be connected to two paths, wherein the two paths may be connected to the transmit path Tx and the receive path Rx, respectively. According to an embodiment, RF chain 640 may include a separate transmit path (not shown) and/or a separate receive path (not shown) that may bypass phase shifters 646 and/or 649. For example, RF chain 640 may sense a lower power signal by receiving the signal via a path (not shown) that bypasses phase shifter 646. For example, the RF chain 640 may transmit a higher power signal by transmitting the signal via a path (not shown) that bypasses the phase shifter 649. According to another embodiment, the transmit/receive switch 643 may be configured to connect multiple transmit paths Tx or multiple receive paths Rx to one antenna element (e.g., antenna element 641).

The operation of the communication module 531 will be described in more detail below with reference to fig. 5 a.

Returning to fig. 5a, according to various embodiments, communication module 531 may set each of RF chains 540-1, 540-2 … …, and 540-N as either an RF chain for transmission or an RF chain for reception. For example, the communication module 531 may control the transmit/receive switches 543-1, 543-2 … … 543-N to electrically connect at least one of the antenna elements 541-1, 541-2 … …, and/or 541-N to a transmit path or a receive path. According to an embodiment, the communication module 531 may set all of the RF chains 540-1, 540-2 … … and 540-N as transmit RF chains or receive RF chains. According to another embodiment, the communication module 531 may set at least one RF chain 540-1, 540-2 … … and/or 540-N as a transmit RF chain and may set at least one RF chain as a receive RF chain.

According to various embodiments, the communication module 531 may transmit a signal (e.g., a reference signal) through the at least one RF chain 540-1, 540-2 … … and/or 540-N, and may receive or sense a signal induced by the transmitted signal (e.g., a blocked reflected signal) through the at least one RF chain 540-1, 540-2 … … and/or 540-N. For example, communication module 531 may monitor at least one RF chain 540-1, 540-2 … …, and/or 540-N (e.g., a receive RF chain) and may determine whether a transmitted signal is at least partially blocked based at least in part on the results of the monitoring. According to an embodiment, the communication module 531 may detect an occlusion associated with at least a portion of an electronic device (e.g., the electronic device 200 of fig. 2), a communication device (e.g., the communication device 300 of fig. 3), and/or an antenna array (e.g., the first antenna array 340 and/or the second antenna array 345 of fig. 3). Hereinafter, the operation mode of the communication module 531 for occlusion detection may be referred to as "scan mode".

According to various embodiments, the communication module 531 may operate in a scanning mode, for example, based on specified conditions (e.g., communication quality, movement information, quality of service (QoS), and/or specified periodicity of an electronic device (e.g., electronic device 101 of fig. 1), the scanning mode may be triggered, for example, in the case where the communication quality is not greater than a specified first range, in the case where the block error rate (B L ER) exceeds a specified second range, in the case where the reception power of a reference signal received from an external electronic device (e.g., a base station or user device) is not greater than a specified third range, etc., the communication module 531 may operate in a scanning mode, according to an embodiment, the communication module 531 may operate in a scanning mode based on QoS, for example, the communication module 531 may operate in a scanning mode based on a QoS, for example, the case where the communication module 531 may operate in a scanning mode, for example, based on a specified reference (e.g., specified range or greater) with respect to which the QoS is not satisfied, the communication module 531 may operate in a scanning mode, for example, may operate in a video call processing module 176, for example, may operate in a video processing mode, or may operate in a video processing mode based on a video processing mode, for example, a video processing mode, a set up to a communication module 176, for example, a communication mode, a communication module 176, a communication mode, a communication module.

According to an embodiment, in the scan mode, the communication module 531 may transmit a signal having a phase and/or strength different from that of a signal used for communication with an external electronic device (e.g., a base station or another user device) through the RF chains 540-1, 540-2 … … and/or 540-N. For example, the signal transmitted in the scanning mode may be a signal having a specified range of phases and/or a specified range of intensities. For example, the communication module 531 may transmit signals having a specified strength and/or a specified phase with respect to the scan pattern using amplifiers (e.g., 547-1, 547-2 … …, and/or 547-N) and/or phase shifters (e.g., the phase shifter 649 of FIG. 6) associated with the transmit RF chain.

According to an embodiment, in the scan mode, the communication module 531 may set at least one RF chain 540-1, 540-2 … … and/or 540-N as a transmit RF chain and may set at least one RF chain 540-1, 540-2 … … and/or 540-N as a receive RF chain. For example, the communication module 531 may transmit a signal over a transmit RF chain and may detect occlusion based at least in part on the strength and/or phase of a signal received over a receive RF chain (e.g., a signal induced by the transmit signal). For example, communication module 531 may use amplifiers (e.g., 545-1, 545-2 … …, and/or 545-N) and/or phase shifters (e.g., phase shifter 646 of fig. 6) associated with the receive RF chain to set the receive RF chain to an intensity and/or phase with respect to the scan mode. For example, unlike the normal communication mode, the communication module 531 may increase the degree to which the reception power is amplified for the purpose of increasing the sensitivity of the reception signal in the scan mode.

Fig. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of transmission/reception settings of an antenna array according to an embodiment.

In fig. 7, an antenna array 740 (e.g., the first antenna array 340 of fig. 3) according to an embodiment may include eight antenna elements 740-1 through 740-8. According to an embodiment, a communication module (e.g., communication module 531 of fig. 5) may set at least some of the antenna elements as transmitting antenna elements and may set at least some of the antenna elements as receiving antenna elements. According to an embodiment, the communication module 531 may transmit a signal through the transmitting antenna element and may simultaneously receive a signal through the receiving antenna element. For example, a signal induced (or reflected) by a signal transmitted through a transmitting antenna element may be received through a receiving antenna element. The layout of the antenna array 740 shown in fig. 7 is provided by way of example, and the layout of the antenna array 740 is not limited thereto.

Referring to the first transmit/receive arrangement 701, the communication module 531 may set a first antenna element (e.g., 740-1, 740-3, 740-6, and 740-8) as a transmit antenna element and may set a second antenna element (e.g., 740-2, 740-4, 740-5, and 740-7) as a receive antenna element, according to an embodiment. In the first transmission/reception setting 701, for example, the communication module 531 may set the first antenna elements and the second antenna elements such that each of the first antenna elements is adjacent to each of the second antenna elements, where the number of the second antenna elements is the same as the number of the first antenna elements. According to an embodiment, the communication module 531 may set the first antenna elements and the second antenna elements such that the first antenna elements and the second antenna elements are alternately arranged in the antenna array 740. For example, the communication module 531 may alternately arrange the first antenna elements and the second antenna elements in rows and/or columns of the antenna array 740.

Referring to the second transmit/receive setting 702, the communication module 531 may set the first antenna elements (e.g., 740-1, 740-2, 740-3, 740-4, and 740-6) as transmit antenna elements and may set the second antenna elements (e.g., 740-5, 740-7, and 740-8) as receive antenna elements, according to an embodiment. In the second transmission/reception setting 702, for example, the communication module 531 may set the first antenna element and the second antenna element such that the first antenna element is arranged adjacent to each other and the second antenna element is arranged adjacent to each other. For example, the communication module 531 may increase the transmission gain by disposing the first antenna elements adjacent to each other.

Fig. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of transmission/reception settings of an antenna array according to another embodiment.

In fig. 8, an antenna array 840 (e.g., the first antenna array 340 or the second antenna array 345 of fig. 3) according to an embodiment may include four antenna elements 840-1, 840-2, 840-3, and 840-4. According to an embodiment, a communication module (e.g., communication module 531 of fig. 5) may set at least some of the antenna elements as transmitting antenna elements and may set at least some of the antenna elements as receiving antenna elements. The layout of the antenna array 840 shown in fig. 8 is provided by way of example, and the layout of the antenna array 840 is not limited thereto.

Referring to the third transmit/receive arrangement 801, according to an embodiment, the communication module 531 may set the first antenna elements (e.g., 840-1 and 840-3) as transmit antenna elements and may set the second antenna elements (e.g., 840-2 and 840-4) as receive antenna elements. In the third transmission/reception setting 801, for example, the communication module 531 may alternately set the first antenna element and the second antenna element.

Referring to the fourth transmit/receive arrangement 802, the communication module 531 may set the first antenna elements (e.g., 840-1 and 840-2) as transmit antenna elements and may set the second antenna elements (e.g., 840-3 and 840-4) as receive antenna elements, according to an embodiment. In the fourth transmission/reception setting 802, for example, the communication module 531 may set the first antenna element and the second antenna element such that the first antenna element is arranged adjacent to each other and the second antenna element is arranged adjacent to each other. For example, the communication module 531 may increase the transmission gain by disposing the first antenna elements adjacent to each other.

Fig. 9 is a diagram illustrating an open-air occlusion detection situation according to an embodiment.

Referring to reference numeral 902 of fig. 9, according to an embodiment, an antenna array 840 may be set according to a third transmit/receive setting 901 (e.g., 801 of fig. 8). The communication module 531 (e.g., the communication module 531 of fig. 5) may transmit a signal (e.g., a reference signal) through the first antenna elements 840-1 and 840-3, and may receive or sense a signal induced from the transmitted signal (e.g., a reflected signal) using the second antenna elements 840-2 and 840-4.

Referring to reference numeral 902 of fig. 9, according to an embodiment, it is assumed that the antenna array 840 is not blocked. As shown in fig. 9, since the reflected signal is not induced due to the occlusion, the strength of the signal received through the second antenna elements 840-2 and 840-4 may be less than a specified value (e.g., a first value). According to an embodiment, in the case that the strength of the sensing signal (e.g., the reflected signal) is less than a specified value, the communication module 531 may determine that the antenna array 840 or the first antenna elements 840-1 and 840-3 are not blocked.

According to an embodiment, the communication module 531 may determine whether an occlusion occurs by sensing the strength of a signal in a specified frequency band (e.g., a first frequency band). For example, the first frequency band may include frequencies of signals transmitted by the first antenna elements 840-1 and 840-3, or may correspond to at least a portion of a frequency band associated with the frequencies of the transmitted signals. For example, the first frequency band may be at least a portion of a frequency band ranging, for example, from 3GHz to 300 GHz.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an occlusion detection scenario in the occlusion scenario, according to an embodiment.

Referring to reference numeral 1001 of fig. 10, according to an embodiment, an antenna array 840 may be set according to the third transmit/receive setting 801 of fig. 8. A communication module (e.g., communication module 531 of fig. 5) may transmit a signal (e.g., a reference signal) through the first antenna elements 840-1 and 840-3, and may receive or sense a signal induced from the transmitted signal (e.g., a reflected signal) using the second antenna elements 840-2 and 840-4.

According to an embodiment, the antenna array 840 may be blocked by occlusion. For example, signals transmitted through the first antenna elements 840-1 and 840-3 may be reflected by the user's hand 1010. For example, the reflected signal may be received or sensed by the second antenna elements 840-2 and 840-4. According to an embodiment, the strength of the signal received or sensed by the second antenna elements 840-2 and 840-4 may not be less than the specified value (e.g., the first value) 1002. According to an embodiment, the communication module 531 may determine that the antenna array 840 or at least a portion of the first antenna elements 840-1 and 840-3 are blocked if the strength of the sensing signal (e.g., the reflected signal) is not less than a specified value.

According to an embodiment, the communication module 531 may determine whether an occlusion occurs by sensing the strength of a signal in a specified frequency band (e.g., a first frequency band). For example, the first frequency band may include frequencies of signals transmitted by the first antenna elements 840-1 and 840-3, or may correspond to at least a portion of a frequency band associated with the frequencies of the transmitted signals. For example, the first frequency band may be at least a portion of a frequency band ranging from 3GHz to 300 GHz.

In the embodiments of fig. 9 and 10, the first antenna elements 840-1 and 840-3 of the antenna array 840 may be configured as transmit antenna elements and the second antenna elements 840-2 and 840-4 may be configured as receive antenna elements. However, the layout of the antenna array and the arrangement of the transmitting/receiving antenna elements are not limited to those of fig. 9 and 10.

In the example embodiments shown in fig. 7, 8, 9 and 10, at least some of the antenna elements may be provided as transmitting antenna elements and at least some of the antenna elements may be provided as receiving antenna elements. According to an embodiment, a communication module (e.g., communication module 531 of fig. 5) may change the settings of at least some of the antenna elements in the event that all of the antenna elements are set for the same purpose (e.g., transmit or receive). Next, a method by which occlusion can be detected without changing the setting of the antenna element according to various embodiments will be described with reference to fig. 11.

Returning to fig. 5a, according to various embodiments, the communication module 531 may set all RF chains (e.g., RF chains 541-1, 541-2 … …, and 541-N of fig. 5 a) as transmit RF chains. For example, the communication module 531 may detect occlusion without changing the settings of the RF chain in the scan mode. According to an embodiment, the communication module 531 may transmit a signal using at least one transmission RF chain, and may verify the strength of a signal induced in at least one transmission RF chain that is not used to transmit the signal. For example, a transmit RF chain that is not used to transmit signals may be set to an off state. According to an embodiment, the communication module 531 may detect whether at least some antenna elements are blocked based at least on the strength of the signal induced in the at least one transmitting RF chain.

Fig. 11 is a diagram illustrating a structure 1100 of a power amplifier 647 according to various embodiments.

Referring to fig. 5 and 11, according to various embodiments, a power amplifier 647 (e.g., power amplifier 647) located on a transmit path of an RF chain may include a control unit (e.g., including control circuitry) 1110, a Transmit Signal Strength Indication (TSSI) module (e.g., including signal strength indication circuitry) 1130, a first power amplifier 1121, a second power amplifier 1122, and a third power amplifier 1123. According to an embodiment, the control unit 1110 may control the first, second, and third power amplifiers 1121, 1122, and 1123 based on a control signal received from the outside. According to an embodiment, the TSSI module 1130 may include various circuits and sense the magnitude of the signal output from the power amplifier 647.

According to an embodiment, TSSI module 1130 may sense the magnitude of a signal induced in a transmit RF chain associated with TSSI module 1130 due to a signal transmitted from another RF chain (e.g., RF chains 540-1, 540-2 … …, and/or 540-N of fig. 5 a) and the magnitude of a signal output from power amplifier 647. According to an embodiment, the communication module 531 may detect occlusion of at least one RF chain 540-1, 540-2 … … and/or 540-N based at least on a magnitude of the sensing signal (e.g., TSSI magnitude) sensed by the TSSI module 1130. For example, in the event the magnitude of the inductive signal sensed by TSSI module 1130 is not less than a specified range, communication module 531 may determine that at least one RF chain 540-1, 540-2 … … and/or 540-N is blocked. According to an embodiment, the communication module 531 may detect an occlusion of at least one RF chain 540-1, 540-2 … … and/or 540-N based at least on a magnitude of the sensing signal (e.g., TSSI magnitude) and a magnitude of the transmission signal sensed by the TSSI module 1130. For example, in the event that the difference between the magnitude of the sense signal and the magnitude of the transmit signal sensed by TSSI module 1130 is less than a specified range, communication module 531 may determine that at least one RF chain 540-1, 540-2 … …, and/or 540-N is blocked.

For example, at least one RF chain 540-1, 540-2 … …, and/or 540-N used to transmit the reference signal may be referred to as a "first RF chain", and the remaining RF chains 540-1, 540-2 … …, and/or 540-N may be referred to as a "second RF chain". For example, the communication module 531 may set the first RF chain to a transmission RF chain and may set the second RF chain to an off state. The second RF chain set to the off state may not be used to transmit signals. Referring to fig. 6, according to an embodiment, the RF chain 640 may be set to a closed state, and the communication module 531 may not apply a signal to a transmission path of the RF chain 640. According to various embodiments, the communication module 531 may control the gain of at least one amplifier (e.g., the power preamplifier 648 and/or the amplifier 647) on the transmission path of the RF chain 640 in the off state to a specified value or more or may reduce the power to be supplied to the at least one amplifier (e.g., the power preamplifier 648 and/or the amplifier 647) to a specified value or less. For example, the communication module 531 may control the gain of the amplifier 647 by controlling the gain of the first power amplifier 1121, the second power amplifier 1122, and/or the third power amplifier 1123. According to various embodiments, the communication module 531 may control components (e.g., the power pre-amplifier 648 and/or the amplifier 647) on the off-state RF chain such that only the TSSI module 1130 operates with respect to the off-state RF chain.

According to an embodiment, the communication module 531 may detect occlusions based on at least, for example, but not limited to, TSSI output obtained from a TSSI module (e.g., TSSI module 1130) connected to a first RF chain and TSSI output obtained from a TSSI module (e.g., TSSI module 1130) connected to a second RF chain. For example, the value of the TSSI output obtained by the TSSI module (e.g., TSSI module 1130) connected to the first RF chain may increase as the transmit power of the reference signal increases. For example, the value of the TSSI output obtained by the TSSI module (e.g., TSSI module 1130) connected to the second RF chain may increase as the power of the signal induced by the reference signal (e.g., the reference signal that is shadowed for reflection) increases. According to an embodiment, in the event that the difference between the size of the TSSI output associated with the second RF chain and the size of the TSSI output associated with the first RF chain is less than a specified range, communication module 531 may determine that at least one RF chain 540-1, 540-2 … …, and/or 540-N is blocked.

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a partial occlusion detection scenario 1200, according to an embodiment.

Referring to fig. 12, according to an embodiment, at least a portion of the antenna elements 740-1 to 740-8 of the antenna array 740 may be blocked by an obstruction 1210 (e.g., a user's hand 1210). For example, in the case where the transmitting antenna element 740-8 is blocked by the shield 1210, a signal transmitted from the transmitting antenna element 740-8 may be reflected by the shield 1210, and the reflected signal may be received or sensed by the adjacent receiving antenna elements 740-5 and 740-7. For example, the strength of the signals received or sensed by the receive antenna elements 740-5 and 740-7 may be no less than a specified range.

According to an embodiment, a communication module (e.g., communication module 250 of fig. 2) may detect blocked antenna elements (e.g., 740-8) based on the location of the antenna elements (e.g., 740-5 and 740-7) receiving/sensing signals having a specified range or greater of strength. For example, communication module 250 may determine that transmitting antenna elements (e.g., 740-8, 740-6, and/or 740-3) adjacent to antenna elements (e.g., 740-5 and 740-7) that receive/sense signals having a specified range of strengths or greater are blocked. For another example, communication module 250 may determine that a transmitting antenna element (e.g., 740-8, 740-6, and/or 740-3) adjacent to an antenna element (e.g., 740-5 or 740-7) that receives/senses signals having a specified range or greater of strengths and that an antenna element (e.g., 740-5 or 740-7) that receives/senses signals having a specified range or greater of strengths is blocked.

In the embodiments described with reference to fig. 7-12, a communication module (e.g., communication module 250 of fig. 2) may detect occlusion based at least on the strength of the signal. According to an embodiment, the communication module 250 may detect occlusion based on at least a phase difference between a transmitted signal and a received signal strength. For example, the communication module 250 may obtain a phase difference between a transmission signal and a reception signal (e.g., an induction signal) using a transceiver included in the communication module 250.

According to an embodiment, the communication module 250 may detect occlusion based on in-phase-quadrature-phase (IQ) information between a transmit signal and a receive signal (e.g., a sense signal). For example, the communication module 250 may track the magnitude of the impedance of the associated antenna array and the phase between the transmit and receive signals by comparing IQ information between the transmit and receive signals. The communication module 250 may obtain a Standing Wave Ratio (SWR) of the antenna array based on the IQ information. According to an embodiment, the communication module 250 may detect occlusion based on a load impedance mismatch of an antenna array, wherein the load impedance mismatch of the antenna array is detected based on a transmit signal and a receive signal.

FIG. 13 is a flow diagram 1300 illustrating an occlusion detection method according to various embodiments.

At operation 1305, the communication module 250 of the electronic device 101 may set up an RF chain (e.g., RF chain 540-1, 540-2 … …, or 540-N of FIG. 5), according to various embodiments. For example, communication module 250 may set at least a portion of RF chains 540-1, 540-2 … …, and 540-N as transmit RF chains and may set at least a portion of RF chains 540-1, 540-2 … …, and 540-N as receive RF chains. For another example, communication module 250 may set all RF chains 540-1, 540-2 … and 540-N to transmit RF chains. For another example, communication module 250 may set all of RF chains 540-1, 540-2 … …, and 540-N to transmit RF chains, may use some transmit RF chains for signaling purposes, and may set the remaining transmit RF chains to an off state. According to an embodiment, at operation 1305, the communication module 250 may set the RF chains 540-1, 540-2 … …, or 540-N based on a specified condition (e.g., start of communication, movement of the electronic apparatus 200 not less than a specified range, communication quality of a specified range or less, or a specified period).

According to various embodiments, the communication module 250 may transmit the first signal using a first transmission path of an RF chain set as a transmission RF chain at operation 1310. For example, the first signal may differ in magnitude and/or phase from the signal used for general communication.

According to various embodiments, at operation 1315, the communication module 250 may monitor the second receive path. For example, the second receive path may include at least a portion of the remaining RF chains other than the RF chain used to transmit the first signal at operation 1310. For example, the remaining RF chains may be receive RF chains or transmit RF chains.

According to an embodiment, the communication module 250 may monitor the magnitude and/or phase of signals received or sensed over the receive RF link. According to an embodiment, the communication module 250 may monitor the magnitude of a signal applied to or sensed from the transmit RF chain.

According to various embodiments, at operation 1320, the communication module 250 may determine whether at least a portion of the first signal is blocked based on the monitoring. For example, in the event that the magnitude of the received or sensed signal is not less than a specified range, the communication module 250 may determine that at least a portion of the first signal is blocked.

Fig. 14 is a flow chart 1400 illustrating a beam scanning method according to an embodiment.

According to various embodiments, at operation 1405, a communication module (e.g., communication module 250 of fig. 2) may determine whether at least a portion of an antenna array (e.g., first antenna array 340 or second antenna array 345 of fig. 3) is blocked. For example, the communication module 250 may verify occlusion according to the occlusion detection method of FIG. 13.

According to various embodiments, at operation 1410, the communication module 250 may select at least one active antenna element based at least on the verified occlusion. For example, the communication module 250 may select antenna elements other than the antenna elements determined to be blocked antenna elements as active antenna elements.

According to various embodiments, at operation 1415, the communication module 250 may set up RF chains (e.g., RF chains 540-1, 540-2 … …, or 540-N of fig. 5) based on the active antenna elements thus selected. For example, the communication module 250 may set the selected active antenna element to a transmit RF chain.

According to various embodiments, at operation 1420, the communication module 250 may perform beam scanning based on the settings of the RF chains. For example, the communication module 250 may perform beam scanning using only the active antenna elements, thereby reducing power consumption in beam scanning and time taken to perform beam scanning.

For example, in operation 1405, the communication module 250 may obtain IQ information between the transmit signal and the receive signal. According to an embodiment, the communication module 250 may perform beam scanning using active antenna elements based on the obtained IQ information (e.g., obtained phase and/or size information).

For example, at operation 1405, the communication module 250 may perform beam scanning using antenna elements associated with a portion of the directions associated with the electronic device 101 or the communication device (e.g., 221, 222, 223, and/or 224). For example, the communication module 250 may perform beam scanning only for at least one direction determined to be unblocked (e.g., a direction associated with a number of active antenna elements not less than a specified value).

Fig. 15 is a flow chart 1500 illustrating a beam scanning method according to another embodiment.

According to various embodiments, at operation 1505, the communication module 250 may determine whether at least a portion of an antenna array (e.g., the first antenna array 340 or the second antenna array 345 of fig. 3) is blocked. For example, the communication module 250 may verify occlusion according to the occlusion detection method of FIG. 13.

According to various embodiments, at operation 1510, the communication module 250 may set a detection mode based at least on the verified occlusion. For example, the communication module 250 may set the detection mode based on the degree of obstruction (e.g., the number of blocked antenna elements or the proportion of blocked antenna elements). According to an embodiment, the detection mode may include a power mode and a phase mode.

According to an embodiment, the communication module 250 may set the detection mode to the power mode in case the degree of the occlusion is not less than the specified range. According to an embodiment, the communication module 250 may set the detection mode to the phase mode in case the degree of the occlusion is smaller than the specified range.

According to various embodiments, in the case of the power mode, at operation 1515, the communication module 250 may set the RF chain such that maximum power for amplification is allocated to antenna elements that are not blocked at all. For example, the communication module 250 may amplify a signal of an RF chain targeting beam scanning by additionally using an amplification power of the blocked RF chain. For example, the communication module 250 may amplify the signals of the RF chains targeting the beam sweep to a specified maximum. According to an embodiment, the communication module 250 may perform beam scanning by allocating maximum power for amplification to each of the remaining antenna elements except for the blocked antenna element, in operation 1520. According to an embodiment, the power mode communication module 250 may not use a phase shifter (e.g., phase shifter 646 of fig. 6) for beam scanning. With respect to the power mode, the configuration of the RF chain according to various embodiments will be described with reference to fig. 20 and 21.

Fig. 20 is a diagram showing a configuration of a transmission chain according to an embodiment.

Referring to fig. 20, a block diagram 2000 of an RF chain may include, for example, four RF chains 540-1 to 540-4. However, the number of RF chains 540-1 to 540-4 is provided by way of example, and the communication module 531 may include a plurality of RF chains. For convenience of description, description for components having the same reference numerals/signs as those of fig. 5 will not be repeated to avoid redundancy. For example, assume that the antenna element 541-4 is blocked as a result of operation 1505.

According to an embodiment, the transmit/receive switch 543 may connect the RF chains 540-1 through 540-4 to the antenna elements 541-1 through 541-4, respectively. For example, the transmit/receive switch 543 may connect multiple transmit chains to one antenna element (e.g., 541-1, 541-2, 541-3, or 541-4). For example, where antenna element 541-4 is blocked, transmit power may be amplified by connecting a transmit chain associated with antenna element 541-4 to another antenna element 541-3 (e.g., an adjacent antenna element) and transmitting the same signal using RF chain 540-3 and RF chain 540-4.

Fig. 21 is a diagram showing a configuration of a transmission chain according to another embodiment.

Referring to fig. 21, a block diagram 2100 of an RF chain may include four RF chains 540-1 through 540-4. However, the number of RF chains 540-1 to 540-4 is only an example, and the communication module 531 may include a plurality of RF chains. For convenience of description, description for components having the same reference numerals/signs as those of fig. 5 will not be repeated to avoid redundancy. For example, assume that the antenna element 541-4 is blocked as a result of operation 1505.

According to an embodiment, each of the antenna elements 541-1 through 541-4 and the receive chain associated with each of the antenna elements 541-1 through 541-4 may be connected to each other. Each of the antenna elements 541-1 through 541-4 may be connected with multiple transmit chains through a transmit switch 2143.

According to an embodiment, the transmit switch 2143 may connect the transmit chains to the antenna elements 541-1 through 541-4, respectively. For example, transmit switch 2143 may connect multiple transmit chains to one antenna element (e.g., 541-1, 541-2, 541-3, or 541-4). For example, where antenna element 541-4 is blocked, transmit power may be amplified by connecting a transmit chain associated with antenna element 541-4 to another antenna element 541-3 (e.g., an adjacent antenna element) and transmitting the same signal using RF chain 540-3 and RF chain 540-4.

Returning to fig. 15, in the case of a phase mode, according to various embodiments, at operation 1515, the communication module 250 may perform beamforming by phase shifting the phase of the unblocked antenna element. For example, the communication module 250 may perform beam scanning by measuring the strength of the received signal using each of a plurality of beams formed in different directions in operation 1520.

According to various embodiments, at operation 1520, the communication module 250 may detect the optimal beam through beam scanning. For example, the communication module 250 may determine a beam having the highest strength of the received signal as the optimal beam.

Fig. 16 is a flow diagram 1600 illustrating a method of controlling an electronic device, in accordance with various embodiments.

According to various embodiments, at operation 1605, a communication module (e.g., communication module 250 of fig. 2) may perform the communication. For example, communication module 250 may perform communication based on user input or based on instructions from a processor (e.g., processor 120 of fig. 1).

According to various embodiments, at operation 1610, the communication module 250 may determine whether the communication quality is less than a specified range while performing the communication, in the event that the communication quality is not less than the specified range, the communication module 250 may monitor the communication quality while continuing to perform the communication, for example, the communication module 250 may determine the communication quality using, for example, but not limited to, data throughput, block error rate (B L ER), and/or received power of a reference signal, and the like.

According to various embodiments, in the event that the communication quality is less than the specified range, the communication module 250 may verify the occlusion at operation 1615. For example, the communication module 250 may verify occlusion using the occlusion verification method described with reference to FIG. 13.

According to various embodiments, at operation 1620, the communication module 250 may determine whether an antenna array (e.g., the first antenna array 340 or the second antenna array 345 of fig. 3) is blocked up to a specified range or greater. In the event that the antenna array is blocked up to the specified range or greater, the communication module 250 may provide a notification to the user at operation 1635. For example, the communication module 250 may provide information about the grip that may cause or eliminate occlusion through user notification. For another example, the user notification may include information about the loss of connection. In the case where the antenna array is blocked by up to less than the specified range, the communication module 250 may perform beam scanning in operation 1625 (operation 1420 of fig. 14 or operation 1520 of fig. 15) and may perform communication based on the result of the beam scanning in operation 1630. According to an embodiment, the communication module 250 may perform communication by changing at least one antenna array or changing a communication band.

According to an embodiment, the communication module 250 may provide a plurality of user notifications based on the occlusion range. For example, in the event that the occlusion range is less than the first range, the communication module 250 may alert of the occurrence of partial occlusion or may provide a user notification that provides information about partial occlusion. Further, in a case where the occlusion range is not less than the first range and is less than the second range (e.g., the second range is not less than the first range), the communication module 250 may perform operation 1625 and operation 1630. According to an embodiment, in the event that the occlusion range is not less than the second range, the communication module 250 may perform operation 1635. Operation 1635 may be performed, for example, when substantially the entire antenna array is blocked.

FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating an occlusion situation of an electronic device, according to various embodiments.

In fig. 17, a communication device (e.g., communication device 222 of fig. 2) may be assumed to be located within an electronic device (e.g., electronic device 200 of fig. 2), according to an embodiment. For example, the communication device 222 may transmit the four beams 1711, 1712, 1713, and 1714 through a first surface 1707 of the electronic device 200 (e.g., a surface of the electronic device 200 perpendicular to the Z-axis) and may transmit the four beams 1721, 1722, 1723, and 1724 through a second surface 1709 of the electronic device 200 (e.g., a surface of the electronic device 200 perpendicular to the X-axis). Eight beams 1711, 1712, 1713, 1714, 1721, 1722, 1723, and 1724 are shown in fig. 17, but the number of beams of the communication device 222 is not limited thereto. For example, the communication device 222 may be configured to transmit multiple beams in multiple directions (e.g., any direction in three-dimensional space). Next, the eight beams 1711, 1712, 1713, 1714, 1721, 1722, 1723, and 1724 will be described with reference to fig. 22.

Fig. 22 illustrates one example of a beam configuration in accordance with various embodiments.

In fig. 22, reference numeral 2201 is an example of reference numeral 1701 of fig. 17 viewed in another direction. Referring to fig. 22, four beams 1711, 1712, 1713, and 1714 may be transmitted through a first surface 1707 of the electronic device 200 (e.g., a surface of the electronic device 200 perpendicular to the Z axis), and four beams 1721, 1722, 1723, and 1724 may be transmitted through a second surface 1709 of the electronic device 200 (e.g., a surface of the electronic device 200 perpendicular to the X axis).

Returning to FIG. 17, in reference numeral 1701, no occlusion is detected with respect to the electronic device 200, according to an embodiment. For example, in the case where the electronic apparatus 200 performs beam scanning, the electronic apparatus 200 may perform beam scanning by scanning each of the beams 1711, 1712, 1713, 1714, 1721, 1722, 1723, and 1724.

According to an embodiment, in reference numeral 1703, an occlusion 1710 (e.g., at least a portion of a body or any object of a user) can be detected with respect to a second surface 1709 of the electronic device 200. For example, the electronic device 200 may perform beam scanning using the unblocked beams 1711, 1712, 1713, and 1714.

According to an embodiment, in reference numeral 1705, an occlusion 1720 (e.g., at least a portion of a user's body or any object) can be detected with respect to a first surface 1707 of the electronic device 200. For example, the electronic device 200 may perform beam scanning using the unblocked beams 1721, 1722, 1723, and 1724.

According to an embodiment, beams 1711, 1712, 1713, and 1714 formed by first surface 1707 and beams 1721, 1722, 1723, and 1724 formed by second surface 1709 may have different frequencies. For example, in the case where one surface (e.g., the first surface 1707) is blocked, the communication module 250 may perform communication using a frequency corresponding to a beam formed through the remaining surface (e.g., the second surface 1709) that is not blocked. For example, the communication module 250 may perform handover for the purpose of changing a communication frequency according to a beam change.

The beam shape and the beam configuration described with reference to fig. 17 and 22 are examples for description, and the beam shape and the beam configuration of the present disclosure are not limited thereto. For example, the plurality of beams may be formed to have a plurality of vertically oriented tilt angles with respect to a plane of an antenna array in one antenna (e.g., the first antenna array 340 of fig. 4).

Fig. 23 is a diagram illustrating another example of a beam configuration according to various embodiments.

Referring to reference numeral 2301 of fig. 23, according to an embodiment, a first beam group 2310 and a second beam group 2320 inclined in different vertical directions with respect to one surface of a housing 210 of an electronic device (e.g., the electronic device 200 of fig. 2) may be formed. For example, the first beam set 2310 may be beamformed with respect to a direction "a" and the second beam set 2320 may be beamformed with respect to a direction "B". For ease of description, only two vertical directions "a" and "B" are shown, but the electronic device 200 of the present disclosure may generate multiple beam groups in multiple vertical directions.

Referring to reference numeral 2303, the first beam group 2310 may include a plurality of beams formed in different directions on a plane corresponding to the direction "a" according to an embodiment. According to an embodiment, the second beam group 2320 may include a plurality of beams formed in different directions on a plane corresponding to the direction "B". For convenience of description, an example is shown in which each of the first and second beam groups 2310 and 2320 includes four beams, but the number of beams in the beam group is not limited thereto. For example, the electronic apparatus 200 of the present disclosure may generate beam sets such that each beam set includes a plurality of beams.

Referring to reference numeral 2305, a communication device (e.g., the communication device 222 of fig. 2) may generate a plurality of beams formed in a direction perpendicular and/or parallel to a surface of an antenna array (e.g., the first antenna array 340 of fig. 3) of the communication device. For example, referring to reference numeral 2305, the communication apparatus may generate beams directed in a plurality of directions according to the directional directions of the respective beams shown by the arrows.

In fig. 23, the description is given with respect to one surface of the electronic apparatus 200, but a plurality of beams described with reference to fig. 23 may be formed with respect to any surface of the electronic apparatus 200.

Fig. 18 is a diagram illustrating a notification interface 1800 of an electronic device, according to various embodiments.

According to various embodiments, when occlusion is detected, the processor 120 of an electronic device (e.g., the electronic device 101 of fig. 1) may display a notification interface 1800 in at least a portion of the display device 160. For example, the processor 120 may display the notification interface 1800 in accordance with operation 1635 of fig. 16.

According to an embodiment, the notification interface 1800 may include grip information 1810 for resolving occlusions. For example, the grip information 1810 may include an image associated with a recommended grip.

According to an embodiment, the notification interface 1800 may include a pop-up image 1820 that provides information about occlusions. For example, pop-up image 1820 may include information about occlusion and/or a notification associated with a loss of connection.

In the embodiment of FIG. 18, notification interface 1800 may be provided on display device 160, but notifications are not limited to visual notifications. For example, the processor 120 may provide a visual notification, an audible notification, and/or a tactile (or haptic) notification.

FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating another example of a notification interface, according to various embodiments.

According to various embodiments, when occlusion is detected, processor 120 of an electronic device (e.g., electronic device 101 of fig. 1) may display notification interface 1900 in at least a portion of display device 160. For example, processor 120 may display notification interface 1900 in accordance with operation 1635 of FIG. 16.

According to an embodiment, the notification interface 1900 may include a first indicator 1901, 1902, 1903 indicating an antenna position (e.g., a position corresponding to the communication device 221, 222, 223, or 224).

According to an embodiment, in case a blocked position is detected, the processor 120 may display the blocked position by changing a display property (e.g. color and/or shape). According to an embodiment, the electronic device 101 may display the location of the blockage by displaying a second indicator 1904 indicating the location of the blockage.

According to an embodiment, the processor 120 may display information for resolving occlusions. For example, the electronic device 101 may display a pop-up image 1920 providing information about the recommended operation. For example, pop-up image 1920 may include information regarding occlusion and/or a notification associated with a loss of connection.

In the embodiment of fig. 19, a notification interface 1900 may be provided on the display device 160, but the notification is not limited to a visual notification. For example, the processor 120 may provide a visual notification, an audible notification, and/or a tactile (or haptic) notification.

According to various embodiments, an electronic device (e.g., electronic device 200 of fig. 2) may include a housing 210, an array (e.g., first antenna array 340 and/or second antenna array 345 of fig. 3) including a plurality of antenna elements (e.g., 440 and/or 450 of fig. 4) located within the housing 210, and a wireless communication circuit (e.g., communication module 250) configured to transmit and/or receive signals having frequencies in the range of 3GHz to 300 GHz. For example, the wireless communication circuitry includes multiple pairs (e.g., RF chains 540-1 to 540-N of fig. 5 a) of transmit/receive paths, and the wireless communication circuitry may be configured to: causing a first pair of the plurality of pairs to use a first pair of transmit paths and a second pair of the plurality of pairs to use a second pair of receive paths; transmitting a first signal using a first pair of transmit paths; monitoring a receive path of the second pair; and determining whether the first signal is at least partially blocked based at least in part on a result of monitoring the receive path.

For example, the plurality of antenna elements of the array may face in the same direction.

For example, the wireless communication circuitry may be configured to: causing a first group of the plurality of pairs to use a first group of transmit paths and a second group of the plurality of pairs to use a second group of receive paths; transmitting a first signal using a first set of transmission paths; monitoring a second set of receive paths; and determining whether the first signal is at least partially blocked based at least in part on a result of monitoring the receive path.

For example, the wireless communication circuitry may be configured to: the first pair is caused to use the transmit path of the first pair and the second pair is caused to use the receive path of the second pair based at least in part on at least one of movement of the electronic device, a wireless communication status, or a specified period.

For example, when the first signal is blocked by a specified value or greater, the wireless communication circuitry may be configured to: performing beam scanning using at least a portion of remaining ones of the plurality of pairs other than the first pair. For example, the wireless communication circuitry may be configured to: performing beam scanning using a maximum power for amplification of the remaining pairs or a phase change of the remaining pairs based on the number of the remaining pairs.

According to various embodiments, an electronic device (e.g., electronic device 200 of fig. 2) may include at least one antenna array (e.g., antenna element 340 or 345 of fig. 3) including a plurality of antenna elements (e.g., antenna elements 440 or 445 of fig. 4) and communication circuitry (e.g., communication module 250) electrically connected with the at least one antenna array, and each of the plurality of antenna elements may be selectively connected to a receive path or a transmit path. For example, the communication circuitry may be configured to: providing at least one first antenna element and at least one second antenna element of the plurality of antenna elements; transmitting a reference signal by the at least one first antenna element; and detecting at least one blocked antenna element of the at least one first antenna element based at least on the signal measured by the at least one second antenna element.

For example, the communication circuitry may be configured to: providing the at least one first antenna element and the at least one second antenna element by connecting the at least one first antenna element to a transmit path and the at least one second antenna element to a receive path; receiving, by the at least one second antenna element, a signal induced by a reference signal; and determining that at least a portion of the at least one first antenna element is blocked when the strength of the sensing signal is not less than the certain range. For example, the communication circuitry may set the at least one first antenna element and the at least one second antenna element such that the at least one first antenna element and the at least one second antenna element are alternately arranged in the at least one antenna array. For example, the communication circuitry may be configured to: determining the at least one blocked antenna element based on a position of a second antenna element that detects an inductive signal having a particular range of strength or greater.

According to an embodiment, the communication circuitry may be configured to: beam scanning is performed based at least on the detected occlusion. For example, the communication circuitry may be configured to: performing beam scanning using remaining antenna elements of the plurality of antenna elements other than the at least one blocked antenna element. For another embodiment, the communication circuitry may be configured to: performing beam scanning using a maximum power for amplification of each of the remaining antenna elements when the number of the remaining antenna elements is less than a specified value. For example, the communication circuitry may be configured to: performing beam scanning by adjusting phases associated with the remaining antenna elements when the number of the remaining antenna elements is less than a specified value.

According to an embodiment, the communication circuitry may be configured to: the at least one first antenna element and the at least one second antenna element are set based on at least one of a mobile or communication quality of the electronic device.

According to an embodiment, the communication circuitry may be configured to: setting the at least one first antenna element and the at least one second antenna element based on a specified period.

According to an embodiment, the communication circuitry may be configured to: setting the at least one first antenna element and the at least one second antenna element by connecting the at least one first antenna element and the at least one second antenna element to a transmission path; obtaining, by the at least one second antenna element, a strength of a signal induced by the reference signal using a transmission signal strength indicator included in the transmission path; and determining that at least a portion of the at least one first antenna element is blocked when the strength of the sensing signal is not less than the certain range.

According to an embodiment, the communication circuitry may be configured to: providing the at least one first antenna element and the at least one second antenna element by connecting the at least one first antenna element to a transmit path and the at least one second antenna element to a receive path; receiving, by the at least one second antenna element, a signal induced by a reference signal; and detecting the at least one blocked antenna element based on in-phase and quadrature-phase information of the reference signal and the induced signal.

According to an embodiment, the electronic device may further include a display (e.g., display device 160 of fig. 1) and a processor (e.g., processor 120) that controls the display and the communication circuitry, and the processor may be configured to: displaying information for guiding a grip of the electronic device on the display when the number of the at least one blocked antenna element is not less than a specified value.

According to an embodiment, the communication circuitry may be configured to: transmitting and receiving a signal having a frequency in a range of 3GHz to 300 GHz.

While the present disclosure has been shown and described with reference to various exemplary embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.