阅读说明：本技术 用于在无线通信网络中进行通信的设备以及用于操作和测试设备的方法 (Device for communicating in a wireless communication network and method for operating and testing a device ) 是由 保罗·西蒙·霍特·莱瑟 拉梅兹·阿斯卡 马西斯·施米德尔 托马斯·赫斯腾 于 2020-03-27 设计创作，主要内容包括：一种设备,被配置为向收发设备发送激励信号；从收发设备接收多个发射波束图样；从该多个发射波束图样中选择对应发射波束图样；以及向接收设备发送响应信息,该响应信息指示该对应发射波束图样。(A device configured to transmit an excitation signal to a transceiving device; receiving a plurality of transmit beam patterns from a transceiver device; selecting a corresponding transmit beam pattern from the plurality of transmit beam patterns; and transmitting response information to the receiving device, the response information indicating the corresponding transmit beam pattern.)

1. An apparatus for communicating in a wireless communications network, the apparatus having an antenna arrangement, the apparatus being configured to beamform a plurality of transmit beampatterns using the antenna arrangement; wherein the device is configured to:

receiving a wireless signal and determining a corresponding beam pattern corresponding to the wireless signal;

selecting a subset from the plurality of transmit beampatterns, the subset comprising the corresponding beampattern; and forming the selected subset; and

receiving response information indicating at least one transmit beam pattern in the selected subset; wherein the device is configured to use the indicated transmit beam pattern.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the device is configured to use the indicated transmission beam pattern as a corresponding beam pattern; and/or adapting information indicative of correspondence information indicative of an associated transmit beam pattern.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 or 2, wherein the apparatus comprises a memory having stored thereon correspondence information associating each of the plurality of transmit beam patterns with an associated receive beam pattern for receiving the wireless signal; wherein the device is configured to update the correspondence information based on the response information in order to associate different transmit beampatterns with the receive beampattern.

4. The apparatus according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the apparatus is adapted to operate in a first mode and to form the corresponding beam pattern in the first mode without forming other beam patterns in response to the wireless signal; wherein the device is configured to receive a request signal indicative of a request to form the subset, to switch to a second mode based on the request signal, and to form the subset in the second mode; and/or

Wherein the device is configured to autonomously select and form the subset of transmit beampatterns.

5. The device of any preceding claim, wherein the device is configured to apply the transmit beam patterns in the subset sequentially, selectively, superpositively and/or on demand based on a received command signal or trigger signal.

6. The apparatus of any preceding claim, wherein the apparatus is configured to select the subset as a plurality of transmit beam patterns comprising at least one of:

a transmit power above a threshold towards or in a direction of a source of the wireless signal; and

a location of a coverage area/zone or region of the transmit beam pattern relative to a source of the wireless signal.

7. The device of any preceding claim, wherein the device is configured to: selecting the subset based on the received command signal or trigger signal according to an operating parameter of the device or on demand so as to exclude from the subset at least one transmit beam pattern from the plurality of transmit beam patterns.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein the operating parameter indicates a position/direction such that all transmit beam patterns pointing to the position/direction are excluded from the subset.

9. The device of any preceding claim, wherein the device is configured to: the subset is selected so as to comprise a predefined number M of beam patterns and such that the M beam patterns in the subset are related to each other by local variations of the main direction of their beam patterns.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein the device is configured to: selecting the subset such that the predefined number M of beampatterns locally covers an area around the corresponding beampattern.

11. The device of claim 9 or 10, wherein the device is configured to: selecting the subset such that the predefined number M of beampatterns has a maximum density around the corresponding beampattern.

12. The device of any of claims 9 to 8c, wherein the device is configured to select the subset such that the predefined number M of beam patterns are spread out in a spread area, the spread area being at least a portion of a sphere, the sphere comprising an area illuminated by the corresponding beam pattern.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the device is configured to: the subset is selected such that the predefined number is evenly distributed within the diffusion area within the capabilities of the device.

14. The device of claim 12 or 13, wherein the device is configured to: the size of the diffusion region is selected based on a static predefined value or based on a variable value received as part of a signal.

15. The device of any of claims 9 to 14, wherein the device is configured to: transmitting a signal comprising a subset indication, the subset indication indicating that the subset comprises the predefined number; and/or

Wherein the device is configured to: receiving a signal comprising a subset request, and selecting the subset to include the predefined number based on the subset request, wherein the subset request indicates that the device is requested to select the subset to include the predefined number.

16. The device of any of claims 15, wherein the device is configured to: sending a response signal based on the request, the response signal indicating that the device is to operate in accordance with the request; and/or

Wherein the device is configured to: determining that the requested action exceeds a capability or a currently supported operating mode of the device, and wherein the response indicates that the device will not operate according to the request.

17. The device of claim 16, wherein the device is configured to transmit the subset indication using at least one of:

a dedicated signal;

a special mark; and

a plurality of bits.

18. The device of any of claims 9 to 17, wherein the device is configured to: the subset is selected so as to exactly include the predefined number M of beam patterns, which is preferably 8.

19. The device of any of claims 9 to 18, wherein the device is configured to: signaling information indicating that the number of selected beam patterns considered as candidates for the subset exceeds the predefined number M.

20. The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the subset is a first subset, wherein the apparatus is configured to receive a signal indicating a request to form at least a second subset in response to signaling information indicating that the number of selected beam patterns considered as candidates for the subset exceeds the predefined number M, and the apparatus is configured to select and form at least the second subset, the second subset comprising at least one different beam pattern when compared to the first set of beam patterns.

21. The device of claim 20, wherein the device is configured to: the second subset is selected such that the beam patterns in the first subset and the second subset at least partially cover different areas of a sphere around the device.

22. The apparatus according to claim 20 or 21, wherein the apparatus is configured to select a subsequent subset consisting of at most M beam patterns.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the beam patterns in each subset are different than the beam patterns in a previously selected subset.

24. The device according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the device is configured to select the subset based on a preconfigured codebook/state/alphabet/LUT/register/list associating the corresponding beam pattern with at least one additional beam pattern.

25. The device of claim 24, wherein the codebook/state/alphabet/LUT/register/list associates the corresponding beampattern with a plurality of beampatterns that sum up to a predefined number M of beampatterns with the corresponding beampattern.

26. The apparatus according to claim 24 or 25, wherein the apparatus is configured to select the subset using the codebook/state/alphabet/LUT/register/list based on a signal indicating a respective request.

27. The device of claim 26, wherein the device is configured to: sending a response signal based on the request, the response signal indicating that the device is to operate in accordance with the request; and/or

Wherein the device is configured to: determining that the requested action exceeds a capability or a currently supported operating mode of the device, and wherein the response indicates that the device will not operate according to the request.

28. The apparatus according to any of claims 24 to 27, wherein the apparatus is configured to variably store the codebook/state/alphabet/LUT/register/list and to update the codebook/state/alphabet/LUT/register/list in response to a corresponding signal; or

The codebook/state/alphabet/LUT/register/list is stored statically.

29. The device of claim 28, wherein the device is configured to update the codebook/state/alphabet/LUT/register/list at least one of:

at the beginning of a measurement or test procedure;

during a software update by the device manufacturer;

during a software update by a network provider.

30. The apparatus of any preceding claim, wherein the apparatus is configured to form the subset while performing a localised beam sweep.

31. The device of any preceding claim, wherein the device is configured to: updating a look-up table indicating the plurality of transmit beam patterns based on user interaction information indicating user usage of the device.

32. The device of any preceding claim, wherein the device is configured to: updating parameter settings related to an algorithm to determine the plurality of transmit beampatterns based on user interaction information indicative of user usage of the device.

33. The apparatus of any preceding claim, wherein the apparatus is configured to select the subset to provide at least a predetermined link coverage.

34. The apparatus according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the apparatus is configured to select the corresponding beam pattern based on a metric comparing the wireless signal to a plurality of predetermined values.

35. The apparatus according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the apparatus is configured to receive the wireless signal with the same antenna arrangement or a different antenna arrangement as used for forming the subset of the set of transmit beam patterns.

36. The device of any preceding claim, having a large number of antenna arrangements or antenna panels for transmission and/or reception.

37. The device of any preceding claim, wherein the device is configured to establish a link pointing to the location/direction of the source of the wireless signal.

38. The apparatus according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the apparatus is configured to select the corresponding beam pattern based on an equivalent or effective isotropic radiated power, EIRP.

39. The apparatus of any preceding claim, wherein the subset is a proper subset of the plurality of transmit beam patterns.

40. The apparatus according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the subset comprises the corresponding beam pattern and at least one additional beam pattern.

41. The apparatus of any preceding claim, wherein the subset comprises the corresponding beam pattern and at least one additional beam pattern, wherein the additional beam pattern provides a source of excitation signals with signal power above a threshold and/or within a tolerance range.

42. The apparatus of any preceding claim, wherein the transmit beam pattern is a transmit beam pattern.

43. The device of any preceding claim, wherein the device is configured to individually mark or identify each transmit beam pattern in the subset.

44. The apparatus according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the apparatus is configured to receive response information indicating at least two transmission beam patterns from the subset of transmission beam patterns, wherein the apparatus is configured to select one of the transmission beam patterns indicated in the response information as the transmission beam pattern for establishing the link.

45. The device of any preceding claim, wherein the device is configured to receive the wireless signal in response to an attempt by the device to establish a connection; or receiving the wireless signal through an event initiated by the wireless network.

46. The apparatus of any preceding claim, wherein the apparatus is configured as a multiple-input multiple-output, MIMO, and the subset is provided so as to comprise at least pairs of transmit beampatterns, wherein the transmit beampatterns in each pair of transmit beampatterns are formed simultaneously; and receiving response information indicating at least one of the at least one transmit beam pattern pair.

47. An apparatus configured to:

transmitting an excitation signal to a transceiver device;

receiving a plurality of transmit beam patterns from the transceiver device;

selecting a corresponding beam pattern from the plurality of transmit beam patterns; and

transmitting response information to a receiving device, the response information indicating the corresponding beam pattern.

48. The device of claim 47, wherein the device is configured to select the corresponding beam pattern based on a received signal power from each of the plurality of transmit beam patterns.

49. The device of claim 47 or 48, wherein the device is configured to:

receiving a first transmit beam pattern in response to the excitation signal;

transmitting a request signal to the transceiver device, the request signal indicating a request for the transceiver device to form the plurality of transmit beampatterns; and

receiving the plurality of transmit beam patterns in response to the request signal.

50. The apparatus of any one of claims 47 to 49, wherein the apparatus is a base station, or an apparatus emulating a base station, or a measurement apparatus, or a device equipped to operate in a network or a user equipment.

51. The device of any one of claims 47 to 50, wherein the device is configured to evaluate at least one transmit beam pattern from the plurality of transmit beam patterns; and sending information indicative of a performance indicator or ranking order to the transceiving device in dependence of a metric/criterion, the information indicating the corresponding beam pattern to be selected, or an input for selecting/choosing the corresponding beam pattern, and/or a subset of transmit beams at the transceiving device.

52. The device of any one of claims 47 to 51, wherein the device is configured to transmit the response information so as to indicate at least two transmit beampatterns.

53. The device of any one of claims 47 to 52, wherein the device is configured to transmit the excitation signal autonomously.

54. The device of any one of claims 47 to 53, wherein the device is configured as a multiple-input multiple-output, MIMO, and receives the subset to comprise at least a pair of transmit beampatterns; and transmitting response information indicating at least one of the at least one pair of transmit beam patterns.

55. A system, comprising:

at least one device according to any one of claims 1 to 46; and

at least one apparatus according to any one of claims 47 to 54.

56. The system of claim 55, wherein the system is a measurement environment, or a wireless communication network, or a wireless communication system.

57. A method for operating a device having an antenna arrangement, the device being configured to beamform a plurality of transmit beampatterns using the antenna arrangement, the method comprising:

receiving a wireless signal and determining a corresponding beam pattern corresponding to the wireless signal;

selecting a subset from the plurality of transmit beampatterns such that the subset comprises a corresponding transmit beampattern; and forming the selected subset;

receiving response information indicating at least one transmit beam pattern in the selected subset; and

the indicated transmit beam pattern is used.

58. The method of claim 57, comprising:

a large number of antenna arrangements or antenna panels are used for transmission and/or reception.

59. A method for operating a device, the method comprising:

transmitting an excitation signal to a transceiver device;

receiving a plurality of transmit beam patterns from the transceiver device;

selecting at least one corresponding transmit beam pattern from the plurality of transmit beam patterns; and

transmitting response information to the transceiving device, the response information indicating at least one transmit beam pattern.

60. A method for testing or updating a device having an antenna arrangement, the method comprising:

transmitting an excitation signal to the device in a receive direction to excite the device to establish a link with a source of the excitation signal;

receiving a plurality of transmit beam patterns from the device;

selecting at least one of the plurality of transmit beampatterns, the plurality of transmit beampatterns including a corresponding transmit beampattern selected by the device as a transmit beampattern corresponding to the excitation signal;

transmitting information indicative of the selected at least one transmit beam pattern to the device; and

updating information of a memory of the device based on the information indicative of the selected at least one transmit beam pattern.

61. The method of claim 60, wherein transmitting information indicative of the selected at least one transmit beam pattern comprises: referencing a beam ID or SRS associated with the transmit beam pattern.

62. The method of claim 60 or 61, wherein the selection of the at least one of the plurality of transmit beampatterns is performed at a source of the excitation signal, at a sink of the excitation signal, and/or in a distributed/iterative manner.

63. A method for testing or updating a device having an antenna arrangement, the method comprising:

transmitting an excitation signal to the device in a receive direction to excite the device to establish a link with a source of the excitation signal;

receiving a transmit beam pattern from the device;

reporting a quality measurement of the transmit beam pattern to the device;

selecting an area to be covered during the test and selecting a subset of beam patterns that can be formed with the device to illuminate the area;

forming the subset of beam patterns; and

measuring the subset of beam patterns to evaluate the device.

64. The method of claim 63, wherein the selection of the region is determined from a measurement of the excitation signal.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a device for communicating in a wireless communication network and a method for operating/testing such a device. The invention also relates to localized beam scanning/beam set selection.

Background

During Over The Air (OTA) measurement of the Beam Correspondence (BC), the best beam is selected/determined by the System Simulator (SS)/Test Equipment (TE). A beam correspondence look-up table (LUT) in the User Equipment (UE) is preset by the manufacturer. However, such LUTs may be inaccurate.

Therefore, there is a need to allow accurate beamforming.

Disclosure of Invention

It is therefore an object of the invention to allow high precision beamforming.

This object is achieved by the subject matter defined in the independent claims.

The inventors have found that by updating the corresponding LUT (i.e. the selection of the best beam) deviations from the preset configuration and changes over the lifetime of the device can be compensated.

According to an embodiment, a device for communicating in a wireless communication network, the device having an antenna arrangement, the device being configured to beamform a plurality of transmit beampatterns using the antenna arrangement; wherein the device is configured to receive a wireless signal and determine a corresponding beam pattern corresponding to the wireless signal; selecting a subset from the plurality of transmit beampatterns, the subset comprising the corresponding beampattern; and forming the selected subset; and receiving response information indicating at least one transmit beam pattern in the selected subset; wherein the device is configured to use the indicated transmit beam pattern. This allows for external correction or adjustment of the corresponding beam pattern. This information may be used once by the device and/or may be stored in a LUT for further use.

According to an embodiment, the device is configured to transmit an excitation signal to the transceiving device; receiving a plurality of beam patterns from a transceiver device; selecting a corresponding beam pattern from the plurality of beam patterns; and transmitting response information to the receiving device, the response information indicating the corresponding beam pattern.

According to an embodiment, a system includes at least one device configured to receive a receive signal and at least one device configured to transmit an excitation signal. The system may be, for example, a measurement environment or a wireless communication network (e.g., a cell thereof).

According to an embodiment, a method for operating a device having an antenna arrangement, the device being configured to beamform a plurality of beam patterns using the antenna arrangement, the method comprising: receiving a wireless signal and determining a corresponding beam pattern corresponding to the wireless signal; selecting a subset from the plurality of transmit beampatterns such that the subset comprises a corresponding transmit beampattern; and forming the selected subset; receiving response information indicating at least one transmit beam pattern in the selected subset; and using the indicated transmit beam pattern.

According to an embodiment, a method for operating a device comprises: transmitting an excitation signal to a transceiver device; receiving a plurality of transmit beam patterns from a transceiver device; selecting at least one corresponding transmit beam pattern from the plurality of beam patterns; and transmitting response information to the transceiving equipment, the response information indicating at least one transmit beam pattern.

According to an embodiment, a method for testing or updating a device having an antenna arrangement comprises: sending an excitation signal to the device so that the excitation device establishes a link with an excitation signal source in a receiving direction; receiving a plurality of transmit beam patterns from the device; selecting at least one of the plurality of transmit beampatterns, the plurality of transmit beampatterns including a corresponding beampattern selected by the device as a transmit beampattern corresponding to the excitation signal; transmitting information indicative of the selected at least one transmit beam pattern to the device; and updating information of a memory of the device based on the information indicative of the selected at least one beam pattern.

Further advantageous embodiments are defined in the dependent claims.

Drawings

Embodiments of the invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

fig. 1a shows a schematic block diagram of a system 100 according to an embodiment;

fig. 1b shows a schematic perspective view of a predefined number of beam patterns of a selected subset;

FIG. 2 shows a schematic flow diagram of a method for testing or updating a device according to an embodiment;

FIG. 3 shows a schematic flow diagram of a method that may be used to operate a device according to an embodiment;

FIG. 4 shows a schematic flow diagram of a method that may be implemented to operate another device in accordance with an embodiment; and

fig. 5 is a flow diagram of a network assisted uplink beam scanning procedure that may be used in an embodiment.

In the following description, the same or equivalent elements or elements having the same or equivalent functions are denoted by the same or equivalent reference numerals even though they appear in different drawings.

Detailed Description

In the following description, numerous details are set forth to provide a more thorough explanation of embodiments of the present invention. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art that embodiments of the invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form, rather than in detail, in order to avoid obscuring embodiments of the present invention. Furthermore, the features of the different embodiments described below may be combined with each other, unless specifically indicated otherwise.

Embodiments described herein relate to a beam pattern formed by a device. Such a beam pattern may be a transmit beam pattern and/or a receive beam pattern, i.e. a spatial pattern of preferred directions for transmission and/or reception of signals.

Each of such beampatterns may comprise a main lobe and possibly one or more side lobes. Optionally, between two adjacent lobes, so-called nulls (null) may be arranged.

Forming a beam pattern in connection with embodiments described herein may involve a static beam pattern, but may also involve a dynamic beam pattern, i.e., a scanning beam pattern. A scanned beam pattern may be understood as a constant or varying pattern that moves (e.g., rotates or laterally shifts) in space or frequency. Such scanning may allow for adjustment of the lobe direction and/or nulls of the beam pattern.

The directions described in connection with the current embodiment do not limit the scope of the embodiment to the narrow meaning of the directions (i.e., a single vector). The term "direction" should be understood to also include a set of primary angular components that contribute significantly to the signal received at the location/position, area/region or volume of the communication partner. This may correspond to a complex 3D receive beam pattern that collects and weights the different incoming multipath components into an effective receive antenna input signal. Thus, the direction is not limited to one line, but may cover an aggregation of signals from directions collected by the reception pattern. The transmission strategy may select a transmit beam pattern that provides good signal power transmission from the transmitter to the target receiver/communication partner.

A device described herein that may perform beamforming may include an antenna arrangement having one or more antenna panels, where each antenna panel may include one or more antenna elements. That is, each antenna panel comprises an arrangement of radiating/receiving antenna elements such that such panel or sub-panels thereof are capable of performing coherent beamforming. That is, to perform beamforming, the number of antenna elements grouped into antenna panels, the number of antenna panels, and thus the total number of antenna elements, may be arbitrary.

Fig. 1a shows a schematic block diagram of a system 100 according to an embodiment. System 100 includes device 10 and device 20. The device 10 may be referred to as user equipment but may relate to any device comprising an antenna arrangement with one or more antenna panels 121 and/or 122 arranged on one or more sides of the device 10, wherein the antenna arrangement 12 and/or the panels 121 and 122 are configured to generate the beam pattern 14. Examples may be fixed devices, mobile devices and/or satellites. Although each beampattern 141-148 is depicted as having only a single mainlobe, the beampatterns may be formed independently of other beampatterns having the same or different number of mainlobes and/or sidelobes and/or nulls, and may be transmit beampatterns or receive beampatterns.

The device 20 may be, for example, a base station of a wireless communication network, or alternatively may be a measurement device, such as a System Simulator (SS) or a Test Equipment (TE). Alternatively, device 20 may be configured as another device 10, e.g., a UE or a satellite, possibly when establishing a peer-to-peer or direct network that may operate without a base station. That is, the wireless communication network may include several access points/base stations, but is not required to have a single access point/base station. A minimum of cases may involve two devices communicating with each other using the same mechanism. This may be understood as using forward and reverse links for the uplink and downlink, similar to that used in the satellite world.

Thus, embodiments also relate to direct radio link access to satellites, such that embodiments also relate to satellite direct access or satellite backhaul.

Device 20 may be configured to transmit excitation signal 16 in a directional manner or a non-directional manner using link antenna 18, wherein device 10 receives excitation signal 16 as a received signal or wireless signal. The device 10 may be configured to determine a reception direction 22 in which the received signal 16 is received, i.e. an orientation relative to the device 10 at which the source of the signal 16 is estimated. The link antenna may include a fixed beam image under measurement conditions. As will be discussed, the device 20 may be implemented differently and optionally include an antenna arrangement capable of coherent beamforming.

That is, downlink antenna reference signals are provided to stimulate the device 10 (e.g., UE) to select an uplink beam to establish a link. Establishing a link to another device may involve exchanging data and/or signals and may include implicit or explicit estimation of the direction from which the radio waves come. To this end, the device 10 may use a receive beamformer, and based on the metrics applied to such a receive beamformer, the device 10 may determine the appropriate transmit beamformer to respond or respond to the communication partner. The selected beam pattern may be referred to as a corresponding beam pattern. The corresponding beampattern may relate to a transmit beampattern selected by the device 10UE, which may be made autonomously and/or based on measured received signals or any other metric/method.

The UE may select/provide (independently or auxiliarily) the corresponding uplink beam. For example, the device may be configured to select the corresponding beam pattern based on a metric comparing the received signal to a plurality of predetermined values. That is, the UE may select an uplink beam based on a metric (e.g., referred to as EIRP, which is described herein) used to evaluate received signals with different receive beam/receive beam selections. This may include using one or more thresholds and ranges.

For example, if pattern reciprocity is given, the transposed beams in the baseband may be used to transmit in a pattern corresponding to the best receive pattern or a selected best receive pattern. A corresponding beam pattern may be understood as a beam pattern comprising a main direction which corresponds at least in the sense of the closest pattern to the receiving direction and/or to a location suitable for transferring radio signal power to a source transmitting an incoming signal.

Based on this, in an optimal environment or an error-free environment, the beam pattern 14₂Is a beam pattern that may be generated, for example, with the antenna arrangement 12 so as to include a main lobe or side lobe or null in the receive direction, i.e., the beam pattern 14₂May be the corresponding beam pattern in an error free state.

Device 10 may select beampattern 141 (or any other beampattern) as the corresponding beampattern for various reasons. For example, the device may be configured to select the corresponding beam pattern based on a transmit power criterion, such as Equivalent Isotropic Radiated Power (EIRP). Detailed information of EIRP is known from [6 ]. The cause of such a wrong decision may be at least partial misalignment of the antenna arrangement 12, a deviation between the positions of the receiving and transmitting antennas, or interference along the transmission path. For example, a portion of a human body (e.g., a hand or head) may be disposed between the device 10 and the device 20, making measurements and estimations of the device 10 error-prone, and making a determination of the wrong direction of reception 22. As will be described herein, the determination of the device may be correct, but there may be different reasons for which different beampatterns may be selected. It may be advantageous to receive response information that allows device 10 to select a beam pattern from more than one suitable beam pattern.

The device 10 is configured to receive a plurality of beam patterns 14 from a plurality of beams₁To 14₈Including the corresponding beam pattern selected by the UE, i.e. the beam pattern 14 matching the failed reception direction 22₁. The subset includes at least one additional beam pattern. For determining possible beam patterns 14₁To 14₈The selection criteria of whether or not to be part of a subset may be based on various parameters. Possible parameters are for example the transmission power towards the source of the received signal 16. For example, the beam pattern 14₁、14₂、14₃And 14₄Can be determined to have an associated transmit power in the failure reception direction 22'. In contrast, beam pattern 14₅、14₆、14₇And 14₈Can be determined to have no or at least no associated transmit power in the receive direction 22'.

This additional beam pattern of the subset may be any other beam pattern that may be generated by the device 10. For example, those beampatterns may not include or may include more or less power expansions or contractions of the same pattern, or/and have different weights (power and direction) on the main and side lobes of such a pattern. The selection of at least one beam pattern as part of the subset may be such that after propagation of the signal through the radio channel the received power at the other end is above a threshold or within a range or tolerance range, preferably these transmit beam patterns provide overlapping coverage with the corresponding beam, i.e. the subset may comprise transmit beam patterns provided for reception in and around a direction within and around the volume/zone.

When referring again to the criteria according to which the device 10 selects the subset, one possible parameter is the transmission power above the threshold towards the source of the received signal (i.e. the device 20). An alternative or additional parameter may be the coverage or coverage area or coverage volume or position of the beam pattern relative to the receive direction 22. In other words, the device 20 (e.g., a base station or a measurement device (e.g., a gNB, SS, or TE)) may request the UE to provide (select) a plurality of beams (a subset or a portion of all possible beams that may be formed by the UE) that provide sufficient (i.e., predetermined) link coverage in the direction of the link antenna according to option 2 to cover a sphere segment/zone in and/or around the receive direction 22 according to option 1. A region may be understood as a cut of a sphere or a sphere segment. A volume may be understood as a 3D area where another communication partner is located, possibly including some space around it. This may be a quiet zone in which the received power from the transmit beam pattern is above a threshold/reasonable signal level. When considering the analogy to torch: all beams (making them part of a subset) that transmit enough light from the source (transmitting device) to the destination (measuring/link antenna or gNB or another device located somewhere in 3D space) can be used.

The device 10 may form a subset of the selected beam patterns. The beam patterns may be formed simultaneously, but are preferably formed sequentially. For example, the device 10 may sequentially form the beam patterns 14₁To 14₄. In order to allow discrimination of the beam pattern 14₁To 14₄The device 10 may be configured to individually label, mark or otherwise identify each pattern of the subset. For identifying the beam pattern 14₁To 14₄May be to use Sounding Reference Symbol (SRS) resources that identify a particular beam pattern 14₁To 14₄That is, device 20 may determine which beam pattern is received and may distinguish between different beam patterns of the subset. Thus, the device 20 receives the childOne or more (preferably all) of the formed beam patterns of the set. Since a subset of the beam patterns are marked, device 20 can identify the beam pattern that is provided to the most desirable (e.g., highest signal power when receiving the beam pattern) link to device 10.

The device 20 may be configured to select the beam pattern 14 from the subset, e.g. based on the transmit power or any other suitable parameter₁To 14₄One of them. For example, parameters associated with the most promising link quality, e.g., signal power, may be used. That is, device 20 may select the true corresponding beam pattern from the received subset. Device 20 may be configured to send response information 24, e.g., a signal containing such information, to device 10. Response information 24 may indicate a corresponding beam pattern, which in this example is beam pattern 14, selected by device 20₂。

The device 10 may receive the response information 24 and may be configured to map the indicated beam pattern 14₂Serving as the corresponding beam pattern. For example, the device 10 may use the beam pattern 14₂To establish a link to the device 20. Alternatively or additionally, the device 10 may update the correspondence information stored in the memory 26 of the device 10. The correspondence information may relate a plurality of beam patterns 14₁To 14₈Each associated with an associated receiving direction 22. By updating the correspondence information, the effect of a faulty or erroneous reception direction can be at least partially compensated. For example, the device 10 may change the receive beam or may apply a different receive beam pattern to select the appropriate corresponding transmit beam pattern. Based on the corrected information or the updated information, the device 10 may update the correspondence information.

Using the indicated beams may involve different possible actions, including combinations of possible actions. For example, according to option a: the transceiver/device 10 may follow the feedback such that the device is configured to use the indicated beam as a new corresponding beam in similar circumstances. This may include measures to determine what the situation is, for example, using sensors or external information (location, environment, etc.). According to option B: the transceiver/device 10 may follow the feedback to treat the indicated beam to be selected in the future as the corresponding beam and update the associated entry in the look-up table (LUT). This provides the advantage that the device manufacturer can still have full control over its algorithms and the device is less likely to be confused by an error message.

According to option 3, the device 10 may be configured to autonomously select and form a subset of the beam patterns. That is, the device 10 receiving the excitation signal 16 may select the subset in response to the excitation signal 16. In other words, the UE (device 10) may autonomously provide (select) multiple beams (a subset of all possible beams that may be formed by the UE) that provide sufficient link coverage in the direction of the link antenna (i.e., the receive direction 22).

As a predetermined link coverage or sufficient link coverage, one can appreciate that at least sufficient signal power is transmitted in the direction in which the communication partner is located. That is, predetermined link coverage may be understood as a way to provide at least sufficient signal power in the direction and/or location of transmission to the user/communication partner, and closer/locally adjacent, such that all members of the beam subset allow to provide reasonable communication/signal quality, and some of which are adapted to provide even better signals depending on the instantaneous location of the device and the directivity of its receiving antenna.

In each of options 1, 2 and 3, forming the beam pattern in the subset may be performed automatically or autonomously. The forming of the subset or at least a part thereof may be started or initiated automatically or in response to a command or trigger. The command may be received from a communication partner (e.g., device 20) or from a protocol instance within the device. The trigger may be an event or evolution of an observed state from the receiver, e.g., the receiver tracks incoming radio signals, and the algorithm concludes/decides that using another member of the selected subset will be more suitable for use at a given state, point in time, etc. In other words, the command may specify what to do and when to execute, the trigger may simply activate another algorithm loop or initiate a preconfigured action to execute.

Alternatively or additionally, the beam patterns of the subsets may be formed sequentially in an externally indicated order or an order determined by the device 10, formed in parallel (i.e., simultaneously), formed selectively, formed overlappingly and/or formed on-demand, wherein specific information of the respective options may be indicated by a command or trigger.

Alternatively or additionally, the device 10 may be adapted to operate in the first mode of operation. In a first mode of operation, the device 10 is adapted to select only the corresponding beam pattern, e.g. beam pattern 14₁. This may be, for example, a conventional mode of operation in the field. In this mode, no other beam patterns may be formed to establish a link. The device may be adapted to receive a request signal, possibly sent by the device 20, indicating that the request forms the described subset. In forming only a single corresponding beam pattern 14₁Thereafter or as an alternative thereto, the request signal may instruct the device 10 to switch to the second mode forming the subset. According to an embodiment, the information generating the request signal indicative of the request may be included in the stimulus signal such that different types of stimulus signals 16 may cause different reactions in the device 10. Alternatively or additionally, the device 10 may select between different modes. For example, when the excitation signal 16 is received with a signal quality or signal power below a threshold, it may provide the subset in order to get the opportunity to have the best possible beam pattern selected by the device 20.

The request signal or additional request may request the device 10 to scan or switch between the members, beam patterns of the subset. Basically, this may be associated with beam signatures that may be advantageously used in connection with embodiments to explicitly or implicitly activate the use of additional beam subsets in certain modes or upon request.

By checking the correctness of the selected corresponding beam pattern externally or otherwise checking for a better beam pattern, the device 10 may be updated and/or be able to learn new LUTs in place.

The named options 1, 2 and 3 provide an extension of the EIRP measurement (EIRP ═ equivalent isotropic radiated power). With respect to EIRP, the inventors have discovered that measurement requirements may involve determining both minimum peak EIRP and spherical coverage. In such a procedure, the UE may utilize uplink beam scanning.

Several EIRP test procedures using uplink beam scanning may be used, see [2 ]. As described in [3], the method forms a baseline for conformance testing and is approved in Change request [4] of 3GPP TR 38.810. According to [3], to reduce the test time, the set of SRS resources used for uplink beam scanning can be limited: "upper limit of SRS resource: to reduce the test time, the upper limit number (M) of SRS resources from TE is 4, 8 or 16 ".

According to the invention, we discuss: a) a baseline EIRP measurement procedure agreed upon in WF 3; b) a number of beams comprising an uplink beam scan set; and c) size of the SRS resource set.

FIG. 5 shows a flow chart of a network assisted uplink beam scanning procedure [2] [4], the following steps referring to FIG. 5:

the UE is arranged in a test position.

2. For each point on the measurement grid, a link between the UE and a System Simulator (SS) is established via a measurement antenna, wherein Pol_Link＝Θ。

The UE performs uplink beam scanning using a configured reference signal set (SRS), which is based on downlink reference signals.

The SS uses its own measurement capability to determine the power of all uplink scanning beams. The identity of the "best beam" is returned to the UE.

The UE configures the "best beam" and enables beam locking.

6. The total component EIRP for both polarizations is determined using EIRP Testing Equipment (TE) (e.g., a spectrum analyzer or a power meter).

[ cycle A ]]The UE unlocks the beam. SS switching to measuring antenna, wherein Pol_LinkPhi is. Steps 3-6 are repeated once before proceeding to step 8.

[ cycle B ] moves to the next measurement point on the grid. Steps 2 to 7 are repeated until all measurement points on the grid have been evaluated.

Although the network assisted uplink beam scanning procedure provides relatively short measurement times and reasonably good simulation of network performance, it relies on the ability of the SS to accurately evaluate the uplink. It should be noted that an alternative method providing higher accuracy at the expense of increased measurement time is proposed in [5 ].

In any event, it is not clear whether the set of reference signals configured (those defining the uplink beam sweep) is the same for each test point on the grid, or whether a different set of beams is used for each test point.

In order to reliably determine EIRP, it is advantageous that the best beam (the uplink beam with the highest power in the direction of the link established with the SS or EIRP TE (TE)) forms part of the scanned beam set. Since the availability of the UE codebook cannot be assumed at either the SS or TE, the UE must scan all available beams in order to avoid missing the best beam.

On the other hand, if the SS or TE has full or partial knowledge of the UE codebook, the number of beams in the scan set can be reduced. This would be advantageous to reduce the measurement time in proportion to the size of the reduced set of SRS resources.

Observation 1: without knowledge of the UE codebook, each available beam must be scanned in order to avoid missing the best beam.

And (3) observation 2: equipping SS or TE with full or partial UE codebook knowledge will reduce the test time in proportion to the size of the reduced SRS resource set.

According to the proposal of example 1: UE codebook knowledge is provided to the SS or TE to enable intelligent SRS selection.

In RAN4#90WF [3], it is indicated that the SRS resource (M) should have an upper limit in order to reduce the test time. Currently, values between 4 and 16 are being discussed.

Observation 3: the RAN4 has determined the benefit of limiting the SRS resources (M).

In view of the above discussion, embodiments define that M (i.e., the number of distinguishable beam patterns, and optionally the maximum size of a subset of beam patterns) is selected or chosen according to the antenna array size (e.g., 4 × n or 8 × n), and in this way, the resulting uplink beam scan set can be used to achieve spherical coverage. By way of example, the Half Power Beamwidths (HPBWs) of the 4 × n and 8 × n arrays are approximately 26 ° and 13 °, which would result in beamsets of approximately 64 and 256 beams, respectively. Without a sufficiently sized set of SRS resources, there is no guarantee that the "best beam" is part of the resulting uplink scan set.

According to the proposal of example 2: the size of the SRS resource set (M) should be selected according to the antenna array size.

To select the subset, the device may alternatively or additionally consider operating parameters of the device. For example, the operating parameters may direct the device 10 to exclude a beam pattern from the plurality of beam patterns. For example, to reduce measurements, the selected subset may be very small compared to all possible transmit beams that the UE/device may form. For example, 4 or 8 is a smaller number than 64 or 256 beampatterns.

As an example, the device 10 may include only those beam patterns in the subset that have relevant or sufficient transmission characteristics for the device 20, or a predefined number with the best characteristics. Alternatively or additionally, the device 10 may already know that a different beampattern of the corresponding beampattern (although possibly correctly determined) or subset is not currently required or allowed. This may be, for example, the location of the user of the device (e.g., his head) such that the user's location is excluded from the subset in order to avoid directing the maximum power of the device 10 to the user. Any other criteria for excluding a particular beam pattern may be implemented. The device 10 may be configured to update the look-up table indicative of the plurality of beam patterns based on user interaction information indicative of a user using the device. For example, device 10 may implement one or more sensors or input devices that indicate user interaction. For example, the proximity sensor may indicate or sense that the user's head is on the side of the device 10 that includes, for example, a microphone and/or speaker. Alternatively or additionally, the device 10 may sense a hand of a user holding the device. For example, the user interaction information may include holding the device in the hand, near the head, etc., and thus certain beam patterns should not be used/excluded to meet SAR level requirements (SAR: specific absorption rate).

That is, the beampatterns may be excluded from the subset based on known locations, e.g., due to interference to other users, other devices, or access points/base stations/enbs/gnbs, such that the transmit beampatterns directed to those locations are excluded. For example, device 10 may receive feedback regarding other devices or receivers in the space (e.g., other UEs or other gnbs that indicate their presence directly or indirectly to device 10 and/or that request to remain undisturbed). For example, a device suffering from interference reports directly to the device 10 or the serving gNB over a control channel: it experiences unwanted interference power levels when the UE is using a particular beam pattern. Thus, for example, in time slots where the other device is/is not expected to be affected by such interfering beams, the UE may decide to not use these beams on its own or in a coordinated manner. Alternatively, power backoff may be implemented as another option.

Alternatively or additionally, the interfered device sends a response that effectively reverses the interfering channel on the resources it perceives to be interfered. In this manner, the device causing the interference (i.e., device 10) is also subject to interference and may adaptively avoid transmitting into a direction associated with a reception pattern that collects strong signal power from the other device.

Thus, embodiments allow the device to be configured to update parameter settings related to an algorithm to determine the plurality of beam patterns based on user interaction information indicative of a user using the device. That is, the device may learn that: in addition to the initial state, it may apply different beam patterns when used by a user.

The device 10 may be configured to use a suitable beamforming pattern 14₁To 14₈Receives the excitation signal 16 and/or the response information 24. Alternatively, device 10 may include different antenna arrangements for receiving signals 16 and 24 and for forming the beam pattern.

Preferably, the subset is the plurality of beam patterns 14₁To 14₈Is true (strict) subset. I.e. possible beam patterns 14₁To 14₈Is preferably not included in the selected subset. This may have the particular advantage that the time for selecting, evaluating or selecting the best beampattern may decrease with decreasing when compared to testing all beampatterns. In particular in a measurement environment, unnecessary measurement time may be reduced by not selecting as part of the subset beam patterns that are known to be not suitable candidates for the corresponding beam pattern.

Although system 100 is shown with one device 10 and one device 20, system 100 may include more than one device 10 type of device and/or multiple device 20 types of devices.

Embodiments (which may be combined with other embodiments without limitation) address selection of a subset of beam patterns. For example, operation during normal network operation and/or during measurement may be limited or dependent on regulations. For example, the device 10 may need to perform at most or even just a predefined number of beam patterns as a subset. Such a number M may be any suitable number, e.g. 5, 6, 8, 12 or a different or even higher number.

By way of example, the device 10 follows the requirement of providing a subset having at most M beam patterns. That is, where the device 10 estimates that at most a predetermined number (i.e., M) of numbers is appropriate for the subset, it forms the subset as described in connection with other embodiments described herein. Alternatively, the device 10 may include additional, possibly less suitable or unsuitable beam patterns into the subset in order to reach the predetermined number. For example, the device 10 may be configured to select the subset 15 to accurately include a predefined number of beam patterns, the predefined number being M. For example, the suitability may be associated with the radiated power illuminating a particular area (e.g., the location of the link antenna 18).

Fig. 1b shows a schematic perspective view of a predefined number of beam patterns of a selected subset. The predefined number M is for example 8 (or a different number) comprising the corresponding beam pattern. Example values of M are 2, 4, 8, 16 or any other number between or above them. The beam pattern 14 to be formed₁To 14₈Can be shown as“beam_i"where i is the index a,. and x, i.e., the subset 15 is a choice among the i beam patterns that the device 10 can form.

The selection may be influenced at least by the received signal 17, the signal 17 instructing the requesting device 10 to execute the corresponding mode. For example, the device 10 may be configured to select the subset 15 to comprise a predefined number M of beam patterns. The predefined number M may be considered as a minimum number of beam patterns that the device 10 is capable of forming (e.g., a number of 1, 2, 3, 4, or higher (e.g., 8, 16, 32, 48, 64)) and a maximum number allowed by the system. For example, the former may apply when the number of beam patterns is below the maximum number allowed by the system (8 in this example), and the latter in the opposite case. The device 10 may form the subset such that the number of beam patterns identified in the subset and/or subsequently formed by the device 10 is equal to or less than a predefined number, i.e., the predefined number may limit the beam pattern count of the subset 15.

The beams of the subset 15 may be related to each other by a local variation (variance) of the main direction of the beam pattern. For example, the device may be configured to select the subset such that a predefined number of beam patterns locally cover an area around the corresponding beam pattern, such as beam pattern 14₁To 14₈Shown, i.e. selecting the beam pattern 14₁To 14₈So as to locally cover or illuminate the link antenna 18. For example, the subset may include a predefined number of beams that are spatially closest to the link antennas in terms of transmit power. For example, the device may be configured to select the subset 15 such that a predefined number of beam patterns have a maximum density around the respective beam pattern.

Alternatively or additionally, the device may be configured to select (e.g. subsequently or as an alternative mode) the subset 15 such that a predefined number of beam patterns are spread in a spread area, the spread area being at least a portion of a sphere 21, the sphere 21 comprising an area illuminated by the corresponding beam pattern, such as beam pattern 14'₁To 14'₈As shown. When it comes to a relatively small area or portion of the sphere 21The area or portion (i.e., the diffusion area 19b) may be large when compared to the sub 19a (i.e., a possible virtual projection plane spanned or evaluated by the measurement device, for example). For example, the region 19b may be a complete sphere or a region of interest of the sphere. The size of the area 19b may be indicated, for example, by using the signal 17, which signal 17 may also be the signal 16, or may be preset or determined by the device 10. That is, the device may be configured to select the size of the diffusion area 19b based on a static predefined value or based on a variable value received as part of the signal.

For example, the device 10 may be configured to select the subset 15 such that the predefined number is evenly distributed within the diffusion area within the capabilities of the device. I.e., beam pattern 14'₁To 14'₈(e.g., the locations of maximum or minimum radiated power or different reference points of the beam pattern) may be uniformly or non-uniformly distributed along one or more directions of the sphere 21.

Alternatively or additionally, the device 10 may be configured to transmit a signal 23 comprising a subset indication indicating that the subset comprises the predefined number. That is, the device 10 may indicate to other devices and/or measuring devices or base stations that it only uses the subset 15 limited to a predefined number. Alternatively or additionally, the device may be configured to receive signals, e.g. signal 16 and/or signal 17 or different signals including subset requests. The subset request may be a bit/flag or a sequence/bits contained in the signal or may be a dedicated signal and may indicate that the device 10 is requested to select the subset 15 to include the predefined number M. The device 10 may select the subset 15 to include the predefined number M based on the subset request.

Possibly, a device may fail to follow such a request once or repeatedly. For example, it may not be possible to form the required number of beam patterns, since some possible beam patterns are (currently) not allowed, possibly because the user's position is additionally excluded. The device 10 may be configured to determine that the requested action exceeds the capabilities of the device 10. The device 10 may transmit a response signal 25 indicating that the device 10 will not operate as requested. Alternatively or optionally, the device 10 may be configured to send a response signal 25 upon request, the response signal 25 indicating that the device 10 is to operate according to the request, e.g. as a positive acknowledgement. The response signal 25 may also contain information by its presence or absence. That is, absence may indicate a positive response or a negative response.

Although the device 10 may be required to limit the number of beam patterns of the subset 15, thereby taking the number of beam patterns formed as a basis for later selection, it may be suitable to have more than a predetermined number of beam patterns, especially in view of measurement purposes. For example, imagine a number of 8 beam patterns distributed along two directions of a sphere 21 and generated to cover a larger or largest possible beam coverage area at the device 10 of the sphere. For this and other cases, the device 10 may generate a large number of subsets or multiple subsets (e.g., sequentially one after the other), with different subsets having at least partially different beampatterns. According to embodiments, the subsets may even be non-overlapping or disjoint with respect to the selected beam pattern and/or coverage area.

Possibly, one or more subsets may be selected to have no corresponding beam pattern. This may allow for coverage of a larger diffusion area 19b and/or coverage of the diffusion area 19b with a higher density beam pattern. For example, the device 10 may be configured to signal information (e.g. using the signal 25 or a different signal) indicating that the number of selected beam patterns considered as candidates for the subset 15 exceeds the predefined number M. This may indicate that more subsets are possible/desirable. Device 10 may receive a response to such a signal indicating that device 10 is requested to provide (i.e., select and form) additional subsets. Thus, the device 10 may receive signals/requests to form at least a second subset, and select and form at least the second subset, which includes at least one different beampattern when compared to the first subset of beampatterns.

By selecting different subsets, different, possibly partially overlapping areas of the sphere 21 may be illuminated such that the subsets, their beam patterns, respectively at least partially cover different areas of the sphere 21 around the device 10.

In other words, due to the limited number M of beams provided by the duts/UEs, the options of covering the whole sphere or most of the sphere are limited, and depending on the narrowness of the beams, even a localized beam scan may not cover all possible/suitable beams around the direction towards the link antenna.

Thus, further information exchange between the DuT and the ME/BS can be supported. The measurement device or measurement environment may also be a base station simulator or test platform. To limit such exchanges to a minimum, embodiments provide the following mechanisms and associated implementation options:

option A: introduce flags/signal/bit:

a.1: allowing the UE/device to signal that it is distributing its M beams, marked/identified by SRS or SSB (i.e., distinguishable by sounding reference symbols), to cover the sphere or locally for localized beam scanning.

A.2: the ME/BS is allowed to request the UE to distribute its M beams, marked/identified by SRS or SSB, to cover the sphere or locally for localized beam scanning.

Having multiple beams surrounding a given direction or covering a spherical area/zone/region of interest may be referred to as a local beam set for scanning.

Embodiments that may alternatively or additionally be implemented relate to a device, such as device 10, configured to select the subset 15 based on a preconfigured codebook/state/alphabet/LUT/register/list associating the corresponding beam pattern with at least one additional beam pattern.

The codebook/state/alphabet/LUT/register/list may associate the corresponding beam pattern with a plurality of beam patterns that sum up to a predefined number (e.g., the depicted number M) of beam patterns. That is, the subset 15 may be predefined or preset for each corresponding beam pattern.

The device 10 may be configured to select the subset 15 using a codebook/state/alphabet/LUT/register/list based on a signal (e.g., signal 16 or 17) indicative of a respective request. The device may be configured to transmit a response signal (e.g., signal 25) based on the request, the response signal indicating that the device is to operate in accordance with the request; and/or, for example, in the event that the device determines that the requested action exceeds the capabilities or current operating mode of the device, the response may indicate that the device will not operate according to the previously described request.

The apparatus may be configured to variably store a codebook/state/alphabet/LUT/register/list and update the codebook/state/alphabet/LUT/register/list in response to a corresponding signal; and/or statically store a codebook/state/alphabet/LUT/register/list. That is, the codebook/state/alphabet/LUT/register/list may be implemented, for example, by the manufacturer and may remain unchanged for a long period of time, but may also be set at the beginning of a particular test or mode of operation. The device 10 may be configured to update the codebook/state/alphabet/LUT/register/list at least one of: at the beginning of the measurement process; during a software update by the device manufacturer; and during a software update by the network provider.

The device 10 may be configured to form the subset 15 while performing a localized beam sweep, i.e. the orientation of at least a portion (lobes and/or nulls) of the beam pattern may be modified in order to move the beam pattern in space.

In other words, according to an embodiment:

and option B: the UE/device uses/applies a preconfigured state that covers the peer of the localized or spherical coverage beam sweep.

B1: the preconfigured status/alphabet/(space)/look-up table/register/list codebook is known to or/and programmed into the UE/device before setting FLAG/receive request to take action/action according to FLAG.

B2: the preconfigured state/alphabet/(spatial) codebook/look-up table/register/list may be set/configured by the ME/BS or any other entity communicating with the UE/device. Between the moment of setting/configuring the state/alphabet/(spatial) codebook/look-up table/register/list and the moment of applying them, the device/UE has to remember such pre-configured state for a considerable period of time.

With regard to option B1, a preconfigured set of beams may be selected as a response to, for example: DL (downlink) measurements, a particular orientation of the UE, or a particular spatial relationship of the device/UE to the ME/measurement antenna or to a body or substance (e.g., head) in proximity to the device/UE.

With regard to option B2, the duration of the time period may include a suitable amount of time, e.g., they may allow for programming at the beginning of the measurement process, which programming may be subsequently invoked to reconfigure device 10, e.g., during a periodic software update by the manufacturer, and/or in conjunction with a new/different/special wireless network and/or national/geographic area/resale market software update. For example, the chipset of device 10 may be equipped with differently configured panels and/or antennas, or they may be distributed/positioned or arranged differently in device 10. A codebook/state/alphabet/LUT/register/list may be understood as a combination of phase and amplitude values allowing for the formation of a particular beam. The phase and amplitude values may be discrete or continuous, including analog beamforming, digital beamforming, and hybrid options.

In conjunction with this signaling capability and its application in the measurement process, embodiments may provide the following UE capabilities:

1.) the UE may process/respond to such commands/FLAGs (FLAG) by appropriate action

a. Can support/localize beam scanning in all directions of the sphere, or

b. Beam scanning in specific directions only may be supported/localized.

2.) the UE cannot process/respond to such commands/flags by appropriate action

a. Cannot support/localize beam scanning at all

As with other embodiments described herein, the concepts described in relation to the subset 15 (i.e. selecting a subset having a predefined number of beam patterns) are applicable to user equipment as well as other devices, e.g. relay stations or base stations. Thus, the device may be a base station or a relay station, and the label/identification of the beam is an SSB (synchronization signal block) or the like indicating a specific beam formed by the device.

The described aspects having a limited subset of M beampatterns may also relate to:

1. a device (UE) may or may not have the capability to perform localized beam scanning. This may be known or indirectly signaled without using bits in the device capability register.

2. A tester (e.g., a measurement device/environment (ME)) may set a flag/parameter to force local beam scanning using a relatively small number M (e.g., 4) of beam patterns to minimize the number of SRSs to be measured and need not be able to configure different M. For example, M may be further reduced in order to allow testing of simple and low cost UEs with limited beamforming capabilities. This signals the mode/state/M at the cost of extra bits. Thus, a value of "M" may be selected that is less than the maximum value of M.

3. Based on downlink measurements made by the UE/device (e.g., using CSI-RS), it may be desirable to identify a center/direction/region around the local scan to be performed.

Embodiments may also relate to localized beam scanning, which is identified as a method to overcome a large number M by setting M to a required minimum (e.g., M-4). In this way, it is possible to reduce the number of SRSs to be measured by the ME and support simple UEs as well as more complex UEs. The method allows for optimized beam correspondence evaluation using localized beam scanning, which results in a reduction of measurement time/workload and a reduction of Measurement Uncertainty (MU), especially for UEs/devices using larger antenna arrays of more than 4 antenna elements capable of forming narrower beams.

The measurement process (i.e. the method of evaluating the device) according to embodiments may for example comprise:

transmitting an excitation signal to the device in a receive direction to excite the device to establish a link with a source of the excitation signal;

receiving a transmit beam pattern from a device;

reporting a quality measurement of the transmit beam pattern to the device;

selecting an area to be covered during the test and selecting a subset of the beam patterns that can be formed with the device to illuminate the area;

forming a subset of the beam pattern; and

a subset of the beam patterns is measured to evaluate the device.

In other words, such a process may include:

step 1: based on the DL (downlink) signal, the UE/device selects the UL (uplink) beam and the measuring device (ME) measures its EIRP. Based on the DL measurements (e.g. based on CSI-RS) and further knowledge, the area covered by the set of beams selected for the local beam scan is selected. For example, to select an UL beam, the same UL beamforming coefficients (spatial filter) as those used for DL beams may be used.

Step 2: after this, the UE/device selects other beams to provide a set of beams suitable for local scanning covering a local area. The EIRP of all beams belonging to the set of beams used for scanning will be measured by the ME.

The predefined number M may be a fixed value, e.g. set by the network. Alternatively, the value M may be a variable value. For example, a base station or test equipment (e.g., device 20) may indicate the value of M, for example, by using a suitable signal. Such a signal or a different signal may be used to indicate the area to be covered by a subset of the beam patterns, e.g. depending on the particular test pattern to be performed, or depending on the particular opening angle to be obtained in one or more directions, e.g. in order to cover base stations in a particular distance. The selection of the region may be determined from, for example, measurements of the excitation signal.

Fig. 2 shows a schematic flow diagram of a method 200 for testing or updating a device (e.g., device 10). The method 200 comprises a step 210 in which a wireless excitation signal is transmitted to a device, for example along a reception direction, in order to excite the device to establish a link with a source of the excitation signal along the reception direction. In step 220, a plurality of beam patterns is received from the device, for example at the device 20. In step 230, at least one of the plurality of beampatterns is selected. The plurality of beampatterns includes a corresponding beampattern selected by the device as a beampattern corresponding to the excitation signal. The selected beam pattern may be determined correctly or incorrectly. Step 240 may include transmitting information indicative of the at least one selected beam pattern, e.g., response information 24, to the device. The response information 24 may be identical to the selection made by the device 10, but may also be different therefrom. Step 250 may include: information of a memory of the device is updated based on the information indicative of the at least one selected beampattern to modify future selections of corresponding beampatterns. This step may be optional because it may not be necessary when the selection information is consistent with the selection made by the device 10 (i.e., no correlation error has occurred).

Fig. 3 shows a schematic flow diagram of a method 300 that may be used to operate a device (e.g., device 10) according to an embodiment. The method 300 includes a step 310 that includes receiving a wireless receive signal and determining a corresponding beam pattern corresponding to the wireless signal (e.g., corresponding to a receive beam used to receive the signal). Step 320 comprises selecting a subset from a plurality of beam patterns that may be generated such that the subset comprises a corresponding beam pattern comprising a main direction corresponding to the reception direction. The selected subset is formed, possibly sequentially by the beam pattern of the subset. Step 330 includes receiving response information indicating one of the beam patterns in the selected subset. Step 340 comprises using the indicated beam pattern as, for example, a corresponding beam pattern or for updating a memory, e.g. a LUT.

Fig. 4 shows a schematic flow chart of a method 400 that may be implemented to operate a device (e.g., device 20). Step 410 includes sending wireless signals (including omni-directional transmissions), for example, in a receive direction to a receiving device (e.g., device 10, which is a transceiver device based on the stimulated transmissions of device 10). Step 420 includes receiving a plurality of beam patterns from a receiving device. Step 430 includes selecting a corresponding beam pattern from the plurality of beam patterns. Step 440 includes transmitting response information to the receiving device, the response information indicating the corresponding beam pattern.

The examples described herein may be used in various scenarios. A scenario is described by way of example, according to which the interaction of the user's body with the device may result in a pattern of receive and uplink beams due to, for example, different panels for receiving and transmitting, due to variability of use cases. Embodiments allow or even force the UE to generate an appropriate beam set that provides full or at least sufficient link coverage within the required area. The SS or the gNB (in live operation) may help the UE to learn the best or at least better corresponding beam in a given setup/radio propagation environment. The signal/signal variation in the link direction may meet a predefined range, e.g. within 20dB, 15dB, 10dB or 5 dB. This may include a main lobe, split beams, and side lobes. According to an embodiment, the selected beam pattern to be part of the subset may only contain the main lobe in the link direction. This may be obtained by selecting only those beampatterns whose main lobes are arranged in the link direction, i.e. the main lobes point at least partly in the link direction. Embodiments relate to a UE comprising means for selecting a beam set required for localized beam scanning. The localized beam scanning may be performed in and around a given direction having a meaning of a radio link. Although known devices are implemented to select the corresponding beam, embodiments allow to validate the selection in order to obtain the best beam pattern, i.e. a beam pattern comprising a high match or even a maximum match.

Some of the previously described embodiments relate to adapting or correcting the selection or choice of the corresponding beam pattern made by the UE. According to other embodiments, there may be other reasons to change the selection of the UE and/or to provide the UE with an updated or changed basis for deciding which transmission beam to use.

For example, the device 10 of FIG. 1a may provide the subset. However, instead of indicating only one beam pattern with the device 20, the device 20 may also provide for the selection of at least two beam patterns in the subset always based on its own decision or in response to a request received from the device 10. For example, the selection may be based on parameter information such as Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). For example, given a set of receive beam patterns that together cover a larger area, and where the individual receive beams have overlapping coverage, the device 10 may define a set of transmit beams that cover the same or nearly the same or a larger area. Those beam patterns may be obtained/learned/define virtual path correspondences, meaning that some optimized trajectory through/along the receive beam spot/area corresponds to a trajectory through/along the transmit beam spot/area. The concept may be similar to the UE navigating through a cellular network, observing the signal strengths of neighboring base stations (these are known in the neighbor list, which in our example corresponds to a subset of the used receive and transmit beam sets), when several base stations receive at a certain power ratio, a Handover (HO) occurring from one serving base station will/can be triggered. In the same way, by using different receive beams to observe the receive power, the UE can decide smoothly/actively/delayed when it seems more appropriate to use another transmit beam/another transmit beam. The mechanism enables a more robust and ambiguous selection of the corresponding transmit beam based on the observed evaluated receive beam signals.

For example, the response information received from device 20 may contain the following decisions: which beampatterns of the subset are identified as providing sufficient link quality to allow the device 10 to select the beampattern to implement on its own, e.g., based on which beampattern has some spatial margin or power margin. For example, a beam pattern that is more centrally arranged in the antenna panel or requires less power may be preferred. A more focused beam pattern may allow longer time between switching between antenna panels, thereby delaying antenna switching.

Alternatively or additionally, the response information may include an order or sequence of the beam patterns, e.g., a ranking, etc. Alternatively or additionally, other information (e.g., KPIs) may be transmitted, wherein the device 20 may decide which information to transmit and/or the device 10 may request the respective information. This concept can be combined with the update of the correspondence information without any limitation.

Embodiments described herein may relate to correcting a corresponding beam selection and/or modifying the selection, for example to provide a device with a choice of which pattern to use. Other embodiments relate to devices that learn from their experience. For example, by learning to provide a set (subset) of beams from which to select a certain beam when a link is established in a certain direction relative to the device, a different set of beams is returned in the future when a link is requested in a direction similar to the one already known (due to learning/experience) by the device than the set provided in its "earlier learning" (e.g., in a post-manufacturing configuration). For example, a smaller subset of beams may be used or a subset of beams not previously included may be introduced (to test the suitability of the beams and test the ability of beam selection). Such information may be used in addition to the correspondence information, for example to weight individual transmit beam patterns of a particular scene, and/or may be included directly in the correspondence information.

Other embodiments relate to a device that updates its correspondence information not only in response to a signal sent to the device 10 to request that a subset be provided in response to the device's attempt to establish a link, but also alternatively or additionally in response to a network or base station triggering event. For example, the device 20 may identify or estimate that the device 10 is not being used or moved, which may indicate that little or even no user interference may be expected, and may autonomously trigger an update of the correspondence information by sending an activation signal. This may allow for compensation for deviations from the state of the device 10 that is the basis for programming or manufacturing a look-up table of the device 10 during manufacturing (e.g., a laboratory environment). Based on different covers, housings, or modifications of the device 10, its properties may have changed, which may be compensated for by updated network-side triggers. That is, the device may be configured to use the indicated transmission beam pattern as a corresponding beam pattern; and/or adapting information indicative of correspondence information indicative of an associated transmit beam pattern.

Other embodiments (which may be combined with other embodiments without limitation) recognize that the transmit beampatterns are not limited to a single beampattern at a time. Two or even more beampatterns may also be implemented at a time, each transmit beampattern allowing a different associated data connection to be established and maintained. For example, remote transmission (e.g., to the moon) may enable different polarizations of the beam pattern. However, embodiments are not limited to long-range transmission nor polarization. Embodiments also relate to any range and any distinguishing property, e.g., different time, frequency, code, polarization, angular momentum, or other spatial resource/dimension.

Embodiments are therefore directed to a device, such as device 10, capable of simultaneously forming and maintaining multiple transmit beampatterns. When providing the subset, the device may be configured to provide the transmit beampattern to the node receiving the subset together with an associated transmit beampattern provided to the node receiving the subset as a triplet of beam pairs or beams together with the transmit beampattern. The response information may then indicate the corresponding transmit beam pattern pair, triplet … … of transmit beam patterns. In MIMO, the beam pairs are active at the same time. I.e. the beams in a beam pair are transmitted simultaneously (in MIMO mode).

In other words, some embodiments contemplate a device that provides a beam set from which a "best" beam is then selected and used for subsequent purposes. That is, from a set with many beams, only one beam is selected and then used later. An extension to this takes into account the fact that more than one beam is finally selected and used later. An example of this is MIMO applications.

Extension to multiple beams of an embodiment

If two or more beams are used by a UE/BS (base station)/IAB (integrated access and backhaul node) ("device" 10), several beams must be selected in combination.

This may indicate the need for "multi-beam (pair) correspondence"

Application in case of simultaneous multi-beam operation

o depends on the channel and the supported MIMO mode (multipath diversity, multiplexing to one base station or different base stations)

The embodiments then contemplate procedures that allow separate beam labeling for each simultaneous beam

SRS (sounding reference symbols) may be orthogonal or quasi-orthogonal or any other synchronous SRS design; sounding reference symbols is an option to mark specific beams

The implementation of this process may be:

simultaneous, sequential or arbitrary (e.g. implemented by another entity present in the network)

o may define/apply an ID or SRS for each beam or each beam of each panel

Multiple beam mapping process

The device estimates and/or selects suitable receive beams to implement and/or support a given MIMO scheme, and depending on these individual beams and their combinations, selects beam pairs and/or beam combinations corresponding to the transmission strategy of the UL

Devices can provide several beam combinations to use in sounding the UL to obtain response feedback from SS or TE or gNB or other devices equipped for network operation

Again, the beam pairs may follow the concept of previously positioning/pointing in the direction of the other communication partners.

Taking into account certain criteria and thresholds, a suitable beam pair (or higher order group) may be selected and possibly stored in a LUT

The luts may take into account certain beam pairs or beam combinations that exclude details specific to the antenna arrangement in the device or long-term or short-term properties in the propagation environment (reflection and user effects in the environment or temporarily mismatched antenna arrangements)

The device may use an ordered procedure to select beams, e.g. QR decomposition

This beam combination also typically depends on the beam combination at the gNB (a function of beam selection, antenna arrangement/panel, and UE and propagation environment at the gNB).

The following considerations are relevant to other embodiments:

multiple beams can be implemented/applied

o same or different time, frequency, code, polarization, angular momentum, or other spatial resource/dimension.

Examples of Beam markers

oSRS (different resources in the frame structure) does not exclude this method (time slot, time based, modulation, coding, bandwidth, etc.)

Beam selection to form a beam pair may be performed by:

o each beam individually/independently

o sequentially in an ordered or disordered manner

o in combination with

The overall transmission strategy between two communication devices using single-user MIMO in diversity or multiplexing mode can be optimized by optimizing the transmit beams on one or both sides, independently, iteratively or jointly.

Even in MIMO diversity mode (single stream transmission), several receive beams and transmit beams (as virtual antennas in an efficient MIMO system) can be used.

The o-direct extension may be support for multi-user MIMO, where the gNB supports multiple users/links simultaneously, while only one link/stream per user is active/relevant.

In multi-user MIMO, especially in UL, the beams of the UE must be coordinated in space, time and frequency to facilitate spatial separation at the gNB.

With respect to the above embodiments, for example, QR decomposition, in a single-user MIMO system, the best capacity can be achieved if the transmit and receive strategies and associated beamformers use eigenmode beamforming (meaning that the beamformers feed into the dominant spatial eigenmodes of the MIMO channel). Most importantly, one strategy, called waterflooding, is capacity implementation.

In an iterative approach, each end of the link may estimate the MIMO channel and perform QR decomposition. It then responds back with Q transpose before feeding into the MIMO channel. If done iteratively, the two Qs at either end of the MIMO system become input and output beamformers that match the fully orthogonal eigenmodes of the MIMO channel.

The beam correspondence with a given wireless channel and the transmission strategy (beamformer) used at the other end of the communication link should be echoed by corresponding beam pairs that satisfy the Q-transpose criterion.

In this way, a single-user MIMO system with bidirectional beamforming can converge to a capacity to implement eigenmode beamforming. However, since in practice it is difficult to achieve full reciprocity (pattern reciprocity) to baseband, embodiments propose to provide several beam combinations possibly marked with beam ID/SRS, which is a more practical approach to solving this problem. Furthermore, spatial domain tracking of the receive beams to the corresponding transmit beams will extend towards intrinsic beam tracking at one or both ends of the wireless link.

Although some aspects have been described in the context of an apparatus, it is clear that these aspects also represent a description of a corresponding method, wherein a block or device corresponds to a method step or a feature of a method step. Similarly, aspects described in the context of method steps also represent a description of a respective block or item or a feature of a respective apparatus.

Embodiments of the invention may be implemented in hardware or in software, depending on certain implementation requirements. Implementations may be implemented using a digital storage medium (e.g., a floppy disk, a DVD, a CD, a ROM, a PROM, an EPROM, an EEPROM or a FLASH memory) having electronically readable control signals stored thereon, in cooperation with (or capable of cooperating with) a programmable computer system such that the respective method is performed.

Some embodiments according to the invention comprise a data carrier with electronically readable control signals capable of cooperating with a programmable computer system so as to perform one of the methods described herein.

Generally, embodiments of the invention can be implemented as a computer program product having a program code operable to perform one of the methods when the computer program product runs on a computer. The program code may be stored, for example, on a machine-readable carrier.

Other embodiments include a computer program stored on a machine-readable carrier for performing one of the methods described herein.

In other words, an embodiment of the inventive method is thus a computer program with a program code for performing one of the methods described herein, when the computer program runs on a computer.

Thus, another embodiment of the inventive method is a data carrier (or digital storage medium or computer readable medium) having a computer program recorded thereon for performing one of the methods described herein.

Thus, another embodiment of the inventive method is a data stream or a signal sequence representing a computer program for performing one of the methods described herein. The data stream or signal sequence may for example be arranged to be transmitted via a data communication connection (e.g. via the internet).

Another embodiment comprises a processing device, e.g., a computer or a programmable logic device, configured or adapted to perform one of the methods described herein.

Another embodiment comprises a computer having a computer program installed thereon for performing one of the methods described herein.

In some embodiments, a programmable logic device (e.g., a field programmable gate array) may be used to perform some or all of the functions of the methods described herein. In some embodiments, a field programmable gate array may cooperate with a microprocessor to perform one of the methods described herein. In general, the method is preferably performed by any hardware device.

The above-described embodiments are merely illustrative of the principles of the present invention. It is to be understood that modifications and variations of the arrangements and details described herein will be apparent to others skilled in the art. It is therefore intended that the scope of the appended patent claims be limited only by the details of the description and the explanation of the embodiments herein, and not by the details of the description and the explanation.

Reference to the literature

[1]RP-182879，“WF on Beam Correspondence”，Samsung，Apple，Nokia，Intel，ZTE，Sanechips，Qualcomm，MediaTek，Panasonic，Verizon，CATT，AT&T，OPPO，CMCC，Huawei，HiSilicon，CAICT，vivo，LGElectronics and KT Corp.，RAN#82，Sorrento，Italy，10-13December 2018。

[2]R4-1900278，“On uplink beamm sweeping based EIRP test procedure”，Samsung and CAICT，RAN4#92，Athens，Greece，25February-1March 2019。

[3]R4-1902684，“WF on simulation assumptions for BC tolerance requirements”，LG Electronics，RAN4#92，Athens，Greece，25February-1March 2019。

[4]R4-1902683，“Draft CR to TR 38.810in beam correspondence test procedure”，Samsung and Qualcomm，RAN4#92，Athens，Greece，25February-1 March 2019。

[5]R4-1902252，“Ad-Hoc Meeting Minutes for Beam Correspondence”，Samsung，RAN4#92，Athens，Greece，25February-1 March 2019。

[6]IEEE Standard for DefinitiohS of Terms for Antennas，in IEEE Std 145-2013(Revi-sion of IEEE Std 145-1993)，March 62014。

[7]IEEE Standard Test Proceduresfor Antennas，in ANSI/IEEE Std 149-1979，vol.，no.，pp.0_1-，1979，reaffirmed 1990，2003，2008。