U.S. patent application number 16/446416 was filed with the patent office on 2019-10-03 for paging with enhanced beamforming.
This patent application is currently assigned to Google LLC. The applicant listed for this patent is Google LLC. Invention is credited to Erik Richard Stauffer, Jibing Wang.
Application Number | 20190306830 16/446416 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 65024159 |
Filed Date | 2019-10-03 |
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United States Patent
Application |
20190306830 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Wang; Jibing ; et
al. |
October 3, 2019 |
Paging with Enhanced Beamforming
Abstract
The present disclosure describes methods and apparatuses for
paging with enhanced beamforming. In example implementations, a
base station (BS) transmits at a paging occasion a paging message
to multiple end-user devices (EUDs) via a downlink communication
with a wide beam. If an EUD fails to obtain the paging message, the
EUD selects a frequency sub-band and formulates a paging request
with an EUD identifier. The EUD transmits the paging request to the
BS via an uplink communication with a narrow beam using the
selected frequency sub-band. The BS processes the paging request
and formulates a paging response based on the identifier. The BS
transmits the paging response via a downlink communication with a
narrow beam on the selected frequency sub-band. The BS determines a
direction of the narrow beam of the downlink communication based on
a direction of the narrow beam of the uplink communication to
answer the paging response.
Inventors: |
Wang; Jibing; (Saratoga,
CA) ; Stauffer; Erik Richard; (Sunnyvale,
CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Google LLC |
Mountain View |
CA |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
Google LLC
Mountain View
CA
|
Family ID: |
65024159 |
Appl. No.: |
16/446416 |
Filed: |
June 19, 2019 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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15852572 |
Dec 22, 2017 |
10375671 |
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16446416 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04W 36/38 20130101;
H04B 7/0617 20130101; H04B 7/0695 20130101; H04W 36/06 20130101;
H04W 68/02 20130101; H04W 68/00 20130101; H04L 1/18 20130101 |
International
Class: |
H04W 68/02 20060101
H04W068/02; H04B 7/06 20060101 H04B007/06; H04L 1/18 20060101
H04L001/18; H04W 36/06 20060101 H04W036/06 |
Claims
1. A method performed by a base station to implement paging with
enhanced beamforming, the method comprising: receiving, from an
end-user device, a paging request via an uplink communication with
a narrow beam, the paging request configured to inquire whether a
page exists for the end-user device; and transmitting, toward the
end-user device based on the paging request, a paging response via
a downlink communication, the paging response indicative of whether
a page exists for the end-user device.
2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: prior to the
receiving, transmitting, toward multiple end-user devices, a paging
message via another downlink communication with a wide beam, the
multiple end-user devices including the end-user device.
3. The method of claim 2, wherein the transmitting the paging
message comprises transmitting the paging message based on a paging
occasion that occurs repeatedly.
4. The method of claim 3, further comprising: transmitting another
paging message based on a next paging occasion, wherein the
receiving is performed between the transmitting the paging message
and the transmitting the other paging message.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitting the paging
response is performed in a next downlink region after an uplink
region in which the receiving the paging request is performed.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitting the paging
response comprises transmitting the paging response via the
downlink communication with another narrow beam.
7. The method of claim 6, wherein a direction of the other narrow
beam of the downlink communication is determined at least partially
based on a direction of the narrow beam of the uplink communication
that is received.
8. The method of claim 7, wherein the transmitting the paging
response comprises transmitting the paging response via the
downlink communication with the other narrow beam by using a
reciprocal of the narrow beam of the uplink communication.
9. The method of claim 8, wherein: the receiving the paging request
comprises learning at least one beamforming parameter using the
uplink communication with the narrow beam; and the transmitting the
paging response comprises transmitting the paging response via the
downlink communication with the other narrow beam by using the
reciprocal of the narrow beam of the uplink communication using the
learned at least one beamforming parameter.
10. The method of claim 6, wherein: the uplink communication
corresponds to at least one frequency sub-band; and the
transmitting the paging response comprises transmitting the paging
response via the downlink communication using the at least one
frequency sub-band.
11. The method of claim 1, wherein: the paging request includes an
identifier of the end-user device; and the transmitting the paging
response comprises transmitting, based on the identifier, the
paging response with an indication of at least one reason the page
exists for the end-user device.
12. A base station comprising: one or more antennas; at least one
communication unit coupled to the one or more antennas; and a
processor and memory system, operatively coupled to the at least
one communication unit, implementing a beamforming enhancement
module configured to: receive, from an end-user device, a paging
request via an uplink communication with a narrow beam, the paging
request configured to inquire whether a page exists for the
end-user device; and transmit, toward the end-user device based on
the paging request, a paging response via a downlink communication,
the paging response indicative of whether a page exists for the
end-user device.
13. The base station of claim 12, wherein the beamforming
enhancement module is further configured to: prior to receipt of
the paging request, transmit, toward multiple end-user devices, a
paging message via another downlink communication with a wide beam,
the multiple end-user devices including the end-user device.
14. The base station of claim 13, wherein the beamforming
enhancement module is configured to transmit the paging message
based on a paging occasion that occurs repeatedly.
15. The base station of claim 12, wherein the beamforming
enhancement module is configured to transmit the paging response in
a next downlink region after an uplink region in which the paging
request is received.
16. The base station of claim 12, wherein the beamforming
enhancement module is configured to transmit the paging response
via the downlink communication with another narrow beam.
17. The base station of claim 16, wherein: the uplink communication
corresponds to at least one frequency sub-band; and the beamforming
enhancement module is configured to transmit the paging response
via the downlink communication using the at least one frequency
sub-band in a direction that corresponds to a direction of the
narrow beam of the uplink communication that is received.
18. A base station comprising: one or more antennas; at least one
communication unit coupled to the one or more antennas; and a
processor and memory system, operatively coupled to the at least
one communication unit, including: means for receiving, from an
end-user device, a paging request via an uplink communication with
a narrow beam, the paging request configured to inquire whether a
page exists for the end-user device; and means for transmitting,
toward the end-user device and based on the paging request, a
paging response via a downlink communication, the paging response
indicative of whether a page exists for the end-user device.
19. The base station of claim 18, wherein the processor and memory
system further include: means for transmitting, toward multiple
end-user devices and prior to receipt of the paging request, a
paging message via another downlink communication with a wide beam,
the multiple end-user devices including the end-user device.
20. The base station of claim 18, wherein: the uplink communication
corresponds to at least one frequency sub-band, and the narrow beam
of the uplink communication has a direction; and the means for
transmitting the paging response is configured to transmit the
paging response via the downlink communication with another narrow
beam, wherein at least one of: the downlink communication
corresponds to the at least one frequency sub-band; or a direction
of the other narrow beam of the downlink communication corresponds
to the direction of the narrow beam of the uplink communication.
Description
RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application is a divisional application claiming
priority under 35 U.S.C. .sctn. 120 and/or .sctn. 121 to U.S.
patent application Ser. No. 15/852,572, filed 22 Dec. 2017, the
disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its
entirety for all purposes.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Electronic devices play integral roles in manufacturing,
healthcare, commerce, social interaction, entertainment, and
communication. For example, most people consider their smart phone
a critical part of their daily lives. Electronic devices also
enable the computer server farms that provide cloud-based,
distributed computing functionality for commerce and social
interaction. Further, devices with computing power are embedded in
many different types of modern equipment, from medical devices to
household appliances and from vehicles to industrial tools. Thus,
electronic devices are manufactured in a multitude of sizes, form
factors, and capabilities for an even greater array of purposes.
One particularly prominent purpose for electronic devices is
communication, including communication over longer distances.
[0003] Prior to the development of electronic devices,
long-distance communication was generally limited to the physical
transport of a letter by a human being. Other options included
sending up smoke signals or recruiting a pigeon to carry a short
letter. The former option is limited to short distances and is
subject to the whims of the weather, and the latter option has
reliability issues that are self-evident. Fortunately, the
invention of the telegraph ushered in the age of reliable
long-distance communication using electrical signals that encoded
the written word using, e.g., a Morse code for each letter.
Eventually, telegraph technology was upgraded to telephone
technology so that people could simply speak to one another using
electrical signals that traversed great distances. Both telegraph
and telephone technology, however, require a wire that is extended
between both parties to a communication.
[0004] The next step in the evolution of communication involved
harnessing electromagnetic (EM) waves that travel in free space
without using a wire. However, EM waves generally travel in a
straight line, so they could not easily cover great distances
around a curved earth. One exception to this is shortwave EM
signals. Shortwave EM signals still travel in straight lines, but
they reflect off a layer of the earth's atmosphere called the
ionosphere. Shortwave EM signals can therefore be reflected past
the earth's horizon to enable communication across thousands of
miles. Unfortunately, communicating with shortwave EM signals
typically involves using antennas that are many tens of feet tall.
These are expensive and impractical for mobile communication. To
enable portability, citizen band (CB) radios and walkie-talkies
were developed for mobile use. As early as the 1960s and 1970s, CB
radios and walkie-talkies could be produced in a portable or even
hand-held form. Unfortunately, communication with either of these
portable devices was limited to just a few miles.
[0005] By the 1980s, communication using electrical or EM signals
was generally divided into using fully-wired technology or
fully-wireless technology, especially for consumers and in other
low-cost scenarios. For example, telephones enabled long-distance
voice communication, but telephone technology was still generally
limited to wired connections. Portable radios, on the other hand,
used EM waves to establish wireless connections, but voice
communications with these consumer-level devices used EM waves that
were generally limited to no more than a few miles. To merge these
two technologies and achieve some benefits of both, cellular
technology was created. Cellular technology can be implemented
using a communication network that combines both a wireless network
and a wired network. As a result, cellular technology enables
mobile electronic devices to be used to make long-distance
communications.
[0006] With cellular technology, a communication between two people
usually has both a wireless portion and a wired portion. A portion
of the communication that is near one party is instituted using a
wireless connection between a mobile phone and a base station,
which is part of a cellular or wireless network of a larger
communication network. This wireless connection typically extends
from a few feet to a few miles. The communication network also
includes or is coupled to a wired network. The base station can
therefore continue the communication using a wired connection over
the wired network. The wired network can extend from hundreds of
feet to thousands of miles. If the other party is also using a
mobile phone, the communication can be converted back to another
wireless portion and routed to the other party using another
wireless connection.
[0007] To enable cellular technology to work across a wide
geographic region, many base stations are distributed across the
region to enable a wireless portion of a communication to be
established at different locations. Each of these base stations is
typically able to support multiple users by simultaneously
establishing multiple wireless connections with respective ones of
multiple mobile phones. Thus, by the 1990s, cellular technology
enabled voice calls to be made using a communication that included
both a wireless connection and a wired connection. To expand the
ability to communicate with more than voice using cellular
technology, cellular systems were augmented to include an ability
to communicate textually. Such communication used text messages,
which were called short message service (SMS) messages. This
continued efforts to enable mobile phones and other electronic
devices to send and receive data, as well as exchange voice
communications.
[0008] Communication of data, in addition to voice, became feasible
with the development of Second Generation (2G) wireless networks.
Data communication was not meaningful for most purposes, however,
until Third Generation (3G) wireless networks were deployed. 3G
wireless networks enabled mobile phone users to send and receive
simple emails and access basic web pages without experiencing
lengthy delays. However, Fourth Generation (4G) networks, such as
those based on a Long-Term Evolution (LTE) standard, truly enabled
the data-based wireless services that users enjoy today. For
example, with a smart phone operating on a 4G network, a user can
now make video calls in addition to voice calls. Additionally,
users can surf the web without appreciable constraints and can
receive real-time, turn-by-turn navigational directions. Further,
users can stay up-to-date on social media postings, upload their
own images or even videos, and watch high-definition video, all
while on-the-go.
[0009] To accommodate these existing services, wireless networks
are already expected to handle immense quantities of data with
little to no appreciable delays. However, newer services are primed
to demand even more from cellular wireless networks. Users will
expect greater data bandwidth and even less delay, called latency,
to accommodate such services. These new services include
high-bandwidth applications like ultra-high definition (UHD) video
that is delivered wirelessly from a streaming video service to a
mobile device. Such services also include low-latency applications
like autonomous-driving vehicles that communicate with each other
to avoid accidents and that can therefore operate more safely if
provided nearly instantaneous data communication capabilities. Some
applications, like virtual reality (VR), will demand data delivery
that provides a combination of both high-bandwidth and low-latency.
Further, there is the ongoing development of the Internet of Things
(IoT), which involves providing wireless communication capabilities
to everything from medical devices to security hardware and from
refrigerators to speakers. The deployment of IoT devices means
hundreds of billions to trillions of new devices will soon be
trying to communicate wirelessly.
[0010] Current 4G wireless networks are not expected to be able to
handle the data bandwidth and latency specifications for these new
applications. Accordingly, to enjoy these new applications, new
wireless technology is being developed. This Fifth Generation (5G)
wireless network technology will adopt higher frequency EM waves
(e.g., 6 GHz to 100 GHz for millimeter wave (mmW) wireless
connections) to attain higher data bandwidth in conjunction with
lower latency. These new applications and higher EM frequencies,
however, introduce new and different challenges that are yet to be
overcome.
[0011] For example, with the multitude of IoT devices that are
coming on-line, the EM spectrum that is allocated to cellular
wireless usage will be shared among many more wireless connection
endpoints. Also, with the mmW EM signaling that will be used in
some wireless networks, including 5G cellular networks, wireless
signals are attenuated more quickly. More specifically, mmW EM
signals are attenuated more quickly by air molecules and other
environmental factors, such as humidity or physical obstructions,
as compared to those signaling frequencies used in earlier
generations of wireless networks. Consequently, mmW EM signals are
incapable of traveling as far through the atmosphere before a
quality thereof is reduced to a level at which the information in
the wireless signal is lost or otherwise becomes unusable. To
address these issues, engineers and manufacturers are striving to
create new wireless signaling technologies that can enable
utilization of these GHz frequencies in a cellular wireless
network, including those operating in accordance with a 5G wireless
network standard.
[0012] This background description is provided to generally present
the context of the disclosure. Unless otherwise indicated herein,
material described in this section is neither expressly nor
impliedly admitted to be prior art to the present disclosure or the
appended claims.
SUMMARY
[0013] Techniques and apparatuses are described for paging with
enhanced beamforming. These techniques and apparatuses enable
wireless communications to be made more efficiently or in
environments that are hostile to signal propagation. A respective
beamforming enhancement module at both a base station and an
end-user device can interoperate to facilitate the delivery of
paging information from the base station to the end-user device.
The base station transmits at a paging occasion a paging message to
multiple end-user devices via a downlink communication with a wide
beam. If an end-user device cannot obtain the paging message, the
end-user device can transmit a paging request to the base station
via an uplink communication with a narrow beam. The base station
can answer with a paging response transmitted via a downlink
communication with a reciprocal narrow beam, with the paging
response indicative of whether a page exists for the requesting
end-user device.
[0014] Aspects described below include a method for paging with
enhanced beamforming as performed by an end-user device. The method
comprises attempting to obtain a paging message transmitted by a
base station via a downlink communication with a wide beam. The
method also comprises transmitting, based on the attempting, a
paging request to the base station via an uplink communication with
a narrow beam, with the paging request configured to inquire
whether a page exists for the end-user device.
[0015] Aspects described below also include an electronic device
for implementing paging with enhanced beamforming in a wireless
system. The electronic device comprises one or more processors and
one or more computer-readable storage media storing modules that
are executable by the one or more processors. The computer-readable
storage media include an identifier of the electronic device and a
paging message module configured to attempt to obtain a paging
message transmitted in a downlink region of an air interface
resource. The computer-readable storage media also includes a
paging request module configured to transmit a paging request in an
uplink region of the air interface resource responsive to a failure
to obtain at least one paging message, with the paging request
including the identifier and comprising an inquiry as to whether a
page exists for the electronic device.
[0016] Aspects described below additionally include a method for
paging with enhanced beamforming as performed by a base station.
The method comprises receiving, from an end-user device, a paging
request via an uplink communication with a narrow beam, with the
paging request configured to inquire whether a page exists for the
end-user device. The method also comprises transmitting, to the end
user device based on the paging request, a paging response via a
downlink communication, with the paging response indicative of
whether a page exists for the end user device.
[0017] Aspects described below further include a system for paging
with enhanced beamforming. The system comprises a paging message
module configured to attempt to obtain a paging message transmitted
in a downlink region of an air interface resource. The system also
comprises means for transmitting a paging request in an uplink
region of the air interface resource responsive to a failure to
obtain at least one paging message, with the paging request
including an identifier of the system and indicative of an inquiry
as to whether a page exists for the system.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0018] Apparatuses of and techniques for implementing paging with
enhanced beamforming are described with reference to the following
drawings. The same numbers are used throughout the drawings to
reference like features and components:
[0019] FIG. 1 illustrates an example environment, including an
end-user device and a base station, in which paging with enhanced
beamforming can be implemented.
[0020] FIG. 2 illustrates other aspects of an example environment
in which paging with enhanced beamforming can be implemented.
[0021] FIG. 3 illustrates an example of an air interface resource
that extends between an end-user device and a base station and that
can be utilized for paging with enhanced beamforming.
[0022] FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a communication unit that
is configured to implement beamforming to generate signal
beams.
[0023] FIG. 5 illustrates an example environment in which paging
with enhanced beamforming can be implemented using multiple paging
communications in accordance with an air interface signaling
protocol.
[0024] FIG. 6 is an example sequence diagram illustrating different
paging communications between an end-user device and a base station
to implement paging with enhanced beamforming.
[0025] FIG. 7 illustrates an example beamforming enhancement module
for an end-user device and an example beamforming enhancement
module for a base station to individually or jointly implement
paging with enhanced beamforming.
[0026] FIG. 8 illustrates an example scheme for implementing paging
with enhanced beamforming with respect to two consecutive paging
occasions.
[0027] FIG. 9 illustrates, for a portion of an air interface
resource, two example paging communication exchanges with different
timings.
[0028] FIG. 10 illustrates example methods for a portion of a
wireless system to implement paging with enhanced beamforming.
[0029] FIG. 11 illustrates example methods for a base station to
implement paging with enhanced beamforming.
[0030] FIG. 12 illustrates example methods for an end-user device
to implement paging with enhanced beamforming.
[0031] FIG. 13 illustrates various components of an example
electronic device that can implement paging with enhanced
beamforming in accordance with one or more implementations.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0032] Overview
[0033] The ability to enjoy different types of digital content,
services, and other applications over a wireless connection
continues to change for the better. Today, users can watch HD
video, monitor social network feeds, and participate in video
conferences using cellular wireless networks that operate in
accordance with a 4G standard, such as LTE or LTE-Advanced. In the
near future, cellular wireless networks will be asked to handle
newer applications that are technically more difficult to provide
to end users. Such applications may include watching ultra-HD (UHD)
video or wirelessly coupling hundreds of billions more
communication endpoints to the internet to support IoT devices.
Such applications may also include providing a safer sharing of the
roadways by self-driving vehicles or an exchanging of
three-dimensional (3D) VR data for games and educational
activities. To enable these newer applications, current cellular
wireless networks are expected to be upgraded from 4G
technology.
[0034] To upgrade from current 4G wireless networks, a destination
or goal has been established for next-generation 5G networks. This
destination involves adopting for wireless signaling in 5G networks
higher EM frequencies than are used in 4G networks. For example,
instead of operating in the 100s of MHz to a few GHz like in 4G
networks, 5G networks are expected to operate in the 10s of GHz
(e.g., from 6 GHz to 100 GHz for mmW signaling). These higher
frequencies offer some advantages, such as the potential for
greater communication bandwidth in conjunction with lower latency.
However, there are many challenges to working with these higher
frequencies, and some of these challenges have yet to be met by the
telecommunications industry. In other words, although a
high-frequency goal has been established for 5G networks, the path
to reach this high-frequency destination with an efficient,
feasible 5G wireless network has not yet been discovered.
[0035] Several examples of the existing challenges for attaining a
workable, high-frequency wireless 5G network are set forth here.
For example, with the frequencies to be used for mmW signaling for
5G wireless networks, signal strength rapidly attenuates, or
reduces, as an EM signal travels through the earth's atmosphere,
especially in wet weather. Consequently, the potential distance
between a transmitter and a receiver is reduced for mmW signals. As
another example, at some of these higher frequencies, emanation of
EM signals in proximity to, and in a direction of, skin is to be
avoided for extended periods. To at least partially address both
these issues, antenna beamforming can be implemented.
[0036] With antenna beamforming, a signal is emanated from an
antenna array in a particular direction or in a particular pattern
instead of equally in all directions from a single antenna. This
enables the resulting signal beam to be directed away from skin to
accommodate any relevant specific absorption rate (SAR) guidelines
instituted for health reasons. Moreover, the emanated power can be
concentrated in a specific direction that extends from a
transmitter in a direction that aims toward a receiver.
Consequently, a signal that is transmitted at a given power level
can travel farther through the air on a signal beam, even at the
higher frequencies of mmW signals that attenuate more quickly in
the earth's atmosphere.
[0037] Antenna beamforming offers another advantage: an increased
or more-efficient sharing of the EM spectrum. By concentrating a
first signal that is sent from a first transmitter to a first
receiver in one direction, the first signal is less likely to cause
interference in other directions. As a result, a second signal on
the same frequency can be reused by a second transmitter and a
second receiver in a spatial area that is close to that of the
first transmitter and receiver. This spatially-based
frequency-reuse technique enables more devices to communicate
wirelessly in a given geographic region using some allocated
frequency range.
[0038] Antenna beamforming can therefore offer a number of
advantages, including some that pertain especially to wireless
communication with the mmW signals that are earmarked for 5G
wireless networks. However, wireless communication with beamforming
is more complicated than wireless communication without it. Without
antenna beamforming, a transmitter merely emanates an EM signal
omnidirectionally. With antenna beamforming, on the other hand, a
transmitter has to determine a direction at which to aim a beam of
a signal. The determination of an appropriate direction is called
training the antenna beamforming. This training can be accomplished
in different manners, but each manner occupies some period of time
and consumes some amount of resources at the transmitting device
and/or at the receiving device. If the time period is too long, the
antenna beamforming can produce a signal latency that slows a
communication. Further, while a transmitting or a receiving device
is training the beamforming, the device's processor and RF
resources, as well as power resources, are being consumed. This
resource consumption can, for example, shorten battery life at a
mobile phone or limit how many mobile phones a base station can
service at any given time.
[0039] Thus, although antenna beamforming is beneficial in some
ways, beamforming can also create issues, such as those pertaining
to beamform training. Further, with a cellular wireless system that
is built on directional wireless signaling, there can be problems
with communications that are intended to reach multiple end-user
devices. An example of such a communication is paging. A paging
message is sent from the wireless network infrastructure, such as
from a base station, to a user equipment (UE) to get the UE's
attention if new information is to be communicated to the UE. In
such situations, the base station typically employs a wide beam
that is intended to cover a greater geospatial region to
simultaneously communicate with multiple UEs. However, because mmW
signals are more susceptible to interruption due to obstacles and
attenuation effects, and are therefore less predictable, all the
intended UEs may not receive a paging message. If a UE does not
receive a paging message, information that is supposed to be
provided to the end user thereof can be delayed, or even fail to be
delivered.
[0040] To ameliorate the risks of paging messages being undelivered
to UEs, schemes and techniques described herein provide additional
opportunities for a UE to obtain paging information with shorter
delays than might otherwise occur. To do so, conventional paging is
transformed from an omnidirectional or wide beam, unilateral
communication procedure that is limited to communications from a
base station to UEs into a directed or narrow beam, bilateral
communication procedure. With a bilateral communication procedure,
a UE can interrogate a base station about a potential page. For
example, if a UE is unable to obtain information included in a
paging message at a scheduled paging occasion, the UE is empowered
to contact the base station to inquire if a page is waiting for the
UE. Furthermore, a paging request-paging response exchange between
a requesting UE and a base station can be made using narrow beam
wireless communications.
[0041] For a given wireless network, an end-user device can realize
some implementations that are described herein, and a base station
can realize other implementations that are described herein. In
example schemes, a base station transmits on the downlink a paging
message to multiple end-user devices using a wide beam at a
scheduled paging occasion. The paging message notifies end-user
devices if a page exists for them. If an end-user device cannot
receive or cannot decode the paging message, the end-user device
has failed to obtain the paging message. Accordingly, the end-user
device selects a frequency sub-band and formulates a paging request
with an identifier of the end-user device. The end-user device
transmits the paging request to the base station via an uplink
communication with a narrow beam using the selected frequency
sub-band.
[0042] The base station receives the paging request via the uplink
communication on the narrow beam. The base station processes the
paging request and formulates a paging response based on the
end-user device identifier. Thus, the paging response can indicate
whether a page exists for the requesting end-user device. To
communicate this indication, the base station transmits the paging
response via a downlink communication with another narrow beam on
the selected frequency sub-band. The base station determines a
reciprocal direction of the other narrow beam of the downlink
communication based on a direction of the narrow beam of the uplink
communication. This increases a likelihood of returning the paging
response to the requesting end-user device while also training
respective beamformers at the two devices. The end-user device
receives the paging response and can process the paging response
based on whether a page exists for the end-user device.
[0043] By adopting the example implementations described herein,
the unpredictability of mmW signaling and the narrow geospatial
coverage of some wireless signal beams can be overcome. Moreover,
antenna beamforming can be used to reduce the impact of any
additional signaling introduced by the described implementations.
In these manners, the likelihood of an end-user device learning of
a page in a timely manner is appreciably increased for future 5G
wireless networks as well as other systems that may use mmW
signaling.
[0044] Example implementations in various levels of detail are
discussed below with reference to the associated figures. The
discussion below first sets forth an example operating environment
and then describes example schemes, techniques, and hardware.
Example methods are described next with reference to various flow
diagrams, and the discussion then concludes with an example
electronic device and aspects related thereto.
[0045] Example Environment
[0046] FIG. 1 illustrates an example operating environment 100 in
which an electronic device can realize implementations of paging
with enhanced beamforming. In this example, the operating
environment 100 includes an end-user device 102 (EUD) and a base
station 104 (BS) that are respectively configured to communicate
over a wireless link 106 of a wireless network. Generally, the
wireless link 106 can include an uplink 108 by which the end-user
device 102 transmits data or control information to the base
station 104 and a downlink 110 by which the base station 104
transmits data or control information to the end-user device 102.
The wireless link 106 may be implemented in accordance with at
least one suitable protocol or standard, such as a Global System
for Mobile Communications (GSM) standard, a Worldwide
Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) standard, a High
Speed Packet Access (HSPA) protocol, an Evolved HSPA (HSPA+)
protocol, a Long-Term Evolution (LTE) standard (e.g., 4G), an LTE
Advanced (LTE-A) standard, a Fifth Generation wireless network (5G)
standard, any standard promulgated or supported by the 3rd
Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), and so forth. Although the
wireless link 106 is shown or described with reference to a
separate uplink 108 or downlink 110, various types of
communications between the end-user device 102 and the base station
104 may also be referred to as a wireless communication, a wireless
connection, a wireless association, a frame exchange, a
communication link, or the like.
[0047] In example implementations, the end-user device 102 includes
at least one processor 112, one or more computer-readable storage
media 114, and at least one communication unit 120. The end-user
device 102 is depicted as a smart phone. However, the end-user
device 102 may instead be implemented as any device with wireless
communication capabilities, such as a mobile gaming console, a
tablet, a laptop, an Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS), a
point-of-sale (POS) terminal, a health monitoring device, a drone,
a vehicle, a camera, a media-streaming dongle, a wearable
smart-device, an Internet-of-Things (IoT) device, a personal media
device, a navigation device, a mobile-internet device (MID), a
wireless hotspot, a femtocell, a broadband router, a mobile
station, a user equipment (UE), or some combination thereof. The
computer-readable storage media 114 can include a beamforming
enhancement module 116 (BEM) and a beamforming training module 118,
which are described below.
[0048] The processor 112 of the end-user device 102 can execute
processor-executable instructions or code stored by the
computer-readable storage medium 114 (CRM) to cause the end-user
device 102 to perform operations or implement various device
functionalities. In some cases, the processor 112 is implemented as
a general-purpose processor (e.g., a multicore central-processing
unit (CPU)), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or
a system-on-chip (SoC) with other components of the end-user device
integrated therein. The CRM 114 may include any suitable type of
memory media or storage media, such as read-only memory (ROM),
programmable ROM (PROM), random access memory (RAM), dynamic RAM
(DRAM), static RAM (SRAM), or Flash memory. In the context of this
discussion, the CRM 114 of the end-user device 102 is implemented
as at least one hardware-based storage medium, which does not
include transitory signals or carrier waves. In some cases, the CRM
114 stores firmware, an operating system, and/or applications of
the end-user device 102 as instructions, code, or other
information. The instructions or code can be executed by the
processor 112 to implement various functionalities of the end-user
device 102, such as those related to beamforming, beamforming
training, resource utilization, paging, network access, and so
forth. In this example, the CRM 114 stores processor-executable
instructions or code to implement the beamforming enhancement
module 116 or the beamforming training module 118 of the end-user
device 102.
[0049] The communication unit 120 of the end-user device 102 can
include an antenna, a receiver, a transmitter, a baseband
processor, and associated circuitry or other components (not shown)
for communicating with the base station 104 via a wireless signal
propagation medium (e.g., the air). For example, the communication
unit 120 may transmit, via the transmitter, data or control
information to the base station 104 via the uplink 108. This data
or control information that is transmitted to the base station 104
may include any suitable type of framed or packetized information,
such as device status information, wireless link status
information, wireless link control information, data requests,
data, network access requests, indications of channel quality, and
so forth. The communication unit 120 may also receive, via the
receiver, data or control information from the base station 104,
such as wireless link configuration settings, network control
information, resource grants, data traffic, and so forth.
[0050] In FIG. 1, the base station 104 is depicted generally as a
cellular base station of a wireless network (not separately
indicated). Using a wireless network, the base station 104 may
enable or provide access to other networks or resources, such as
the network 132 (e.g., the Internet) that is connected via a wired
network interface portion of a communication unit 130 and a
backhaul link 134 (e.g., a fiber network). The base station 104 may
be implemented to realize or manage at least one cell of a wireless
network that includes multiple other base stations that each
realize other respective cells of the wireless network. As such,
the base station 104 may communicate with a network management
entity or other base stations to coordinate connectivity or
hand-offs of end-user devices within or across the cells of the
wireless network. The base station 104 can be configured as any
suitable type of base station or network management node, such as a
Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) base station, a node
base (Node B) transceiver station (e.g., for UMTS), an evolved
NodeB (eNB, e.g., for LTE), a next generation Node B (gNB, e.g.,
for 5G), and so forth. As such, the base station 104 may control or
configure parameters of the uplink 108 or the downlink 110 in
accordance with one or more of the wireless standards or protocols
identified herein.
[0051] In example implementations, the base station 104 includes at
least one processor 122, one or more computer-readable storage
media 124, and at least one communication unit 130. The processor
122 can execute processor-executable instructions or code stored by
the computer-readable storage medium 124 (CRM) to perform
operations or implement various base station functionalities. In
some cases, the processor 122 is implemented as multiple processor
cores or a multicore processor configured to execute firmware or an
operating system of the base station 104, as well as any
applications thereof. The CRM 124 may include any suitable type of
memory media or storage media, such as ROM, PROM, RAM, DRAM, SRAM,
or Flash memory. In the context of this discussion, the CRM 124 is
implemented as at least one hardware-based storage medium, which
does not include transitory signals or carrier waves. The CRM 124
of the base station 104 may store firmware, an operating system, or
applications of the base station as instructions, code, or other
information. The instructions or code can be executed by the
processor 122 to implement various functionalities of the base
station 104, such as to manage connectivity or parameters of the
wireless link 106 with the end-user device 102 or providing paging
notifications to the end-user device 102. In this example, the CRM
124 also stores processor-executable instructions or code for
implementing the beamforming enhancement module 126 and the
beamforming training module 128 of the base station 104.
[0052] In some aspects, a resource manager (not shown) of the base
station 104 can be implemented to perform various functions
associated with allocating physical access resource units (e.g.,
resource blocks or resource elements) or communication resources
available to the base station 104. The physical access resources,
such as an air interface resource available to the base station
104, may be partitioned or divided into various resource units
(e.g., frames or blocks) of bandwidth, time spans, carriers or
frequency bands, symbols, or the like. For example, within a
framework of an LTE standard, the resource manager can allocate
frequency spectrum and time intervals of access in resource blocks,
each of which can be allocated in whole or in part, to one or more
end-user devices communicating with the base station 104.
[0053] The resource manager can also communicate, to the end-user
device 102, an identification of the allocated resource units for a
communication via the uplink 108 or the downlink 110. The
identification may include one or both of frequency bands or
temporal locations of respective resource blocks or elements of the
allocated resource units. The frequency bands or temporal locations
may be effective to enable the end-user device 102 to communicate
in a mode or manner as described herein via the allocated resource
units. In such instances, each indication of the allocated resource
units may be communicated from the base station 104 to the end-user
device 102 as, e.g., part of a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message
or a Downlink Control Information (DCI) message.
[0054] The communication unit 130 of the base station 104 can
include an antenna, a receiver, a transmitter, a baseband
processor, and associated circuitry or other components (not shown)
for communicating with the end-user device 102 via the wireless
signal propagation medium. In some cases, the communication unit
130 includes or is coupled with multiple transceivers and antenna
arrays that are configured to establish and manage multiple
wireless links with respective ones of multiple end-user devices
(e.g., in accordance with a massive multiple-input and
multiple-output (MIMO) implementation). The base station 104 may
communicate any suitable data or control information to the
end-user device 102 (or other devices) through the downlink 110,
such as a schedule of allocated resource units, data traffic,
wireless link status information, wireless link control
information, paging information, and so forth.
[0055] FIG. 2 illustrates an example wireless system 200 in which
an end-user device 102 and a base station 104 may communicate in
accordance with one or more aspects described herein. The wireless
system 200 includes respective instances of the end-user device 102
and the base station 104. The base station 104 provides or realizes
a portion of a wireless network with which the end-user device 102
may associate to enable a wireless communication 202 to be
exchanged. The wireless system 200 may include other base stations,
a network management entity, and so forth (not shown) to provide a
wireless wide area network (WAN), such as an LTE network or a 5G
network offering associated data services.
[0056] The end-user device 102 and/or the base station 104 may
communicate through any suitable type or combination of channels,
message exchanges, or network management procedures using at least
one wireless communication 202. As shown, each wireless
communication 202 can include an UL communication 202U from the
end-user device 102 to the base station 104 or a DL communication
202D from the base station 104 to the end-user device 102 (or
both--e.g., an UL/DL pair). The UL communication 202U can include
an uplink data channel and/or an uplink control channel, a few
examples of which are depicted in the top left of FIG. 2.
Similarly, the DL communication 202D can include a downlink data
channel and/or a downlink control channel, a few examples of which
are depicted in the top right. Alternatively, a wireless
communication 202 can include both a DL communication 202D and an
UL communication 202U. Further, the UL and DL communications of a
wireless communication 202 can be related, such as by being
exchanged between the same two electronic devices, by being
adjacent to each other, by pertaining to the same information, and
so forth.
[0057] The wireless system 200 can be implemented to comport with
any of one or more different wireless standards or protocols.
Example implementations that may comport with an LTE standard are
described with reference to FIG. 2. In this example, the end-user
device 102 can transmit control information to the base station 104
via a physical uplink control channel 202U-1 (PUCCH). The PUCCH
202U-1 may be used to transmit, to the base station 104, one or
more of hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) messages,
acknowledge/not acknowledge (ACK/NACK) messages, channel quality
indicators (CQI), multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) feedback
such as a rank indicator (RI) or a precoding matrix indicator
(PMI), and scheduling requests for an uplink data transmission. The
end-user device 102 can transmit using, for instance, a binary
phase-shift keying (BPSK) modulation or a quadrature phase-shift
keying (QPSK) modulation for the PUCCH modulation.
[0058] The end-user device 102 may send data to the base station
104 via a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) 202U-2. The PUSCH
202U-2 can include radio resource control (RRC) communications,
uplink control information (UCI) messages, application data, and so
forth. The PUSCH 202U-2 is typically the channel on which the
end-user device 102 transmits application data to the base station
104. Another example channel of an UL communication 202U is the
physical random-access channel (PRACH) 202U-3. With the PRACH
202U-3, the end-user device 102 can make a non-synchronized
transmission to the base station 104.
[0059] The base station 104 can transmit control information to the
end-user device 102 via a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH)
202D-1. The PDCCH 202D-1 can be used by the base station 104 to
communicate Downlink Control Information (DCI) and/or Radio
Resource Control (RRC) information to the end-user device 102. In
some scenarios, the DCI includes identification of resource units
(e.g., resource blocks or resource elements) to be used for
communication of data to the end-user device 102. The DCI may also
include a modulation scheme and coding/decoding information for the
end-user device 102 to access the data communicated to the end-user
device 102.
[0060] The base station 104 may send data to the end-user device
102 via a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) 202D-2. Thus,
the PDSCH 202D-2 is typically the channel on which the base station
104 transmits application data to the end-user device 102.
Alternatively or additionally, the base station 104 may send
information to the end-user device 102 via a physical HARQ
indicator channel (PHICH) 202D-3. The PHICH 202D-3 can include
acknowledgements (ACKs) or no-acknowledgements (NACKs) for data
received from the end-user device 102 via the PUSCH 202U-2. Another
example channel of a DL communication 202D is the physical control
format indicator channel (PCFICH) 202D-4. With the PCFICH 202D-4,
the base station 104 can inform the end-user device 102 of the
format of a signal being received.
[0061] The terminology used with reference to FIG. 2 for example UL
communications 202U and DL communications 202D relate at least to
an LTE standard. However, as used herein, these particular channels
and other standard-specific terms (e.g., sounding reference signal
(SRS) or downlink control indicator (DCI)), the corresponding
underlying concepts, and analogous technologies are not limited to
wireless systems or devices that comport with a 4G standard.
Instead, these terms may be used as a shorthand to refer to the
underlying physical principles or analogous general wireless system
technologies. Furthermore, implementations that are described
herein can additionally or alternatively pertain to other wireless
standards, specifications, and technologies, including other
existing and future standards affiliated with the 3GPP (e.g., 5G
NR) or IEEE (e.g., 802.11ad).
[0062] FIG. 3 illustrates an example of an air interface resource
302 extending between an end-user device 102 and a base station
104. The air interface resource 302 can be utilized to enhance
antenna beamforming in the context of paging communications as
described herein. The air interface resource 302 can be divided
into resource units 312, each of which occupies some intersection
of frequency spectrum and elapsed time. A portion of the air
interface resource 302 is illustrated graphically in a grid or
matrix having multiple resource blocks 304, including resource
blocks 304-1, 304-2, 304-3 . . . 304-n, with "n" representing some
positive integer. An example of a resource unit 312 therefore
includes at least one resource block 304. As shown, time is
depicted along the horizontal dimension as the abscissa axis, and
frequency is depicted along the vertical dimension as the ordinate
axis. The air interface resource 302, as defined by a given
communication protocol or standard, may span any suitable specified
frequency range and/or may be divided into intervals of any
specified duration. Increments of time can correspond to, for
example, milliseconds (ms). Increments of frequency can correspond
to, for example, megahertz (MHz).
[0063] In example operations generally, the base station 104
allocates portions (e.g., resource units 312) of the air interface
resource 302 for UL and DL wireless communications 202U and 202D.
Each resource block 304 of network access resources may be
allocated to support respective wireless communications 202 of
multiple end-user devices 102. In the lower left corner of the
grid, the resource block 304-1 may span, as defined by a given
communication protocol, a specified frequency range 308 and
comprise multiple subcarriers or frequency sub-bands. The resource
block 304-1 may include any suitable number of subcarriers (e.g.,
12) that each correspond to a respective portion (e.g., 15 kHz) of
the specified frequency range 308 (e.g., 180 kHz). The resource
block 304-1 may also span, as defined by the given communication
protocol, a specified time interval 306 or time slot (e.g., lasting
approximately one-half millisecond or 7 orthogonal
frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols). The time interval
306 includes subintervals that may each correspond to a symbol,
such as an OFDM symbol. As shown in FIG. 3, each resource block 304
may include multiple resource elements 310 (REs) that correspond
to, or are defined by, a subcarrier of the frequency range 308 and
a subinterval (or symbol) of the time interval 306. Alternatively,
a given resource element 310 may span more than one frequency
subcarrier or symbol. Thus, a resource unit 312 may include at
least one resource block 304, at least one resource element 310,
and so forth.
[0064] In example implementations, multiple end-user devices 102
(one of which is shown) are communicating with the base station 102
through access provided by portions of the air interface resource
302. A resource manager (not shown in FIG. 3) may determine a
respective type or amount of information (e.g., data or control
information) to be communicated (e.g., transmitted) by the end-user
device 102. For example, the resource manager can determine that
each end-user device 102 is to transmit a different respective
amount of information. The resource manager then allocates one or
more resource blocks 304 to each end-user device 102 based on the
determined amount of information.
[0065] Additionally or in the alternative to block-level resource
grants, the resource manager may allocate resource units at an
element-level. Thus, the resource manager may allocate one or more
resource elements 310 or individual subcarriers to different
end-user devices 102. By so doing, one resource block 304 can be
allocated to facilitate network access for multiple end-user
devices 102. Accordingly, the resource manager may allocate, at
various granularities, one or up to all subcarriers or resource
elements 310 of a resource block 304 to one end-user device 102 or
divided across multiple end-user devices 102, thereby enabling
higher network utilization or increased spectrum efficiency. The
air interface resource 302 can also be used to exchange paging
communications, which are described below starting at FIG. 5.
[0066] The resource manager can therefore allocate air interface
resource 302 by resource unit 312, resource block 304, frequency
carrier, time interval, resource element 310, frequency subcarrier,
time subinterval, symbol, spreading code, some combination thereof,
and so forth. Based on respective allocations of resource units
312, the resource manager can transmit respective messages to the
end-user devices 102 indicating the respective allocation of
resource units 312 to each device. Each message may enable a
respective end-user device 102 to queue the information or
configure a communication unit 120 to communicate via the allocated
resource units 312 of the air interface resource 302. For example,
an end-user device 102 can prepare an antenna beamformer to steer a
signal beam back to the base station 104. To do so, the end-user
device 102 can train the beamformer responsive to receipt of a
signal transmitted from the base station 104.
[0067] FIG. 4 illustrates an example beamforming scenario 400
including a transmitting device 424 and a receiving device 426. The
transmitting device 424 includes an example of a communication unit
402 that is configured to implement antenna beamforming to generate
multiple signal beams 416. As shown, the communication unit 402 is
transmitting four signal beams 416-1, 416-2, 416-3, and 416-4;
however, more or fewer signal beams 416 can be generated. The
multiple signal beams 416 are formed such that a first signal beam
416-1 extends farther than the other signal beams. Additionally,
the communication unit 402 aims the first signal beam 416-1 in a
direction toward the receiving device 426.
[0068] In some situations, an end-user device 102 (e.g., of FIGS.
1-3) functions as the transmitting device 424, and a base station
104 functions as the receiving device 426. In other situations, the
base station 104 functions as the transmitting device 424, and the
end-user device 102 functions as the receiving device 426. Thus, in
the former situations, the communication unit 402 of the
transmitting device 424 corresponds to a communication unit 120 of
the end-user device 102, but the communication unit 402 of the
transmitting device 424 corresponds to a communication unit 130 of
the base station 104 in the latter situations.
[0069] The communication unit 402 is configured to transmit
information 410 (e.g., data or control information) or receive
information 410. The communication unit 402 includes a baseband
(BB) part 404, a transceiver 406 (e.g., a transmitter or a
receiver), and an RF front end (RFFE) 408. The RFFE 408 includes
multiple antennas 412-1, 412-2 . . . 412-n, with "n" representing
some positive integer. The multiple antennas 412 may jointly form
an antenna array or each antenna 412 may include multiple antenna
elements that function as an array. An RF signal that is
transmitted from different ones of the multiple antennas 412
constructively and destructively combine at different physical or
geo spatial locations to create multiple signal beams 416 that
provide different spatial patterns for the resulting signal beams
416. In addition to direction, each signal beam 416 can have a
different height, shape along the beam, width, shape of incidence
on the earth's surface, length, and so forth.
[0070] Typically, the baseband part 404 includes at least one
baseband processor to modulate or apply the information 410 to a
baseband signal. The transceiver 406 includes one or more lowpass
filters and processes the baseband signal to upconvert or
down-convert the frequency using at least one mixer. The RFFE 408,
in addition to the multiple antennas 412, includes one or more
bandpass filters. The RFFE 408 also includes one or more low-noise
amplifiers (LNAs) for receiving signals and one or more power
amplifiers (PAs) for transmitting signals. The transceiver 406 or
the RFFE 408 can include one or more phase shifters to delay a
signal in time or change a phase thereof.
[0071] The communication unit 402 generates different patterns for
the signal beams 416 by adjusting one or more beamforming
parameters 418. The beamforming parameters 418 can also be referred
to as weights. The beamforming parameters 418 establish different
amplitudes 420, phases 422, and so forth for each signal version
that is provided to one of the multiple antennas 412. By changing
aspects of the signals emanating from the multiple antennas 412,
the manners and geospatial locations at which the RF signals
interact change, which produces different signal beam patterns.
[0072] Beamforming parameters 418 can be implemented at any portion
of the communication unit 402. For example, the baseband part 404
can implement beamforming parameters 418 using precoding at a
baseband processor. The transceiver 406 or the RFFE 408 can
implement beamforming parameters 418 using, for instance, phase
shifters to shift the phase of one signal version relative to that
of other signal versions. Alternatively, a hybrid approach can be
implemented in which beamforming parameters 418 are established
partially at the baseband part 404 and partially at the transceiver
406 or the RFFE 408.
[0073] As shown in FIG. 4, the receiving device 426 also includes a
communication unit (CU) 402. The receiving device 426 can therefore
use the communication unit 402 to transmit or receive beamformed
signals. Further, although the communication unit 402 of the
transmitting device 424 is described above primarily in terms of
transmitting a signal beam 416-1, each communication unit 402 can
also receive signals using antenna beamforming. In other words, the
inverse or reciprocal beamforming process can be implemented by the
receiving device 426. To do so, the communication unit 402 at the
receiving device 426 receives multiple RF signals or signal
versions at multiple antennas 414 and processes the multiple RF
signal versions using different beamforming parameters 418 until a
received signal beam 416 is detected that has a sufficiently strong
signal.
[0074] This process of searching for beamforming parameters 418
that are at least acceptable for receiving a signal beam 416 is
called training the communication unit 402 to receive the signal
beam 416 or training the beamformer. A beamforming training module
118 (of FIG. 1) of an end-user device 102 or a beamforming training
module 128 (of FIG. 1) of a base station 104 can implement
beamforming training. Because RF propagation is at least partially
reciprocal in nature, the beamforming parameters 418 that are
determined as part of a receive operation at the receiving device
426 can be used for transmission as well. In other words,
beamforming parameters 418 that are good for receiving a signal
beam 416 from one device can then be used for transmitting another
signal beam 416 back to that device. Similarly, beamforming
parameters 418 that have been confirmed as being good for
transmitting can be used for receiving.
[0075] Thus, antenna beamforming during transmission to a given
device can train the beamformer (e.g., by determining appropriate
beamforming parameters 418) for subsequent reception from the given
device, and antenna beamforming during reception from the given
device can train the beamformer for subsequent transmission to the
given device. Training a beamformer by receiving a communication on
a signal beam to determine beamforming parameters 418 can therefore
increase reception quality and accuracy and reduce latency, as well
as reduce the occurrence of inefficient transmissions and
receptions used solely for training. This is especially pertinent
if the transmitting or receiving device is moving or the signal
propagation channel is otherwise rapidly changing. Paging with
enhanced beamforming as described herein can therefore be used to
enhance beamforming by helping to train a beamformer as channel
conditions change or as the location of at least one device that is
party to a communication moves. For example, a beamformed signal
received at a base station from a given end-user device helps to
train the beamformer at the base station for sending a signal beam
back to the given end-user device.
[0076] Example Schemes, Devices, and Components
[0077] FIG. 5 illustrates an example environment 500 in which
paging with enhanced beamforming can be implemented using multiple
paging communications 504 in accordance with an air interface
signaling protocol 502. As illustrated, a base station 104 includes
a beamforming enhancement module 126, and multiple end-user devices
102-1 to 102-n each include a beamforming enhancement module 116.
In some implementations, both the beamforming enhancement module
116 and the beamforming enhancement module 126 operate in
accordance with, or otherwise adhere to, the air interface
signaling protocol 502. The air interface signaling protocol 502
specifies procedures, specifications, operating parameters,
techniques, timings, and so forth that enable the end-user device
102 and the base station 104 to individually or jointly implement
paging with enhanced beamforming as described herein. In an example
operation, the multiple end-user devices 102-1 to 102-n and the
base station 104 exchange one or more paging communications 504
over at least one resource unit 312 (e.g., resource blocks 304 or
resource elements 310) of the air interface resource 302 at least
partially in accordance with the air interface signaling protocol
502. Each paging communication 504 is transmitted as at least one
wireless communication 202, which may include an UL communication
202U or a DL communication 202D (of FIG. 2). The paging
communications 504 are exchanged so that the base station 104 can
notify an end-user device 102 that a page exists for that end-user
device 102.
[0078] In example implementations, the air interface signaling
protocol 502 enables a beamformer at the end-user device 102 or at
the base station 104 to be trained with one or more paging
communications 504. A paging communication 504 can comprise, for
example, a paging message, a paging request, or a paging response,
which are described herein below. Each of the beamforming
enhancement modules 116 and 126 provides opportunities for a
beamformer to learn appropriate beamforming parameters 418 (of FIG.
4) for transmitting a paging communication 504 to, or receiving one
from, the other device using the beamforming training modules 118
and 128 (of FIG. 1), respectively. To do so, the beamforming
enhancement module 116 is empowered to transmit a paging request
from the end-user device 102 to the base station 104 via an UL
communication 202U with a narrow beam. This provides the
beamforming enhancement module 126 an opportunity to learn a
position of the end-user device 102 or channel characteristics
between the two devices. Thus, the beamforming enhancement module
126 is enabled to transmit a paging response from the base station
104 to the end-user device 102 via a DL communication 202D with
another narrow beam using at least one learned beamforming
parameter 418. An example progression of these different types of
paging communications 504 is described below with reference to FIG.
6.
[0079] FIG. 6 is an example sequence diagram 600 illustrating
different paging communications between an end-user device 102 and
a base station 104 to implement paging with enhanced beamforming.
The beamforming enhancement module 116 of the end-user device 102
includes a paging module 616, and the beamforming enhancement
module 126 of the base station 104 includes a paging module 618.
The paging modules 616 and 618 are described below with reference
to FIG. 7. As illustrated, time 614 increases in a downward
direction for the sequence diagram 600. Three examples of the
paging communication 504 (of FIG. 5) are shown: a paging message
602, a paging request 604, and a paging response 606.
[0080] In example implementations, the beamforming enhancement
module 126 transmits the paging message 602 from the base station
104 to the end-user device 102 via a DL communication 202D with a
wide beam 608. Although only one end-user device 102 is shown in
FIG. 6, the base station 104 can transmit the paging message 602 to
multiple end-user devices 102 using the wide beam 608, which is
described below with reference to FIG. 8. The paging message 602
includes information to notify one or more end-user devices 102
whether a respective page exists at the base station 104 for each
respective end-user device. A page can exist if, for example, there
is information to transmit from the network to the respective
end-user device. The page can be generated by the base station 104
or further upstream within the wireless network (e.g., at a
mobility management entity (MME)). Example situations in which a
page exists include if a mobile terminated call is attempting to be
completed (e.g., for a circuit-switched (CS) or a packet-switched
(PS) call), if an end-user device is being requested to reacquire
system information, if an emergency warning indication is to be
provided, and so forth. As explained further below with reference
to FIG. 8, paging messages 602 are typically sent at determinable
paging occasions.
[0081] If the end-user device 102 cannot obtain the paging message
602 at a particular paging occasion, the end-user device 102 is
uncertain whether or not a page exists for the end-user device 102.
Thus, the end-user device 102 can be missing a call or other
downlink information. To address this possibility, the beamforming
enhancement module 116 transmits a paging request 604 from the
end-user device 102 to the base station 104 via an UL communication
202U with a narrow beam 610. The narrow beam 610 is intended to
target the base station 104. The paging request 604 is configured
to inquire whether a page exists for the end-user device 102.
[0082] The base station 104 receives the paging request 604 from
the end-user device 102 via the UL communication 202U on the narrow
beam 610. The beamforming enhancement module 126 processes the
paging request 604 and produces a paging response 606. The paging
response 606 is indicative of whether a page exists for the
end-user device 102. The beamforming enhancement module 126
transmits the paging response 606 from the base station 104 to the
requesting end-user device 102 via another DL communication 202D
with a narrow beam 612. To do so, the beamforming enhancement
module 126 can use at least one beamforming parameter 418 that was
learned by receiving the paging request 604 via the UL
communication 202U on the narrow beam 610. The beamforming
enhancement module 116 receives the paging response 606 from the
base station 104 via the DL communication 202D on the narrow beam
612. The beamforming enhancement module 116 can therefore learn if
a page exists for the end-user device 102.
[0083] FIG. 7 illustrates generally at 700 an example beamforming
enhancement module 116 for an end-user device and an example
beamforming enhancement module 126 for a base station to
individually or jointly implement paging with enhanced beamforming.
The beamforming enhancement modules 116 and 126 can include one or
more of the illustrated modules or information. Each individual
module or set of information can include instructions or code that
are stored in at least one computer-readable storage memory and
that are executable by one or more processors. The modules can be
distributed across different memories and/or executed by one
processor or by multiple processors. Further, the instructions or
code can be separated into additional modules or combined into
fewer ones.
[0084] As illustrated for the end-user-device side, the beamforming
enhancement module 116 includes at least one end-user device
identifier 702, a beamforming module 704, and a paging module 616,
which is separated into three modules. The paging module 616
includes a paging message module 616-1, a paging request module
616-2, and a paging response module 616-3. The end-user device
identifier 702 is a locally or globally unique identification of
the end-user device 102 with respect to at least a portion of a
wireless network, such as for use by a base station 104. Examples
of an end-user device identifier 702 include a phone number, an
internet protocol (IP) address, a media access control (MAC)
address, an International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI)
identifier, an International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI)
identifier, a Cell Radio Network Temporary Identity (C-RNTI)
identifier, a Globally Unique Temporary Identity (GUTI) identifier,
and so forth.
[0085] The beamforming module 704 is configured to determine one or
more beamforming parameters 418 to establish a signal beam 416
(both of FIG. 4). The beamforming module 704 can interact with the
beamforming training module 118 of an end-user device 102 (of FIG.
1) responsive to a transmission or a reception of, e.g., at least
one narrow beam wireless communication. The paging message module
616-1 is configured to perform operations described herein that
pertain to a paging message 602 (e.g., of FIGS. 6 and 8). The
paging request module 616-2 is configured to perform operations
described herein that pertain to a paging request 604. The paging
response module 616-3 is configured to perform operations described
herein that pertain to a paging response 606. For example, a paging
message module 616-1 can attempt to obtain a paging message 602,
and a paging request module 616-2 can formulate and transmit a
paging request 604 if no paging message 602 is obtained. Although
not shown, the beamforming enhancement module 116 can include a
timing module that tracks elapsed times for periods between
consecutive paging occasions, that tracks a timer for a sleep
period, and so forth.
[0086] As illustrated for the network side, the beamforming
enhancement module 126 includes at least one paging record 706, a
beamforming module 708, and a paging module 618, which is separated
into three modules. The paging module 618 includes a paging message
module 618-1, a paging request module 618-2, and a paging response
module 618-3. The paging record 706 includes information for at
least one page 710. Although not explicitly shown, an example page
710 can include, for example, an end-user device identifier 702 in
association with paging information. Associated paging information
can include a reason for an existence of the page 710 (e.g., mobile
terminated call or emergency alert dissemination), a description of
paging-related data--such as an originating number, an indication
of how to accept the page 710, and so forth.
[0087] The beamforming module 708 is configured to determine one or
more beamforming parameters 418 to establish a signal beam 416
(both of FIG. 4). The beamforming module 708 can interact with the
beamforming training module 128 of a base station 104 (of FIG. 1)
responsive to a transmission or a reception, e.g., of at least one
narrow beam wireless communication. The paging message module 618-1
is configured to perform operations described herein that pertain
to a paging message 602 (e.g., of FIGS. 6 and 8). The paging
request module 618-2 is configured to perform operations described
herein that pertain to a paging request 604. The paging response
module 618-3 is configured to perform operations described herein
that pertain to a paging response 606. For example, a paging
request module 618-2 can receive a paging request 604 from an
end-user device 102, and a paging response module 618-3 can
formulate and transmit a paging response 606 to answer the
requesting end-user device. Although not shown, the beamforming
enhancement module 126 can include a timing module that tracks
elapsed times for periods between consecutive paging occasions,
that tracks periods for uplink and downlink regions of an air
interface resource 302 (of FIG. 3), and so forth. Operations
performed by an end-user device 102 and a base station 104,
including by some of the modules depicted in FIG. 7, are described
from both a spatial perspective and a temporal perspective in the
context of paging occasions with reference to FIG. 8.
[0088] FIG. 8 illustrates an example scheme 800 for implementing
paging with enhanced beamforming with respect to two consecutive
paging occasions 802. In FIG. 8, time 614 elapses in a rightward
direction along an axis that indicates two consecutive paging
occasions 802. The two consecutive paging occasions 802 are a first
paging occasion 802-1 and a subsequent, second paging occasion
802-2. A determinable interval 808 extends between these two
consecutive paging occasions 802. The multiple end-user devices
102-1 to 102-n and the base station 104 know or can calculate the
determinable interval 808. In some implementations, the
determinable interval 808 is constant or repeated such that the
paging occasions 802 recur at regular or periodic intervals. In
other implementations, the base station 104 can announce a pattern
of upcoming determinable intervals 808 or a technique to calculate
future determinable intervals 808.
[0089] In example implementations, paging occasions 802 and
determinable intervals 808 are established so that an end-user
device 102 is enabled to be in a low-power or sleep mode while
still receiving notifications of pages. Thus, each end-user device
102 can awaken itself at each paging occasion 802 to attempt to
obtain a paging message 602 and return to the sleep mode once a
paging determination has been made.
[0090] In example operations, as shown in the lower left corner of
FIG. 8, the base station 104 transmits a paging message 602 to
multiple end-user devices 102-1 to 102-n using a wide beam 608 at
the first paging occasion 802-1. With the wide beam 608, the base
station 104 can transmit the paging message 602 to multiple
end-user devices 102. However, all targeted or physically present
end-user devices 102 may not be able to obtain the transmitted
paging message 602. In the illustrated example, the end-user device
102-1 cannot obtain the transmitted paging message 602 due to, for
example, distance, obstructions, poor reflections, physical
orientation of the device, and so forth. Before the end-user device
102-1 can return to a sleep mode, the end-user device 102 makes one
or more efforts to ascertain if a page exists for the device.
[0091] To investigate the paging situation, at a subsequent moment
as represented by an arrow 812, the end-user device 102-1 transmits
a paging request 604 to the base station 104 using a narrow beam
610. The narrow beam 610 is directed toward target the base station
104. The paging request 604 includes an end-user device identifier
702 and is configured to inquire whether a page exists for the
end-user device 102-1. The base station 104 receives the paging
request 604 from the end-user device 102-1 on the narrow beam 610.
The base station 104 processes the paging request 604 and produces
a paging response 606 based on the end-user device identifier 702.
The paging response 606 is indicative of whether a page exists for
the end-user device identifier 702. The base station 104 transmits
the paging response 606 to the requesting end-user device 102-1
using a narrow beam 612. The base station 104 can transmit the
paging response 606 such that the narrow beam 612 mirrors the
narrow beam 610 by using the beamforming learned from the signal
carrying the paging request 604. The end-user device 102-1 receives
the paging response 606 from the base station 104 on the narrow
beam 612.
[0092] The transmission of the paging request 604 corresponds to a
time 804, and the transmission of the paging response 606
corresponds to a subsequent time 806. The occurrences of these
times 804 and 806 can vary depending on which UL or DL
communication region the transmission is performed in. These
timings are described further below with reference to FIG. 9. At
the time 806, the end-user device 102-1 has received the paging
response 606. The end-user device 102-1 can therefore determine if
a page 710 exists for the device. If so, the end-user device 102-1
can contact the base station 104 to accept the page 710. If not,
the end-user device 102-1 can enter an end-user device (EUD) sleep
period 810 until an occurrence of the second paging occasion 802-1,
which is the next or consecutive paging occasion 802 with respect
to the first paging occasion 802-1.
[0093] In the example scenario described above, the end-user device
102-1 successfully obtains (e.g., receives and decodes) the paging
response 606. However, the end-user device 102-1 may fail to obtain
the paging response 606. In such situations, the end-user device
102-1 can send a second (or a third, etc.) paging request 604 to
try again to ascertain if a page 710 exists for the device. The
second usage of a narrow beam 610 can be based on refinements
learned by receiving the signal for the previous paging response
606 on the narrow beam 612. Thus, repeated exchanges of paging
requests and responses can refine beamforming parameters until a
paging response 606 is successfully decoded by the end-user device
102-1. After a paging response 606 is successfully decoded, or
after some number of failed attempts, the end-user device 102-1 can
enter the end-user device sleep period 810 until the next paging
occasion 802. Although certain drawings (e.g., FIG. 8) are
described herein in terms of an end-user device 102 that is in or
that is returning to a low-power or a sleep mode, the principles
described herein are also applicable to scenarios in which the
end-user device 102 is awake and not entering a sleep mode.
[0094] FIG. 9 illustrates generally at 900, for a portion of an air
interface resource, two example paging-communication exchanges with
different timings. The representation of the air interface resource
includes a subframe schedule 902 and two allocation rows below the
subframe schedule 902. The example subframe schedule 902 depicts
multiple alternating regions 904 indicative of how the air
interface resource can be allocated over time for each frequency
range or row. These alternating regions include a DL region 904D
and an UL region 904U. The DL regions 904D are shaded with a dotted
pattern, and the UL regions 904U are shaded with a cross-hatched
pattern. These shading patterns are carried downward into the two
rows depicting example timings of the paging-communication
exchanges. These two rows are each indicated with an encircled
numeral (1) or (2). Thus, each of the regions across the first and
second rows (1) and (2) has a pattern indicative of being assigned
to the uplink "UL" versus being assigned to the downlink "DL."
Along an axis for elapsing time 614, a first paging occasion 802-1
and a consecutive second paging occasion 802-2 are indicated. Each
paging occasion 802 corresponds to a DL region 904D in which a base
station 104 can transmit a paging message 602 to multiple end-user
devices 102-1 to 102-n.
[0095] In the first example timing row (1) (i.e., the middle row),
the base station transmits a paging message 602 to multiple
end-user devices in a DL region 904D using a wide beam responsive
to an occurrence of the first paging occasion 802-1. As indicated
by the depicted ellipses (" . . . "), at some subsequent time, a
requesting end-user device transmits a paging request 604 to the
base station in an UL region 904U using a narrow beam. Similarly,
after another period of time, the base station transmits a paging
response 606 back to the requesting end-user device in a DL region
904D using another narrow beam. After yet another period of time
along the first example timing row (1), the base station transmits
another paging message 602 to the multiple end-user devices in
another DL region 904D using a wide beam responsive to an
occurrence of the second paging occasion 802-2.
[0096] As represented by the ellipses, any amount of time or
regions 904 can occur between the explicitly-indicated regions of
the first example timing row (1). Examples of such regions that may
occur range from zero intervening regions to multiple intervening
regions of both UL and DL types. However, in certain example
implementations, the paging request 604 and the paging response 606
are transmitted and received before the second paging occasion
802-2. In other words, an end-user device can initiate a
paging-communication exchange that includes a request and a
response such that at least the paging request 604 is transmitted
before the next succeeding paging occasion 802 or such that both
the paging request 604 and the corresponding paging response 606
are received and processed between two consecutive paging occasions
802. This approach provides a relatively relaxed timing of signal
transmissions and receptions, but the end-user device consequently
stays awake longer or has to undergo multiple sleep and wake
cycles.
[0097] To reduce an amount of time that an end-user device is awake
or how often the end-user device reawakens itself, the second
example timing row (2) (i.e., the lower row) can be implemented.
Here, the base station also transmits a paging message 602 to
multiple end-user devices in a DL region 904D using a wide beam
responsive to the first paging occasion 802-1. In the next UL
region 904U, the end-user device transmits a paging request 604 to
the base station using a narrow beam. Similarly, in the next
succeeding DL region 904D, the base station transmits a paging
response 606 back to the requesting end-user device using another
narrow beam. In such cases, there is no intervening region 904
between any two DL/UL or UL/DL communication pairs. As shown in the
second example timing row (2), each region 904 is adjacent to the
preceding region having a paging communication that is part of the
same paging-communication exchange. As used in this context, two
regions 904 for a given paging-communication exchange may be
adjacent to each other if no region 904 is present between the two
adjacent regions 904, even if guard time or buffer resource units
are present between the two.
[0098] Utilizing regions that are adjacent to each other provides a
number of potential advantages. First, power can be saved at the
end-user device. Second, if a page does exist for the end-user
device, the end-user device obtains notice thereof faster than if
additional time elapses or regions occur. Third, unilateral or
bilateral beamforming training can be faster or more accurate by
exchanging wireless communications in rapid succession. Fourth, by
sending a paging request 604 sooner rather than later (e.g., at a
next UL region 904U), more time remains available after a paging
response 606 is transmitted. Consequently, if an end-user device
102 fails to obtain a first paging response 606, the end-user
device 102 may have time to send another paging request 604 and
receive a second paging response 606 before the next paging
occasion 802.
[0099] Having generally described schemes and apparatuses for
paging with enhanced beamforming, this discussion now turns to
example methods.
[0100] Example Methods
[0101] Example methods are described below with reference to
various flow diagrams of FIGS. 10, 11, and 12. These methods relate
to paging with enhanced beamforming at a system level, a base
station level, and an end-user device level, respectively. Aspects
of these methods may be implemented in, for example, hardware
(e.g., fixed logic circuitry or general-purpose processors),
firmware, or some combination thereof. These techniques may be
realized using one or more of the electronic devices or components
shown in FIG. 1-9 or 13 (an electronic device 1300 is described in
FIG. 13 below), which devices or components may be further divided,
combined, and so on. The electronic devices and components of these
figures generally represent firmware, hardware, IC chips, circuits,
or a combination thereof. Thus, these figures illustrate some of
the many possible systems or apparatuses capable of implementing
the described techniques.
[0102] For these flow diagrams, the orders in which operations are
shown and/or described are not intended to be construed as a
limitation. Any number or combination of the described method
operations can be combined in any order to implement a method, or
an alternative method. Further, described operations can be
implemented in fully or partially overlapping manners.
[0103] FIG. 10 illustrates at a flow diagram 1000 example methods
for implementing paging with enhanced beamforming using a portion
of a wireless system. The flow diagram 1000 includes fourteen
operations 1002-1028. A base station 104 performs the operations
1002 and 1018-1024. An end-user device 102 performs the operations
1004-1016, 1026, and 1028. An occurrence of a paging occasion 802
initiates the process.
[0104] At 1002, responsive to the paging occasion 802, the base
station 104 transmits a paging message 602 to multiple end-user
devices 102-1 to 102-n with a wide beam 608. Alternatively, the
base station 104 can transmit the paging message 602 to a
particular end-user device 102 with a narrow beam using old, and
potentially stale, beamforming parameters 418 for the particular
end-user device 102. The end-user device 102 attempts to obtain a
paging message 602 at the paging occasion 802. To obtain a paging
message, an end-user device receives and successfully decodes
information contained within the paging message. Thus, at 1004, the
end-user device 102 attempts to receive the paging message 602 sent
from the base station 104 by receiving some RF signal. Further, at
1006, the end-user device 102 attempts to decode the paging
information in the received RF signal.
[0105] At 1008, the end-user device 102 determines if the decoding
was successful. If so, then at 1010, the end-user device 102
processes the decoded information and can accept a waiting page 710
or return to a sleep mode if no page 710 is waiting. On the other
hand, if the decoding was unsuccessful, then at 1012, the end-user
device 102 formulates a paging request 604 with an end-user device
identifier 702. At 1014, the end-user device 102 selects a
frequency sub-band for the paging request. At 1016, the end-user
device 102 transmits the paging request 604 to the base station 104
via an UL communication 202U with a narrow beam 610 on the selected
frequency sub-band. This UL communication 202U can be autonomous
and without a resource grant by the base station 104.
[0106] At 1018, the base station 104 receives on the selected
frequency sub-band the paging request 604, which includes the
end-user device identifier 702. The paging request 604 is received
from the end-user device 102 via the UL communication 202U with the
narrow beam 610. At 1020, the base station 104 processes the paging
request 604. For example, the base station 104 can determine if any
waiting pages 710 match the end-user device identifier 702. At
1022, the base station 104 formulates a paging response 606 based
on the processing. For example, the paging response 606 can
indicate that a page 710 is waiting for the end-user device 102 or
is that no page 710 is waiting for the end-user device 102.
[0107] At 1024, the base station 104 transmits the formulated
paging response 606 to the end-user device 102 via a DL
communication 202D using a narrow beam 612 on the selected
frequency sub-band. At 1026, the end-user device 102 attempts to
receive the paging response 606 from the base station 104 on the
narrow beam 612. At 1028, the end-user device 102 processes the
paging response 606. Further processing can include accepting a
waiting page 710, going to sleep if no page 710 is waiting, sending
another paging request 604 if no paging response 606 was
successfully obtained, and so forth.
[0108] FIG. 11 illustrates at a flow diagram 1100 example methods
for implementing paging with enhanced beamforming using a base
station 104. The flow diagram 1100 includes two operations 1102 and
1104. At 1102, a paging request is received from an end-user device
via an uplink communication with a narrow beam. The paging request
is configured to inquire whether a page exists for the end-user
device. For example, a beamforming enhancement module 126 of a base
station 104 can receive, from an end-user device 102, a paging
request 604 via an uplink communication 202U with a narrow beam
610. The paging request 604 is configured to inquire whether a page
710 exists for the end-user device 104 in a paging record 704 of
the base station 104.
[0109] At 1104, a paging response is transmitted, via a downlink
communication, to the end-user device based on the paging request,
with the paging response indicative of whether a page exists for
the end-user device. For example, the beamforming enhancement
module 126 can transmit, based on the paging request 604, a paging
response 606 to the end-user device 102 via a downlink
communication 202D. The paging response 606 is indicative of
whether a page 710 exists for the end-user device 102 at the base
station 104 and thus whether the end-user device 102 failed to
obtain an earlier-transmitted paging message 602.
[0110] FIG. 12 illustrates at a flow diagram 1200 example methods
for implementing paging with enhanced beamforming using an end-user
device 102. The flow diagram 1200 includes two operations 1202 and
1204. At 1202, a paging message that is transmitted by a base
station via a downlink communication with a wide beam is attempted
to be obtained. For example, a beamforming enhancement module 116
of an end-user device 102 can attempt to obtain a paging message
602 that is transmitted by a base station 104 via a downlink
communication 202D with a wide beam 608.
[0111] At 1204, based on the attempt to obtain the paging message,
a paging request is transmitted to the base station via an uplink
communication with a narrow beam. The paging request is configured
to inquire whether a page exists for the end-user device. For
example, based on a failed attempt to obtain the paging message
602, the beamforming enhancement module 116 can transmit to the
base station 104 a paging request 604 via an uplink communication
202U with a narrow beam 610. The paging request 604 is configured
to inquire whether a page 710 exists for the end-user device 102 so
that a paging module 616 can accept the page 710 or return to a
sleep mode until another paging occasion 802.
[0112] Example Electronic Device
[0113] FIG. 13 illustrates various components of an example
electronic device 1300 that can implement paging with enhanced
beamforming in accordance with one or more implementations as
described with reference to any of the previous FIGS. 1-12. The
electronic device 1300 may be implemented as any one or combination
of a fixed or mobile device, in any form of a consumer, computer,
portable, user, server, communication, phone, navigation, gaming,
audio, camera, messaging, media playback, and/or other type of
electronic device or a base station device, including a cellular
base station or a Wi-Fi access point.
[0114] Electronic device 1300 includes communication transceivers
1302 that enable wired and/or wireless communication of device data
1304, such as received data, transmitted data, or other information
as described above. Example communication transceivers 1302 include
NFC transceivers, WPAN radios compliant with various IEEE 802.15
(Bluetooth.TM.) standards, WLAN radios compliant with any of the
various IEEE 802.11 (WiFi.TM.) standards, WWAN (3GPP-compliant)
radios for cellular telephony, wireless metropolitan area network
(WMAN) radios compliant with various IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX.TM.)
standards, and wired local area network (LAN) Ethernet
transceivers.
[0115] The electronic device 1300 may also include one or more data
input ports 1306 via which any type of data, media content, and/or
other inputs can be received, such as user-selectable inputs,
messages, applications, music, television content, recorded video
content, and any other type of audio, video, and/or image data
received from any content and/or data source. The data input ports
1306 may include USB ports, coaxial cable ports, and other serial
or parallel connectors (including internal connectors) for flash
memory, DVDs, CDs, and the like. These data input ports 1306 may be
used to couple the electronic device to components, peripherals, or
accessories such as keyboards, microphones, or cameras.
[0116] The electronic device 1300 of this example includes at least
one processor 1308 (e.g., any one or more of application
processors, microprocessors, digital-signal processors (DSPs),
controllers, and the like), which can include a combined processor
and memory system (e.g., implemented as part of an SoC), that
processes (e.g., executes) computer-executable instructions stored
on computer-readable media to control operation of the device. The
processor 1308 may be implemented as an application processor,
embedded controller, microcontroller, SoC, and the like. Generally,
a processor or processing system may be implemented at least
partially in hardware, which can include components of an
integrated circuit or on-chip system, a digital-signal processor
(DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a
field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a complex programmable logic
device (CPLD), and other implementations in silicon and/or other
hardware.
[0117] Alternatively or additionally, the electronic device 1300
can be implemented with any one or combination of electronic
circuitry, which may include software, hardware, firmware, or fixed
logic circuitry that is implemented in connection with processing
and control circuits, which are generally indicated at 1310 (as
electronic circuitry 1310). This electronic circuitry 1310 can
implement executable or hardware-based modules (not shown) through
logic circuitry and/or hardware (e.g., such as an FPGA), and so
forth.
[0118] Although not shown, the electronic device 1300 can include a
system bus, interconnect, crossbar, or data transfer system that
couples the various components within the device. A system bus or
interconnect can include any one or combination of different bus
structures, such as a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral
bus, a universal serial bus, and/or a processor or local bus that
utilizes any of a variety of bus architectures.
[0119] The electronic device 1300 also includes one or more memory
devices 1312 that enable data storage, examples of which include
random access memory (RAM), non-volatile memory (e.g., read-only
memory (ROM), flash memory, EPROM, and EEPROM), and a disk storage
device. The memory device(s) 1312 provide data storage mechanisms
to store the device data 1304, other types of code and/or data, and
various device applications 1320 (e.g., software applications or
programs). For example, an operating system 1314 can be maintained
as software instructions within the memory device 1312 and executed
by the processor 1308.
[0120] As shown, the electronic device 1300 also includes an audio
and/or video processing system 1316 that processes audio data
and/or passes through the audio and video data to an audio system
1318 and/or to a display system 1322 (e.g., a video buffer or a
screen of a smart phone or camera). The audio system 1318 and/or
the display system 1322 may include any devices that process,
display, and/or otherwise render audio, video, display, and/or
image data. Display data and audio signals can be communicated to
an audio component and/or to a display component via an RF (radio
frequency) link, S-video link, HDMI (high-definition multimedia
interface), composite video link, component video link, DVI
(digital video interface), analog audio connection, or other
similar communication link, such as media data port 1324. In some
implementations, the audio system 1318 and/or the display system
1322 are external or separate components of the electronic device
1300. Alternatively, the display system 1322 can be an integrated
component of the example electronic device 1300, such as part of an
integrated touch interface.
[0121] The electronic device 1300 of FIG. 13 is an example
implementation of the devices 102, 104, 424, and 426 of, e.g.,
FIGS. 1-4 et. seq. Thus, the processor 1308 is an example of the
processor 112 or 122. Also, the memory device 1312 is an example of
the computer-readable storage medium 114 or 124, as further
indicated by the illustrated beamforming enhancement module 116 or
126. The electronic device 1300 may further include, e.g. as part
of a communication unit 120, 130, or 402 (of FIGS. 1 and 4), at
least one antenna, at least one transceiver, at least one
amplifier, at least one baseband processor, and so forth. Thus, the
principles of paging with enhanced beamforming as described herein
can be implemented by, or in conjunction with, the electronic
device 1300 of FIG. 13.
[0122] Unless context dictates otherwise, use herein of the word
"or" may be considered use of an "inclusive or," or a term that
permits inclusion or application of one or more items that are
linked by the word "or" (e.g., a phrase "A or B" may be interpreted
as permitting just "A," as permitting just "B," or as permitting
both "A" and "B"). Also, items represented in the accompanying
figures and terms discussed herein may be indicative of one or more
items or terms, and thus reference may be made interchangeably to
single or plural forms of the items and terms in this written
description. Although implementations for paging with enhanced
beamforming have been described in language specific to certain
features and/or methods, the subject of the appended claims is not
necessarily limited to the specific features or methods described.
Rather, the specific features and methods are disclosed as example
implementations for paging with enhanced beamforming
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