U.S. patent application number 16/268325 was filed with the patent office on 2020-08-06 for user equipment for wirelessly communicating cellular signal with another user equipment.
The applicant listed for this patent is XCOM Labs, Inc.. Invention is credited to Peter John Black, Michael Mingxi Fan, Matthew Stuart Grob, Paul Eric Jacobs, Tamer Adel Kadous.
Application Number | 20200252088 16/268325 |
Document ID | 20200252088 / US20200252088 |
Family ID | 1000003939550 |
Filed Date | 2020-08-06 |
Patent Application | download [pdf] |
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United States Patent
Application |
20200252088 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Jacobs; Paul Eric ; et
al. |
August 6, 2020 |
USER EQUIPMENT FOR WIRELESSLY COMMUNICATING CELLULAR SIGNAL WITH
ANOTHER USER EQUIPMENT
Abstract
Aspects of this disclosure relate to a user equipment that
includes a transceiver that can operate in at least a traffic mode
and a virtual network element mode. In the traffic mode, the
transceiver can process a received downlink radio frequency signal
and transmit an uplink radio frequency signal. The transceiver can
couple a receive path to a transmit path in an analog domain in the
virtual network element mode. In the virtual network element mode,
the transceiver can, for example, perform functions of a network
repeater or a network transmit-receive point.
Inventors: |
Jacobs; Paul Eric; (La
Jolla, CA) ; Black; Peter John; (La Jolla, CA)
; Grob; Matthew Stuart; (La Jolla, CA) ; Fan;
Michael Mingxi; (San Diego, CA) ; Kadous; Tamer
Adel; (San Diego, CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
XCOM Labs, Inc. |
San Diego |
CA |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
1000003939550 |
Appl. No.: |
16/268325 |
Filed: |
February 5, 2019 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04W 72/0453 20130101;
H04B 1/3827 20130101; H04B 1/005 20130101; H04W 88/06 20130101;
H04W 72/1289 20130101 |
International
Class: |
H04B 1/00 20060101
H04B001/00; H04B 1/3827 20060101 H04B001/3827; H04W 72/04 20060101
H04W072/04; H04W 72/12 20060101 H04W072/12; H04W 88/06 20060101
H04W088/06 |
Claims
1. A user equipment comprising: a baseband processor; and a
transceiver in communication with the baseband processor, the
transceiver comprising a receive path and a transmit path, and the
transceiver configurable into at least a first mode and a second
mode; wherein the receive path is coupled to the transmit path in
an analog domain in the first mode, the receive path is configured
to receive a receive downlink cellular signal in the first mode,
and the transmit path is configured to output a transmit downlink
cellular signal in the first mode; wherein, in the first mode, the
transceiver is further configured to receive a receive uplink
cellular signal and to output a transmit uplink cellular signal;
and wherein, in the second mode, the transceiver is configured to
generate an uplink radio frequency signal based on an output signal
from the baseband processor, to process a received downlink radio
frequency signal, and to downconvert the processed downlink radio
frequency signal to baseband.
2. The user equipment of claim 1, wherein the receive downlink
cellular signal and the transmit downlink cellular signal are at
substantially the same carrier frequency.
3. The user equipment of claim 1, wherein the receive downlink
cellular signal and the transmit downlink cellular signal are at
different carrier frequencies.
4. The user equipment of claim 3, wherein the transceiver comprises
analog circuitry configured to frequency translate a radio
frequency signal in the first mode, and wherein the receive
downlink cellular signal and the transmit downlink cellular signal
are within different frequency bands.
5. The user equipment of claim 1, further comprising an antenna
configured to transmit the transmit downlink cellular signal when
the transceiver is in the first mode and to transmit the uplink
radio frequency signal when the transceiver is in the second
mode.
6. The user equipment of claim 5, further comprising a switch
configured to provide the transmit downlink cellular signal to the
antenna when the transceiver is in the first mode, the switch
configured to provide the uplink radio frequency signal to the
antenna when the transceiver is in the second mode, and the switch
configured change state corresponding to the transceiver toggling
between the first mode and the second mode.
7. The user equipment of claim 6, wherein the switch is configured
to receive a control signal to control the switch to be in a state
corresponding to the first mode during selected time slots in a
traffic mode of the user equipment.
8. The user equipment of claim 6, wherein the switch is configured
to pass the received downlink radio frequency signal in the second
mode.
9. The user equipment of claim 6, wherein, in the first mode, the
switch is configured to pass the receive uplink cellular
signal.
10. The user equipment of claim 1, wherein the transceiver is
configured to cause the user equipment to function as a repeater in
the first mode and to function as a transmit-receive point of a
network system in a third mode.
11. The user equipment of claim 1, wherein, in the first mode, the
transceiver is configured to perform front haul processing.
12. A method of data transmission, the method comprising:
receiving, by a receive path of a first user equipment, a receive
downlink cellular signal in a first mode, wherein the receive path
of the first user equipment is coupled to a transmit path of the
first user equipment in an analog domain in the first mode;
transmitting, via the transmit path of the first user equipment, a
transmit downlink cellular signal to a second user equipment in the
first mode; receiving, by the first user equipment, a receive
uplink cellular signal in the first mode; and transmitting, by the
first user equipment, a transmit uplink cellular signal to the
second user equipment in the first mode; toggling a mode of the
first user equipment from the first mode to a second mode;
generating a transmit uplink cellular signal based on an output of
a baseband processor of the first user equipment in the second
mode; and transmitting, by the first user equipment, the transmit
uplink cellular signal in the second mode.
13. The method of claim 12, wherein the first user equipment
operates as a network repeater in the first mode.
14. The method of claim 12, further comprising frequency
translating the receive downlink cellular signal in the first mode
such that the receive downlink cellular signal and the transmit
downlink cellular signal have different carrier frequencies.
15. The method of claim 12, wherein toggling the mode of the first
user equipment comprises toggling a state of a switch.
16. The method of claim 12, wherein the same antenna is configured
to transmit the transmit downlink cellular signal and to transmit
the transmit uplink cellular signal.
17. A user equipment comprising: a baseband processor; and a
transceiver in communication with the baseband processor, the
transceiver configurable into at least a virtual transmit-receive
point mode and a traffic mode; wherein, in the virtual
transmit-receive point mode, the transceiver is configured to
receive a downlink cellular signal, process the downlink cellular
signal without demodulation to baseband and by at least frequency
translating the downlink cellular signal, and output the processed
received downlink cellular signal for wireless transmission by the
user equipment; and wherein, in the virtual transmit-receive point
mode, the transceiver is further configured to receive an uplink
cellular signal, process the uplink cellular signal without
demodulation to baseband and by at least frequency translating the
uplink cellular signal, and output the processed uplink cellular
signal for wireless transmission by the user equipment; and
wherein, in the traffic mode, the transceiver is configured to
generate an uplink radio frequency signal based on an output signal
from the baseband processor, to process a received downlink radio
frequency signal, and to downconvert the processed downlink radio
frequency signal to baseband.
18. The user equipment of claim 17, wherein the transceiver
comprises a radio frequency protocol processing circuit configured
to perform front haul processing on the downlink cellular
signal.
19. The user equipment of claim 17, wherein the transceiver
comprises a radio frequency protocol processing circuit configured
to perform front haul processing on the uplink cellular signal.
20. The user equipment of claim 17, further comprising an antenna
configured to transmit the processed uplink cellular signal when
the transceiver is in the virtual transmit-receive point mode and
to transmit the uplink radio frequency signal when the transceiver
is in the traffic mode.
21. The user equipment of claim 20, further comprising a switch
configured to provide the processed uplink cellular signal to the
antenna when the transceiver is in the virtual transmit-receive
point mode, the switch configured to provide the uplink radio
frequency signal to the antenna when the transceiver is in the
traffic mode, and the switch configured change state corresponding
to the transceiver toggling between the virtual transmit-receive
point mode and the traffic mode.
Description
BACKGROUND
Technical Field
[0001] Embodiments of this disclosure relate to wireless
communication systems and/or devices arranged to wirelessly
communicate with other devices.
Description of Related Technology
[0002] The types of modern computing devices continues to increase
along with the differing and dynamic needs of each device. The
wireless communication systems providing services to such devices
are facing increasing constraints on resources and demands for
quality and quantities of service. Accordingly, improvements in
providing wireless communication services, such as in a
multiple-input multiple-output system, are desired.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0003] Embodiments of this disclosure will now be described, by way
of non-limiting example, with reference to the accompanying
drawings.
[0004] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example multiple-input
multiple-output (MIMO) network in which user equipment (UE) and a
network system wirelessly communicate.
[0005] FIG. 2A is a diagram illustrating a MIMO network environment
in which UEs operate as network repeaters according to an
embodiment.
[0006] FIG. 2B is a diagram illustrating a network environment in
which UEs operate as network transmit-receive points (TRPs)
according to an embodiment.
[0007] FIG. 2C is a diagram illustrating a network environment in
which UEs operate as network TRPs according to another
embodiment.
[0008] FIG. 2D is a diagram illustrating a MIMO network environment
in which UEs operate as network repeaters and other UEs other as
network TRPs according to an embodiment.
[0009] FIG. 3 is a diagram of a UE according to an embodiment.
[0010] FIG. 4A is a diagram of a UE according to another
embodiment.
[0011] FIG. 4B is a schematic block diagram of radio frequency (RF)
processing circuitry according to an embodiment.
[0012] FIG. 4C is a schematic block diagram of UE circuitry
according to an embodiment.
[0013] FIG. 4D is a diagram illustrating functionality that can be
performed by an RF protocol processing circuit of a UE according to
certain embodiments.
[0014] FIG. 5A is a diagram of a UE according to an embodiment.
[0015] FIG. 5B is a timing diagram for the UE of FIG. 5A according
to an embodiment.
[0016] FIG. 5C illustrates the UE of FIG. 5A with the transceiver
operating in the first mode.
[0017] FIG. 5D illustrates an example transceiver operating as a
repeater in the first mode.
[0018] FIG. 5E illustrates an example transceiver operating as a
TRP in the first mode.
[0019] FIG. 5F illustrates the UE of FIG. 5A with the transceiver
operating in the second mode.
[0020] FIG. 6A is a schematic block diagram of a UE according to an
embodiment.
[0021] FIG. 6B is a schematic block diagram of a UE according to
another embodiment.
[0022] FIG. 7A is a block diagram illustrating an example network
system that includes base band unit and remote radio units
according to an embodiment.
[0023] FIG. 7B is a schematic block diagram illustrating an example
remote radio unit (RRU) arranged to wirelessly communicate with a
UE.
[0024] FIG. 8 illustrates example communications and events of an
embodiment of configuring and operating a UE as a network TRP.
[0025] FIG. 9 illustrates example communications and events of an
embodiment of configuring and operating a UE as a network
repeater.
[0026] FIG. 10A is a flow diagram of an example UE initiated
process of terminating operation of a UE in a virtual network
element mode.
[0027] FIG. 10B is a flow diagram of an example network initiated
process of terminating operation of a UE in a virtual network
element mode.
[0028] FIG. 11A is a flow diagram of an example method of data
transmission for a UE according to an embodiment.
[0029] FIG. 11B is a flow diagram of an example method of data
processing for a UE according to an embodiment.
[0030] FIG. 12A is a flow diagram of an example method of downlink
data transmission according to an embodiment.
[0031] FIG. 12B is a flow diagram of an example method of
processing uplink data according to an embodiment.
[0032] FIG. 13A is a flow diagram of an example method of downlink
data transmission according to an embodiment.
[0033] FIG. 13B is a flow diagram of an example method of
processing uplink data according to an embodiment.
SUMMARY OF CERTAIN INVENTIVE ASPECTS
[0034] The innovations described in the claims each have several
aspects, no single one of which is solely responsible for its
desirable attributes. Without limiting the scope of the claims,
some prominent features of this disclosure will now be briefly
described.
[0035] One aspect of this disclosure is a user equipment that
includes a baseband processor and a transceiver in communication
with the baseband processor. The transceiver includes a receive
path and a transmit path. The transceiver is configurable into at
least a first mode and a second mode. The receive path is coupled
to the transmit path in an analog domain in the first mode. The
receive path is configured to receive a receive downlink cellular
signal in the first mode. The transmit path is configured to output
a transmit downlink cellular signal in the first mode. In the first
mode, the transceiver is also configured to receive a receive
uplink cellular signal and output a transmit uplink cellular
signal. In the second mode, the transceiver is configured to
generate an uplink radio frequency signal based on an output signal
from the baseband processor, to process a received downlink radio
frequency signal, and to downconvert the processed downlink radio
frequency signal to baseband.
[0036] Another aspect of this disclosure is a method of data
transmission. The method includes receiving, by a receive path of a
first user equipment, a receive downlink cellular signal in a first
mode. The receive path of the first user equipment is coupled to a
transmit path of the first user equipment in an analog domain in
the first mode. The method includes transmitting, via the transmit
path of the first user equipment, a transmit downlink cellular
signal to a second user equipment in the first mode. The method
includes receiving, by the first user equipment, a receive uplink
cellular signal in the first mode. The method includes
transmitting, by the first user equipment, a transmit uplink
cellular signal to the second user equipment in the first mode. The
method includes toggling a mode of the first user equipment from
the first mode to a second mode. The method includes generating a
transmit uplink cellular signal based on an output of a baseband
processor of the first user equipment in the second mode. The
method includes transmitting, by the first user equipment, the
transmit uplink cellular signal in the second mode.
[0037] Another aspect of this disclosure is a user equipment that
includes a baseband processor and a transceiver in communication
with the baseband processor. The transceiver is configurable into
at least a virtual transmit-receive point mode and a traffic mode.
In the virtual transmit-receive point mode, the transceiver is
configured to receive a downlink cellular signal, process the
downlink cellular signal without demodulation to baseband and by at
least frequency translating the downlink cellular signal, and
output the processed downlink cellular signal for wireless
transmission by the user equipment. In the virtual transmit-receive
point mode, the transceiver is further configured to receive an
uplink cellular signal, process the uplink cellular signal without
demodulation to baseband and by at least frequency translating the
uplink cellular signal, and output the processed uplink cellular
signal for wireless transmission by the user equipment. In the
traffic mode, the transceiver is configured to generate an uplink
radio frequency signal based on an output signal from the baseband
processor, to process a received downlink radio frequency signal,
and to downconvert the processed downlink radio frequency signal to
baseband.
[0038] Another aspect of this disclosure is a method of downlink
data transmission. The method includes transmitting, by a network
system, downlink data for a first user equipment to the first user
equipment while the first user equipment is operating in a traffic
mode. The method includes determining, by the network system, to
use the first user equipment as a repeater for wirelessly
communicating with at least one second user equipment. The method
includes signaling, by the network system, to the first user
equipment to operate in a repeater mode. The first user equipment
is configured to function as a repeater in the repeater mode. The
method includes transmitting, by the network system, first downlink
data for the at least one second user equipment to the first user
equipment while the first user equipment is operating in the
repeater mode. The first user equipment operates in the repeater
mode at a different time than operating in the traffic mode. The
method also includes transmitting, by the network system, second
downlink data for the at least one second user equipment to the at
least one second user equipment while the first user equipment is
operating in the repeater mode.
[0039] Another aspect of this disclosure is method of processing
uplink data. The method includes receiving, by a network system,
uplink data for a first user equipment from the first user
equipment while the first user equipment is operating in a traffic
mode. The method includes determining, by the network system, to
use the first user equipment as a repeater for wirelessly
communicating with at least one second user equipment. The method
includes signaling, by the network system, to the first user
equipment to operate in a repeater mode. The first user equipment
is configured to function as a repeater in the repeater mode. The
method includes receiving, by the network system, first uplink data
for the at least one second user equipment from the first user
equipment while the first user equipment is operating in the
repeater mode. The first user equipment operates in the repeater
mode at a different time than operating in the traffic mode. The
method includes receiving, by the network system, second uplink
data for the at least one second user equipment from the at least
one second user equipment while the first user equipment is
operating in the repeater mode. The method includes jointly
processing, by the network system, the first uplink data together
with the second uplink data.
[0040] Another aspect of this disclosure is a network system that
includes a plurality of antennas and a base band unit in
communication with the plurality of antennas. The base band unit is
arranged to process data associated with wireless communication via
one or more of the plurality of antennas. The base band unit
configured to: cause transmission of downlink data for a first user
equipment to the first user equipment while the first user
equipment operates in a traffic mode; determine to use the first
user equipment as a repeater for wirelessly communicating with at
least one second user equipment; cause the network system to signal
to the first user equipment to operate in a repeater mode, wherein
the first user equipment is configured to function as a repeater in
the repeater mode; cause transmission of first downlink data for
the at least one second user equipment to the first user equipment
while the first user equipment is operating in the repeater mode;
cause transmission of second downlink data for the at least one
second user equipment to the at least one second user equipment
while the first user equipment is operating in the repeater mode;
receive first uplink data for the at least one second user
equipment from the first user equipment while the first user
equipment is operating in the repeater mode; receive second uplink
data for the at least one second user equipment from the at least
one second user equipment while the first user equipment is
operating in the repeater mode; and jointly process the first
uplink data together with the second uplink data.
[0041] Another aspect to this disclosure is method of downlink data
transmission. The method includes transmitting, by a network
system, downlink data for a first user equipment to the first user
equipment while the first user equipment is operating in a traffic
mode. The method includes determining, by the network system, to
use the first user equipment as a virtual transmit-receive point of
the network system for wirelessly communicating multiple-input
multiple-output (MIMO) data with at least one second user
equipment. The method includes signaling, by the network system, to
the first user equipment to operate in a virtual transmit-receive
point mode. The method includes transmitting, by the network
system, downlink data for the at least one second user equipment to
the first user equipment while the first user equipment is
operating in the virtual transmit-receive point mode. The first
user equipment operates in the virtual transmit-receive point mode
at a different time than operating in the traffic mode.
[0042] Another aspect of this disclosure is method of processing
uplink data. The method includes receiving, by a network system,
uplink data for a first user equipment from the first user
equipment while the first user equipment is operating in a traffic
mode. The method includes determining, by the network system, to
use the first user equipment as a virtual transmit-receive point of
the network system for wirelessly communicating multiple-input
multiple-output (MIMO) data with at least one second user
equipment. The method includes signaling, by the network system, to
the first user equipment to operate in a virtual transmit-receive
point mode. The method includes receiving, by the network system,
uplink data for the at least one second user equipment from the
first user equipment while the first user equipment is operating in
the virtual transmit-receive point mode. The first user equipment
operates in the virtual transmit-receive point mode at a different
time than operating in the traffic mode. The method includes
processing, by the network system, the uplink data for the at least
one second user equipment.
[0043] Another aspect of this disclosure is a network system that
includes a plurality of antennas and a base band unit in
communication with the plurality of antennas. The base band unit is
arranged to process data associated with wireless communication via
one or more of the plurality of antennas. The base band unit
configured to: cause transmission of downlink data for a first user
equipment to the first user equipment while the first user
equipment is operating in a traffic mode; determine to use the
first user equipment as a virtual transmit-receive point of the
network system for wirelessly communicating data with at least one
second user equipment; cause the network system to signal to the
first user equipment to operate in a virtual transmit-receive point
mode; cause transmission of downlink data for the at least one
second user equipment to the first user equipment while the first
user equipment is operating in the virtual transmit-receive point
mode; receive uplink data for the at least one second user
equipment from the first user equipment while the first user
equipment is operating in the virtual transmit-receive point mode;
and process the uplink data for the at least one second user
equipment.
[0044] The present disclosure relates to U.S. patent application
Ser. No. ______ [Attorney Docket: XCOM.004A2], titled
"COMMUNICATION WITH USER EQUIPMENT ARRANGED TO WIRELESSLY
COMMUNICATE WITH ANOTHER USER EQUIPMENT," filed on even date
herewith and the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by
reference in its entirety herein. The present disclosure relates to
U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ [Attorney Docket:
XCOM.004A3], titled "COMMUNICATION WITH USER EQUIPMENT ARRANGED TO
OPERATE AS VIRTUAL TRANSMIT-RECEIVE POINT," filed on even date
herewith and the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by
reference in its entirety herein.
[0045] For purposes of summarizing the disclosure, certain aspects,
advantages and novel features of the innovations have been
described herein. It is to be understood that not necessarily all
such advantages may be achieved in accordance with any particular
embodiment. Thus, the innovations may be embodied or carried out in
a manner that achieves or optimizes one advantage or group of
advantages as taught herein without necessarily achieving other
advantages as may be taught or suggested herein.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF CERTAIN EMBODIMENTS
[0046] The following description of certain embodiments presents
various descriptions of specific embodiments. However, the
innovations described herein can be embodied in a multitude of
different ways, for example, as defined and covered by the claims.
In this description, reference is made to the drawings where like
reference numerals can indicate identical or functionally similar
elements. It will be understood that elements illustrated in the
figures are not necessarily drawn to scale. Moreover, it will be
understood that certain embodiments can include more elements than
illustrated in a drawing and/or a subset of the elements
illustrated in a drawing. Further, some embodiments can incorporate
any suitable combination of features from two or more drawings. The
headings provided herein are for convenience only and do not
necessarily affect the scope or meaning of the claims.
[0047] A wireless carrier network, such as a distributed
coordinated multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) network, can be
capacity limited. Resources of the network can constrain MIMO
dimension and/or network coverage. This disclosure provides
technical solutions to increase MIMO dimension and/or provide
strategic scattering and/or extend network coverage boundaries.
Technical features disclosed herein can be implemented in private
and/or public networks.
[0048] Technology disclosed herein relates to enabling a user
equipment (UE) to function as a virtual network element that can
operate as one or more of a repeater, a virtual transmit-receive
point (TRP) (e.g., a virtual coordinated multi-point (CoMP) TRP),
or a virtual remote radio unit (RRU). UEs disclosed herein can
operate as a MIMO TRP of a network system and/or operate as a
repeater of a network system. Hardware of the UE together with
network configuration can implement such features. A UE can include
radio frequency (RF) circuitry arranged to process a received RF
signal and generate a transmit RF signal without intervening
baseband processing. Accordingly, such RF circuitry can be
implemented entirely by analog circuitry. The RF circuitry can
process a received RF signal and generate a transmit RF signal
entirely in the RF domain without demodulation to baseband. In some
instances, the RF circuitry can frequency translate a received RF
signal and generate a transmit RF signal having a different carrier
frequency than the received RF signal. Alternatively or
additionally, the RF circuitry can process a received RF signal and
generate a transmit RF signal without modulation and/or
demodulation. According to some applications, the RF circuitry can
perform front haul processing on a received RF signal. A network
system can signal the UE to operate in a mode for operating as a
virtual network element, such a repeater mode or a TRP mode.
Embodiments of the technology disclosed herein can achieve one or
more of richer scattering, higher network MIMO dimension, or
extended network coverage.
[0049] Aspects of this disclosure relate to a UE with RF circuitry
that enables the UE to function as a network repeater and/or a
virtual MIMO TRP such as a virtual RRU. The UE can function as a
virtual MIMO TRP or a repeater in response to a command from a
network system. A UE operating as a MIMO TRP and/or a repeater can
receive incentives and/or be rewarded. The network system can
configure one or more UEs as virtual network elements in a manner
that provides little and/or minimal disruption to network operation
while increasing and/or maximizing overall network system spectral
efficiency.
[0050] A multi-radio UE with RF translation circuitry can be
arranged such that one or more of the radios can communicate with a
network system as backhaul (e.g., dedicated band or in-band) with
one or more other radios function as part of the network. One or
more of the radios of a multi-radio UE with RF translation
circuitry can be downlink transmitters upon receiving downlink data
from one or more other network nodes. One or more of the radios of
a multi-radio UE with RF translation circuitry can be uplink
transmitters upon receiving uplink data from one or more other UEs.
A network system can signal to the UE to operate in a virtual TRP
mode during an idle more or during selected time slots of a traffic
mode, for example.
[0051] Technology described herein can bring flexibility and
scalability into a network deployment where coverage and capacity
can be scaled up quickly. Embodiments disclosed herein can enable a
network system to efficiently balance traffic in uplink and
downlink and make use of idle UEs to increase network capacity
utilization. Certain advantages disclosed herein can be achieved
through (a) UE RF circuitry from integrated backhaul to
over-the-air downlink transmission and (b) network configuration
that enables the UE to switch in/out of a virtual network element
mode relatively quickly. With technology disclosed herein, a
network with M nodes and N UEs, in which N is greater than M, can
configure one or more of the N UEs to function as a virtual network
element and thereby achieve increased spectral efficiency. In
accordance with embodiments disclosed herein, the number of
effective network nodes that can provide coverage to a set of UEs
can be increased by selectively converting one or more other UEs
into virtual network elements. The resulting increase in antenna
elements and/or signal processing chains from using certain UEs as
virtual network elements can increase the MIMO order for wireless
communications with one or more UEs of the set of UEs.
MIMO Network
[0052] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a multiple-input
multiple-output (MIMO) network in which user equipment (UE) and a
network system wirelessly communicate according. FIG. 1 shows an
example environment 100 for MIMO wireless communications. Various
UEs can communicate with a network system via MIMO communications
in the environment 100. One or more UEs of the environment 100 can
operate as a virtual network element for facilitating communication
between the network system and another UE of the environment. For
example, one or more UEs can operating as network TRPs in the
environment 100. Such UEs can perform processing functions of a
remote radio unit. As another example, one or more UEs can operate
as network repeaters in the environment 100.
[0053] Various standards and protocols may be implemented in the
environment 100 to wirelessly communicate data between a base
station and a wireless communication device. Some wireless devices
may communicate using an orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing
(OFDM) digital modulation scheme via a physical layer. Example
standards and protocols for wireless communication in the
environment 100 can include the third generation partnership
project (3GPP) Long Term Evolution (LTE), Long Term Evolution
Advanced (LTE Advanced), 3GPP New Radio (NR) also known as 5G,
Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Enhanced Data Rates
for GSM Evolution (EDGE), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave
Access (WiMAX), and the IEEE 802.11 standard, which may be known as
Wi-Fi. In some systems, a radio access network (RAN) may include
one or more base station associated with one or more evolved Node
Bs (also commonly denoted as enhanced Node Bs, eNodeBs, or eNBs),
gNBs, or any other suitable Node Bs (xNBs). In some other
embodiments, radio network controllers (RNCs) may be provided as
the base stations. A base station provides a bridge between the
wireless network and a core network such as the Internet. The base
station may be included to facilitate exchange of data for the
wireless communication devices of the wireless network.
[0054] A wireless communication device may be referred to as a user
equipment (UE). The UE may be a device used by a user such as a
smartphone, a laptop, a tablet computer, cellular telephone, a
wearable computing device such as smart glasses or a smart watch or
an ear piece, one or more networked appliances (e.g., consumer
networked appliances or industrial plant equipment), an industrial
robot with connectivity, or a vehicle. In some implementations, the
UE may include a sensor or other networked device configured to
collect data and wirelessly provide the data to a device (e.g.,
server) connected to a core network such as the Internet. Such
devices may be referred to as Internet of Things devices (IoT
devices). Any suitable UE disclosed herein can include circuitry
that enables the UE to operate as a virtual network element. A
downlink (DL) transmission generally refers to a communication from
the base transceiver station (BTS) or eNodeB to the wireless
communication device. An uplink (UL) transmission generally refers
to a communication from the wireless communication device to the
BTS.
[0055] FIG. 1 illustrates a cooperative, or cloud radio access
network (C-RAN) environment 100. In the environment 100, the eNodeB
functionality is subdivided between a base band unit (BBU) 110 and
multiple remote radio units (RRUs) (e.g., RRU 125, RRU 135, and RRU
145). The network system of FIG. 1 includes the BBU 110 and the
RRUs 125, 135, and 145. An RRU may include multiple antennas, and
one or more of the antennas may serve as a transmit-receive point
(TRP). The RRU and/or a TRP may be referred to as a serving node.
The BBU 110 may be physically connected to the RRUs such as via an
optical fiber connection. The BBU 110 may provide operational
information to an RRU to control transmission and reception of
signals from the RRU along with control data and payload data to
transmit. The RRU may provide data received from UEs within a
service area associated with the RRU to the network. As shown in
FIG. 1, the RRU 125 provides service to devices within a service
area 120. The RRU 135 provides service to devices within a service
area 130. The RRU 145 provides service to devices within a service
area 140. For example, wireless downlink transmission service may
be provided to the service area 140 to communicate data to one or
more devices within the service area 140.
[0056] The illustrated RRUs 125, 135, and 145 include multiple
antennas and can provide MIMO communications. For example, an RRU
may be equipped with various numbers of transmit antennas (e.g., 2,
4, 8, or more) that can be used simultaneously for transmission to
one or more receivers, such as a UE. Receiving devices may include
more than one receive antenna (e.g., 2, 4, etc.). An array of
receive antennas may be configured to simultaneously receive
transmissions from the RRU. Each antenna included in an RRU may be
individually configured to transmit and/or receive according to a
specific time, frequency, power, and direction configuration.
Similarly, each antenna included in a UE may be individually
configured to transmit and/or receive according to a specific time,
frequency, power, and direction configuration. The configuration
may be provided by the BBU 110. The direction configuration may be
generated based on a network estimate using channel reciprocity
and/or determined based on feedback from UE via selection of a
beamforming codebook index, or a hybrid of the two.
[0057] The service areas shown in FIG. 1 may provide communication
services to a heterogeneous population of user equipment. For
example, the service area 120 may include a cluster of UEs 160 such
as a group of devices associated with users attending a large
event. The service area 120 can also include an additional UE 162
that is located away from the cluster of UEs 160. A mobile user
equipment 170 may move from the service area 130 to the service
area 140. Another example of a mobile user equipment is a vehicle
156 which may include a transceiver for wireless communications for
real-time navigation, on-board data services (e.g., streaming video
or audio), or other data applications. The environment 100 may
include semi-mobile or stationary UEs, such as robotic device 158
(e.g., robotic arm, autonomous drive unit, or other industrial or
commercial robot) or a television 154, configured for wireless
communications.
[0058] A user equipment 152 may be located with an area with
overlapping service (e.g., the service area 120 and the service
area 130). Each device in the environment 100 may have different
performance needs which may, in some instances, conflict with the
needs of other devices.
[0059] One or more UEs in the environment 100 can function as a
virtual network element. For example, the UE 162 can function as a
repeater or a TRP for a UE of the cluster of UEs 160. As another
example, the UE 152 can be idle and the network system can signal
the UE 152 to operate as a repeater or a TRP for the UE 162. In
these examples, the network system can increase throughput,
increase MIMO dimensionality, improve signal quality, and/or
increase overall spectral efficiency of the network system, among
other things.
Increasing Network Performance Using UE as Virtual Network
Element
[0060] In various MIMO network environments, one or more UEs can be
used as virtual network elements to increase network performance.
Such a UE can operate as a repeater and/or as a virtual TRP and/or
virtual RRU. A UE operating as a network repeater can provide
strategic scattering within a network environment. A UE operating
as a virtual TRP can increase dimensionality of MIMO wireless
communications in the network environment. Such a UE can assist
with TRP calibration of a network TRP. The UE operating as a
virtual TRP can extend network coverage beyond a coverage area
served by TRPs of a network system. In certain instances, a UE
arranged to operate as a repeater and/or a virtual TRP can be
arranged to operate as a relay in which the UE can receive data for
itself and one or more neighboring UEs in an area with relatively
poor coverage. Example network environments will be discussed with
reference to FIGS. 2A to 2D. Any suitable principles and advantages
disclosed in connection with FIGS. 2A to 2D can be implemented
together with each other and/or together with any other principles
and advantages disclosed herein.
[0061] FIG. 2A is a diagram illustrating a MIMO network environment
200 in which UEs operate as network repeaters according to an
embodiment. In the MIMO network environment 200, RRUs 225 and 235
each wirelessly communicate with UEs in data traffic mode and UEs
functioning as repeaters. Accordingly, certain UEs in the MIMO
network environment 200 wirelessly communicate with other UEs
operating as network repeaters and also wirelessly communicate with
RRUs of the network system. As shown in FIG. 2A, the example MIMO
network environment 200 includes RRUs 225 and 235 and UEs 240, 241,
242, 243, 244, 245, 246, 250, 251, 252, 253, 254, 255, 256, and
257. In the MIMO network environment 200, the network system is
serving UEs 240 and 244. UEs 241, 242, 245, and 246 are operating
as repeaters in FIG. 2A. UEs 250 to 257 are not wirelessly
communicating with the network system in the MIMO network
environment 200.
[0062] The RRUs 225 and 235 each wirelessly communicate data
associated with the UE 240 to the UE 240. The RRU 225 also
wirelessly communicates data associated with the UE 240 to the UEs
242 and 246. As illustrated, the UEs 242 and 246 can operate as
network repeaters to wirelessly communicate data downlink data from
the RRU 225 to the UE 240. When a UE operates as a network
repeater, the UE can receive a receive downlink data transmission
and transmit a transmit downlink data transmission at substantially
the same carrier frequency. A UE operating as a network repeater
can perform signal amplification and filter without demodulation.
FIG. 2A illustrates that a downlink data transmission from the RRU
225 to the UE 242 and a downlink data transmission from the UE 242
to the UE 240 can both have a carrier frequency f.sub.1. The RRU
225 can also transmit downlink data with the carrier frequency
f.sub.1 to the UE 240. The UE 240 can also receive data from the
network system from the RRU 235 and the UEs 241 and 245 operating
as network repeaters. Wireless communication between the network
system and the UE 244 can be implemented similarly to wireless
communication between the network system and the UE 240 in the MIMO
network environment 200.
[0063] As shown in FIG. 2A, UEs operating as network repeaters can
perform repeater functionality for downlink data transmitted to
more than one other UE. For example, the UE 242 can operate as a
network repeater for both the UE 240 and the UE 244. In certain
other applications, a UE can operate as a repeater for a single
other UE. According to some other applications, a UE can operate a
repeater for three or more other UEs.
[0064] In the MIMO network environment 200 of FIG. 2A, the UEs
operating as repeaters can increase a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR)
at the UEs 240 and 244. This can increase the spectral efficiency
and/or potential MIMO order. Alternatively or additionally, UEs
operating as a repeater can improve links to the RRU 225 and the
RRU 235 such that the order of joint MIMO transmission from these
nodes can be increased.
[0065] Although FIG. 2A illustrates downlink wireless
communication, uplink wireless communication can be implemented in
accordance with similar principles and advantages as downlink
wireless communication in the MIMO network environment 200.
[0066] FIG. 2B is a diagram illustrating a network environment 200'
in which UEs operate as network TRPs according to an embodiment. In
the network environment 200', the network system communicates with
UEs operating as network TRPs and the UEs operating as network TRPs
wirelessly communicate with other UEs. The example network
environment 200' includes the same devices as the MIMO network
environment 200 of FIG. 2A. There is different wireless
communication in the network environment 200' than in the MIMO
network environment 200.
[0067] As illustrated in FIG. 2B, the network system wirelessly
communicates with UEs operating as TRPs. For instance, the RRU 235
can wirelessly communicate with UEs 241 and 245. Similarly, the RRU
225 can wirelessly communicate with UEs 242 and 246.
[0068] A UE operating as a TRP can receive a receive downlink data
transmission for another UE and generate a transmit downlink data
transmission for the other UE. Generating the transmit downlink
data transmission can involve frequency translation in the RF
domain. For example, as shown in the example network environment
200', the RRU 235 can transmit a downlink cellular signal with a
first carrier frequency f.sub.1 to the UE 241 and the UE 241 can
generate a downlink cellular signal with a second carrier frequency
f.sub.2 to the UE 240, in which the first and second carrier
frequencies are different. In certain applications, the UE 241 can
receive a millimeter wave (mmW) signal from the RRU 235 and
transmit a RF signal having a frequency of less than 6 gigahertz
(GHz) to the UE 241. UEs 242, 245, and 246 can operate similarly to
the UE 241 in the network environment 200'.
[0069] Although the UEs operating as TRPs shown in FIG. 2B are each
wirelessly communicating with one other UE, a UE operating as a TRP
can wirelessly communicate with two or more other UEs in various
other applications. The number and/or type of antennas of the UE
can determine a number of other UEs with which it can wirelessly
communicate. Alternatively or additionally, the number of transmit
and/or receive signal chains of the UE can determine a number of
other UEs with which it can wirelessly communicate.
[0070] Although FIG. 2B illustrates downlink wireless
communication, uplink wireless communication can be implemented in
accordance with similar principles and advantages as downlink
wireless communication in the network environment 200'.
[0071] FIG. 2C is a diagram illustrating a network environment
200'' in which UEs operate as network TRPs according to another
embodiment. In the network environment 200'', the network system
communicates with UEs operating as network TRPs and the UEs
operating as network TRPs wirelessly communicate with other UEs
that are outside of the network coverage area of the RRUs 225 and
235. The example network environment 200'' includes the same
devices as the MIMO network environment 200 of FIG. 2A. There is
different wireless communication in the network environment 200''
than in the MIMO network environment 200.
[0072] As illustrated in FIG. 2C, the network system wirelessly
communicates with UEs operating as TRPs. For instance, the RRU 225
can wirelessly communicate with the UE 255 operating as a TRP and
the UE 255 can wirelessly communicate with UEs 256 and 257 outside
of the coverage area of the RRUs 225 and 235. Accordingly, the UE
255 can extend the coverage area of the network system. The UE 255
in the MIMO network environment 200'' can function similarly to the
UE 240 of the MIMO network environment 200' of FIG. 2B. As also
shown in FIG. 2C, the RRU 235 can wirelessly communicate with the
UE 251 operating as a TRP and the UE 251 can wirelessly communicate
with UE 252 outside of the coverage area of the RRUs 225 and 235.
Although FIG. 2C illustrates downlink wireless communication,
uplink wireless communication can be implemented in accordance with
similar principles and advantages as downlink wireless
communication.
[0073] FIG. 2D is a diagram illustrating a MIMO network environment
200''' in which UEs operate as network repeaters and other UEs
other as network TRPs according to an embodiment. The example
network environment 200''' includes the same devices as the MIMO
network environment 200 of FIG. 2A. The network environment 200'''
illustrates that some UEs can operate as network repeaters while
other UEs can operate as network TRPs. In the network environment
200''', benefits of the network environments of FIGS. 2A to 2C can
be realized.
Multi-Mode UE with Mode for Operating as Virtual Network
Element
[0074] A UE can be configurable to operate in multiple modes, in
which at least one of the modes enables the UE to operate as a
virtual network element and another mode is a traffic mode. The UE
can include a multi-mode transceiver arranged to operate in the
multiple modes. The transceiver can perform analog signal
processing in a UE, such as amplification, filtering, and up
conversion/down conversion. The transceiver can operate in the RF
domain. In some instances, the UE can enable a virtual network
element mode when the UE is in an idle mode. UEs arranged to
operate as a virtual network element can include RF translation
circuitry and/or mode switching circuitry. The RF translation
circuitry can adjust a frequency of a received RF signal in the RF
domain without demodulation to baseband. The mode switching
circuitry can implement RF front end gating between virtual network
element mode and a traffic mode. UEs disclosed herein can operate
in any suitable number environment, such as any of the network
environments of FIGS. 1 to 2D. Example UEs will be discussed with
reference to FIGS. 3 to 6B. Any suitable principles and advantages
disclosed in connection with FIGS. 3 to 6B can be implemented
together with each other and/or together with any other principles
and advantages disclosed herein.
[0075] FIG. 3 is a diagram of a UE 300 according to an embodiment.
As illustrated, the UE 300 includes a first antenna 310, a modem
312, a second antenna 314, an RF processing circuit 315, a switch
316, and a third antenna 318. The UE 300 is configurable into a
traffic mode and a virtual network element mode. A transceiver of
the UE 300 can include circuitry of the RF processing circuit 315
and RF circuitry for processing RF signals associated with the
traffic mode of the UE 300.
[0076] In the traffic mode, the UE 300 can receive downlink data
from a network system via the antenna 310 and process the received
downlink data using the modem 312. In the traffic mode, the UE 300
can generate uplink data using the modem 312 and transmit uplink
data to the network system via antenna 318. The illustrated modem
312 includes both baseband processing circuitry and transceiver
processing circuitry. The modem 312 can be implemented by a chipset
arranged to perform processing to facilitate wireless communication
according to one or more suitable wireless communication
standards.
[0077] In the virtual network element mode, the UE 300 can receive
a signal via the antenna 314, process the received signal without
demodulation to baseband using the RF processing circuit 315, and
transmit the processed circuit via the antenna 318. The UE 300 can
receive a receive downlink data transmission and transmit a
transmit downlink data transmission in the virtual network element
mode. The UE 300 can receive a receive uplink data transmission and
transmit a transmit uplink data transmission in the virtual network
element mode. The RF processing circuit 315 can include analog
circuitry configured to perform signal amplification and filtering.
When the virtual network element mode is a repeater mode, the RF
processing circuit 315 can perform amplification and filtering on a
received RF signal without modulating and/or demodulating the
carrier frequency of the received RF signal. When the virtual
network element mode is a TRP mode, the RF processing circuit 315
can perform front haul data processing. In the TRP mode, the RF
processing circuit 315 can perform signal amplification, filtering,
and frequency translation. The RF processing circuit 315 can be
arranged to perform processing for a repeater mode and/or a TRP
mode.
[0078] The switch 316 can selectively electrically couple the
antenna 318 to either the RF processing circuit 315 or the modem
312. In the traffic mode, the switch 316 electrically connects the
modem 312 to the antenna 318. In the virtual network element mode,
the switch electrically connects the RF processing circuit 315 to
the antenna 318. The switch 316 can be controlled by the signal
provided by the network system. Accordingly, the network system can
signal the UE 300 to operate in the virtual network element mode or
in the traffic mode. The UE 300 can determine whether to switch
state based on an incentive for operating in a virtual network
element mode and/or one or more operational characteristics of the
UE 300 (e.g., an application running on the UE 300 and/or battery
power level). In some other embodiments, a variety of other
circuitry different than the switch 316 can implement functionality
related to switching modes, such as a switch in a different part of
a transceiver, a multiplexer, or the like.
[0079] In the illustrated UE 300, the first antenna 310 can be a UE
receive antenna, the second antenna 314 can be a network front haul
antenna, and the third antenna 318 can be a UE transmit antenna. In
some instances, the second antenna 314 is configured to receive mmW
signals. In the UE 300, the third antenna 318 can transmit signals
in both the traffic mode and the virtual network element mode.
[0080] The principles and advantages disclosed herein can be
applied to UEs having a variety of different antenna arrangements,
including the arrangement shown in FIG. 3 and different
arrangements. For example, the same antenna of a UE can receive and
transmit data in the traffic mode. As another example, the same
antenna of a UE can receive and transmit data in the virtual
network element. As another example, one or more dedicated antennas
of a UE can function as receive only and/or transmit only antennas
in the virtual network element mode. As another example, one or
more dedicated antennas of a UE can function as receive only and/or
transmit only antennas in the traffic mode. As one more example, a
receive only diversity antenna for traffic mode of a UE can be used
as a transmit antenna in a virtual network element mode.
[0081] Although the RF processing circuit 315 is illustrated as
being separate from the UE processing circuitry (i.e., the modem
312) in FIG. 3, the RF processing circuit 315 can be implemented as
part of a transceiver that also processes signals in the traffic
mode of the UE in a number of other embodiments. Even in
embodiments where the RF processing circuit 315 is implemented
separate from the UE processing circuitry, a transceiver can
include the RF processing circuit 315 and at least part of the UE
processing circuitry.
[0082] FIG. 4A is a diagram of a UE 400 according to an embodiment.
The UE 400 can operate in a virtual network element mode, such as a
repeater mode or a TRP mode. The illustrated UE 400 includes
antennas 410 and 412, RF processing circuitry 414, UE circuitry
416, a multiplexer 418, and antenna 420 and 422.
[0083] The antennas 410 and 412 can be front haul antennas. The
antenna 410 can be configured to receive mmW signals in certain
instances. The antenna 410 can be configured to receive RF signals
having a frequency of 6 GHz or less in some other instances. The
antenna 412 can be configured to transmit mmW signals in certain
instances. The antenna 412 can be configured to transmit RF signals
having a frequency of 6 GHz or less in some other instances. The
antennas 420 and 422 can be wide-area network (WAN) antennas.
[0084] A transceiver of the UE 400 can include the RF processing
circuitry 414 and RF circuitry of the UE circuitry 416. In the UE
400, the RF processing circuitry 414 can be implemented separate
from the RF circuitry of the UE circuitry 416. The RF processing
circuitry 414 can perform analog signal amplification and
filtering. In some instances, the RF processing circuitry 414 can
perform front haul data processing. The RF processing circuitry 414
can process a downlink signal received by the antenna 410 without
demodulation to baseband. The RF processing circuitry 414 can
consist of analog circuitry.
[0085] The UE circuitry 416 can perform processing associated with
a traffic mode of the UE 400. The UE circuitry 416 can include a
baseband processor and RF circuitry configured to (a) generate RF
signals for transmission based on an output of the baseband
processor and (b) process received RF signals and provide a
baseband signal to an input of the base band processor.
[0086] The multiplexer 418 can provide the processed downlink
signal from the RF processing circuitry 414 to one or more the
antennas 420, 422 for transmission in a virtual network element
mode. The multiplexer 418 can provide an uplink signal received
from one or more the antenna 420, 422 to the RF processing
circuitry 414 in the virtual network element mode. The RF
processing circuitry 414 can provide the uplink signal and transmit
the processed uplink signal via the antenna 412. The multiplexer
418 can receive a signal from the network system to operate in a
virtual network element mode, such as a repeater mode or a TRP
mode. The multiplexer 418 can change state responsive to the signal
from the network system. The UE circuitry 416 can control state of
the multiplexer 418 in a traffic mode.
[0087] FIG. 4B is a schematic block diagram of RF processing
circuitry 430 according to an embodiment. The RF processing
circuitry 430 is an example of the RF processing circuitry 414 of
the UE 400 of FIG. 4A. The RF processing circuitry 430 can be
implemented in the UE 400 of FIG. 4A and/or in any other suitable
UEs. The RF processing circuitry 430 can be implemented entirely of
analog circuitry. The RF processing circuitry 430 can perform
processing in the RF domain without demodulation to baseband. The
RF processing circuitry 430 includes a receive path coupled to a
transmit path in an analog domain. Accordingly, the receive path
can be coupled to the transmit path in the without intervening
baseband circuitry. Signals received by the receive path can be
processed and transmitted by the transmit path without demodulation
to baseband.
[0088] The illustrated RF processing circuitry 430 includes a
downlink processing path 432 and an uplink processing path 434. The
downlink processing path 432 is arranged to process signals
received via an antenna, such as the antenna 410 of the UE 400 of
FIG. 4A. The downlink processing path 432 can receive a receive
downlink data transmission and generate a transmit downlink data
transmission. The downlink processing path 432 includes an RF
protocol processing circuit 440, a mixer 442, a power amplifier 444
and a filter 446. The RF protocol processing circuit 440 can
perform functionality of a RRU. In the downlink processing path
432, a receive path can include the RF protocol processing circuit
440 and the transmit path can include the power amplifier 444 and
the filter 446. The mixer 442 can be part of the receive path or
the transmit path, depending on the application.
[0089] The RF protocol processing circuit 440 can perform a variety
of processing, for example, various features that will be discussed
with reference to FIG. 4D. The RF protocol processing circuit 440
can perform front haul data processing in a TRP mode. The RF
protocol processing circuit 440 can perform analog signal
amplification in a repeater mode. The mixer 442 can receive a
signal from local oscillator 443 and frequency translate a signal
received from the RF protocol processing circuit 440. When
functioning as a repeater, no frequency translation can be
performed (e.g., the mixer 442 can be bypassed or arranged to not
adjust frequency). The power amplifier 444 can amplify a signal
output from the mixer 442. The filter 446 can filter the output of
the power amplifier 444. The output of the downlink processing path
432 can be transmitted via an antenna, such as the antenna 420 or
422 of the UE 400 of FIG. 4A. The filter 450 can filter a signal
receive via an antenna, such as the antenna 420 or 422 of the UE
400 of FIG. 4A. As illustrated in FIG. 4B, the filter 446 can be
included in a duplexer that also include a filter 450 of the uplink
processing path.
[0090] The uplink processing path 434 is arranged to process
signals for transmission via an antenna, such as the antenna 412 of
the UE 400 of FIG. 4A. The uplink processing path 434 can receive a
receive uplink data transmission and generate a transmit uplink
data transmission. The uplink processing path 434 includes a filter
450, an amplifier 452, a mixer 454, and an RF protocol processing
circuit 456. In the uplink processing path, a receive path can
include the filter 450 and the amplifier 452 and a transmit path
can include the RF protocol processing circuit. The mixer 454 can
be part of the receive path or the transmit path, depending on the
application.
[0091] The filter 450 can filter a signal receive via an antenna,
such as the antenna 420 or 422 of the UE 400 of FIG. 4A. The
amplifier 452 can amplify an output of the FIG. 450. The mixer 454
can frequency translate the output of the amplifier 452. The RF
protocol processing circuit 456 can perform functionality of a RRU.
The RF protocol processing circuit 456 can perform a variety of
processing, for example, various features that will be discussed
with reference to FIG. 4D. The RF protocol processing circuit 456
can perform front haul data processing in a TRP mode. The RF
protocol processing circuit 456 can perform analog signal
amplification and filtering in a repeater mode. In the repeater
mode, the mixer 454 and/or the RF protocol processing circuit 456
can be bypassed in certain instances.
[0092] FIG. 4C is a schematic block diagram of UE circuitry 460
according to an embodiment. The UE circuitry 460 is an example of
the UE processing circuitry 416 of the UE 400 of FIG. 4A. The UE
circuitry 460 can be implemented in the UE 400 of FIG. 4A and/or in
any other suitable UEs. The UE circuitry 460 can perform functions
and signal processing for a UE to wirelessly communicate with a
network system over a cellular link. The illustrated UE circuitry
460 includes a baseband processor 470, radio frequency circuitry
472, and an application processor 474. The UE circuitry 460 can
process a downlink signal received via an antenna. The radio
frequency circuitry 472 can process the downlink signal in the RF
domain and bring the downlink signal to baseband for processing by
the baseband processor 470. The UE circuitry 460 can generate an
uplink signal based on an output of the baseband processor 470. The
RF circuitry 472 can upconvert the output of the baseband processor
470 and process the upconverted signal in the RF domain to generate
an uplink signal for transmission via an antenna. The application
processor 474 can perform any suitable application processing. The
application processor 474 can be in communication with the baseband
processor 470 and switching/multiplexing circuitry, such as the
multiplexer 418 of the UE 400 of FIG. 4A.
[0093] An RF protocol processing circuit of a UE can perform
certain operations of an RRU. The specific functions that an RF
protocol processing circuit is arranged to perform can depend on
baseband unit/RRU split options implemented by a network system.
FIG. 4D is a diagram illustrating functionality that can be
performed by an RF protocol processing circuit of a UE. Downlink
processing can be performed, for example, with the RF protocol
processing circuit 440 of FIG. 4B. Uplink processing can be
performed, for example, with the RF protocol processing circuit 456
of FIG. 4B. RF protocol processing circuits can receive coded bits,
modulation symbols or RF signals in various applications.
[0094] For example, in application 1, the RF protocol processing
circuit can perform all illustrated functions expect media access
control (MAC) functions. For downlink in application 1, the RF
protocol processing circuit can perform the following functions:
coding, rate matching, scrambling, modulation, layer mapping,
precoding transmit power, resource element mapping, beamforming
port extension, inverse Fast Fourier Transform (iFFT), cyclic
prefix insertion, and RF signal processing. For uplink in
application 1, the RF protocol processing circuit can perform the
following functions: RF signal processing cyclic prefix removal,
Fast Fourier Transform (FFT), port reduction, resource element
demapping, channel estimation, diversity combining, equalization,
inverse Discrete Fourier Transform (iDFT), de-modulation,
de-scrambling, rate matching, and de-coding.
[0095] As another example, in application 2-1, the RF protocol
processing circuit can perform iFFT, cyclic prefix insertion, and
RF signal processing for downlink and RF signal processing, cyclic
prefix removal, and FFT for uplink. In application 2-2, the RF
protocol processing circuit can perform resource mapping,
beamforming port extension, iFFT, cyclic prefix insertion, and RF
signal processing for downlink and RF signal processing, cyclic
prefix removal, FFT, port reduction, and resource element demapping
for uplink. For application 2-3, the RF protocol processing circuit
can perform modulation, layer mapping, precoding transmit power,
resource element mapping, beamforming port extension, iFFT, cyclic
prefix insertion, and RF signal processing for downlink.
[0096] As another example, in application 3, the RF protocol
processing circuit can perform RF signal processing for downlink
and RF signal processing for uplink.
[0097] FIG. 5A is a diagram of a UE 500 according to an embodiment.
The illustrated UE 500 includes antennas 510 and 512, a transceiver
520, and a baseband processor 530. The transceiver 520 includes a
receive path 522 and a transmit path 524. The transceiver 520 can
operate in multiple modes. In a first mode, the transceiver 520 is
configured to couple the receive path 522 to the transmit path 524
in an analog domain. Accordingly, the receive path 522 can be
coupled to the transmit path 512 without intervening baseband
circuitry. More details about the first mode will be discussed with
reference to FIGS. 5C, 5D, and 5E. In a second mode, the
transceiver 520 is configured to provide signal processing between
an antenna 510 and/or 512 and the baseband processor 530. More
details about the second mode will be discussed with reference to
FIG. 5F. Although the UE 500 includes two antennas for illustrative
purposes, the UE 500 can include any suitable number of antennas.
In some instances, a UE can receive and transmit a signal from the
same antenna. Although the transceiver 520 includes one receive
path and one transmit path for illustrative purposes, the
transceiver 520 can include any suitable number of transmit paths
and any suitable number of receive paths.
[0098] FIG. 5B is a timing diagram for the UE 500 of FIG. 5A
according to an embodiment. The timing diagram illustrates activity
of the receive path 522, the transmit path 524, and the baseband
processor 530 of the UE 500 in a repeater mode and in a traffic
mode. The first mode can be a repeater mode. In the repeater mode,
the receive path 522 and the transmit path 524 can both be on
concurrently. The receive path 522 and the transmit path 524 can
also be off concurrently in the repeater mode. The baseband
processor 530 can be inactive in the repeater mode. The second mode
can be a traffic mode. In the timing diagram of FIG. 5B, the
traffic mode is a time division duplex (TDD) traffic mode. The
receive path 522 and the transmit path 524 can alternate being on
and off in the TDD mode. When the receive path 522 is on and the
transmit path is off in the TDD mode, the baseband processor 530
can process receive signals. When the receive path 522 is off and
the transmit path is on in the TDD mode, the baseband processor 530
can generate transmit signals.
[0099] FIG. 5C illustrates the UE 500 of FIG. 5A with the
transceiver 520 operating in the first mode. In the first mode, the
transceiver 520 can receive a receive downlink signal via antenna
510. The receive path 522 can process the receive downlink signal.
The transceiver 520 can couple the receive path 522 to the transmit
path 524 in the analog domain. The dashed lines between the
transceiver 520 and the baseband processor 530 indicate that
communication between the transceiver 520 and the baseband
processor 530 is inactive. Accordingly, the transmit path 524 can
receive a downlink signal from the receive path 522 without
demodulation to baseband and without intervening baseband
processing in the first mode of the transceiver 520. The transmit
path 524 can generate a transmit downlink signal for transmission
via the antenna 512.
[0100] FIG. 5D illustrates an example transceiver 540 operating as
a repeater in the first mode. The transceiver 540 illustrates an
example of components of the transceiver 520 operating as a
repeater in the first mode. The transceiver 540 can be implemented
in the UE 500 and/or in other UEs. Although FIG. 5D only
illustrates components of the transceiver 540 for operating as a
repeater, the transceiver 540 can include other components, for
example, for processing uplink and downlink signals exchanged
between a UE and a network system.
[0101] As illustrated, the transceiver 540 can receive an input
signal with carrier frequency f.sub.1 and provide an output signal
with carrier frequency f.sub.1. Accordingly, the input signal and
the output signal have the same carrier frequency. The transceiver
540 can filter the input signal with a filter 542 and amplify the
filtered input signal with an amplifier 544. The filter 542 can be
included in a receive path. In some instances, the filter 542 and
the amplifier 544 can be included in a receive path. The output of
the amplifier 544 can be filtered by filter 546. The filter 546 can
be included in a transmit path in certain instances. In some
instances, the amplifier 544 and the filter 546 can be included in
a transmit path. The filters 542 and 546 can be band pass filters
as illustrated. Such band pass filters can have substantially the
same pass band. One or more intervening circuit elements can be
coupled between the illustrated circuit elements of the transceiver
540. Such intervening circuit elements can consist of analog
circuitry. The receive path can be selectively coupled to the
transmit path, for example, by a switch. In some instances, the
receive path and/or the transmit path illustrated in FIG. 5D can be
selectively activated.
[0102] FIG. 5E illustrates an example transceiver 550 operating as
a TRP in the first mode. The transceiver 550 illustrates an example
of components of the transceiver 520 operating as a TRP in the
first mode. The transceiver 550 can be implemented in the UE 500
and/or in other UEs. Although FIG. 5E only illustrates components
of the transceiver 550 for operating as a TRP, the transceiver 550
can include other components, for example, for processing uplink
and downlink signals exchanged between a UE and a network system
and/or for operating as a repeater.
[0103] As illustrated, the transceiver 550 can receive an input
signal with carrier frequency f.sub.1 and provide an output signal
with carrier frequency f.sub.2. Accordingly, the input signal and
the output signal have different carrier frequencies. The
transceiver 550 can filter the input signal with a filter 552 and
amplify the filtered input signal with an amplifier 554. In certain
instances, the filter 552 and the amplifier 554 can be included in
a receive path. A mixer 555 or any suitable other circuit can
frequency translate the output of the amplifier 554. This can cause
the output signal to be frequency translated relative to the input
signal. The output of the mixer 555 can be amplified by amplifier
556 and then filtered by the filter 558. The filters 542 and 558
can be band pass filters as illustrated, in which the filters 542
and 558 have different respective pass bands. In certain instances,
the mixer 555, the amplifier 556, and the filter 588 can be
included in a transmit path.
[0104] One or more intervening circuit elements can be coupled
between the illustrated circuit elements of the transceiver 550.
Such intervening circuit elements can consist of analog circuitry.
One or more components of the transceiver 550 can be selectively
coupled in for the first mode. For example, the receive path can be
selectively coupled to the transmit path by a switch. In some
instances, the one or more components of the transceiver 550 can be
selectively activated.
[0105] FIG. 5F illustrates the UE 500 of FIG. 5A with the
transceiver operating in the second mode. In the second mode, the
transceiver 520 can receive a downlink radio frequency signal via
antenna 510. The receive path 522 can process the downlink radio
frequency signal and downconvert the processed downlink radio
frequency signal to baseband. The baseband processor 530 can
receive the baseband downlink signal. The baseband processor 530
can generate a baseband uplink signal in the second mode. The
transmit path 524 can generate an uplink radio frequency signal
form the baseband uplink signal. The transmit path 524 can transmit
the uplink radio frequency signal via the antenna 512. The dashed
line between the receive path 522 and the transmit path 524
indicates that these paths are decoupled in the analog domain in
the second mode.
[0106] FIG. 6A is a schematic block diagram of a UE 600 according
to an embodiment. The illustrated UE 600 includes antennas 610 and
612, a transceiver 620, and a baseband processor 630. The
transceiver 620 includes a transmit path, a first receive path, and
a second receive path. The transceiver 620 is operable in at least
a traffic mode and a repeater mode.
[0107] In a traffic mode, the transceiver 620 can generate an
uplink signal based on an output of the baseband processor 630 and
transmit the uplink signal via the antenna. The transmit path can
upconvert the output of the baseband processor with a mixer 642.
The output of the mixer 642 can be electrically coupled to an input
of the power amplifier 646 via the switch 644 in the traffic mode.
The power amplifier 646 can amplify the output of the mixer 642 and
provide the amplified signal to the antenna 612 for transmission
via an intervening circuit element 648. The intervening circuit
element 648 can be a switch (e.g., a transmit/receive switch) or a
multiplexer that includes a plurality of filters coupled to a
common antenna node (e.g., a duplexer). In the traffic mode, the
transceiver 620 can process a downlink signal received via the
antenna 612 with the first receive path and provide the processed
downlink signal to the baseband processor 630. The first receive
path can include a low noise amplifier 652 and a mixer 654. The low
noise amplifier 652 can amplify a received signal. The mixer 654 is
arranged to downconvert the output of the low noise amplifier 652
to baseband. The low noise amplifier 652 can receive a downlink
signal from the antenna 612 via the intervening circuit element
648.
[0108] In a repeater mode, the transceiver 620 can receive a signal
from via the antenna 610. The received signal can be processed by
the second receive path. The second receive path can include at
least an amplifier 660, which can be a low noise amplifier. The
second receive path can also include one or more filters (not
illustrated). The switch 644 can electrically couple the second
receive path to the transmit path of the transceiver 620 in the
repeater mode. The output of the second receive path can then be
processed by the transmit path for transmission via the antenna
612. The second receive path together with the transmit path can
receive a receive downlink signal and provide a transmit downlink
signal in the repeater mode. The second receive path together with
the transmit path can receive a receive uplink signal and provide a
transmit uplink signal in the repeater mode.
[0109] FIG. 6B is a schematic block diagram of a UE 670 according
to an embodiment. The illustrated UE 670 is similar to the UE 600
of FIG. 6A except that the second receive path can be selectively
electrically coupled to the transmit path of a transceiver at a
different node. In the transceiver 680 of the UE 670, the second
receive path can be electrically coupled to an input of the mixer
642 in a TRP mode. Accordingly, the transceiver 680 can frequency
translate a signal from the second receive path for transmission
via the antenna 612. In some instances, a transceiver can be
implemented in accordance with any suitable principles and
advantages associated with the transceiver 620 of FIG. 6A and the
transceiver 680 of FIG. 6B. For example, a transceiver can
implement a repeater mode in accordance with features of the
transceiver 620 and implement a TRP mode in accordance with the
transceiver 680.
Network System
[0110] A network system can be configured to communicate with a UE
via another UE arranged as a virtual network element. The network
system can determine to use a UE as a virtual network element, such
as a repeater or a virtual TRP and/or a virtual RRU. The network
system can route traffic through the UE operating as the virtual
network element. In some instances, the UE operating as a virtual
network element can perform front haul processing. FIG. 7A
illustrates an example network system and FIG. 7B illustrates an
example RRU. The network systems and RRUs disclosed herein can be
can operate in any suitable number environment, such as any of the
network environments of FIGS. 1 to 2D. The network systems and RRUs
disclosed herein can wirelessly communicate with any of the UEs
disclosed herein.
[0111] FIG. 7A is a block diagram illustrating an example network
system 700 that includes base band unit 702 and remote radio units
720 according to an embodiment. The network system 700 of FIG. 7A
can wirelessly communicate with UEs in accordance with any suitable
principles and advantages disclosed herein. The base band unit 702
can be coupled with at least one remote radio unit 720. The base
band unit 702 can be coupled with a plurality of remote radio units
720. Such remote radio units 720 can be distributed.
[0112] A remote radio unit 720 can include at least a first antenna
732 and a second antenna 734 for wireless communications, such as
MIMO wireless communications. Any antenna disclosed herein, such as
the antenna 732 or the antenna 734, can be referred to as antenna
element. A remote radio unit can include any suitable number of
antennas and/or arrays of antennas. The antennas 732 and 734 of the
RRU 720 can be coupled with a transceiver 724. The transceiver 724
includes a receiver and a transmitter. The receiver can process
signals received via the antennas 732 and/or 734. The transceiver
724 can provide the processed signals to an RRU interface 716
included in the BBU 702. The transceiver 724 can include any
suitable number of receive paths. The transmitter can process
signals received from the BBU 702 for transmission via the antennas
732 and/or 734. The RRU 720 can include a power source 722, which
can provide power to the transceiver 724. The transceiver 724 can
include any suitable number of transmit paths. In some other
instances, the BBU 702 can perform some or all of the signal
processing of a transceiver.
[0113] As illustrated, the BBU 702 includes a processor 704, a
network capacity estimator 706, an UE mode management block 708, a
traffic scheduler 710, a data store 712, a beamformer 714, an RRU
interface 716, and a bus 718. The bus 718 can couple several
elements of the BBU 702.
[0114] The processor 705 can include any suitable physical hardware
configured to perform the functionality described with reference to
the processor 705. The processor 705 can include a processor
configured with specific executable instructions, a microprocessor,
a microcontroller, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application
specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic device
such as field programmable gate array (FPGA), the like, or any
combination thereof designed to perform the functions described
herein. The processor 705 can be implemented by any suitable
combination of computing devices and/or discrete processing
circuits in certain applications.
[0115] The network capacity estimator 706 can estimate network
capacity using one or more UEs as virtual network elements. The
estimate of network capacity can be used to determine whether or
not to request that a particular UE operate as a virtual network
element. In some instances, the network capacity estimator 706 can
compute network efficiency. The computed network efficiency can
include one or more UEs operating as a virtual network element. The
computed network efficiency can be used to determine whether to
initiate termination of a UE operating as a virtual network
element. The network capacity estimator 706 can be implemented by
dedicated circuitry and/or by circuitry of the processor 704.
[0116] The UE mode management block 708 can determine to request
that a UE operate in a virtual network element mode and cause such
a request to be transmitted to the UE. The UE mode management block
708 can determine which UEs are available for operating as a
virtual network element, such as a network repeater or a network
TRP. The UE mode management block 708 can access information from
the data store 712 associated with one or more UEs capable of
operating as a virtual network element. The UE mode management
block 708 can cause the network capacity estimator 706 to compute
network capacity with one or more UEs operating as virtual network
elements. The UE mode management block 708 can request UE
capability information from UEs determined to increase the network
capacity. The UE mode management block 708 can be implemented by
dedicated circuitry and/or by circuitry of the processor 704.
[0117] The UE mode management block 708 can determine whether to
include UEs as an option for scheduling network traffic. This
determination can be based on one or more operational
characteristics of a UE, such as power level (e.g., battery power),
processor load, memory, applications executing on the UE, existing
operation as a virtual network element, MIMO capabilities, traffic
state, a channel condition associated with one or more other UEs in
proximity, a link quality indicator associated with one or more
other UEs in proximity, or one or more other detectable operational
metrics for the UE. As an example, the UE mode management block 708
can determine whether to include UEs as a virtual network element
for scheduling traffic if the UE's battery power satisfies a first
threshold and a link quality indicator associated with the UE
satisfies a second threshold. Information associated with the one
or more operational characteristics can be obtained via the request
for UE capability information. In some instances, the UE mode
management block 708 can determine whether to include the UE as an
option for a virtual network element based on an amount of
incentives desired by the UE for operating as a virtual network
element. Any other suitable information can be alternatively or
additionally be used to determine whether to include the UE as an
option for operating as a virtual network element.
[0118] The UE mode management block 708 can initiate termination of
the UE operating as a virtual network element. The UE mode
management block 708 can initiate such a termination in response to
determining that the UE is providing less than a threshold amount
of increased network efficiency. The threshold amount can be zero
in certain instances. The threshold amount can be greater than zero
in other instances. Information associated with network efficiency
can be obtained from the network capacity estimator 706.
[0119] The traffic scheduler 710 can schedule traffic between a
network system and one or more UEs. The traffic scheduler 710 can
schedule uplink and/or downlink traffic between a RRU and a UE. The
traffic scheduler 710 can schedule traffic between a UE operating
as a virtual network element and another UE. For example, the
traffic scheduler 710 can route traffic between a RRU and a first
UE through a second UE operating as a repeater. In this example,
the traffic scheduler 710 can also route traffic directly between
the RRU and the first UE concurrent with the traffic being routed
through the second UE operating at the repeater. As another
example, the traffic scheduler 710 can route traffic between a RRU
and a first UE through a second UE operating as a network TRP. The
traffic scheduler 710 can route traffic through any serving nodes
stored in a serving node data store, which can be included in the
data store 712. The serving node data store can keep an updated
list of the UEs available to operate as a virtual network element.
The traffic scheduler 710 can be implemented by dedicated circuitry
and/or by circuitry of the processor 704.
[0120] As illustrated, the processor 705 is in communication the
data store 712. The data store 712 can store instructions that can
be executed by the processor 712 to implement any suitable
combination of the features described herein. In some
implementations, the data store 712 can retain information
associated with one or more UEs capable of operating as a network
repeater and/or as a network TRP. The data store 712 can
alternatively or additionally retain information associated with
network capacity determined by the network capacity estimator 706
and/or regarding network efficiency. The data store 712 can retain
information regarding rewarding UEs for operating as a network
repeater and/or a network TRPs in certain instances. The data store
712 can retain information regarding UEs providing a reward to
other UEs for operating as a network repeater and/or a network TRPs
in various instances. The data store 712 can store network traffic
information. The data store 712 can store any other suitable data
for the baseband unit 702.
[0121] The beamformer 714 can generate parameters for serving nodes
(e.g., RRUs and/or UEs operating as RRUs) for UEs. The parameters
can include one or more of transmission mode, time, frequency,
power, beamforming matrix, tone allocation, or channel rank. The
beamformer 714 can determine optimal parameters for RRUs 720
coupled with the BBU 702 that facilitate a network-wide
optimization of downlink data transmissions. Similar functionality
can be implemented for receiving uplink data transmission.
[0122] The illustrated processor 705 is in communication the RRU
interface 716. The RRU interface 716 can be any suitable interface
for proving signals to an RRU 720 and receiving signals from the
RRU 720. As an example, the RRU interface 716 can be a Common
Public Radio Interface.
[0123] FIG. 7B is a schematic block diagram illustrating an example
RRU 740 arranged to wirelessly communicate with a UE. As
illustrated, the RRU includes a Common Public Radio Interface
(CPRI) 740, data converters including a digital-to-analog converter
(DAC) 744 and an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) 754, a local
oscillator 745, mixers 746 and 756, amplifiers including a power
amplifier 748 and a low noise amplifier 745, a duplexer including a
transmit filter 749 and a receive filter 752, and an antenna 750.
The CPRI 740 provides an interface between radio equipment
controllers (e.g., of a base band unit) and radio equipment (e.g.,
a transceiver and RF front end). In some instances, the CPRI 740
can be an enhanced CPRI (eCPRI).
[0124] The RRU 740 can transmit downlink data to a user equipment.
Digital data received via the CPRI 740 can be converted to analog
data by the DAC 744. The mixer 746 can upconvert the analog data to
a desired carrier frequency in the RF domain. The local oscillator
745 can set the carrier frequency of the output of the mixer 746.
The power amplifier 748 can amplify the output of the mixer 746.
The transmit filter 749 can filter the output of the power
amplifier 748 for transmission to a UE via the antenna 750. The
antenna 750 can be a WAN antenna.
[0125] The RRU 740 can receive and process uplink data from a user
equipment. The antenna 750 can receive a cellular uplink signal
from the UE. The receive filter 752 can filter the cellular uplink
signal. The low noise amplifier 754 can filter the output of the
receive filter 752. The mixer 756 can downconvert the output of the
low noise amplifier 754 to baseband. The local oscillator 745 can
provide a local oscillator signal to the mixer 756 for down
conversion to baseband. The ADC 758 can convert an analog output of
the mixer 756 to a digital signal. The output of the ADC 758 can be
provided to a baseband unit for baseband processing via the CPRI
740.
TRP Mode
[0126] UEs disclosed herein can operate in a virtual TRP mode. In
the virtual TRP mode, the UE can process a received RF signal and
output a processed RF signal to facilitate communication between a
network system and another UE. The UE can operate in the virtual
TRP mode in either an idle state or an active state. The virtual
TRP mode and a traffic mode can be time partitioned. The UE can
operate in the virtual TRP mode in response to a signal provided by
a network system. In certain instances, the UE can perform
functionality of an RRU. The UE can receive network data via one or
more front haul antennas in certain instances. The UE can serve
network transmitted data to a designated UE in proximity using a
WAN antenna. The UE can operate as a virtual RRU in the virtual TRP
mode to help the network system with calibration and/or network
synchronization. The UE operating in the virtual TRP mode can
receive incentives to encourage the UE to operate as a virtual
TRP.
[0127] FIG. 8 illustrates example communications and events of an
embodiment of configuring and operating a UE as a network TRP. The
message flow 800 illustrates example communications and events
associated with a user equipment 810 and a network system 820. The
UE 810 can implement any suitable features of the UEs disclosed
herein. For instance, the UE 810 can be implemented in accordance
with any suitable principles and advantages disclosed in
association with one or more of FIG. 3, 4A, 4B, 4D, 5A, 5C, 5E, or
6B. The network system 820 may include a base band unit or other
network device configured to schedule communications with devices
within a service area. The network system 820 can also include a
plurality of RRUs and/or TRPs. The network system 820 can be
implemented in accordance with any suitable principles and
advantages of the network systems disclosed herein. For instance,
network system 820 can be implemented in accordance with any
suitable combination of features of the network system of FIG. 7A.
The message flow 800 can be implemented in the example
communication environments of FIGS. 2B, 2C, and/or 2D, for example.
Additional or alternative entities may be included to mediate one
or more of the interactions shown such as network routers,
switches, security devices, or the like.
[0128] Although the message flow 800 is shown as being between a
single UE 810 and a network system 820, a plurality of UEs can
communicate with the network system 820 concurrently and/or in
sequence in accordance with the principles and advantages disclosed
with reference to FIG. 8. For example, the network system 820 can
determine to use two or more UEs as virtual TRPs and direct traffic
to such UEs operating in virtual TRP mode.
[0129] In event 830, the UE 810 can enter a TRP capable state. For
example, the UE 810 can enter the TRP capable state in response to
detecting that the UE 810 is idle and has a sufficient power level
(e.g., battery power) to operate in a virtual TRP mode. The UE 810
can determine whether to enter a TRP capable state based on one or
more of a variety of factors. Example factors include one or more
operational characteristics of the UE 810 and one or more TRP
operation metrics.
[0130] Operational characteristics of the UE 810 can include one or
more of a channel condition, processing capabilities, available
memory, one or more applications executing on the UE, power level
(e.g., battery power level), or the like. The UE 810 can determine
to enter the TRP capable state in response to one or more
operational characteristics satisfying a respective threshold. For
instance, the UE 810 can enter the TRP capable state in response to
determining that its battery power level is above a threshold
amount.
[0131] TRP operation metrics include one or more of an amount of
data to transmit and/or receive as a TRP, a type of data to
transmit and/or receive as a TRP, an incentive provided to the UE
810 for operating as a TRP, any a priori agreements, or the like.
Example incentives include cellular data allowance credit from a
mobile network operator, cellular data allowance transfer from
another UE, digital cash, or tokens. The amount of incentives
provided to the UE for operating as a network TRP can be
dynamically allocated in certain instances. The amount of
incentives provided to the UE for operating as a network TRP can be
based on demand for extra network capacity in a particular area.
The amount of incentives provided to the UE for operating as a
network TRP can alternatively or additionally be based on one or
more operational characteristics of the UE such as any of the
operational characteristics described herein. The UE 810 can
determine to enter the TRP capable state in response to an amount
of incentives satisfying a threshold. A priori agreements can
include one or more explicit a priori agreements (e.g., users who
have agreed to operate as their UEs as TRPs) and/or one or more
implicit a priori agreements (e.g., users who allow their UEs to
operate as TRPs for other UEs associated with a friend list or list
of users with common interest defined by social network
service).
[0132] The UE 810 can transmit TRP capable state information to the
network system 820 in event 832. The TRP capable state information
can indicate that the UE 810 is available to operate as a network
TRP. The transmission may include information indicating various
information associated with the UE 810 such as information
identifying a device type, information about capabilities of the UE
810 such as a number of antennas or a number of transmit and/or
receive paths of a transceiver of the UE 810, or the like.
[0133] The network system 820 can register the UE 810 in a data
store in event 834. This can involve storing an identifier and/or
other information associated with the UE 810 in a virtual TRP
database. In event 836, the network system 820 can estimate network
capacity with the UE 810 operating as a network TRP. The network
system 820 can determine whether the UE 810 can increase network
capacity by operating as a TRP. In some instances, the network
system 820 can determine whether the UE 810 can increase network
capacity more than a threshold amount. In response to determining
that the UE 810 can sufficiently increase network capacity, the
network system 820 can send the UE 810 a UE capability request in
event 838. In some instances, an amount of incentives to encourage
the UE 810 to operate as a TRP can be provided with the UE
capability request.
[0134] The UE 810 can collect information in response to the UE
capability request provided by the network system 820. In event
840, the UE 810 can assess its capacity as a network TRP. For
instance, the UE 810 can detect one or more operational
characteristics of the UE 810, such as power level (e.g., battery
power), processor load, memory, applications executing on the UE
810, existing operation as a virtual network element, MIMO
capabilities such as number of MIMO dimensions available, traffic
state, a channel condition associated with one or more other UEs in
proximity, a link quality indicator associated with one or more
other UEs in proximity, or one or more other detectable operational
metrics for the UE 810. As one example, the UE 810 can detect its
battery power and a channel condition associated with another UE in
proximity. In event 842, the UE 810 can provide feedback to the
network system 820 regarding capabilities of the UE 810 operating
as a network TRP. The feedback can include any suitable information
collected in event 840. The UE 810 can send information regarding
desired incentives for operating as a TRP in event 842.
[0135] The network system 820 can add the UE 810 as a network TRP
for a network scheduler in event 844. The determination in event
844 can include accessing information associated with the user
equipment 810 from a data store. Such information can include
information stored in event 834, for example. The network system
820 can verify that the UE 810 includes circuitry capable of
performing TRP functionality. The determination to request that the
UE 810 operate as a network repeater in event 844 can be based on
the verifying of the capability of the UE 810. The determination in
event 844 can be based on any suitable information from the
feedback provided by the UE 810 in event 842.
[0136] The network system 820 can send a command to the UE 810 to
initiate a virtual TRP mode in event 846. Then the UE 810 can enter
TRP mode in event 848. The UE 810 can verify that it will receive a
sufficient amount of incentives for operating as a TRP prior to
entering TRP mode in certain instances. A transceiver of the UE 810
can change mode to enter the TRP mode. In some instances, this can
involve changing the state of a switch of the transceiver. The UE
810 can activate one or more RF signal chains to operate in the TRP
mode. Such RF signal chains can include a dedicated signal chain
and/or a signal chain that includes at least a portion of an RF
signal path that is also used in a traffic mode of the UE 810. In
response to entering the virtual TRP mode, the UE 810 can send a
TRP ready information to the network system 820 to indicate that
the UE 810 is ready to operate as a network TRP in event 850. The
network system 820 can schedule traffic to the UE 810 in event
852.
[0137] In event 854, the network system 820 can route network
traffic to the UE 810. Incentives desired by a UE 810 for operating
as a TRP can be one variable used by the network system 820 to
determine traffic routing. Accordingly, the network system 820 can
account for an amount of incentives desired by the UE 810 in
determining how to route traffic. The traffic can be downlink
traffic as illustrated in FIG. 8. The UE 810 can operate as a
network TRP in event 856. As a network TRP, the UE 810 can transmit
downlink data to another UE. This can increase network performance,
for example, by increasing the MIMO dimension of a downlink data
transmission to the other UE. While FIG. 8 illustrates downlink
traffic being transmitted from the network system 820 to the UE
810, the network system 820 can alternatively or additionally route
uplink traffic from another UE to the network system 820 via the UE
810.
Repeater Mode
[0138] UEs disclosed herein can operate in a repeater mode. In the
repeater mode, the UE can filter and amplify a received RF signal
and output a processed RF signal that has substantially the same
carrier frequency as the received RF signal. This can facilitate
communication between a network system and another UE. The UE can
operate in repeater mode when the UE is not in a traffic mode. In
certain instances, such a UE can operate in the repeater mode when
the UE is otherwise in an idle state. The repeater mode can be
turned on for an idle carrier for frequency division duplexing
traffic. The repeater mode can be turned on for an idle time slot
for time division duplexing traffic. A neighboring UE channel can
be sensed via a beacon. Feedback can be provided by the UE to the
network system. The UE operating in the repeater mode can receive
incentives to encourage the UE to operate as a repeater.
[0139] FIG. 9 illustrates example communications and events of an
embodiment of configuring and operating a UE as a network repeater.
The message flow 900 illustrates example communications and events
associated with a user equipment 910 and a network system 920. The
UE 910 can implement any suitable features of the UEs disclosed
herein. For instance, the UE 910 can be implemented in accordance
with any suitable principles and advantages disclosed in
association with one or more of FIG. 3, 4A, 5A, 5B, 5D, or 6A. The
network system 920 may include a base band unit or other network
device configured to schedule communications with devices within a
service area. The network system 920 can also include a plurality
of RRUs and/or TRPs. The network system 920 can be implemented in
accordance with any suitable principles and advantages of the
network systems disclosed herein. For instance, network system 920
can be implemented in accordance with any suitable combination of
features of the network system of FIG. 7A. The message flow 900 can
be implemented in the example communication environments of FIGS.
2A and/or 2D, for example. Additional or alternative entities may
be included to mediate one or more of the interactions shown such
as network routers, switches, security devices, or the like.
[0140] Although the message flow 900 is shown as being between a
single UE 910 and a network system 920, a plurality of UEs can
communicate with the network system 920 concurrently and/or in
sequence in accordance with the principles and advantages disclosed
with reference to FIG. 9. For example, the network system 920 can
determine to use two or more UEs as network repeaters and direct
traffic to such UEs operating in a repeater mode. In some
instances, a network system can communicate with one or more UEs in
association with the one or more UEs operating in a virtual TRP
mode in accordance with any suitable principles and advantages of
FIG. 8 and also communicate with one or more additional UEs in
association with the one or more additional UEs operating in
repeater mode in accordance with any suitable principles and
advantages of FIG. 9.
[0141] In event 930, the UE 910 can enter a repeater capable state.
For example, the UE 910 can enter the repeater capable state in
response to detecting that the UE 910 is idle and has a sufficient
power level (e.g., battery power) to operate in a repeater
mode.
[0142] The UE 910 can determine whether to enter a repeater capable
state based on one or more of a variety of factors. Example factors
include one or more operational characteristics of the UE 910 and
one or more repeater operation metrics.
[0143] Operational characteristics of the UE 910 can include one or
more of a channel condition, processing capabilities, available
memory, one or more applications executing on the UE, power level
(e.g., battery power level), or the like. The UE 910 can determine
to enter the repeater capable state in response to one or more
operational characteristics satisfying a respective threshold. For
instance, the UE 910 can enter the repeater capable state in
response to determining that its battery power level is above a
threshold amount.
[0144] Repeater operation metrics include one or more of an amount
of data to transmit and/or receive as a repeater, a type of data to
transmit and/or receive as a repeater, an incentive provided to the
UE 910 for operating as a repeater, any a priori agreements, or the
like. Example incentives include cellular data allowance credit
from a mobile network operator, cellular data allowance transfer
from another UE, digital cash, or tokens. The amount of incentives
provided to the UE for operating as a network repeater can be
dynamically allocated in certain instances. The amount of
incentives provided to the UE for operating as a network repeater
can be based on demand for extra network capacity in a particular
area. The amount of incentives provided to the UE for operating as
a network repeater can alternatively or additionally be based on
one or more operational characteristics of the UE such as any of
the operational characteristics described herein. The UE 910 can
determine to enter the repeater capable state in response to an
amount of incentives satisfying a threshold. A priori agreements
can include one or more explicit a priori agreements (e.g., users
who have agreed to operate as their UEs as repeaters) and/or one or
more implicit a priori agreements (e.g., users who allow their UEs
to operate as repeaters for other UEs associated with a friend list
or list of users with common interest defined by social network
service).
[0145] The UE 910 can transmit repeater capable state information
to the network system 920 in event 932. The repeater capable state
information can indicate that the UE 910 is available to operate as
a network repeater. The transmission may include information
indicating various information associated with the UE 910 such as
information identifying a device type, information about
capabilities of the UE 910 such as a number of antennas or a number
of transmit and/or receive paths of a transceiver of the UE 910, or
the like.
[0146] The network system 920 can register the UE 910 in a data
store in event 934. This can involve storing an identifier and/or
other information associated with the UE 910 in a repeater
database. In event 936, the network system 920 can estimate network
capacity with the UE 910 operating as a network repeater. The
network system 920 can determine whether the UE 910 can increase
network capacity by operating as a repeater. In some instances, the
network system 920 can determine whether the UE 910 can increase
network capacity more than a threshold amount. In response to
determining that the UE 910 can sufficiently increase network
capacity, the network system 920 can send the UE 910 a UE
capability request in event 938. In some instances, an amount of
incentives to encourage the UE 910 to operate as a repeater can be
provided with the UE capability request.
[0147] The UE 910 can collect information in response to the UE
capability request provided by the network system 920. In event
940, the UE 910 can assess its capacity as a network repeater. For
instance, the UE 910 can detect one or more operational
characteristics of the UE 910, such as power level (e.g., battery
power), processor load, memory, applications executing on the UE
910, existing operation as a virtual network element, MIMO
capabilities, traffic state, a channel condition associated with
one or more other UEs in proximity, a link quality indicator
associated with one or more other UEs in proximity, or one or more
other detectable operational metrics for the UE 910. As one
example, the UE 910 can detect its battery power and a channel
condition associated with another UE in proximity. In event 942,
the UE 910 can provide feedback to the network system 920 regarding
capabilities of the UE 910 operating as a network repeater. The
feedback can include any suitable information collected in event
940. The UE 910 can send information regarding desired incentives
for operating as a repeater in event 942.
[0148] The network system 920 can determine to request that the UE
910 operate as a network repeater in event 944. The determination
in event 944 can include accessing information associated with the
user equipment 910 from a data store. Such information can include
information stored in event 934, for example. The network system
920 can verify that the UE 910 includes circuitry capable of
performing repeater functionality. The determination to request
that the UE 910 operate as a network repeater in event 944 can be
based on the verifying of the capability of the UE 910. The
determination in event 944 can be based on any suitable information
from the feedback provided by the UE 910 in event 942.
[0149] The network system 920 can send a command to the UE 910 to
initiate a repeater mode in event 946. Then the UE 910 can enter
the repeater mode in event 948. The UE 910 can verify that it will
receive a sufficient amount of incentives for operating as a
repeater prior to entering repeater mode in certain instances. A
transceiver of the UE 910 can change mode to enter the repeater
mode. In some instances, this can involve changing the state of a
switch of the transceiver. The UE 910 can activate one or more RF
signal chains to operate in the TRP mode. Such RF signal chains can
include a dedicated signal chain and/or a signal chain that
includes at least a portion of an RF signal path that is also used
in a traffic mode of the UE 910. In response to entering the
repeater mode, the UE 910 can send a TRP ready information to the
network system 920 to indicate that the UE 910 is ready to operate
as a network TRP in event 950. The network system 920 can schedule
traffic to the UE 910 in event 952 for the UE 910 to repeat as a
network repeater.
[0150] In event 954, the network system 920 can route network
traffic to the UE 910. Incentives desired by a UE 890 for operating
as a repeater can be one variable used by the network system 920 to
determine traffic routing. Accordingly, the network system 920 can
account for an amount of incentives desired by the UE 910 in
determining how to route traffic. The traffic can be downlink
traffic as illustrated in FIG. 9. The UE 910 can operate as a
network repeater in event 956. As a network repeater, the UE 910
can transmit downlink data to another UE. This can provide
strategic scattering in a communication environment. While FIG. 9
illustrates downlink traffic being transmitted from the network
system 920 to the UE 910, the network system 920 can alternatively
or additionally route uplink traffic from another UE to the network
system 920 via the UE 910.
Terminating Virtual Network Element Mode
[0151] UEs disclosed herein can operate in a virtual network
element mode, such as a repeater mode or a virtual TRP mode. The
UEs can operate in the virtual network element mode of a certain
period of time. A UE can initiate termination of operation in the
virtual network element mode. Alternatively or additionally, a
network system can initiate termination of a UE operating in the
virtual network element mode.
[0152] FIG. 10A is a flow diagram of an example UE initiated
process 1000 of terminating operation of a UE in a virtual network
element mode. The process 1000 can be performed by any suitable UE
disclosed herein. The UE can detect a metric change while operating
as a virtual network element at block 1002. The UE can detect the
metric change dynamically and/or at defined intervals. The metric
change can be significant enough to terminate the virtual network
element mode. The metric change can be, for example, one or more of
a change in a channel condition, a change in device power (e.g.,
batter power), or a desired to enter a traffic mode for one or more
applications. The metric change can have a magnitude that satisfies
a threshold for virtual network element mode termination. The UE
can send a termination notification to the network system with
redundancy at block 1004. This can reliably notify the network
system that the UE will now terminate operation in the virtual
network element mode. At block 1006, the UE can exit the virtual
network element mode. The termination notification can be an
in-band control signal in certain instances. The termination
notification can be sent via a virtual front-haul in some
instances. The UE can terminate the virtual network element mode in
response to receiving acknowledgement from the network system in
respond to the termination notification sent at block 1004. The
acknowledgement can be an in-band control signal or sent via a
virtual front-haul. Alternatively or additionally, the UE can
terminate the virtual network element mode in response to a timer
expiring.
[0153] FIG. 10B is a flow diagram of an example network initiated
process 1010 of terminating operation of a UE in a virtual network
element mode. The process 1010 can be performed by any suitable
network system disclosed herein. The network system 1012 can
compute network efficiency with the UE operating in the virtual
network element mode. This computation can be performed dynamically
and/or at defined intervals. The network system can detect that the
UE operating as a virtual network element does sufficiently not
help with network efficiency at block 1014. In some instances, the
network system can determine that the UE operating in the virtual
network mode does not increase network efficiency by a threshold
amount. The threshold amount can be zero in certain instances. The
threshold amount can be greater than zero in other instances. The
network system can then remove the UE from network scheduling at
block 1016 in response to determining that the UE does not
sufficiently increase network efficiency. In response to detecting
that the UE operating as a virtual network element does not
sufficiently help with network efficiency, the network system can
send a notification to the UE to exit the virtual network element
mode at block 1018.
Methods of Wireless Communication Involving Network System and UE
Operating as Virtual Network Element
[0154] FIG. 11A is a flow diagram illustrating an example method
1100 of data transmission for a user equipment according to an
embodiment. The method 1100 can be performed by any suitable UE
disclosed herein. Any suitable principles and advantages associated
with the message flow diagrams of FIGS. 8 and 9 can be implemented
in the method 1100. The method 1100 relates to a UE operating in
traffic mode and operating in a virtual network element mode to
provide downlink data to another UE.
[0155] At block 1102, a UE can receive a downlink cellular signal
in a first mode. The first mode can be a virtual network element
mode, such as a repeater mode or a TRP mode. The downlink cellular
signal can be received by a receive path of the UE that is coupled
to a transmit path of the UE in an analog domain. Accordingly, the
downlink cellular signal can be processed without demodulation to
baseband. The UE can transmit a downlink cellular signal to another
UE in the first mode at block 1104. The transmission can be via the
transmit path.
[0156] The mode of the UE can be toggled from the first mode to a
second mode at block 1106. The second mode can be a traffic mode.
The UE can generate an uplink cellular signal based on an output of
a baseband processor of the UE in the second mode. The UE can
transmit the uplink cellular signal to a network system at block
1108. The UE can also receive and process a downlink signal
received from the network system in the second mode.
[0157] FIG. 11B is a flow diagram illustrating an example method
1110 of data processing for a user equipment according to an
embodiment. The method 1110 can be performed by any suitable UE
disclosed herein. Any suitable principles and advantages associated
with the message flow diagrams of FIGS. 8 and 9 can be implemented
in the method 1110. The method 1110 relates to a UE operating in
traffic mode and operating in a virtual network element mode to
provide uplink data from another UE to a network system.
[0158] At block 1112, a UE can receive an uplink cellular signal in
a first mode. The first mode can be a virtual network element mode,
such as a repeater mode or a TRP mode. The uplink cellular signal
can be received by a receive path of the UE that is coupled to a
transmit path of the UE in an analog domain. Accordingly, the
uplink cellular signal can be processed without demodulation to
baseband. The UE can transmit an uplink cellular signal to a
network system in the first mode at block 1114. The transmission
can be via the transmit path.
[0159] The mode of the UE can be toggled from the first mode to a
second mode at block 1116. The second mode can be a traffic mode.
At block 1118, the UE can receive and process a downlink signal
received from the network system in the second mode. The processed
signal can be demodulated to baseband and provided to a baseband
processor in the second mode. The UE can also transmit an uplink
signal to the network system in the second mode.
[0160] FIG. 12A is a flow diagram illustrating an example method
1200 of downlink data transmission according to an embodiment. The
method 1200 can be performed by any suitable network system
disclosed herein. Any suitable principles and advantages associated
with the message flow diagram of FIG. 9 can be implemented in the
method 1200. The method 1200 relates to a network system
transmitting downlink data to a UE operating in traffic mode and
operating in a repeater mode.
[0161] At block 1202, a network system can transmit downlink data
for a first UE to the first UE in a traffic mode of the first UE.
The network system can determine to use the first UE as a repeater
for wirelessly communicating with a second UE at block 1204. The
network system can signal to the first UE to operate in a repeater
mode at block 1206. While the first UE is in the repeater mode, the
network system can transmit first downlink data for the second UE
to the first UE at block 1208. Then the first UE can function as a
repeater to provide the first downlink data to the second UE. At
block 1209, the network system can transmit second downlink data to
the second UE while the first UE is in the repeater mode.
Accordingly, the second UE can receive the first and second
downlink data from the network system while the first UE is in the
repeater mode. The second UE can jointly process the first downlink
data together with the second downlink data.
[0162] FIG. 12B is a flow diagram illustrating an example method
1210 of processing uplink data according to an embodiment. The
method 1210 can be performed by any suitable network system
disclosed herein. Any suitable principles and advantages associated
with the message flow diagram of FIG. 9 can be implemented in the
method 1210. The method 1210 relates to a network system receiving
uplink data from a UE operating in traffic mode and operating in a
repeater mode. The method 1210 can be performed with any suitable
wireless downlink communication, such as any suitable features of
the method 1200 of FIG. 12A.
[0163] At block 1212, a network system can receive uplink data for
a first UE from the first UE in a traffic mode of the first UE. The
network system can determine to use the first UE as a repeater for
wirelessly communicating with a second UE at block 1214. The
network system can signal to the first UE to operate in a repeater
mode at block 1216. In the repeater mode, the first UE can repeat
uplink data from the second UE and transmit the uplink data to the
network system. While the first UE is in the repeater mode, the
network system can receive first uplink data for the second UE from
the first UE at block 1218. At block 1219, the network system can
receive second uplink data for the second UE from the second UE
while the first UE is in the repeater mode. The network system can
jointly process the first uplink data together with the second
uplink data at block 1220.
[0164] FIG. 13A is a flow diagram illustrating an example method
1300 of downlink data transmission according to an embodiment. The
method 1300 can be performed by any suitable network system
disclosed herein. Any suitable principles and advantages associated
with the message flow diagram of FIG. 8 can be implemented in the
method 1300. The method 1300 relates to a network system
communicating with a UE operating in traffic mode and operating in
a virtual TRP mode.
[0165] At block 1302, a network system can transmit downlink data
for a first UE to the first UE in a traffic mode of the first UE.
The network system can determine to use the first UE as a virtual
TRP for wirelessly communicating with a second UE at block 1304.
The network system can signal to the first UE to operate in a
virtual TRP mode at block 1306. While the first UE is in the
virtual TRP mode, the network system can transmit first downlink
data for the second UE to the first UE at block 1308. Then the
first UE can function as a virtual TRP for wirelessly transmitting
a downlink cellular signal to the second UE. The first UE can
perform any suitable processing of an RRU in the virtual TRP mode.
For example, the first UE can perform any suitable uplink
processing identified in FIG. 4D.
[0166] FIG. 13B is a flow diagram illustrating an example method
1310 of processing uplink data according to an embodiment. The
method 1310 can be performed by any suitable network system
disclosed herein. Any suitable principles and advantages associated
with the message flow diagram of FIG. 8 can be implemented in the
method 1310. The method 1310 relates to a network system receiving
uplink data from a UE operating in traffic mode and operating in a
virtual TRP mode. The method 1310 can be performed with any
suitable wireless downlink communication, such as any suitable
features of the method 1300 of FIG. 13A.
[0167] At block 1312, a network system can receive uplink data for
a first UE from the first UE in a traffic mode of the first UE. The
network system can determine to use the first UE as a virtual TRP
for wirelessly communicating with a second UE at block 1314. The
network system can signal to the first UE to operate in a virtual
TRP mode at block 1316. In the virtual TRP mode, the first UE can
function as a virtual TRP of the network for wirelessly
communicating with the second UE. The first UE can perform any
suitable processing of an RRU in the virtual TRP mode. For example,
the first UE can perform any suitable uplink processing identified
in FIG. 4D. While the first UE is in the virtual TRP mode, the
network system can receive uplink data for the second UE from the
first UE at block 1318.
Terminology, Applications, and Conclusion
[0168] Depending on the embodiment, certain acts, events, or
functions of any of the processes or algorithms described herein
can be performed in a different sequence, can be added, merged, or
left out altogether (e.g., not all described operations or events
are necessary for the practice of the algorithm). Moreover, in
certain embodiments, operations, or events can be performed
concurrently, e.g., through multi-threaded processing, interrupt
processing, or multiple processors or processor cores or on other
parallel architectures, rather than sequentially.
[0169] Conditional language used herein, such as, among others,
"can," "could," "might," "may," "e.g.," and the like, unless
specifically stated otherwise, or otherwise understood within the
context as used, is generally intended to convey that certain
embodiments include, while other embodiments do not include,
certain features, elements, and/or steps. Thus, such conditional
language is not generally intended to imply that features,
elements, and/or steps are in any way required for one or more
embodiments or that one or more embodiments necessarily include
logic for deciding, with or without other input or prompting,
whether these features, elements, and/or steps are included or are
to be performed in any particular embodiment. The terms
"comprising," "including," "having," and the like are synonymous
and are used inclusively, in an open-ended fashion, and do not
exclude additional elements, features, acts, operations, and so
forth. Additionally, the words "herein," "above," "below," and
words of similar import, when used in this application, shall refer
to this application as a whole and not to any particular portions
of this application. Where the context permits, words in the above
Detailed Description of Certain Embodiments using the singular or
plural may also include the plural or singular, respectively. Also,
the term "or" is used in its inclusive sense (and not in its
exclusive sense) so that when used, for example, to connect a list
of elements, the term "or" means one, some, or all of the elements
in the list.
[0170] Disjunctive language such as the phrase "at least one of X,
Y, Z," unless specifically stated otherwise, is otherwise
understood with the context as used in general to present that an
item, term, etc., may be either X, Y, or Z, or any combination
thereof (e.g., X, Y, and/or Z). Thus, such disjunctive language is
not generally intended to, and should not, imply that certain
embodiments require at least one of X, at least one of Y, or at
least one of Z to each be present.
[0171] Unless otherwise explicitly stated, articles such as "a" or
"an" should generally be interpreted to include one or more
described items. Accordingly, phrases such as "a device configured
to" are intended to include one or more recited devices. Such one
or more recited devices can also be collectively configured to
carry out the stated recitations. For example, "a processor
configured to carry out recitations A, B and C" can include a first
processor configured to carry out recitation A working in
conjunction with a second processor configured to carry out
recitations B and C.
[0172] The word "coupled," as generally used herein, refers to two
or more elements that may be either directly coupled to each other,
or coupled by way of one or more intermediate elements. Likewise,
the word "connected," as generally used herein, refers to two or
more elements that may be either directly connected, or connected
by way of one or more intermediate elements.
[0173] As used herein, the terms "determine" or "determining"
encompass a wide variety of actions. For example, "determining" may
include calculating, computing, processing, deriving, generating,
obtaining, looking up (e.g., looking up in a table, a database or
another data structure), ascertaining and the like via a hardware
element without user intervention. Also, "determining" may include
receiving (e.g., receiving information), accessing (e.g., accessing
data in a memory) and the like via a hardware element without user
intervention. Also, "determining" may include resolving, selecting,
choosing, establishing, and the like via a hardware element without
user intervention.
[0174] As used herein, the terms "provide" or "providing" encompass
a wide variety of actions. For example, "providing" may include
storing a value in a location of a storage device for subsequent
retrieval, transmitting a value directly to the recipient via at
least one wired or wireless communication medium, transmitting or
storing a reference to a value, and the like. "Providing" may also
include encoding, decoding, encrypting, decrypting, validating,
verifying, and the like via a hardware element.
[0175] As used herein, the term "message" encompasses a wide
variety of formats for communicating (e.g., transmitting or
receiving) information. A message may include a machine readable
aggregation of information such as an XML document, fixed field
message, comma separated message, or the like. A message may, in
some implementations, include a signal utilized to transmit one or
more representations of the information. While recited in the
singular, it will be understood that a message may be composed,
transmitted, stored, received, etc. in multiple parts.
[0176] As used herein a "user interface" (also referred to as an
interactive user interface, a graphical user interface or a UI) may
refer to a network based interface including data fields and/or
other controls for receiving input signals or providing electronic
information and/or for providing information to the user in
response to any received input signals. A UI may be implemented in
whole or in part using technologies such as hyper-text mark-up
language (HTML), Flash, Java, .net, web services, and rich site
summary (RSS). In some implementations, a UI may be included in a
stand-alone client (for example, thick client, fat client)
configured to communicate (e.g., send or receive data) in
accordance with one or more of the aspects described.
[0177] As used herein a "transmit-receive point" (TRP) (which can
alternatively be referred to as a transmission reception point) may
refer to a transceiver device or one transceiver element included
in a device. When included as a transceiver element, the device may
include multiple TRPs. The TRP may include one or more antennas
which are coupled to signal processing circuitry. The signal
processing circuitry may be included in the device. The TRP may
include additional elements to facilitate transmission or receipt
of wireless signals for one or more UEs. Example of such elements
may include a power source, amplifier, digital-to-analog converter,
analog-to-digital converter, or the like. When a TRP is allocated,
such as by a BBU, to provide service to a UE, the TRP may be said
to be a "serving node" for the UE.
[0178] As used herein a "remote radio unit" (RRU) may refer to a
device for controlling and coordinating transmission and receipt of
wireless signals for one or more UEs. An RRU may include or be
coupled with one or more TRPs. The RRU may receive signals from the
TRP and include the signal processing circuitry. The signal
processing circuitry may be selectively operated to facilitate
processing of signals associated with different TRPs.
[0179] Aspects of this disclosure can be implemented in any
suitable wireless communication environment, network system, and/or
UE. Any suitable communication standard can be used in association
with the principles and advantages disclosed herein.
[0180] While the above detailed description has shown, described,
and pointed out novel features as applied to various embodiments,
it can be understood that various omissions, substitutions, and
changes in the form and details of the devices or algorithms
illustrated can be made without departing from the spirit of the
disclosure. For example, circuit blocks and/or method blocks
described herein may be deleted, moved, added, subdivided,
combined, arranged in a different order, and/or modified. Each of
these blocks may be implemented in a variety of different ways. Any
suitable combination of the elements and acts of the various
embodiments described above can be combined to provide further
embodiments. Any portion of any of the methods disclosed herein can
be performed in association with specific instructions stored on a
non-transitory computer readable storage medium being executed by
one or more processors. As can be recognized, certain embodiments
described herein can be embodied within a form that does not
provide all of the features and benefits set forth herein, as some
features can be used or practiced separately from others. The scope
of certain embodiments disclosed herein is indicated by the
appended claims rather than by the foregoing description. All
changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of
the claims are to be embraced within their scope.
* * * * *