U.S. patent application number 17/212940 was filed with the patent office on 2022-09-29 for facilitation of beamforming utilizing interpolation for 5g or other next generation network.
The applicant listed for this patent is AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.. Invention is credited to Aditya Chopra, Milap Majmundar, Andrew Thornburg.
Application Number | 20220312404 17/212940 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 1000005534296 |
Filed Date | 2022-09-29 |
United States Patent
Application |
20220312404 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Chopra; Aditya ; et
al. |
September 29, 2022 |
FACILITATION OF BEAMFORMING UTILIZING INTERPOLATION FOR 5G OR OTHER
NEXT GENERATION NETWORK
Abstract
Disaggregated wireless radio access networks can utilize a lower
physical split architecture with open fronthaul between the radio
unit and distributed baseband units. A split architecture is one in
which the analogue radio front-end and the digital baseband
processor in a radio are not co-located. Instead, these components
are connected via a fronthaul transport network. Therefore, the
baseband unit can transmit two beamforming matrices for every
contiguous resource block occupied by a user. The radio unit can
then interpolate between these two beamforming matrices for each of
the RE inside of the resource block based on the baseband unit and
the radio unit agreeing upon a method of interpolation to generate
beamforming matrices per resource element.
Inventors: |
Chopra; Aditya; (Austin,
TX) ; Thornburg; Andrew; (Austin, TX) ;
Majmundar; Milap; (Austin, TX) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P. |
Atlanta |
GA |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
1000005534296 |
Appl. No.: |
17/212940 |
Filed: |
March 25, 2021 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04W 72/048 20130101;
H04W 72/044 20130101 |
International
Class: |
H04W 72/04 20060101
H04W072/04 |
Claims
1. A method, comprising: receiving, by distributed unit equipment
comprising a processor, capability data representative of a
capability of radio unit equipment; based on the capability data,
enabling, by the distributed unit equipment, a feature shared
between the distributed unit equipment and the radio unit
equipment, resulting in an enabled feature; based on the enabled
feature, sending, by the distributed unit equipment to the radio
unit equipment, an in-phase quadratic signal; based on a first
resource element and a last resource element of a contiguous block
of resource elements, generating, by the distributed unit
equipment, matrix data representative of a matrix to be sent to the
radio unit equipment; and in response to generating the matrix
data, sending, by the distributed unit equipment, the matrix data
to the radio unit equipment.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the feature is a type of
interpolation to be utilized by the radio unit equipment.
3. The method of claim 2, wherein the interpolation is a spline
interpolation.
4. The method of claim 2, wherein the interpolation is a linear
interpolation.
5. The method of claim 1, further comprising: in response to
enabling the feature, sending, by the distributed unit equipment,
feature data, representative of the enabled feature, within a
compression header.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein the capability data is first
capability data representative of a first capability, and further
comprising: sending, by the distributed unit equipment, second
capability data representative of a second capability of the
distributed unit equipment.
7. The method of claim 6, wherein the first capability and the
second capability are a same capability.
8. A system, comprising: a processor; and a memory that stores
executable instructions that, when executed by the processor,
facilitate performance of operations, comprising: receiving
capability data representative of a capability of radio unit
equipment; based on the capability data, enabling a feature shared
between distributed unit equipment and the radio unit equipment,
resulting in an enabled feature; using the enabled feature,
transmitting an in-phase quadratic signal to the radio unit
equipment; based on a first resource element value and a last
resource element value associated with a resource element block,
generating a matrix to be sent to the radio unit equipment; and in
response generating the matrix, transmitting matrix data
representative of the matrix to the radio unit equipment.
9. The system of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise:
sending compression data representative of a type of compression to
the radio unit equipment.
10. The system of claim 9, wherein the compression data is sent via
a compression header.
11. The system of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise:
sending compression parameter data, representative of a type of
interpolation, to be utilized by the radio unit equipment.
12. The system of claim 11, wherein the type of the interpolation
is a piecewise interpolation.
13. The system of claim 11, wherein the type of the interpolation
is a quadratic interpolation.
14. The system of claim 11, wherein the type of the interpolation
is a polynomial interpolation.
15. A non-transitory machine-readable medium, comprising executable
instructions that, when executed by a processor, facilitate
performance of operations, comprising: receiving capability data
representative of a capability of a radio unit; based on the
capability data, enabling a feature shared between a distributed
unit and the radio unit, resulting in an enabled feature; based on
the enabled feature, transmitting an in-phase quadratic signal to
the radio unit; based on a first resource element value and a last
resource element value of contiguous resource element blocks,
generating matrix data representative of a matrix to be sent to the
radio unit; and in response generating the matrix, transmitting the
matrix data to the radio unit.
16. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein
the operations further comprise: sending a coefficient, associated
with the lowest resource element value, to the radio unit.
17. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 16, wherein
the coefficient is a first coefficient, and wherein the operations
further comprise: sending a second coefficient, associated with the
highest resource element value, to the radio unit.
18. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 17, wherein
the operations further comprise: facilitating interpolating the
first coefficient and the second coefficient based on an enabled
linear interpolation feature.
19. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 17, wherein
the operations further comprise: facilitating interpolating the
first coefficient and the second coefficient based on an enabled
polynomial interpolation feature.
20. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 17, wherein
the operations further comprise: facilitating interpolating the
first coefficient and the second coefficient based on an enabled
spline interpolation feature.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] This disclosure relates generally to facilitating
beamforming utilizing interpolation. For example, this disclosure
relates to facilitating transmission of beamforming coefficients
across a radio access network fronthaul for a 5G, or other next
generation network, air interface.
BACKGROUND
[0002] 5th generation (5G) wireless systems represent a next major
phase of mobile telecommunications standards beyond the current
telecommunications standards of 4th generation (4G). Rather than
faster peak Internet connection speeds, 5G planning aims at higher
capacity than current 4G, allowing a higher number of mobile
broadband users per area unit, and allowing consumption of higher
or unlimited data quantities. This would enable a large portion of
the population to stream high-definition media many hours per day
with their mobile devices, when out of reach of wireless fidelity
hotspots. 5G research and development also aims at improved support
of machine-to-machine communication, also known as the Internet of
things, aiming at lower cost, lower battery consumption, and lower
latency than 4G equipment.
[0003] The above-described background relating to beamforming
utilizing interpolation is merely intended to provide a contextual
overview of some current issues, and is not intended to be
exhaustive. Other contextual information may become further
apparent upon review of the following detailed description.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0004] Non-limiting and non-exhaustive embodiments of the subject
disclosure are described with reference to the following figures,
wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the
various views unless otherwise specified.
[0005] FIG. 1 illustrates an example wireless communication system
in which a network node device (e.g., network node) and user
equipment (UE) can implement various aspects and embodiments of the
subject disclosure.
[0006] FIG. 2 illustrates an example schematic system block diagram
of a cloud radio access network architecture according to one or
more embodiments.
[0007] FIG. 3 illustrates an example schematic system block diagram
of a messaging format for beamforming weights according to one or
more embodiments.
[0008] FIG. 4 illustrates an example schematic system block diagram
of a messaging format for interpolated beamforming weight
transmission according to one or more embodiments.
[0009] FIG. 5 illustrates an example schematic system block diagram
of an interpolation process according to one or more
embodiments.
[0010] FIG. 6 illustrates an example flow diagram for a method for
facilitating beamforming utilizing interpolation for a 5G network
according to one or more embodiments.
[0011] FIG. 7 illustrates an example flow diagram for a system for
facilitating beamforming utilizing interpolation for a 5G network
according to one or more embodiments.
[0012] FIG. 8 illustrates an example flow diagram for a
machine-readable medium for facilitating beamforming utilizing
interpolation for a 5G network according to one or more
embodiments.
[0013] FIG. 9 illustrates an example block diagram of an example
mobile handset operable to engage in a system architecture that
facilitates secure wireless communication according to one or more
embodiments described herein.
[0014] FIG. 10 illustrates an example block diagram of an example
computer operable to engage in a system architecture that
facilitates secure wireless communication according to one or more
embodiments described herein.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0015] In the following description, numerous specific details are
set forth to provide a thorough understanding of various
embodiments. One skilled in the relevant art will recognize,
however, that the techniques described herein can be practiced
without one or more of the specific details, or with other methods,
components, materials, etc. In other instances, well-known
structures, materials, or operations are not shown or described in
detail to avoid obscuring certain aspects.
[0016] Reference throughout this specification to "one embodiment,"
or "an embodiment," means that a particular feature, structure, or
characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is
included in at least one embodiment. Thus, the appearances of the
phrase "in one embodiment," "in one aspect," or "in an embodiment,"
in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily
all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular
features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any
suitable manner in one or more embodiments.
[0017] As utilized herein, terms "component," "system,"
"interface," and the like are intended to refer to a
computer-related entity, hardware, software (e.g., in execution),
and/or firmware. For example, a component can be a processor, a
process running on a processor, an object, an executable, a
program, a storage device, and/or a computer. By way of
illustration, an application running on a server and the server can
be a component. One or more components can reside within a process,
and a component can be localized on one computer and/or distributed
between two or more computers.
[0018] Further, these components can execute from various
machine-readable media having various data structures stored
thereon. The components can communicate via local and/or remote
processes such as in accordance with a signal having one or more
data packets (e.g., data from one component interacting with
another component in a local system, distributed system, and/or
across a network, e.g., the Internet, a local area network, a wide
area network, etc. with other systems via the signal).
[0019] As another example, a component can be an apparatus with
specific functionality provided by mechanical parts operated by
electric or electronic circuitry; the electric or electronic
circuitry can be operated by a software application or a firmware
application executed by one or more processors; the one or more
processors can be internal or external to the apparatus and can
execute at least a part of the software or firmware application. As
yet another example, a component can be an apparatus that provides
specific functionality through electronic components without
mechanical parts; the electronic components can include one or more
processors therein to execute software and/or firmware that
confer(s), at least in part, the functionality of the electronic
components. In an aspect, a component can emulate an electronic
component via a virtual machine, e.g., within a cloud computing
system.
[0020] The words "exemplary" and/or "demonstrative" are used herein
to mean serving as an example, instance, or illustration. For the
avoidance of doubt, the subject matter disclosed herein is not
limited by such examples. In addition, any aspect or design
described herein as "exemplary" and/or "demonstrative" is not
necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other
aspects or designs, nor is it meant to preclude equivalent
exemplary structures and techniques known to those of ordinary
skill in the art. Furthermore, to the extent that the terms
"includes," "has," "contains," and other similar words are used in
either the detailed description or the claims, such terms are
intended to be inclusive--in a manner similar to the term
"comprising" as an open transition word--without precluding any
additional or other elements.
[0021] As used herein, the term "infer" or "inference" refers
generally to the process of reasoning about, or inferring states
of, the system, environment, user, and/or intent from a set of
observations as captured via events and/or data. Captured data and
events can include user data, device data, environment data, data
from sensors, sensor data, application data, implicit data,
explicit data, etc. Inference can be employed to identify a
specific context or action, or can generate a probability
distribution over states of interest based on a consideration of
data and events, for example.
[0022] Inference can also refer to techniques employed for
composing higher-level events from a set of events and/or data.
Such inference results in the construction of new events or actions
from a set of observed events and/or stored event data, whether the
events are correlated in close temporal proximity, and whether the
events and data come from one or several event and data sources.
Various classification schemes and/or systems (e.g., support vector
machines, neural networks, expert systems, Bayesian belief
networks, fuzzy logic, and data fusion engines) can be employed in
connection with performing automatic and/or inferred action in
connection with the disclosed subject matter.
[0023] In addition, the disclosed subject matter can be implemented
as a method, apparatus, or article of manufacture using standard
programming and/or engineering techniques to produce software,
firmware, hardware, or any combination thereof to control a
computer to implement the disclosed subject matter. The term
"article of manufacture" as used herein is intended to encompass a
computer program accessible from any computer-readable device,
machine-readable device, computer-readable carrier,
computer-readable media, or machine-readable media. For example,
computer-readable media can include, but are not limited to, a
magnetic storage device, e.g., hard disk; floppy disk; magnetic
strip(s); an optical disk (e.g., compact disk (CD), a digital video
disc (DVD), a Blu-ray Disc.TM. (BD)); a smart card; a flash memory
device (e.g., card, stick, key drive); and/or a virtual device that
emulates a storage device and/or any of the above computer-readable
media.
[0024] As an overview, various embodiments are described herein to
facilitate beamforming utilizing interpolation for a 5G air
interface or other next generation networks. For simplicity of
explanation, the methods are depicted and described as a series of
acts. It is to be understood and appreciated that the various
embodiments are not limited by the acts illustrated and/or by the
order of acts. For example, acts can occur in various orders and/or
concurrently, and with other acts not presented or described
herein. Furthermore, not all illustrated acts may be desired to
implement the methods. In addition, the methods could alternatively
be represented as a series of interrelated states via a state
diagram or events. Additionally, the methods described hereafter
are capable of being stored on an article of manufacture (e.g., a
machine-readable medium) to facilitate transporting and
transferring such methodologies to computers. The term article of
manufacture, as used herein, is intended to encompass a computer
program accessible from any computer-readable device, carrier, or
media, including a non-transitory machine-readable medium.
[0025] It should be noted that although various aspects and
embodiments have been described herein in the context of 5G,
Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), and/or Long Term
Evolution (LTE), or other next generation networks, the disclosed
aspects are not limited to 5G, a UMTS implementation, and/or an LTE
implementation as the techniques can also be applied in 3G, 4G or
LTE systems. For example, aspects or features of the disclosed
embodiments can be exploited in substantially any wireless
communication technology. Such wireless communication technologies
can include UMTS, Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Wi-Fi,
Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), General
Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Enhanced GPRS, Third Generation
Partnership Project (3GPP), LTE, Third Generation Partnership
Project 2 (3GPP2) Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), High Speed Packet
Access (HSPA), Evolved High Speed Packet Access (HSPA+), High-Speed
Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA), High-Speed Uplink Packet Access
(HSUPA), Zigbee, or another IEEE 802.12 technology. Additionally,
substantially all aspects disclosed herein can be exploited in
legacy telecommunication technologies.
[0026] Described herein are systems, methods, articles of
manufacture, and other embodiments or implementations that can
facilitate beamforming utilizing interpolation for a 5G network.
Facilitating beamforming utilizing interpolation for a 5G network
can be implemented in connection with any type of device with a
connection to the communications network (e.g., a mobile handset, a
computer, a handheld device, etc.) any Internet of things (IOT)
device (e.g., toaster, coffee maker, blinds, music players,
speakers, etc.), and/or any connected vehicles (cars, airplanes,
space rockets, and/or other at least partially automated vehicles
(e.g., drones)). In some embodiments the non-limiting term user
equipment (UE) is used. It can refer to any type of wireless device
that communicates with a radio network node in a cellular or mobile
communication system. Examples of UE are target device, device to
device (D2D) UE, machine type UE or UE capable of machine to
machine (M2M) communication, PDA, Tablet, mobile terminals, smart
phone, IOT device, laptop embedded equipped (LEE), laptop mounted
equipment (LME), USB dongles, etc. The embodiments are applicable
to single carrier as well as to multicarrier (MC) or carrier
aggregation (CA) operation of the UE. The term carrier aggregation
(CA) is also called (e.g. interchangeably called) "multi-carrier
system", "multi-cell operation", "multi-carrier operation",
"multi-carrier" transmission and/or reception.
[0027] In some embodiments, the non-limiting term radio network
node or simply network node is used. It can refer to any type of
network node that serves a UE or network equipment connected to
other network nodes or network elements or any radio node from
where UE receives a signal. Non-exhaustive examples of radio
network nodes are Node B, base station (BS), multi-standard radio
(MSR) node such as MSR BS, eNode B, gNode B, network controller,
radio network controller (RNC), base station controller (BSC),
relay, donor node controlling relay, base transceiver station
(BTS), edge nodes, edge servers, network access equipment, network
access nodes, a connection point to a telecommunications network,
such as an access point (AP), transmission points, transmission
nodes, RRU, RRH, nodes in distributed antenna system (DAS),
etc.
[0028] Cloud radio access networks (RAN) can enable the
implementation of concepts such as software-defined network (SDN)
and network function virtualization (NFV) in 5G networks. This
disclosure can facilitate a generic channel state information
framework design for a 5G network. Certain embodiments of this
disclosure can include an SDN controller that can control routing
of traffic within the network and between the network and traffic
destinations. The SDN controller can be merged with the 5G network
architecture to enable service deliveries via open application
programming interfaces ("APIs") and move the network core towards
an all internet protocol ("IP"), cloud based, and software driven
telecommunications network. The SDN controller can work with, or
take the place of policy and charging rules function ("PCRF")
network elements so that policies such as quality of service and
traffic management and routing can be synchronized and managed end
to end.
[0029] 5G, also called new radio (NR) access, networks can support
the following: data rates of several tens of megabits per second
supported for tens of thousands of users; 1 gigabit per second can
be offered simultaneously to tens of workers on the same office
floor; several hundreds of thousands of simultaneous connections
can be supported for massive sensor deployments; spectral
efficiency can be enhanced compared to 4G; improved coverage;
enhanced signaling efficiency; and reduced latency compared to LTE.
In multicarrier systems such as OFDM, each subcarrier can occupy
bandwidth (e.g., subcarrier spacing). If the carriers use the same
bandwidth spacing, then it can be considered a single numerology.
However, if the carriers occupy different bandwidth and/or spacing,
then it can be considered a multiple numerology.
[0030] This disclosure discusses disaggregated wireless radio
access networks, and in particular, access networks utilizing lower
PHY split architecture with open fronthaul between the radio unit
and distributed baseband units. A split architecture is one in
which the analogue radio front-end and the digital baseband
processor in a radio are not co-located. Instead, these components
are connected via a fronthaul transport network. In particular,
these components are connected via fronthaul for massive MIMO or
digital beamformed radio architectures where the radio unit
performs digital beamforming by receiving input data and
beamforming coefficients from the distributed baseband processing
unit.
[0031] In radio access networks utilizing massive MIMO technology,
the radio controller can estimate the massive MIMO channel between
itself and the user. Using this massive MIMO channel, the radio
unit can then optimize both downlink and uplink traffic to and from
the spatial direction of the user. The spatial direction is not
necessarily a 3D direction vector, but is another way to describe
the optimal transmission or receiving beamforming matrix that will
maximize the signal power coming from or going to the user.
Therefore, the baseband system can indicate as best as possible the
correct beamforming matrix for the RU to use. In current open
fronthaul systems, a single beamforming matrix can be used for the
entire resource block occupied by the user. A resource block may
contain multiple physical resource blocks (PRBs) that each are a
group of 12 adjacent resource elements (REs) or frequency carriers.
However, the single beamforming matrix may not be the optimal
matrix for all of the REs that are being occupied by the user
transmissions. Sending a beamforming matrix for every single RE can
require a large amount of fronthaul throughput and may not be
sustainable for high load scenarios with typical fronthaul fiber
deployments.
[0032] Therefore, in this disclosure, the baseband unit can
transmit two beamforming matrices for every contiguous resource
block occupied by a user. The radio unit can then interpolate
between these two beamforming matrices for each of the RE inside of
the resource block. The baseband unit and the radio unit can agree
upon a method of interpolation, say linear interpolation, that the
radio unit can use to generate beamforming matrices per RE.
[0033] The proposed solution allows a split architecture massive
MIMO RAN to optimize the beamforming used to transmit and receive
from multiple users, while using only slightly increasing the
fronthaul throughput to do so. Massive MIMO systems typically use
frequencies with inherently lossy transmission (midband and above),
and it is critical for coverage reasons that the signal power
received from and delivered to the user is maximized. The proposed
solution adds a method to existing open fronthaul specifications to
improve user signal to noise ratio (SNR) and consequently RAN
coverage.
[0034] For next generation 5G RANs, there is a split between the
baseband unit and the radio unit. The baseband unit (DU) can
perform the baseband processing and the radio unit (RU) can get the
signal that it needs to transmit from the baseband unit prior to
sending the signal out. The DU and RU can be geographically
separate and connected via a packet switched network. The DU can
send the downlink data for the RU to transmit. If there is one
transmitter, then the DU can send in phase and quadrature (IQ) data
that is needed to be transmitted. However, for massive MIMO, there
can be a radio with 64, 128, or 256 transmitters, where it is
inefficient to send 256 streams of IQ data. Instead, beamforming
can take on spatial stream and multiply it by a 256 element matrix
to perform directional transmissions once the data has been sent to
all 256 antennas. Thus, instead of sending 256 IQ steams, only one
IQ spatial stream is sent and then the 256 coefficient matrix is
sent separately. Then, the RU can utilize the IQ stream and matrix
to perform matrix expansion by multiplication and then generate the
256 signals that it needs to transmit on the 256 antennas.
[0035] However, for a chunk of data in certain resource elements
beaming can be inefficient. For example, if a user is scheduled for
eight resource blocks and the data and beamforming coefficient is
sent by the DU but only one beamforming coefficient is sent, then
only one beamforming coefficient covering eight resource blocks can
be inefficient because the channel can change over the resource
blocks. Thus, when the DU designs a beamforming coefficient, it can
only design the beamforming coefficient based on the average
channel condition and not necessarily the channel for each resource
block. Therefore, sending one beamforming coefficient for a user's
scheduled frequency region may not be sufficient.
[0036] Although the channel value can change, it may not change by
a lot. If one coefficient is not enough, then more than the one
coefficient per resource element (RE) can be sent (e.g., sending
one for each resource element), but that too is not optimal based
on the transmission process. However, sending one coefficient at
each end of the scheduled regions can address these inefficiencies.
The scheduled region is a block of frequency. In each RB there are
12 contiguous REs. Thus, at the lowest (e.g., first) resource
element, the coefficient can be sent, and then the coefficient for
the highest (e.g., last) resource element can be sent.
Consequently, the RU can know that the DU is sending the
coefficient at each end and the RU can interpolate between those
two in a linear manner. It should be noted that multiple types of
interpolations can be utilized (e.g., spline, quadratic, piecewise,
polynomial, etc.). The interpolation at each end can provide
improved performance because it is now closer to an optimal
solution.
[0037] In one embodiment, described herein is a method comprising
receiving, by distributed unit equipment comprising a processor,
capability data representative of a capability of radio unit
equipment. Based on the capability data, the method can comprise
enabling, by the distributed unit equipment, a feature shared
between the distributed unit equipment and the radio unit
equipment, resulting in an enabled feature. Based on the enabled
feature, the method can comprise sending, by the distributed unit
equipment to the radio unit equipment, an in-phase quadratic
signal. Furthermore, based on a first resource element and a last
resource element of a contiguous block of resource elements, the
method can comprise generating, by the distributed unit equipment,
matrix data representative of a matrix to be sent to the radio unit
equipment. Additionally, in response to generating the matrix data,
the method can comprise sending, by the distributed unit equipment,
the matrix data to the radio unit equipment.
[0038] According to another embodiment, a system can facilitate,
receiving capability data representative of a capability of radio
unit equipment. Based on the capability data, the system can
comprise enabling a feature shared between distributed unit
equipment and the radio unit equipment, resulting in an enabled
feature. The system can facilitate using the enabled feature,
transmitting an in-phase quadratic signal to the radio unit
equipment. Based on a first resource element value and a last
resource element value associated with a resource element block,
the system can facilitate generating a matrix to be sent to the
radio unit equipment. Furthermore, in response generating the
matrix, the system can facilitate transmitting matrix data
representative of the matrix to the radio unit equipment.
[0039] According to yet another embodiment, described herein is a
machine-readable medium that can perform the operations comprising
receiving capability data representative of a capability of a radio
unit. Based on the capability data, the machine-readable medium can
perform the operations comprising enabling a feature shared between
a distributed unit and the radio unit, resulting in an enabled
feature. Based on the enabled feature, the machine-readable medium
can perform the operations comprising transmitting an in-phase
quadratic signal to the radio unit. Additionally, based on a first
resource element value and a last resource element value of
contiguous resource element blocks, the machine-readable medium can
perform the operations comprising generating matrix data
representative of a matrix to be sent to the radio unit.
Furthermore, in response generating the matrix, the
machine-readable medium can perform the operations comprising
transmitting the matrix data to the radio unit.
[0040] These and other embodiments or implementations are described
in more detail below with reference to the drawings.
[0041] Referring now to FIG. 1, illustrated is an example wireless
communication system 100 in accordance with various aspects and
embodiments of the subject disclosure. In one or more embodiments,
system 100 can include one or more user equipment UEs 102. The
non-limiting term user equipment can refer to any type of device
that can communicate with a network node in a cellular or mobile
communication system. A UE can have one or more antenna panels
having vertical and horizontal elements. Examples of a UE include a
target device, device to device (D2D) UE, machine type UE or UE
capable of machine to machine (M2M) communications, personal
digital assistant (PDA), tablet, mobile terminals, smart phone,
laptop mounted equipment (LME), universal serial bus (USB) dongles
enabled for mobile communications, a computer having mobile
capabilities, a mobile device such as cellular phone, a laptop
having laptop embedded equipment (LEE, such as a mobile broadband
adapter), a tablet computer having a mobile broadband adapter, a
wearable device, a virtual reality (VR) device, a heads-up display
(HUD) device, a smart car, a machine-type communication (MTC)
device, and the like. User equipment UE 102 can also include IOT
devices that communicate wirelessly.
[0042] In various embodiments, system 100 is or includes a wireless
communication network serviced by one or more wireless
communication network providers. In example embodiments, a UE 102
can be communicatively coupled to the wireless communication
network via a network node 104. The network node (e.g., network
node device) can communicate with user equipment (UE), thus
providing connectivity between the UE and the wider cellular
network. The UE 102 can send transmission type recommendation data
to the network node 104. The transmission type recommendation data
can include a recommendation to transmit data via a closed loop
MIMO mode and/or a rank-1 precoder mode.
[0043] A network node can have a cabinet and other protected
enclosures, an antenna mast, and multiple antennas for performing
various transmission operations (e.g., MIMO operations). Network
nodes can serve several cells, also called sectors, depending on
the configuration and type of antenna. In example embodiments, the
UE 102 can send and/or receive communication data via a wireless
link to the network node 104. The dashed arrow lines from the
network node 104 to the UE 102 represent downlink (DL)
communications and the solid arrow lines from the UE 102 to the
network nodes 104 represents an uplink (UL) communication.
[0044] System 100 can further include one or more communication
service provider networks 106 that facilitate providing wireless
communication services to various UEs, including UE 102, via the
network node 104 and/or various additional network devices (not
shown) included in the one or more communication service provider
networks 106. The one or more communication service provider
networks 106 can include various types of disparate networks,
including but not limited to: cellular networks, femto networks,
picocell networks, microcell networks, internet protocol (IP)
networks Wi-Fi service networks, broadband service network,
enterprise networks, cloud based networks, and the like. For
example, in at least one implementation, system 100 can be or
include a large scale wireless communication network that spans
various geographic areas. According to this implementation, the one
or more communication service provider networks 106 can be or
include the wireless communication network and/or various
additional devices and components of the wireless communication
network (e.g., additional network devices and cell, additional UEs,
network server devices, etc.). The network node 104 can be
connected to the one or more communication service provider
networks 106 via one or more backhaul links 108. For example, the
one or more backhaul links 108 can include wired link components,
such as a T1/E1 phone line, a digital subscriber line (DSL) (e.g.,
either synchronous or asynchronous), an asymmetric DSL (ADSL), an
optical fiber backbone, a coaxial cable, and the like. The one or
more backhaul links 108 can also include wireless link components,
such as but not limited to, line-of-sight (LOS) or non-LOS links
which can include terrestrial air-interfaces or deep space links
(e.g., satellite communication links for navigation).
[0045] Wireless communication system 100 can employ various
cellular systems, technologies, and modulation modes to facilitate
wireless radio communications between devices (e.g., the UE 102 and
the network node 104). While example embodiments might be described
for 5G new radio (NR) systems, the embodiments can be applicable to
any radio access technology (RAT) or multi-RAT system where the UE
operates using multiple carriers e.g. LTE FDD/TDD, GSM/GERAN,
CDMA2000 etc.
[0046] For example, system 100 can operate in accordance with
global system for mobile communications (GSM), universal mobile
telecommunications service (UMTS), long term evolution (LTE), LTE
frequency division duplexing (LTE FDD, LTE time division duplexing
(TDD), high speed packet access (HSPA), code division multiple
access (CDMA), wideband CDMA (WCMDA), CDMA2000, time division
multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA),
multi-carrier code division multiple access (MC-CDMA),
single-carrier code division multiple access (SC-CDMA),
single-carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA), orthogonal frequency division
multiplexing (OFDM), discrete Fourier transform spread OFDM
(DFT-spread OFDM) single carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA), Filter bank based
multi-carrier (FBMC), zero tail DFT-spread-OFDM (ZT DFT-s-OFDM),
generalized frequency division multiplexing (GFDM), fixed mobile
convergence (FMC), universal fixed mobile convergence (UFMC),
unique word OFDM (UW-OFDM), unique word DFT-spread OFDM (UW
DFT-Spread-OFDM), cyclic prefix OFDM CP-OFDM,
resource-block-filtered OFDM, Wi Fi, WLAN, WiMax, and the like.
However, various features and functionalities of system 100 are
particularly described wherein the devices (e.g., the UEs 102 and
the network device 104) of system 100 are configured to communicate
wireless signals using one or more multi carrier modulation
schemes, wherein data symbols can be transmitted simultaneously
over multiple frequency subcarriers (e.g., OFDM, CP-OFDM,
DFT-spread OFMD, UFMC, FMBC, etc.). The embodiments are applicable
to single carrier as well as to multicarrier (MC) or carrier
aggregation (CA) operation of the UE. The term carrier aggregation
(CA) is also called (e.g. interchangeably called) "multi-carrier
system", "multi-cell operation", "multi-carrier operation",
"multi-carrier" transmission and/or reception. Note that some
embodiments are also applicable for Multi RAB (radio bearers) on
some carriers (that is data plus speech is simultaneously
scheduled).
[0047] In various embodiments, system 100 can be configured to
provide and employ 5G wireless networking features and
functionalities. 5G wireless communication networks are expected to
fulfill the demand of exponentially increasing data traffic and to
allow people and machines to enjoy gigabit data rates with
virtually zero latency. Compared to 4G, 5G supports more diverse
traffic scenarios. For example, in addition to the various types of
data communication between conventional UEs (e.g., phones,
smartphones, tablets, PCs, televisions, Internet enabled
televisions, etc.) supported by 4G networks, 5G networks can be
employed to support data communication between smart cars in
association with driverless car environments, as well as machine
type communications (MTCs). Considering the drastic different
communication demands of these different traffic scenarios, the
ability to dynamically configure waveform parameters based on
traffic scenarios while retaining the benefits of multi carrier
modulation schemes (e.g., OFDM and related schemes) can provide a
significant contribution to the high speed/capacity and low latency
demands of 5G networks. With waveforms that split the bandwidth
into several sub-bands, different types of services can be
accommodated in different sub-bands with the most suitable waveform
and numerology, leading to an improved spectrum utilization for 5G
networks.
[0048] To meet the demand for data centric applications, features
of proposed 5G networks may include: increased peak bit rate (e.g.,
20 Gbps), larger data volume per unit area (e.g., high system
spectral efficiency--for example about 3.5 times that of spectral
efficiency of long term evolution (LTE) systems), high capacity
that allows more device connectivity both concurrently and
instantaneously, lower battery/power consumption (which reduces
energy and consumption costs), better connectivity regardless of
the geographic region in which a user is located, a larger numbers
of devices, lower infrastructural development costs, and higher
reliability of the communications. Thus, 5G networks may allow for:
data rates of several tens of megabits per second should be
supported for tens of thousands of users, 1 gigabit per second to
be offered simultaneously to tens of workers on the same office
floor, for example; several hundreds of thousands of simultaneous
connections to be supported for massive sensor deployments;
improved coverage, enhanced signaling efficiency; reduced latency
compared to LTE.
[0049] The 5G access network may utilize higher frequencies (e.g.,
>6 GHz) to aid in increasing capacity. Currently, much of the
millimeter wave (mmWave) spectrum, the band of spectrum between 30
gigahertz (GHz) and 300 GHz is underutilized. The millimeter waves
have shorter wavelengths that range from 10 millimeters to 1
millimeter, and these mmWave signals experience severe path loss,
penetration loss, and fading. However, the shorter wavelength at
mmWave frequencies also allows more antennas to be packed in the
same physical dimension, which allows for large-scale spatial
multiplexing and highly directional beamforming. Performance can be
improved if both the transmitter and the receiver are equipped with
multiple antennas. Multi-antenna techniques can significantly
increase the data rates and reliability of a wireless communication
system. The use of multiple input multiple output (MIMO)
techniques, which was introduced in the third-generation
partnership project (3GPP) and has been in use (including with
LTE), is a multi-antenna technique that can improve the spectral
efficiency of transmissions, thereby significantly boosting the
overall data carrying capacity of wireless systems. The use of
multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) techniques can improve mmWave
communications, and has been widely recognized a potentially
important component for access networks operating in higher
frequencies. MIMO can be used for achieving diversity gain, spatial
multiplexing gain and beamforming gain. For these reasons, MIMO
systems are an important part of the 3rd and 4th generation
wireless systems, and are planned for use in 5G systems.
[0050] Referring now to FIG. 2, illustrated is an example schematic
system block diagram of a cloud radio access network architecture
200 according to one or more embodiments. The cloud radio access
networks (C-RAN) also called centralized RAN is a cellular
architecture where the baseband digital units (DU) 204 can be
centralized as a virtual resource pool and the remote radio units
(RU) 206 can be located at places which are up to several miles
away from the DU 204 and or centralized unit (CU) 202. FIG. 2
depicts the block diagram of the C-RAN. The link between DU 204 and
the RU 206 is called a front haul.
[0051] In an embodiment, there can be a CU 202 that performs upper
level medium access control (MAC), a DU 204 that performs lower
level MAC and physical layer functionality, and an RU 206 that can
transmit and receive RF signals and convert analog signals to
digital signals and vice versa. Each of the CU 202, DU 204, and RU
206 can be linked via a fiber optical network or other high
bandwidth front haul network. To reduce complexity and bandwidth,
the transmissions sent between the CU 202, DU 204, and RU 206 can
be digital, so the RU 206 can receive analog signals and convert
the analog RF signals to digital before transmitting to the DU 204.
Similarly, the RU 206 can receive a digital transmission comprising
the IQ data and beamforming coefficients, perform the digital
beamforming, and perform a digital to analog conversion at the RU
206.
[0052] The network node 104 can employ beamforming when
transmitting to the UE 102. Beamforming is a signal processing
technique used in sensor arrays for directional signal transmission
or reception. This is achieved by combining elements in an antenna
array in such a way that signals at particular angles experience
constructive interference while others experience destructive
interference.
[0053] Beamforming can be used at both the transmitting and
receiving ends in order to achieve spatial selectivity. The
improvement compared with omnidirectional reception/transmission is
known as the directivity of the array. In the wireless
communications context, a traffic-signaling system for cellular
base stations that identifies the most efficient data-delivery
route to a particular user, and it reduces interference for nearby
users in the process. Depending on the situation and the
technology, there are several ways to implement it in 5G
networks.
[0054] Beamforming can help massive MIMO arrays, which are base
stations arrayed with dozens or hundreds of individual antennas, to
make more efficient use of the spectrum around them. The primary
challenge for massive MIMO is to reduce interference while
transmitting more information from many more antennas at once. At
massive MIMO base stations, signal-processing algorithms plot the
best transmission route through the air to each user. Then they can
send individual data packets in many different directions, bouncing
them off buildings and other objects in a precisely coordinated
pattern. By choreographing the packets' movements and arrival time,
beamforming allows many users and antennas on a massive MIMO array
to exchange much more information at once. During beamforming, a
data stream can be used to generate multiple data streams, each
corresponding to an antenna port, and the data streams can each be
modified based on a beamforming vector.
[0055] Frequency modulated IQ data can have "L" CSI-RS ports, where
L is the number of layers associated with the data, and F tones
before beamforming A=L.times.F matrix). After beamforming, the IQ
data has P ports (each antenna) and F tones (B=P.times.F matrix).
In digital beamforming, P2 is a P.times.L matrix where the rows of
the matrix correspond to the number of ports, and columns
correspond to the number of layers. This means that
B=P2.times.A.
[0056] Referring now to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, illustrated is an
example schematic system block diagram of a messaging format for
beamforming weights according to one or more embodiments.
[0057] In Table 300, the string "bfwCompHdr" can be used to
represent a compression type indicator. Thusly, values (e.g.,
values 0,1,2,3,4, etc.) can be chosen to indicate interpolated
beamforming. The string "bfwCompParam" can be used to indicate
which interpolation method is being used and any potential tuning
parameters associated with the interpolation method. For example,
for interpolated weight transmission, the beamforming weights can
be indicated in the manner depicted in FIG. 3. Additionally, the
beamforming wave compression header (e.g., bfwCompHdr) can be
utilized to determine the type of compression to be used.
[0058] As outlined in this disclosure, agreement of the
interpolation metric to be used can be based on the compression
type and/or any parameters related to the compression (e.g., how
many XXXX are being used for each coefficients). As opposed to FIG.
3, the Table 400 in FIG. 4 illustrates that the I and Q weights can
be sent at the beginning (e.g., first RE) of the resource block
(e.g., bfwlstart, bfwQstart) and the I and Q weights can be sent at
the ending (e.g., last RE) of the resource block (e.g., bfwlend,
bfwQend).
[0059] Referring now to FIG. 5 illustrates an example schematic
system block diagram of an interpolation process according to one
or more embodiments.
[0060] During initial configuration, at block 500, the DU 204
receive data from the RU 206 and they can agree on which type of
interpolation to perform. For example, the RU 206 and the DU 204
can each provide the other unit with the types of capabilities that
each support. The capabilities that both the RU 206 and the DU 204
can support then become the features that the DU 204 can enable.
Some capabilities can be optional and other capabilities can be
mandatory. If the RU 206 and DU 204 do not have the same optional
capabilities, then they can just not use that feature. However, if
the capability is a mandatory capability, then both the RU 206 and
the DU 204 must support the capability or they would be
non-compliant to the standard. Consequently, if the capability is
not supported by the RU 206 and/or the DU 204 at block 502, then
use of such a capability can be disabled, for purposes of this
disclosure, at block 504. However, if the capability is supported
by the RU 206 and/or the DU 204 at block 502, then the DU 204 can
send IQ data to the RU 206 at block 506 and generate matrix based
on the first RE and the last RE at block 508. Thereafter, the DU
204 can send the beamforming matrices to the RU 206, at block 510,
based on knowledge of the RF channel of the UE 102 that the RU is
trying to beamform to.
[0061] Referring now to FIG. 6, illustrated is an example flow
diagram for a method for facilitating beamforming utilizing
interpolation for a 5G network according to one or more
embodiments.
[0062] At element 600, the method can comprise receiving, by
distributed unit equipment comprising a processor, capability data
representative of a capability of radio unit equipment. Based on
the capability data, at element 602, the method can comprise
enabling, by the distributed unit equipment, a feature shared
between the distributed unit equipment and the radio unit
equipment, resulting in an enabled feature. Based on the enabled
feature, at element 604, the method can comprise sending, by the
distributed unit equipment to the radio unit equipment, an in-phase
quadratic signal. Furthermore, at element 606, based on a first
resource element and a last resource element of a contiguous block
of resource elements, the method can comprise generating, by the
distributed unit equipment, matrix data representative of a matrix
to be sent to the radio unit equipment. Additionally, at element
608, in response to generating the matrix data, the method can
comprise sending, by the distributed unit equipment, the matrix
data to the radio unit equipment.
[0063] Referring now to FIG. 7, illustrated is an example flow
diagram for a system for facilitating beamforming utilizing
interpolation for a 5G network according to one or more
embodiments.
[0064] At element 700, the system can facilitate receiving
capability data representative of a capability of radio unit
equipment. Based on the capability data, at element 702 the system
can comprise enabling a feature shared between distributed unit
equipment and the radio unit equipment, resulting in an enabled
feature. At element 704, the system can facilitate using the
enabled feature, transmitting an in-phase quadratic signal to the
radio unit equipment. Based on a first resource element value and a
last resource element value associated with a resource element
block, at element 706, the system can facilitate generating a
matrix to be sent to the radio unit equipment. Furthermore, in
response generating the matrix, at element 708, the system can
facilitate transmitting matrix data representative of the matrix to
the radio unit equipment.
[0065] Referring now to FIG. 8, illustrated is an example flow
diagram for a machine-readable medium for facilitating beamforming
utilizing interpolation for a 5G network according to one or more
embodiments.
[0066] At element 800, the machine-readable medium that can perform
the operations comprising receiving capability data representative
of a capability of a radio unit. Based on the capability data, at
element 802, the machine-readable medium can perform the operations
comprising enabling a feature shared between a distributed unit and
the radio unit, resulting in an enabled feature. Based on the
enabled feature, at element 804, the machine-readable medium can
perform the operations comprising transmitting an in-phase
quadratic signal to the radio unit. Additionally, based on a first
resource element value and a last resource element value of
contiguous resource element blocks, at element 806, the
machine-readable medium can perform the operations comprising
generating matrix data representative of a matrix to be sent to the
radio unit. Furthermore, in response generating the matrix, at
element 808, the machine-readable medium can perform the operations
comprising transmitting the matrix data to the radio unit.
[0067] Referring now to FIG. 9, illustrated is a schematic block
diagram of an exemplary end-user device such as a mobile device 900
capable of connecting to a network in accordance with some
embodiments described herein. Although a mobile handset 900 is
illustrated herein, it will be understood that other devices can be
a mobile device, and that the mobile handset 900 is merely
illustrated to provide context for the embodiments of the various
embodiments described herein. The following discussion is intended
to provide a brief, general description of an example of a suitable
environment 900 in which the various embodiments can be
implemented. While the description includes a general context of
computer-executable instructions embodied on a machine-readable
medium, those skilled in the art will recognize that the innovation
also can be implemented in combination with other program modules
and/or as a combination of hardware and software.
[0068] Generally, applications (e.g., program modules) can include
routines, programs, components, data structures, etc., that perform
particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types.
Moreover, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the methods
described herein can be practiced with other system configurations,
including single-processor or multiprocessor systems,
minicomputers, mainframe computers, as well as personal computers,
hand-held computing devices, microprocessor-based or programmable
consumer electronics, and the like, each of which can be
operatively coupled to one or more associated devices.
[0069] A computing device can typically include a variety of
machine-readable media. Machine-readable media can be any available
media that can be accessed by the computer and includes both
volatile and non-volatile media, removable and non-removable media.
By way of example and not limitation, computer-readable media can
include computer storage media and communication media. Computer
storage media can include volatile and/or non-volatile media,
removable and/or non-removable media implemented in any method or
technology for storage of information, such as computer-readable
instructions, data structures, program modules or other data.
Computer storage media can include, but is not limited to, RAM,
ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technology, CD ROM,
digital video disk (DVD) or other optical disk storage, magnetic
cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic
storage devices, or any other medium which can be used to store the
desired information and which can be accessed by the computer.
[0070] Communication media typically embodies computer-readable
instructions, data structures, program modules or other data in a
modulated data signal such as a carrier wave or other transport
mechanism, and includes any information delivery media. The term
"modulated data signal" means a signal that has one or more of its
characteristics set or changed in such a manner as to encode
information in the signal. By way of example, and not limitation,
communication media includes wired media such as a wired network or
direct-wired connection, and wireless media such as acoustic, RF,
infrared and other wireless media. Combinations of the any of the
above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable
media.
[0071] The handset 900 includes a processor 902 for controlling and
processing all onboard operations and functions. A memory 904
interfaces to the processor 902 for storage of data and one or more
applications 906 (e.g., a video player software, user feedback
component software, etc.). Other applications can include voice
recognition of predetermined voice commands that facilitate
initiation of the user feedback signals. The applications 906 can
be stored in the memory 904 and/or in a firmware 908, and executed
by the processor 902 from either or both the memory 904 or/and the
firmware 908. The firmware 908 can also store startup code for
execution in initializing the handset 900. A communications
component 910 interfaces to the processor 902 to facilitate
wired/wireless communication with external systems, e.g., cellular
networks, VoIP networks, and so on. Here, the communications
component 910 can also include a suitable cellular transceiver 911
(e.g., a GSM transceiver) and/or an unlicensed transceiver 913
(e.g., Wi-Fi, WiMax) for corresponding signal communications. The
handset 900 can be a device such as a cellular telephone, a PDA
with mobile communications capabilities, and messaging-centric
devices. The communications component 910 also facilitates
communications reception from terrestrial radio networks (e.g.,
broadcast), digital satellite radio networks, and Internet-based
radio services networks.
[0072] The handset 900 includes a display 912 for displaying text,
images, video, telephony functions (e.g., a Caller ID function),
setup functions, and for user input. For example, the display 912
can also be referred to as a "screen" that can accommodate the
presentation of multimedia content (e.g., music metadata, messages,
wallpaper, graphics, etc.). The display 912 can also display videos
and can facilitate the generation, editing and sharing of video
quotes. A serial I/O interface 914 is provided in communication
with the processor 902 to facilitate wired and/or wireless serial
communications (e.g., USB, and/or IEEE 1394) through a hardwire
connection, and other serial input devices (e.g., a keyboard,
keypad, and mouse). This supports updating and troubleshooting the
handset 900, for example. Audio capabilities are provided with an
audio I/O component 916, which can include a speaker for the output
of audio signals related to, for example, indication that the user
pressed the proper key or key combination to initiate the user
feedback signal. The audio I/O component 916 also facilitates the
input of audio signals through a microphone to record data and/or
telephony voice data, and for inputting voice signals for telephone
conversations.
[0073] The handset 900 can include a slot interface 918 for
accommodating a SIC (Subscriber Identity Component) in the form
factor of a card Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) or universal SIM
920, and interfacing the SIM card 920 with the processor 902.
However, it is to be appreciated that the SIM card 920 can be
manufactured into the handset 900, and updated by downloading data
and software.
[0074] The handset 900 can process IP data traffic through the
communication component 910 to accommodate IP traffic from an IP
network such as, for example, the Internet, a corporate intranet, a
home network, a person area network, etc., through an ISP or
broadband cable provider. Thus, VoIP traffic can be utilized by the
handset 900 and IP-based multimedia content can be received in
either an encoded or decoded format.
[0075] A video processing component 922 (e.g., a camera) can be
provided for decoding encoded multimedia content. The video
processing component 922 can aid in facilitating the generation,
editing and sharing of video quotes. The handset 900 also includes
a power source 924 in the form of batteries and/or an AC power
subsystem, which power source 924 can interface to an external
power system or charging equipment (not shown) by a power I/O
component 926.
[0076] The handset 900 can also include a video component 930 for
processing video content received and, for recording and
transmitting video content. For example, the video component 930
can facilitate the generation, editing and sharing of video quotes.
A location tracking component 932 facilitates geographically
locating the handset 900. As described hereinabove, this can occur
when the user initiates the feedback signal automatically or
manually. A user input component 934 facilitates the user
initiating the quality feedback signal. The user input component
934 can also facilitate the generation, editing and sharing of
video quotes. The user input component 934 can include such
conventional input device technologies such as a keypad, keyboard,
mouse, stylus pen, and/or touch screen, for example.
[0077] Referring again to the applications 906, a hysteresis
component 936 facilitates the analysis and processing of hysteresis
data, which is utilized to determine when to associate with the
access point. A software trigger component 938 can be provided that
facilitates triggering of the hysteresis component 938 when the
Wi-Fi transceiver 913 detects the beacon of the access point. A SIP
client 940 enables the handset 900 to support SIP protocols and
register the subscriber with the SIP registrar server. The
applications 906 can also include a client 942 that provides at
least the capability of discovery, play and store of multimedia
content, for example, music.
[0078] The handset 900, as indicated above related to the
communications component 910, includes an indoor network radio
transceiver 913 (e.g., Wi-Fi transceiver). This function supports
the indoor radio link, such as IEEE 802.11, for the dual-mode GSM
handset 900. The handset 900 can accommodate at least satellite
radio services through a handset that can combine wireless voice
and digital radio chipsets into a single handheld device.
[0079] In order to provide additional context for various
embodiments described herein, FIG. 10 and the following discussion
are intended to provide a brief, general description of a suitable
computing environment 1000 in which the various embodiments of the
embodiment described herein can be implemented. While the
embodiments have been described above in the general context of
computer-executable instructions that can run on one or more
computers, those skilled in the art will recognize that the
embodiments can be also implemented in combination with other
program modules and/or as a combination of hardware and
software.
[0080] Generally, program modules include routines, programs,
components, data structures, etc., that perform particular tasks or
implement particular abstract data types. Moreover, those skilled
in the art will appreciate that the disclosed methods can be
practiced with other computer system configurations, including
single-processor or multiprocessor computer systems, minicomputers,
mainframe computers, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, distributed
computing systems, as well as personal computers, hand-held
computing devices, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer
electronics, and the like, each of which can be operatively coupled
to one or more associated devices.
[0081] The illustrated embodiments of the embodiments herein can be
also practiced in distributed computing environments where certain
tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linked
through a communications network. In a distributed computing
environment, program modules can be located in both local and
remote memory storage devices.
[0082] Computing devices typically include a variety of media,
which can include computer-readable media, machine-readable media,
and/or communications media, which two terms are used herein
differently from one another as follows. Computer-readable media or
machine-readable media can be any available media that can be
accessed by the computer and includes both volatile and nonvolatile
media, removable and non-removable media. By way of example, and
not limitation, computer-readable media or machine-readable media
can be implemented in connection with any method or technology for
storage of information such as computer-readable or
machine-readable instructions, program modules, structured data or
unstructured data.
[0083] Computer-readable storage media can include, but are not
limited to, random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM),
electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM), flash
memory or other memory technology, compact disk read only memory
(CD-ROM), digital versatile disk (DVD), Blu-ray disc (BD) or other
optical disk storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic
disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, solid state drives
or other solid state storage devices, or other tangible and/or
non-transitory media which can be used to store desired
information. In this regard, the terms "tangible" or
"non-transitory" herein as applied to storage, memory or
computer-readable media, are to be understood to exclude only
propagating transitory signals per se as modifiers and do not
relinquish rights to all standard storage, memory or
computer-readable media that are not only propagating transitory
signals per se.
[0084] Computer-readable storage media can be accessed by one or
more local or remote computing devices, e.g., via access requests,
queries or other data retrieval protocols, for a variety of
operations with respect to the information stored by the
medium.
[0085] Communications media typically embody computer-readable
instructions, data structures, program modules or other structured
or unstructured data in a data signal such as a modulated data
signal, e.g., a carrier wave or other transport mechanism, and
includes any information delivery or transport media. The term
"modulated data signal" or signals refers to a signal that has one
or more of its characteristics set or changed in such a manner as
to encode information in one or more signals. By way of example,
and not limitation, communication media include wired media, such
as a wired network or direct-wired connection, and wireless media
such as acoustic, RF, infrared and other wireless media.
[0086] With reference again to FIG. 10, the example environment
1000 for implementing various embodiments of the aspects described
herein includes a computer 1002, the computer 1002 including a
processing unit 1004, a system memory 1006 and a system bus 1008.
The system bus 1008 couples system components including, but not
limited to, the system memory 1006 to the processing unit 1004. The
processing unit 1004 can be any of various commercially available
processors. Dual microprocessors and other multi-processor
architectures can also be employed as the processing unit 1004.
[0087] The system bus 1008 can be any of several types of bus
structure that can further interconnect to a memory bus (with or
without a memory controller), a peripheral bus, and a local bus
using any of a variety of commercially available bus architectures.
The system memory 1006 includes ROM 1010 and RAM 1012. A basic
input/output system (BIOS) can be stored in a non-volatile memory
such as ROM, erasable programmable read only memory (EPROM),
EEPROM, which BIOS contains the basic routines that help to
transfer information between elements within the computer 1002,
such as during startup. The RAM 1012 can also include a high-speed
RAM such as static RAM for caching data.
[0088] The computer 1002 further includes an internal hard disk
drive (HDD) 1014 (e.g., EIDE, SATA), one or more external storage
devices 1016 (e.g., a magnetic floppy disk drive (FDD) 1016, a
memory stick or flash drive reader, a memory card reader, etc.) and
an optical disk drive 1020 (e.g., which can read or write from a
CD-ROM disc, a DVD, a BD, etc.). While the internal HDD 1014 is
illustrated as located within the computer 1002, the internal HDD
1014 can also be configured for external use in a suitable chassis
(not shown). Additionally, while not shown in environment 1000, a
solid state drive (SSD) could be used in addition to, or in place
of, an HDD 1014. The HDD 1014, external storage device(s) 1016 and
optical disk drive 1020 can be connected to the system bus 1008 by
an HDD interface 1024, an external storage interface 1026 and an
optical drive interface 1028, respectively. The interface 1024 for
external drive implementations can include at least one or both of
Universal Serial Bus (USB) and Institute of Electrical and
Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 1394 interface technologies. Other
external drive connection technologies are within contemplation of
the embodiments described herein.
[0089] The drives and their associated computer-readable storage
media provide nonvolatile storage of data, data structures,
computer-executable instructions, and so forth. For the computer
1002, the drives and storage media accommodate the storage of any
data in a suitable digital format. Although the description of
computer-readable storage media above refers to respective types of
storage devices, it should be appreciated by those skilled in the
art that other types of storage media which are readable by a
computer, whether presently existing or developed in the future,
could also be used in the example operating environment, and
further, that any such storage media can contain
computer-executable instructions for performing the methods
described herein.
[0090] A number of program modules can be stored in the drives and
RAM 1012, including an operating system 1030, one or more
application programs 1032, other program modules 1034 and program
data 1036. All or portions of the operating system, applications,
modules, and/or data can also be cached in the RAM 1012. The
systems and methods described herein can be implemented utilizing
various commercially available operating systems or combinations of
operating systems.
[0091] Computer 1002 can optionally include emulation technologies.
For example, a hypervisor (not shown) or other intermediary can
emulate a hardware environment for operating system 1030, and the
emulated hardware can optionally be different from the hardware
illustrated in FIG. 10. In such an embodiment, operating system
1030 can include one virtual machine (VM) of multiple VMs hosted at
computer 1002. Furthermore, operating system 1030 can provide
runtime environments, such as the Java runtime environment or the
.NET framework, for applications 1032. Runtime environments are
consistent execution environments that allow applications 1032 to
run on any operating system that includes the runtime environment.
Similarly, operating system 1030 can support containers, and
applications 1032 can be in the form of containers, which are
lightweight, standalone, executable packages of software that
include, e.g., code, runtime, system tools, system libraries and
settings for an application.
[0092] Further, computer 1002 can be enable with a security module,
such as a trusted processing module (TPM). For instance with a TPM,
boot components hash next in time boot components, and wait for a
match of results to secured values, before loading a next boot
component. This process can take place at any layer in the code
execution stack of computer 1002, e.g., applied at the application
execution level or at the operating system (OS) kernel level,
thereby enabling security at any level of code execution.
[0093] A user can enter commands and information into the computer
1002 through one or more wired/wireless input devices, e.g., a
keyboard 1038, a touch screen 1040, and a pointing device, such as
a mouse 1042. Other input devices (not shown) can include a
microphone, an infrared (IR) remote control, a radio frequency (RF)
remote control, or other remote control, a joystick, a virtual
reality controller and/or virtual reality headset, a game pad, a
stylus pen, an image input device, e.g., camera(s), a gesture
sensor input device, a vision movement sensor input device, an
emotion or facial detection device, a biometric input device, e.g.,
fingerprint or iris scanner, or the like. These and other input
devices are often connected to the processing unit 1004 through an
input device interface 1044 that can be coupled to the system bus
1008, but can be connected by other interfaces, such as a parallel
port, an IEEE 1394 serial port, a game port, a USB port, an IR
interface, a BLUETOOTH.RTM. interface, etc.
[0094] A monitor 1046 or other type of display device can be also
connected to the system bus 1008 via an interface, such as a video
adapter 1048. In addition to the monitor 1046, a computer typically
includes other peripheral output devices (not shown), such as
speakers, printers, etc.
[0095] The computer 1002 can operate in a networked environment
using logical connections via wired and/or wireless communications
to one or more remote computers, such as a remote computer(s) 1050.
The remote computer(s) 1050 can be a workstation, a server
computer, a router, a personal computer, portable computer,
microprocessor-based entertainment appliance, a peer device or
other common network node, and typically includes many or all of
the elements described relative to the computer 1002, although, for
purposes of brevity, only a memory/storage device 1052 is
illustrated. The logical connections depicted include
wired/wireless connectivity to a local area network (LAN) 1054
and/or larger networks, e.g., a wide area network (WAN) 1056. Such
LAN and WAN networking environments are commonplace in offices and
companies, and facilitate enterprise-wide computer networks, such
as intranets, all of which can connect to a global communications
network, e.g., the Internet.
[0096] When used in a LAN networking environment, the computer 1002
can be connected to the local network 1054 through a wired and/or
wireless communication network interface or adapter 1058. The
adapter 1058 can facilitate wired or wireless communication to the
LAN 1054, which can also include a wireless access point (AP)
disposed thereon for communicating with the adapter 1058 in a
wireless mode.
[0097] When used in a WAN networking environment, the computer 1002
can include a modem 1060 or can be connected to a communications
server on the WAN 1056 via other means for establishing
communications over the WAN 1056, such as by way of the Internet.
The modem 1060, which can be internal or external and a wired or
wireless device, can be connected to the system bus 1008 via the
input device interface 1044. In a networked environment, program
modules depicted relative to the computer 1002 or portions thereof,
can be stored in the remote memory/storage device 1052. It will be
appreciated that the network connections shown are example and
other means of establishing a communications link between the
computers can be used.
[0098] When used in either a LAN or WAN networking environment, the
computer 1002 can access cloud storage systems or other
network-based storage systems in addition to, or in place of,
external storage devices 1016 as described above. Generally, a
connection between the computer 1002 and a cloud storage system can
be established over a LAN 1054 or WAN 1056 e.g., by the adapter
1058 or modem 1060, respectively. Upon connecting the computer 1002
to an associated cloud storage system, the external storage
interface 1026 can, with the aid of the adapter 1058 and/or modem
1060, manage storage provided by the cloud storage system as it
would other types of external storage. For instance, the external
storage interface 1026 can be configured to provide access to cloud
storage sources as if those sources were physically connected to
the computer 1002.
[0099] The computer 1002 can be operable to communicate with any
wireless devices or entities operatively disposed in wireless
communication, e.g., a printer, scanner, desktop and/or portable
computer, portable data assistant, communications satellite, any
piece of equipment or location associated with a wirelessly
detectable tag (e.g., a kiosk, news stand, store shelf, etc.), and
telephone. This can include Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) and
BLUETOOTH.RTM. wireless technologies. Thus, the communication can
be a predefined structure as with a conventional network or simply
an ad hoc communication between at least two devices.
[0100] The computer is operable to communicate with any wireless
devices or entities operatively disposed in wireless communication,
e.g., a printer, scanner, desktop and/or portable computer,
portable data assistant, communications satellite, any piece of
equipment or location associated with a wirelessly detectable tag
(e.g., a kiosk, news stand, restroom), and telephone. This includes
at least Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.TM. wireless technologies. Thus, the
communication can be a predefined structure as with a conventional
network or simply an ad hoc communication between at least two
devices.
[0101] Wi-Fi, or Wireless Fidelity, allows connection to the
Internet from a couch at home, a bed in a hotel room, or a
conference room at work, without wires. Wi-Fi is a wireless
technology similar to that used in a cell phone that enables such
devices, e.g., computers, to send and receive data indoors and out;
anywhere within the range of a base station. Wi-Fi networks use
radio technologies called IEEE 802.11 (a, b, g, etc.) to provide
secure, reliable, fast wireless connectivity. A Wi-Fi network can
be used to connect computers to each other, to the Internet, and to
wired networks (which use IEEE 802.3 or Ethernet). Wi-Fi networks
operate in the unlicensed 2.4 and 5 GHz radio bands, at an 11 Mbps
(802.11a) or 54 Mbps (802.11b) data rate, for example, or with
products that contain both bands (dual band), so the networks can
provide real-world performance similar to the basic 10BaseT wired
Ethernet networks used in many offices.
[0102] The above description of illustrated embodiments of the
subject disclosure, including what is described in the Abstract, is
not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosed embodiments
to the precise forms disclosed. While specific embodiments and
examples are described herein for illustrative purposes, various
modifications are possible that are considered within the scope of
such embodiments and examples, as those skilled in the relevant art
can recognize.
[0103] In this regard, while the subject matter has been described
herein in connection with various embodiments and corresponding
FIGs, where applicable, it is to be understood that other similar
embodiments can be used or modifications and additions can be made
to the described embodiments for performing the same, similar,
alternative, or substitute function of the disclosed subject matter
without deviating therefrom. Therefore, the disclosed subject
matter should not be limited to any single embodiment described
herein, but rather should be construed in breadth and scope in
accordance with the appended claims below.
* * * * *