WO2018125057A1 - Beamforming for blockage detection signal - Google Patents

Abstract

The present disclosure provides for generate a BDS reconfiguration message. Generating a BDS reconfiguration message can include determining, based on a plurality of HPBW RF beamforming antenna gains, a minimum UE RF beamforming gain for the plurality of UEs, calculating a blockage detection signal (BDS) cycle parameter corresponding to a BDS, wherein the BDS cycle is based on the minimum UE RF beamforming gain, and generating, for the plurality of UEs, a BDS reconfiguration message that includes the BDS cycle.

Description

BEAMFORMING FOR BLOCKAGE DETECTION SIGNAL

Technical Field

[0001 ] The present disclosure relates to gNodeB beamforming for blockage detection signal (BDS). In particular, the present disclosure relates to determining g node B (gNodeB) beamforming for BDS based on the UE capability information provided by user equipment.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0002] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a UE capability message exchange according to one embodiment.

[0003] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a periodic blockage detection signal (BDS) allocation according to one embodiment.

[0004] FIG. 3 is a flow diagram illustrating sending a BDS reconfiguration message to the attached UEs according to one embodiment.

[0005] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a BDS reconfiguration procedure according to one embodiment.

[0006] FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating electronic device circuitry that may be gNodeB circuitry, user equipment (UE) circuitry, network node circuitry, or some other type of circuitry according to one embodiment.

[0007] FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a method for generating a BDS reconfiguration message according to one embodiment.

[0008] FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating a method for generating a UE capability information message for a radio access network (RAN) network according to one embodiment.

[0009] FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating a method for processing a BDS with BDS cycles according to one embodiment.

[0010] FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating components of a device according to one embodiment.

[001 1 ] FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating components of a device according to some embodiments. Detailed Description of Preferred Embodiments

[0012] Wireless mobile communication technology uses various standards and protocols to generate and/or transmit data between a base station and a wireless communication device. Wireless communication system standards and protocols can include, for example, a 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) long term evolution (LTE); the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.16 standard, which is commonly known to industry groups as worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX); and the IEEE 802.1 1 standard, which is commonly known to industry groups as Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) or Wi-Fi. In 3GPP radio access networks (RANs) in LTE systems, a base station may include Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) Node B (also commonly denoted as evolved Node B, enhanced Node B, eNodeB, eNB, gNodeB, or gNB) and/or Radio Network Controllers (RNCs) in the E-UTRAN, which

communicate with a wireless communication device, known as user equipment (UE). In LTE networks, the E-UTRAN may include a plurality of gNodeBs and may communicate with the plurality of UEs. LTE networks include a radio access technology (RAT) and core radio network architecture that can provide high data rate, low latency, packet optimization, and improved system capacity and coverage.

[0013] Millimeter (mm) wave and/or higher frequency access systems can utilize directional beamforming at the base station (BS) and/or access point (AP) and the user equipment (UE) and/or station (STA) to achieve the signal to noise ratio (SNR) used to establish a communication link. Beam adaptation procedures can be used to find the optimal transmit (Tx)/receive (Rx) RF beams (e.g., sectors) for a UE. For a calibrated UE , there is Tx/Rx channel reciprocity such that the best (e.g., optimal) TX sector is also the best RX sector, and therefore the beam adaptation procedure is much simpler and takes less resources. The service gNodeB may use several different methods for determining if a UE is calibrated or not and if Tx/Rx reciprocity for RF beamforming is available or not at the UE.

[0014] For example, a calibration flag can be used to indicates that a UE is calibrated. If the UE is calibrated, then a calibrated beam adaptation procedure can be performed for the UE utilizing the UE transmit (Tx) beam as a UE receive (Rx) beam. If the UE is not calibrated, then an un-calibrated beam adaptation procedure can be performed for the UE utilizing the UE Tx beam that is different from the UE Rx beam. The calibrated beam adaptation procedure can be configures using Tx/Rx channel reciprocity (e.g., the optimal UE Tx beam is also the optimal UE Rx beam). The UE can be calibrated if an optimal Tx sector is an optimal Rx sector. In some embodiments, the UE can be calibrated if the optimal TX sector is always an optimal Rx sector. The UE is not calibrated if an optimal Tx sector is different from an optimal Rx sector. In some embodiments, the UE is not calibrated if an optimal Tx sector may be different from an optimal Rx sector.

[0015] Periodic downlink broadcast, control channels and/or reference signals (e.g., broadcast channel (BCH), beam reference signal (BRS), mobility reference signal (MRS), a blockage poll (B-poll)) can be used to detect blockage and/or link loss. For example, a gNodeB may periodically send a broadcast, control and/or reference signal across beams to cover the entire cell. The UE can use this periodic signal to detect link loss and trigger cell/beam switching or handover. A periodic downlink control channel or reference signal used to detect blockage or link loss may be referred to herein as a blockage detection signal (BDS). A BDS beam is an antenna beam used to communicate BDSs. In a number of examples, the gNodeB can determine the optimal beamwidth and minimize the number of beams (e.g., sectors) for sending BDSs.

[0016] In some examples, the UE can provide UE capability information to the gNodeB via, for example, an existing control message and/or a new control message during an initial access to a radio access network (RAN). The UE capability information can include a calibration flag, a number of radio frequency (RF) beamforming antennas, and/or a half-power beamwidth (HPBW) RF beamforming antenna gain.

[0017] A calibration flag is a bit flag to indicate if UE RF beamforming is calibrated or if UE RF beamforming is not calibrated. If the UE has multiple antenna panels, a bitmap field can be included to indicate if an individual antenna panel is calibrated or if the individual antenna panel is not calibrated. A number of RF beamforming antennas can include the number of antenna panels that the UE can use

simultaneously for RF beamforming. The HPBW RF beamforming antenna gain can be provided in decibels (dB): The HPBW RF beamforming antenna gain is the maximum array pattern gain - 3dB. By using N antennal panels simultaneously, the RF beamforming gain may further increase by 10log(N) dB. The above parameters may be configured differently for individual frequency bands. [0018] The gNodeB may decide to use an uncalibrated or a calibrated beam training procedure for the UE corresponding to the calibration flag provided in the UE capability information. The gNodeB may adjust the BDS beamwidth and the number of BDS beams based on the RF beamforming gain of all attached UEs. The gNodeB may also group UEs based on their RF beamforming gain and allocate a separate BDS for each group. 3GPP LTE defines a message solely for UE capability information report. Whenever a RAN network wants to know the UE capabilities (e.g., during registration of a UE with the RAN network), the RAN network can provide a UE capability enquiry message specifying requested information. The UE capability enquiry message can request one or more types of capability items (e.g., evolved universal terrestrial radio access (EUTRA), universal terrestrial radio access (UTRA)).

[0019] The UE, in response to receiving and/or processing the UE capability enquiry message, can report all or some the UE capability information requested by the RAN network (e.g., via a gNodeB). As previously described, in certain

embodiments the UE capability information provided by the UE includes the calibration flag, the number of RF beamforming antennas, and/or the HPBW RF beamforming antenna gain.

[0020] The gNodeB can provide a BDS in response to receiving the UE capability information. The BDS can be allocated periodically and can be configured with the BDS start time parameter, a BDS duration parameter, a BDS interval parameter, and/or a BDS cycle parameter. The BDS start time can be provided as a super frame, a frame, a subframe, and/or a symbol index of the first symbol of a BDS allocation. The BDS duration is the number of consecutive symbols of a BDS allocation. The BDS interval is the interval in subframes and/or frames between two consecutive BDS allocations. The BDS cycle is a duration in subframes or frames in which a gNodeB sweeps a plurality of sectors to cover the entire cell once.

[0021 ] For example, a gNodeB can utilizes a total of 128 narrow sectors to reach a UE with no RF beamforming capability (e.g., Omni-UE) at the cell edge and to cover the entire cell. If the attached UEs (e.g., attached to a RAN network through the gNodeB) support RF beamforming and their minimum UE RF beamforming gain is 3dB, then the gNodeB can widen the RF beam and reduce the total number of BDS beams by half. As a result, the gNodeB can reduce the 128 sectors to 64 sectors. With the same BDS allocation, the BDS cycle, utilizing 64 sectors, is therefore reduced by 50 percent so that the UE can detect link loss and/or blockage much faster as compared to a BDS cycle utilizing 128 sectors.

[0022] In some embodiments, a new identifier (ID) (e.g., BDS ID) can be defined and/or utilized to uniquely identify a BDS allocation (e.g., defining a BDS start time, BDS duration, BDS interval, and BDS cycle) so that a gNodeB can support multiple BDS allocations. The gNodeB may send the configuration information for BDS allocations in system broadcast messages and/or unicast control messages (e.g., radio resource control (RRC)). Whenever a UE joins the network, the gNodeB may create a new BDS allocation, reconfigure an existing BDS allocation, reassign an existing BDS allocation, and/or do nothing. A new BDS allocation can be based on the UE's RF beamforming gain and assigned to the UE. The reconfigured BDS allocation can be assigned to the UE. An existing BDS allocation can be assigned to the UE without any changes.

[0023] Whenever a UE leaves the network, the gNodeB may remove the BDS allocation if the UE is the last one utilizing the BDS allocation. The gNodeB may also reconfigure the BDS allocation that the UE is using. The gNodeB may also do nothing.

[0024] A gNodeB may be configured to determine the optimal number of BDS beams to utilize. In some examples, a BDS allocation with fixed overhead can be provided. Thus, both the BDS duration and the BDS interval are fixed. The input variable is the minimum UE RF beamforming gain of the attached UEs, which can be obtained from the newly introduced "UE Beamforming Capability" feedback as r =

th min(10log(l_j) + R,), where R, is an HPBW RF beamforming antenna gain of the i

th

UE and L, is a number of RF beamforming antennas of the i UE. The output variable is the BDS cycle.

N

[0025] The BDS cycles are provided as y = X Tn = x T

nxT nxT₁xl0^r/¹⁰ 2- . wherein x =— . The BDS cycles are provided using the following notation: n is the

1010

number of gNodeB RF beams used simultaneously per symbol; T-i is the BDS duration in symbols; T₂ is the BDS interval in subframes; x is the total number of RF beams that the gNodeB will use to send the BDS corresponding to the UE RF beamforming gain of r dB; Y is the BDS cycle in subframes; N is the total number of RF beams if using the maximum gNodeB RF beamforming gain corresponding to the UE RF beamforming gain of OdB; and r is the minimum UE RF beamforming gain in dB.

[0026] As discussed, a gNodeB may reconfigure a BDS allocation through the BDS reconfiguration control message. The gNodeB may temporarily deactivate a BDS allocation by setting the BDS duration parameter to zero. The BDS

reconfiguration message can be sent to the UEs through unicast RRC signaling and/or a system information broadcast (SIB).

[0027] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a UE capability message exchange 100 according to one embodiment. The UE capability message exchange 100 is between a RAN node 104 (e.g., eNodeB in LTE, gNodeB in 5G) that is part of a RAN network and a UE 102.

[0028] The RAN node 104 can provide a UE capability enquiry message 106 to the UE 102. The UE capability enquiry message 106 can request the UE capability information. The UE capability information can include a calibration flag, a number of RF beamforming antennas, and/or HPBW RF beamforming antenna gain.

[0029] The UE capability enquiry message 106 can be provided to the UE 102 via an EUTRA. The UE capability enquiry message 106 can also be provided to the UE 102 via a RAN network configured using a standard associated with UTRA, GRAN- CS, GRAN-PS, and/or CDMA2000-1XRTT.

[0030] The UE 102 can receive and/or process the UE capability enquiry message 106. In response to receiving and/or processing the UE capability enquiry message 106, the UE 102 can gather and/or access the requested UE capability information. In some examples, the UE 102 can be configured with the UE capability information being stored in memory. The memory can be system memory, system registers, and/or system cache memory. The memory can also be memory, registers, and/or cache memory local to an apparatus of the UE 102.

[0031 ] The memory storing the UE capability information can be reconfigured. For example, the memory storing the calibration flag can be modified from a first value to a second value.

[0032] After gathering the UE capability information, the UE 102 can generate a UE capability information message 108 for the RAN node 104. The UE capability information message 108 can include the information requested (e.g., UE capability information) by the UE capability enquiry message 106. [0033] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a periodic BDS allocation 200 according to one embodiment. The periodic BDS allocation 200 can include a BDS cycle 210, a BDS start time 213, a BDS interval 212, a BDS duration 214, and a subframe 216.

[0034] The BDS start time 213 can be provided in super frame, frame, the subframe 216, and/or symbol index of the first symbol of the periodic BDS allocation 200. The BDS duration 214 is the number of consecutive symbols of the periodic BDS allocation 200. The BDS interval 212 is the interval, in subframes or frames, between two consecutive BDS allocations. The BDS cycle 210 is a duration, in subframes and/or frames, a gNodeB utilizes to cover a plurality of sectors (e.g., an entire cell).

[0035] FIG. 3 is a flow diagram illustrating sending a BDS reconfiguration message to the attached UEs according to one embodiment. The flow diagram can be implemented by a RAN node of a RAN network. A number of UEs can be attached (e.g., coupled) to the RAN network through the RAN node. The BDS can be configured based on the attached UEs. At BDS configuration can change as the UEs attached to the RAN node change.

[0036] The flow diagram can begin at a wait cycle 330. The wait cycle 330 can be implemented as a loop in which a RAN node awaits a change in a UE state.

[0037] For example, the wait cycle 330 can wait for a UE to join 332 the network (e.g., a RAN network) or for a UE attached to the network to leave the network.

[0038] The flow diagram can also include determining 334 the minimum UE RF beamforming gain for all the attached UEs. The flow diagram can also include determining 336 the BDS cycle according to the minimum UE beamforming gain. The flow diagram can also include determining 338 whether the BDS cycle has changed. In some examples, a BDS cycle can change in any of the following scenarios but is not limited to the following scenarios. A gNB need may utilize more DL resources than UL resources for data allocation. As such, the gNB may increase a BDS interval to reduce the utilized DL resource for BDS allocation. A gNB is allocated more DL resources than UL resources for BDS allocation. As such, the gNB may decrease a BDS interval to increase DL resource for BDS allocation and reduce blockage detection latency. A minimum UE beamforming gain may increase or decrease (e.g., due to either new UEs joining the network or existing UEs leaving the network). As such, a gNB can update BDS cycle accordingly. [0039] If the BDS cycle has not changed, then the RAN node executing the flow diagram can return to the wait cycle 330. If the BDS cycle has changed, then the RAN node executing the flow diagram can generate and/or send 340 the

reconfiguration message to the UEs attached to the RAN node.

[0040] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a BDS reconfiguration procedure 400 according to one embodiment. The BDS reconfiguration procedure 400 can define an interaction between a RAN node 404 and a UE 402. The RAN node 404 and the UE 402 are analogous to the RAN node 104 and the UE 102, respectively.

[0041 ] The RAN node 404 can provide a BDS reconfiguration message 444. The BDS reconfiguration message 444 can include at least one of a BDS ID, a BDS start time, a BDS duration, a BDS interval, and/or a BDS cycle. The BDS ID, the BDS start time, the BDS duration, the BDS interval, and/or the BDS cycle can be configured by the RAN node 404 based on the UE capability information received from the UE 402. The BDS ID may not be necessary if the RAN node only provides one BDS allocation at any time.

[0042] The UE 402 can receive and/or process the BDS reconfiguration message 444 to access the BDS ID, the BDS start time, the BDS duration, the BDS interval, and/or the BDS cycle. The UE 402 can configure itself to receive the BDS utilizing the BDS ID, the BDS start time, the BDS duration, the BDS interval, and/or the BDS cycle.

[0043] FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating electronic device circuitry that may be gNodeB circuitry, user equipment (UE) circuitry, network node circuitry, or some other type of circuitry according to one embodiment. FIG. 5 illustrates an electronic device 500 that may be, or may be incorporated into or otherwise part of, a gNodeB (e.g., RAN node), a UE, or some other type of electronic device in accordance with various embodiments. Specifically, the electronic device 500 may be logic and/or circuitry that may be at least partially implemented in one or more of hardware, software, and/or firmware. In embodiments, the electronic device logic may include radio transmit/transmitter logic (e.g., a first transmitter logic 577) and receive/receiver logic (e.g., a first receiver logic 583) coupled to a control logic 573 and/or a processor 571 . In embodiments, the transmit/transmitter and/or receive/receiver logic may be elements or modules of transceiver logic. The first transmitter logic 577 and the first receiver logic 583 may be housed in separate devices. For example, the first transmitter logic 577 can be incorporated into a first device while the first receiver logic 583 is incorporated into a second device, or the transmitter logic 577 and the receiver logic 583 can be incorporated into a device separate from a device including any combination of the control logic 573, a memory 579, and/or the processor 571 . The electronic device 500 may be coupled with or include one or more antenna elements 585 of one or more antennas. The electronic device 500 and/or the components of the electronic device 500 may be configured to perform operations similar to those described elsewhere in this disclosure.

[0044] In embodiments where the electronic device 500 implements, is

incorporated into, or is otherwise part of a UE and/or a gNodeB, or device portion thereof, the electronic device 500 can configure a BDS. The processor 571 may be coupled to the first receiver and the first transmitter. The memory 579 may be coupled to the processor 571 having control logic 573 instructions thereon that, when executed, configure a BDS.

[0045] In embodiments where the electronic device 500 receives data, generates data, and/or transmits data to/from a UE to implement a downlink signal including the ESS, the processor 571 may be coupled to a receiver and a transmitter. The memory 579 may be coupled to the processor 571 having control logic 573 instructions thereon that, when executed, may be able to configure the BDS utilizing a UE capacity enquiry message, a UE capability information message, and/or a BDS reconfiguration message.

[0046] As used herein, the term "logic" may refer to, be part of, or include an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an electronic circuit, the processor 571 (shared, dedicated, or group), and/or the memory 579 (shared, dedicated, or group) that execute one or more software or firmware programs, a combinational logic circuit, and/or other suitable hardware components that provide

the described functionality. Specifically, the logic may be at least partially

implemented in, or an element of, hardware, software, and/or firmware. In some embodiments, the electronic device logic may be implemented in, or functions associated with the logic may be implemented by, one or more software or firmware modules.

[0047] FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a method 840 for generating a BDS reconfiguration message according to one embodiment. The method 840 includes determining 842, based on a plurality of HPBW RF beamforming antenna gains, a minimum UE RF beamforming gain for the plurality of UEs, calculating 844 a BDS cycle parameter corresponding to a BDS, wherein the BDS cycle is based on the minimum UE RF beamforming gain, and generating 846, for the plurality of UEs, a BDS reconfiguration message that includes the BDS cycle.

[0048] The method 840 can also comprise generating the BDS further configured to provide the BDS to the UE using a DL-SCH. The method 840 can further comprise generating the BDS, wherein the BDS has the BDS cycle. The method 840 can also comprise calculating the BDS cycle based on a first quantity of RF beams used by the RAN node to provide the BDS.

[0049] The method 840 can also include calculating the first quantity of RF beams based on a second quantity of RF beams, wherein the second quantity of RF beams describes a quantity of RF beams utilized by the RAN node to provide the BDS using a maximum RAN node RF beamforming gain corresponding to a UE RF

beamforming gain of OdB, and the minimum UE RF beamforming gain.

[0050] The method 840 can also include calculating the BDS cycle based on a quantity of RAN node RF beams used simultaneously per symbol. The method 840 can also include calculating the BDS cycle based on a BDS duration in symbols.

[0051 ] The method 840 can also include calculating the BDS cycle based on a BDS interval in subframes. The method 840 can also include generating the BDS reconfiguration message based on a determination that the UE is newly connected to the RAN node. The BDS reconfiguration message can be based on a

determination that the UE is no longer connected to the RAN node.

[0052] FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating a method for generating a UE capability information message for a RAN network according to one embodiment. The message 950 includes processing 952 a UE capability enquiry message received from a RAN node of a RAN network, accessing 954 the parameters of the UE from the electronic memory, and generating 956, including the parameters of the UE corresponding to the HPBW RF beamforming antenna gain, the calibration flag, and the quantity of RF beamforming antenna, a UE capability information message for the RAN network.

[0053] The UE capability information can be generated for transfer using an acknowledged mode on a downlink control channel (DCCH). The UE capability enquiry message can be processed during a registration of the UE with the RAN node. The calibration flag can comprise a bit flag that indicates whether UE RF beamforming is calibrated. The calibration flag may further comprise a bitmap field that indicates if individual antenna panels of a plurality of antenna panels of the UE are calibrated. The quantity of RF beamforming antenna can comprise a quantity of antenna panels that the UE uses simultaneously for RF beamforming.

[0054] The HPBW RF beamforming antenna gain can comprise a maximum array pattern gain minus 3dB corresponding to a gain at HPBW. The HPBW RF beamforming antenna gain can be provided in dB.

[0055] FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating a method 860 for processing a BDS with BDS cycles according to one embodiment. The method 860 can also include generating 862, including parameters of the UE corresponding to an HPBW RF beamforming antenna gain, a UE capability information message for a RAN network to trigger a BDS reconfiguration message, processing 864 the BDS reconfiguration message that includes at least a BDS cycle, and processing 866 a BDS with the BDS cycle.

Processing 864 the BDS reconfiguration message that includes at least the BDS cycle can further comprise processing the BDS reconfiguration message further comprising a BDS ID that identifies a BDS allocation. The method 860 can further comprise processing the BDS reconfiguration that includes a BDS start time. The method 860 can also further comprise processing the BDS reconfiguration message that includes a BDS duration. The method 860 can also comprise processing the BDS reconfiguration that includes a BDS interval.

[0056] FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating components of a device according to one embodiment. In some embodiments, the device may include application circuitry 903, baseband circuitry 905, radio frequency (RF) circuitry 907, front-end module (FEM) circuitry 909, and one or more antennas 914, coupled together at least as shown in FIG. 9. Any combination or subset of these components can be included, for example, in a UE device or a gNodeB (e.g., RAN node) device.

[0057] The application circuitry 903 may include one or more application processors. By way of non-limiting example, the application circuitry 903 may include one or more single-core or multi-core processors. The processor(s) may include any combination of general-purpose processors and dedicated processors (e.g., graphics processors, application processors, etc.). The processor(s) may be operably coupled and/or include memory/storage, and may be configured to execute instructions stored in the memory/storage to enable various applications

and/or operating systems to run on the system. [0058] By way of non-limiting example, the baseband circuitry 905 may include one or more single-core or multi-core processors. The baseband circuitry 905 may include one or more baseband processors and/or control logic. The baseband circuitry 905 may be configured to process baseband signals received from a receive signal path of the RF circuitry 907. The baseband circuitry 905 may also be configured to generate baseband signals for a transmit signal path of the RF circuitry 907. The baseband circuitry 905 may interface with the application circuitry 903 for generation and processing of the baseband signals, and for controlling operations of the RF circuitry 907.

[0059] By way of non-limiting example, the baseband circuitry 905 may include at least one of a second generation (2G) baseband processor 91 1 A, a third generation (3G) baseband processor 91 1 B, a fourth generation (4G) baseband processor 91 1 C, and other baseband processor(s) 91 1 D for other existing generations and

generations in development or to be developed in the future (e.g., fifth generation (5G), sixth generation (6G), etc.). The baseband circuitry 905 (e.g., at least one of the baseband processors 91 1 A-91 1 D) may handle various radio control functions that enable communication with one or more radio networks via the RF circuitry 907. By way of non-limiting example, the radio control functions may include signal modulation/demodulation, encoding/decoding, radio frequency shifting, other functions, and combinations thereof. In some embodiments,

modulation/demodulation circuitry of the baseband circuitry 905 may be programmed to perform Fast-Fourier Transform (FFT), precoding, constellation

mapping/demapping functions, other functions, and combinations thereof. In some embodiments, encoding/decoding circuitry of the baseband circuitry 905 may be programmed to perform convolutions, tail-biting convolutions, turbo, Viterbi, Low Density Parity Check (LDPC) encoder/decoder functions, other functions, and combinations thereof. Embodiments of modulation/demodulation and

encoder/decoder functions are not limited to these examples, and may include other suitable functions.

[0060] In some embodiments, the baseband circuitry 905 may include elements of a protocol stack. By way of non-limiting example, elements of an evolved universal terrestrial radio access network (EUTRAN) protocol include, for example, physical (PHY), media access control (MAC), radio link control (RLC), packet data convergence protocol (PDCP), and/or radio resource control (RRC) elements. A central processing unit (CPU) 91 1 E of the baseband circuitry 905 may be

programmed to run elements of the protocol stack for signaling of the PHY, MAC, RLC, PDCP and/or RRC layers. In some embodiments, the baseband circuitry 905 may include one or more audio digital signal processor(s) (DSP) 91 1 F. The audio DSP(s) 91 1 F may include elements for compression/decompression and echo cancellation. The audio DSP(s) 91 1 F may also include other suitable processing elements.

[0061 ] The baseband circuitry 905 may further include a memory/storage 91 1 G. The memory/storage 91 1 G may include data and/or instructions for operations performed by the processors of the baseband circuitry 905 stored thereon. In some embodiments, the memory/storage 91 1 G may include any combination of suitable volatile memory and/or non-volatile memory. The memory/storage 91 1 G may also include any combination of various levels of memory/storage including, but not limited to, read-only memory (ROM) having embedded software instructions (e.g., firmware), random access memory (e.g., dynamic random access memory (DRAM)), cache, buffers, etc. In some embodiments, the memory/storage 91 1 G may be shared among the various processors or dedicated to particular processors.

[0062] Components of the baseband circuitry 905 may be suitably combined in a single chip or a single chipset, or disposed on a same circuit board in some embodiments. In some embodiments, some or all of the constituent components of the baseband circuitry 905 and the application circuitry 903 may be

implemented together, such as, for example, on a system on a chip (SOC).

[0063] In some embodiments, the baseband circuitry 905 may provide for communication compatible with one or more radio technologies. For example, in some embodiments, the baseband circuitry 905 may support communication with an evolved universal terrestrial radio access network (EUTRAN) and/or other wireless metropolitan area network (WMAN), a wireless local area network (WLAN), or a wireless personal area network (WPAN). Embodiments in which the baseband circuitry 905 is configured to support radio communications of more than one wireless protocol may be referred to as multi-mode baseband circuitry.

[0064] The RF circuitry 907 may enable communication with wireless networks using modulated electromagnetic radiation through a non-solid medium. In various embodiments, the RF circuitry 907 may include switches, filters, amplifiers, etc. to facilitate the communication with the wireless network. The RF circuitry 907 may include a receive signal path, which may include circuitry to down-convert RF signals received from the FEM circuitry 909, and provide baseband signals to the baseband circuitry 905. The RF circuitry 907 may also include a transmit signal path, which may include circuitry to up-convert baseband signals provided by the baseband circuitry 905, and provide RF output signals to the FEM circuitry 909 for

transmission.

[0065] In some embodiments, the RF circuitry 907 may include a receive signal path and a transmit signal path. The receive signal path of the RF circuitry 907 may include a mixer circuitry 913A, an amplifier circuitry 913B, and a filter circuitry 913C. The transmit signal path of the RF circuitry 907 may include the filter circuitry 913C and the mixer circuitry 913A. The RF circuitry 907 may further include a synthesizer circuitry 913D configured to synthesize a frequency for use by the mixer circuitry 913A of the receive signal path and the transmit signal path. In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 913A of the receive signal path may be configured to down- convert RF signals received from the FEM circuitry 909 based on the synthesized frequency provided by the synthesizer circuitry 913D. The amplifier circuitry 913B may be configured to amplify the down-converted signals.

[0066] The filter circuitry 913C may include a low-pass filter (LPF) or band-pass filter (BPF) configured to remove unwanted signals from the down-converted signals to generate output baseband signals. Output baseband signals may be provided to the baseband circuitry 905 for further processing. In some embodiments, the output baseband signals may include zero-frequency baseband signals, although this is not a requirement. In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 913A of the receive signal path may comprise passive mixers, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[0067] In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 913A of the transmit signal path may be configured to up-convert input baseband signals based on the synthesized frequency provided by the synthesizer circuitry 913D to generate RF output signals for the FEM circuitry 909. The baseband signals may be provided by the baseband circuitry 905 and may be filtered by the filter circuitry 913C. The filter circuitry 913C may include a low-pass filter (LPF), although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[0068] In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 913A of the receive signal path and the mixer circuitry 913A of the transmit signal path may include two or more mixers, and may be arranged for quadrature downconversion and/or upconversion, respectively. In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 913A of the receive signal path and the mixer circuitry 913A of the transmit signal path may include two or more mixers and may be arranged for image rejection (e.g., Hartley image rejection). In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 913A of the receive signal path and the mixer circuitry 913A of the transmit signal path may be arranged for direct downconversion and/or direct upconversion, respectively. In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 913A of the receive signal path and the mixer circuitry 913A of the transmit signal path may be configured for super-heterodyne operation.

[0069] In some embodiments, the output baseband signals and the input baseband signals may be analog baseband signals, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. In some alternative embodiments, the output baseband signals and the input baseband signals may be digital baseband signals. In such embodiments, the RF circuitry 907 may include analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and digital-to-analog converter (DAC) circuitry, and the baseband circuitry 905 may include a digital baseband interface to communicate with the RF circuitry 907.

[0070] In some dual-mode embodiments, separate radio IC circuitry may be provided for processing signals for each spectrum, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[0071 ] In some embodiments, the synthesizer circuitry 913D may include one or more of a fractional-N synthesizer and a fractional N/N+1 synthesizer, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect, as other types of frequency synthesizers may be suitable. For example, the synthesizer circuitry 913D may include a delta-sigma synthesizer, a frequency multiplier, a synthesizer comprising a phase-locked loop with a frequency divider, other synthesizers, and combinations thereof.

[0072] The synthesizer circuitry 913D may be configured to synthesize an output frequency for use by the mixer circuitry 913A of the RF circuitry 907 based on a frequency input and a divider control input. In some embodiments, the synthesizer circuitry 913D may be a fractional N/N+1 synthesizer.

[0073] In some embodiments, frequency input may be provided by a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO), although that is not a requirement. Divider control input may be provided by either the baseband circuitry 905 or the application circuitry 903 depending on the desired output frequency. In some embodiments, a divider control input (e.g., N) may be determined from a look-up table based on a channel indicated by the application circuitry 903.

[0074] The synthesizer circuitry 913D of the RF circuitry 907 may include a divider, a delay-locked loop (DLL), a multiplexer and a phase accumulator. In some embodiments, the divider may include a dual modulus divider (DMD), and the phase accumulator may include a digital phase accumulator (DPA). In some embodiments, the DMD may be configured to divide the input signal by either N or N+1 (e.g., based on a carry-out) to provide a fractional division ratio. In some example embodiments, the DLL may include a set of cascaded, tunable delay elements; a phase detector; a charge pump; and a D-type flip-flop. In such embodiments, the delay elements may be configured to break a VCO period up into Nd equal packets of phase, where Nd is the number of delay elements in the delay line. In this way, the DLL may provide negative feedback to help ensure that the total delay through the delay line is one VCO cycle.

[0075] In some embodiments, the synthesizer circuitry 913D may be configured to generate a carrier frequency as the output frequency. In some embodiments, the output frequency may be a multiple of the carrier frequency (e.g., twice the carrier frequency, four times the carrier frequency, etc.) and used in conjunction with a quadrature generator and divider circuitry to generate multiple signals at the carrier frequency with multiple different phases with respect to each other. In some embodiments, the output frequency may be an LO frequency (fLO). In some embodiments, the RF circuitry 907 may include an IQ/polar converter.

[0076] The FEM circuitry 909 may include a receive signal path, which may include circuitry configured to operate on RF signals received from the one or more antennas 914, amplify the received signals, and provide the amplified versions of the received signals to the RF circuitry 907 for further processing. The FEM circuitry 909 may also include a transmit signal path, which may include circuitry configured to amplify signals for transmission provided by the RF circuitry 907 for transmission by at least one of the one or more antennas 914.

[0077] In some embodiments, the FEM circuitry 909 may include a TX/RX switch configured to switch between a transmit mode and a receive mode operation. The FEM circuitry 909 may include a receive signal path and a transmit signal path. The receive signal path of the FEM circuitry 909 may include a low-noise amplifier (LNA) to amplify received RF signals and provide the amplified received RF signals as an output (e.g., to the RF circuitry 907). The transmit signal path of the FEM circuitry 909 may include a power amplifier (PA) configured to amplify input RF signals (e.g., provided by the RF circuitry 907), and one or more filters configured to generate RF signals for subsequent transmission (e.g., by one or more of the one or more antennas 914).

[0078] In some embodiments, the device may include additional elements such as, for example, memory/storage, a display, a camera, one of more sensors, an input/output (I/O) interface, other elements, and combinations thereof.

[0079] In some embodiments, the device may be configured to perform one or more processes, techniques, and/or methods as described herein, or portions thereof.

[0080] FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating components, according to some example embodiments, able to read instructions from a machine-readable or computer-readable medium (e.g., a machine-readable storage medium) and perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein. Specifically, FIG. 10 shows a diagrammatic representation of hardware resources 1000 including one or more processors (or processor cores) 1010, one or more memory/storage devices 1020, and one or more communication resources 1030, which are communicatively coupled via a bus 1040.

[0081 ] The processors 1010 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a reduced instruction set computing (RISC) processor, a complex instruction set computing (CISC) processor, a graphics processing unit (GPU), a digital signal processor (DSP) such as a baseband processor, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a radio-frequency integrated circuit (RFIC), another processor, or any suitable combination thereof) may include, for example, a processor 1012 and a processor 1014. The memory/storage devices 1020 may include main memory, disk storage, or any suitable combination thereof.

[0082] The communication resources 1030 may include interconnection and/or network interface components or other suitable devices to communicate with one or more peripheral devices 1004 and/or one or more databases 101 1 via a network 1008. For example, the communication resources 1030 may include wired

communication components (e.g., for coupling via a Universal Serial Bus (USB)), cellular communication components, Near Field Communication (NFC) components, Bluetooth® components (e.g., Bluetooth® Low Energy), Wi-Fi® components, and other communication components.

[0083] Instructions 1050 may comprise software, a program, an application, an applet, an app, or other executable code for causing at least one of the processors 1010 to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein. The instructions 1050 may reside, completely or partially, within at least one of the processors 1010 (e.g., within the processor's cache memory), the memory/storage devices 1020, or any suitable combination thereof. Furthermore, any portion of the instructions 1050 may be transferred to the hardware resources 1000 from any combination of the peripheral devices 1004 and/or the databases 101 1 . Accordingly, the memory of the processors 1010, the memory/storage devices 1020, the peripheral devices 1004, and the databases 101 1 are examples of computer- readable and machine-readable media.

Example Embodiments

[0084] Example 1 is an apparatus for a radio access network (RAN) node. The apparatus includes electronic memory to store a variety of half power beam width (HPBW) radio frequency (RF) beamforming antenna gains corresponding to a variety of user equipments (UEs) connected to a RAN network. The apparatus also includes one or more baseband processors designed to determine, based on the variety of HPBW RF beamforming antenna gains, a minimum UE RF beamforming gain for the variety of UEs. The apparatus also includes one or more baseband processors designed to calculate a blockage detection signal (BDS) cycle parameter corresponding to a BDS, where the BDS cycle is based on the minimum UE RF beamforming gain, and generate, for the variety of UEs, a BDS reconfiguration message that includes the BDS cycle.

[0085] Example 2 is the apparatus of Example 1 , where the one or more baseband processors designed to generate the BDS are further designed to provide the BDS to the UE using a downlink shared channel (DL-SCH) or broadcast channel.

[0086] Example 3 is the apparatus of Example 1 , where the one or more baseband processors are further designed to generate the BDS, where the BDS has the BDS cycle. [0087] Example 4 is the apparatus as in Examples 1 , 2, or 3, where the one or more baseband processors are further designed to calculate the BDS cycle based on a first quantity of RF beams used by the RAN node to provide the BDS.

[0088] Example 5 is the apparatus of Example 4, where the one or more baseband processors are further designed to calculate the first quantity of RF beams based on a second quantity of RF beams, where the second quantity of RF beams describes a quantity of RF beams utilized by the RAN node to provide the BDS using a maximum RAN node RF beamforming gain corresponding to a UE RF

beamforming gain of OdB, and the minimum UE RF beamforming gain.

[0089] Example 6 is the apparatus as in Examples 1 , 2, or 3, where the one or more baseband processors are further designed to calculate the BDS cycle based on a quantity of RAN node RF beams used simultaneously per symbol.

[0090] Example 7 is the apparatus as in Examples 1 , 2, or 3, where the one or more baseband processors are further designed to calculate the BDS cycle based on a BDS duration in symbols.

[0091 ] Example 8 is the apparatus as in Examples 1 , 2, or 3, where the one or more baseband processors are further designed to calculate the BDS cycle based on a BDS interval in subframes.

[0092] Example 9 is the apparatus as in Examples 1 , 2, or 3, where the one or more baseband processors are further designed to generate the BDS reconfiguration message based on a determination that the UE is newly connected to the RAN node.

[0093] Example 10 is the apparatus as in Examples 1 , 2, or 3, where the one or more baseband processors are further designed to generate the BDS reconfiguration message based on a determination that the UE is no longer connected to the RAN node.

[0094] Example 1 1 is an apparatus for a user equipment (UE). The apparatus includes electronic memory to store parameters of the UE, the parameters

corresponding to a half power beam width (HPBW) radio frequency (RF)

beamforming antenna gain, a calibration flag, and a quantity of RF beamforming antenna. The apparatus also includes one or more baseband processors designed to process a UE capability enquiry message received from a radio access network (RAN) node of a RAN network, and access the parameters of the UE from the electronic memory. The apparatus also includes one or more baseband processors designed to generate, including the parameters of the UE corresponding to the HPBW RF beamforming antenna gain, the calibration flag, and the quantity of RF beamforming antenna, a UE capability information message for the RAN network.

[0095] Example 12 is the apparatus of Example 1 1 , where the one or more baseband processors are further designed to generate the UE capability information message for transfer using an acknowledged mode on a UL Shared Channel (UL- SCH)

[0096] Example 13 is the apparatus as in Examples 1 1 or 12, where the one or more baseband processors are further designed to process the UE capability enquiry message during a registration of the UE with the RAN node.

[0097] Example 14 is the apparatus of Example 13, where the calibration flag includes a bit flag that indicates whether UE RF beamforming is calibrated.

[0098] Example 15 is the apparatus of Example 13, where the calibration flag includes a bitmap field that indicates if individual antenna panels of a variety of antenna panels of the UE are calibrated.

[0099] Example 16 is the apparatus of Example 13, where the calibration flag includes a bitmap field that indicates an availability of transmit (Tx)/receive (Rx) reciprocity for RF beamforming at the UE.

[0100] Example 17 is the apparatus of Example 13, where the quantity of RF beamforming antenna includes a quantity of antenna panels that the UE uses simultaneously for RF beamforming.

[0101 ] Example 18 is the apparatus of Example 13, where the HPBW RF beamforming antenna gain includes a maximum array pattern gain minus 3dB corresponding to a gain at HPBW.

[0102] Example 19 is a computer-readable storage medium. The computer- readable storage mediumg having stored thereon instructions that, when

implemented by a computing device, cause the computing device to generate, including parameters of a user equipment (UE) corresponding to a half power beam width (HPBW) radio frequency (RF) beamforming antenna gain, a UE capability information message for a random access network (RAN) network to trigger a blockage detection signal (BDS) reconfiguration message, process the BDS reconfiguration message that includes at least a BDS cycle, and process a BDS with the BDS cycle.

[0103] Example 20 is the computer-readable storage medium of Example 19, where the instructions to process the BDS reconfiguration message that includes at least the BDS cycle further includes instructions to process the BDS reconfiguration message further includes a BDS ID that identifies a BDS allocation.

[0104] Example 21 is the computer-readable storage medium of Example 19, where the instructions further includes instructions to process the BDS

reconfiguration message that includes a BDS start time.

[0105] Example 22 is the computer-readable storage medium as in Examples 19, 20, or 21 , where the instructions further includes instructions to process the BDS reconfiguration message that includes a BDS duration.

[0106] Example 23 is the computer-readable storage medium as in Examples 19, 20, or 21 , where the instructions further includes instructions to process the BDS reconfiguration message that includes a BDS interval.

[0107] Example 24 is an apparatus for a radio access network (RAN) node. The apparatus includes electronic memory to store a calibration flag corresponding to a user equipment (UE) connected to a RAN network. The apparatus also includes one or more baseband processors designed to determine whether the calibration flag indicates that the UE is calibrated, and if the UE is calibrated, perform a calibrated beam adaptation procedure for the UE utilizing the UE transmit (Tx) beam as a UE receive (Rx) beam. The apparatus also includes one or more baseband processors also designed to if the UE is not calibrated, perform an un-calibrated beam

adaptation procedure for the UE utilizing the UE Tx beam that is different from the UE Rx beam.

[0108] Example 25 is the apparatus of Example 24, where the calibrated beam adaptation procedure is designed using Tx/Rx channel reciprocity.

[0109] Example 26 is the apparatus as in Examples 24 or 25, where the UE is calibrated if an optimal Tx beam is an optimal Rx beam.

[01 10] Example 27 is the apparatus as in Examples 24 or 25, where the UE is not calibrated if an optimal Tx beam is different from an optimal Rx beam.

[01 1 1 ] Example 28 is a method for a radio access network (RAN) node. The method includes determining, based on a variety of half power beam width (HPBW) radio frequency (RF) beamforming antenna gains corresponding to a variety of user equipments (UEs) connected to a RAN network, a minimum UE RF beamforming gain for the variety of UEs. The method also includes calculating a blockage detection signal (BDS) cycle parameter corresponding to a BDS, where the BDS cycle is based on the minimum UE RF beamforming gain, and generating, for the variety of UEs, a BDS reconfiguration message that includes the BDS cycle.

[01 12] Example 29 is the method of Example 28, where generating the BDS further includes providing the BDS to the UE using a downlink shared channel (DL- SCH) or broadcast channel.

[01 13] Example 30 is the method of Example 28, further including generating the BDS, where the BDS has the BDS cycle.

[01 14] Example 31 is the method of Example 28, further including calculating the BDS cycle based on a first quantity of RF beams used by the RAN node to provide the BDS.

[01 15] Example 32 is the method of Example 31 , further including calculating the first quantity of RF beams based on a second quantity of RF beams, where the second quantity of RF beams describes a quantity of RF beams utilized by the RAN node to provide the BDS using a maximum RAN node RF beamforming gain corresponding to a UE RF beamforming gain of OdB, and the minimum UE RF beamforming gain.

[01 16] Example 33 is the method of Example 28, further including calculating the BDS cycle based on a quantity of RAN node RF beams used simultaneously per symbol.

[01 17] Example 34 is the method of Example 28, further including calculating the BDS cycle based on a BDS duration in symbols.

[01 18] Example 35 is the method of Example 28, further including calculating the BDS cycle based on a BDS interval in subframes.

[01 19] Example 36 is the method of Example 28, further including generating the BDS reconfiguration message based on a determination that the UE is newly connected to the RAN node.

[0120] Example 37 is the method of Example 28, further including generating the BDS reconfiguration message based on a determination that the UE is no longer connected to the RAN node.

[0121 ] Example 38 is a method for a user equipment (UE). The method includes processing a UE capability enquiry message received from a radio access network (RAN) node of a RAN network, and accessing parameters of the UE, the parameters corresponding to a half power beam width (HPBW) radio frequency (RF)

beamforming antenna gain, a calibration flag, and a quantity of RF beamforming antenna, from the electronic memory. The method also includes generating, including the parameters of the UE corresponding to the HPBW RF beamforming antenna gain, the calibration flag, and the quantity of RF beamforming antenna, a UE capability information message for the RAN network.

[0122] Example 39 is the method of Example 38, further including generating the UE capability information message for transfer using an acknowledged mode on a UL Shared Channel (UL-SCH)

[0123] Example 40 is the method of Example 38, further including processing the UE capability enquiry message during a registration of the UE with the RAN node.

[0124] Example 41 is the method of Example 40, where the calibration flag includes a bit flag that indicates whether UE RF beamforming is calibrated.

[0125] Example 42 is the method of Example 40, where the calibration flag includes a bitmap field that indicates if individual antenna panels of a variety of antenna panels of the UE are calibrated.

[0126] Example 43 is the method of Example 40, where the calibration flag includes a bitmap field that indicates an availability of transmit (Tx)/receive (Rx) reciprocity for RF beamforming at the UE.

[0127] Example 44 is the method of Example 40, where the quantity of RF beamforming antenna includes a quantity of antenna panels that the UE uses simultaneously for RF beamforming.

[0128] Example 45 is the method of Example 40, where the HPBW RF beamforming antenna gain includes a maximum array pattern gain minus 3dB corresponding to a gain at HPBW.

[0129] Example 46 is a method. The method includes generating, including parameters of a user equipment (UE) corresponding to a half power beam width (HPBW) radio frequency (RF) beamforming antenna gain, a UE capability information message for a random access network (RAN) network to trigger a blockage detection signal (BDS) reconfiguration message. The method also includes processing the BDS reconfiguration message that includes at least a BDS cycle, and processing a BDS with the BDS cycle.

[0130] Example 47 is the method of Example 46, where processing the BDS reconfiguration message that includes at least the BDS cycle further includes processing the BDS reconfiguration message further includes a BDS ID that identifies a BDS allocation. [0131 ] Example 48 is the method of Example 46, further includes processing the

BDS reconfiguration message that includes a BDS start time.

[0132] Example 49 is the method of Example 46, further includes processing the

BDS reconfiguration message that includes a BDS duration.

[0133] Example 50 is the method of Example 46, further includes processing the

BDS reconfiguration message that includes a BDS interval.

[0134] Example 51 is a method for a radio access network (RAN) node. The method includes determining whether a calibration flag corresponding to a user equipment (UE) connected to a RAN network indicates that the UE is calibrated, and if the UE is calibrated, performing a calibrated beam adaptation procedure for the UE utilizing the UE transmit (Tx) beam as a UE receive (Rx) beam. The method also includes if the UE is not calibrated, performing an un-calibrated beam adaptation procedure for the UE utilizing the UE Tx beam that is different from the UE Rx beam.

[0135] Example 52 is the method of Example 51 , where the calibrated beam adaptation procedure is designed using Tx/Rx channel reciprocity.

[0136] Example 53 is the method of Example 51 , where the UE is calibrated if an optimal Tx beam is an optimal Rx beam.

[0137] Example 54 is the method of Example 51 , where the UE is not calibrated if an optimal Tx beam is different from an optimal Rx beam.

[0138] Example 55 is at least one computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon computer-readable instructions, when executed, to implement a method as exemplified in any of Examples 28-54.

[0139] Example 56 is an apparatus includes manner to perform a method as exemplified in any of Examples 28-54.

[0140] Example 57 is a manner for performing a method as exemplified in any of Examples 28-54.

[0141 ] Various techniques, or certain aspects or portions thereof, may take the form of program code (i.e., instructions) embodied in tangible media, such as floppy diskettes, CD-ROMs, hard drives, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, or any other machine-readable storage medium wherein, when the program code is loaded into and executed by a machine, such as a computer, the machine becomes an apparatus for practicing the various techniques. In the case of program code execution on programmable computers, the computing device may include a processor, a storage medium readable by the processor (including volatile and non- volatile memory and/or storage elements), at least one input device, and at least one output device. The volatile and non-volatile memory and/or storage elements may be a RAM, an EPROM, a flash drive, an optical drive, a magnetic hard drive, or another medium for storing electronic data. The gNodeB (or other base station) and UE (or other mobile station) may also include a transceiver component, a counter component, a processing component, and/or a clock component or timer component. One or more programs that may implement or utilize the various techniques described herein may use an application programming interface (API), reusable controls, and the like. Such programs may be implemented in a high-level procedural or an object-oriented programming language to communicate with a computer system. However, the program(s) may be implemented in assembly or machine language, if desired. In any case, the language may be a compiled or an interpreted language, and combined with hardware implementations.

[0142] It should be understood that many of the functional units described in this specification may be implemented as one or more components, which is a term used to more particularly emphasize their implementation independence. For example, a component may be implemented as a hardware circuit comprising custom very large scale integration (VLSI) circuits or gate arrays, off-the-shelf semiconductors such as logic chips, transistors, or other discrete components. A component may also be implemented in programmable hardware devices such as field programmable gate arrays, programmable array logic, programmable logic devices, or the like.

[0143] Components may also be implemented in software for execution by various types of processors. An identified component of executable code may, for instance, comprise one or more physical or logical blocks of computer instructions, which may, for instance, be organized as an object, a procedure, or a function.

Nevertheless, the executables of an identified component need not be physically located together, but may comprise disparate instructions stored in different locations that, when joined logically together, comprise the component and achieve the stated purpose for the component.

[0144] Indeed, a component of executable code may be a single instruction, or many instructions, and may even be distributed over several different code

segments, among different programs, and across several memory devices.

Similarly, operational data may be identified and illustrated herein within

components, and may be embodied in any suitable form and organized within any suitable type of data structure. The operational data may be collected as a single data set, or may be distributed over different locations including over different storage devices, and may exist, at least partially, merely as electronic signals on a system or network. The components may be passive or active, including agents operable to perform desired functions.

[0145] Reference throughout this specification to "an example" means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the example is included in at least one embodiment. Thus, appearances of the phrase "in an example" in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment.

[0146] As used herein, a plurality of items, structural elements, compositional elements, and/or materials may be presented in a common list for convenience. However, these lists should be construed as though each member of the list is individually identified as a separate and unique member. Thus, no individual member of such list should be construed as a de facto equivalent of any other member of the same list solely based on its presentation in a common group without indications to the contrary. In addition, various embodiments and examples may be referred to herein along with alternatives for the various components thereof. It is understood that such embodiments, examples, and alternatives are not to be construed as de facto equivalents of one another, but are to be considered as separate and autonomous representations of embodiments.

[0147] Although the foregoing has been described in some detail for purposes of clarity, it will be apparent that certain changes and modifications may be made without departing from the principles thereof. It should be noted that there are many alternative ways of implementing both the processes and apparatuses described herein. Accordingly, the present embodiments are to be considered illustrative and not restrictive, and the embodiments are not to be limited to the details given herein, but may be modified within the scope and equivalents of the appended claims.

Claims

Claims

1 . An apparatus for a radio access network (RAN) node, comprising:

electronic memory to store a plurality of half power beam width (HPBW) radio frequency (RF) beamforming antenna gains corresponding to a plurality of user equipments (UEs) connected to a RAN network; and

one or more baseband processors configured to:

determine, based on the plurality of HPBW RF beamforming antenna gains, a minimum UE RF beamforming gain for the plurality of UEs;

calculate a blockage detection signal (BDS) cycle parameter corresponding to a BDS, wherein the BDS cycle is based on the minimum UE RF beamforming gain; and

generate, for the plurality of UEs, a BDS reconfiguration message that includes the BDS cycle.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the one or more baseband processors configured to generate the BDS are further configured to provide the BDS to the UE using a downlink shared channel (DL-SCH) or broadcast channel.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the one or more baseband processors are further configured to generate the BDS, wherein the BDS has the BDS cycle.

4. The apparatus as in claims 1 , 2, or 3, wherein the one or more baseband processors are further configured to calculate the BDS cycle based on a first quantity of RF beams used by the RAN node to provide the BDS.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the one or more baseband processors are further configured to calculate the first quantity of RF beams based on:

a second quantity of RF beams, wherein the second quantity of RF beams describes a quantity of RF beams utilized by the RAN node to provide the BDS using a maximum RAN node RF beamforming gain corresponding to a UE RF

beamforming gain of OdB; and

the minimum UE RF beamforming gain.

6. The apparatus as in claims 1 , 2, or 3, wherein the one or more baseband processors are further configured to calculate the BDS cycle based on a quantity of RAN node RF beams used simultaneously per symbol.

7. The apparatus as in claims 1 , 2, or 3, wherein the one or more baseband processors are further configured to calculate the BDS cycle based on a BDS duration in symbols.

8. The apparatus as in claims 1 , 2, or 3, wherein the one or more baseband processors are further configured to calculate the BDS cycle based on a BDS interval in subframes.

9. The apparatus as in claims 1 , 2, or 3, wherein the one or more baseband processors are further configured to generate the BDS reconfiguration message based on a determination that the UE is newly connected to the RAN node.

10. The apparatus as in claims 1 , 2, or 3, wherein the one or more baseband processors are further configured to generate the BDS reconfiguration message based on a determination that the UE is no longer connected to the RAN node.

1 1 . An apparatus for a user equipment (UE), comprising:

electronic memory to store parameters of the UE, the parameters

corresponding to a half power beam width (HPBW) radio frequency (RF)

beamforming antenna gain, a calibration flag, and a quantity of RF beamforming antenna; and

one or more baseband processors configured to:

process a UE capability enquiry message received from a radio access network (RAN) node of a RAN network;

access the parameters of the UE from the electronic memory; and generate, including the parameters of the UE corresponding to the HPBW RF beamforming antenna gain, the calibration flag, and the quantity of RF beamforming antenna, a UE capability information message for the RAN network.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 1 , wherein the one or more baseband processors are further configured to generate the UE capability information message for transfer using an acknowledged mode on a UL Shared Channel (UL-SCH)

13. The apparatus as in claims 1 1 or 12, wherein the one or more baseband processors are further configured to process the UE capability enquiry message during a registration of the UE with the RAN node.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the calibration flag comprises a bit flag that indicates whether UE RF beamforming is calibrated.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the calibration flag comprises a bitmap field that indicates if individual antenna panels of a plurality of antenna panels of the UE are calibrated.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the calibration flag comprises a bitmap field that indicates an availability of transmit (Tx)/receive (Rx) reciprocity for RF beamforming at the UE.

17. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the quantity of RF beamforming antenna comprises a quantity of antenna panels that the UE uses simultaneously for RF beamforming.

18. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the HPBW RF beamforming antenna gain comprises a maximum array pattern gain minus 3dB corresponding to a gain at HPBW.

19. A computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon instructions that, when implemented by a computing device, cause the computing device to:

generate, including parameters of a user equipment (UE) corresponding to a half power beam width (HPBW) radio frequency (RF) beamforming antenna gain, a UE capability information message for a random access network (RAN) network to trigger a blockage detection signal (BDS) reconfiguration message;

process the BDS reconfiguration message that includes at least a BDS cycle; and

process a BDS with the BDS cycle.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the instructions to process the BDS reconfiguration message that includes at least the BDS cycle further comprise instructions to process the BDS reconfiguration message further comprising a BDS ID that identifies a BDS allocation.

21 . The computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the instructions further comprise instructions to process the BDS reconfiguration message that includes a BDS start time.

22. The computer-readable storage medium as in claims 19, 20, or 21 , wherein the instructions further comprise instructions to process the BDS reconfiguration message that includes a BDS duration.

23. The computer-readable storage medium as in claims 19, 20, or 21 , wherein the instructions further comprise instructions to process the BDS reconfiguration message that includes a BDS interval.

24. An apparatus for a radio access network (RAN) node, comprising:

electronic memory to store a calibration flag corresponding to a user equipment (UE) connected to a RAN network; and

one or more baseband processors configured to:

determine whether the calibration flag indicates that the UE is calibrated;

if the UE is calibrated, perform a calibrated beam adaptation procedure for the UE utilizing the UE transmit (Tx) beam as a UE receive (Rx) beam; and

if the UE is not calibrated, perform an un-calibrated beam adaptation procedure for the UE utilizing the UE Tx beam that is different from the UE Rx beam.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the calibrated beam adaptation procedure is configured using Tx/Rx channel reciprocity.

26. The apparatus as in claims 24 or 25, wherein the UE is calibrated if an optimal Tx beam is an optimal Rx beam.

27. The apparatus as in claims 24 or 25, wherein the UE is not calibrated if an optimal Tx beam is different from an optimal Rx beam.