JP2021002847A - Coexistence of wireless communication and radar probing - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide coexistence of wireless communication and radar probing.SOLUTION: A terminal 130 performs data communication 108 with a central network base station 112 on a wireless channel 101 adopting a first resource element (shared channels 105 and 106). The base station 112 and the terminal 130 use a radar probing 109 that employs a second resource element that is orthogonal to the first resource element in order to determine the position and/or velocity of a passive object in the vicinity of the base station and the terminal.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Various examples relate to wireless transmitters and receivers and devices with at least one processor configured to communicate data over a wireless channel via the wireless transmitter and receiver. At least one processor is further configured to control the radio transmitter / receiver and participate in radar probing. Orthogonal resource elements are employed for radar probing and data communication, respectively. A further example relates to the corresponding method.

In order to achieve wider data bandwidth, the spectrum used for communication over radio channels is expected to move to higher frequencies, eg frequencies above 6 or 10 GHz.

Radar probing is feasible at such frequencies. This is due to the distinct spatial transmission characteristics of the electromagnetic waves in each spectrum.

However, if data communication and radar probing coexist in the same spectrum, interference can reduce the transmission reliability and / or radar probing accuracy of the data communication.

Therefore, there is a need for advanced techniques in which data communication and radar probing coexist. In particular, there is a need for techniques to reduce interference between data communications and radar probing.

This need is met by the characteristics of the independent claims. The characteristics of the dependent claim define the embodiment.

By way of example, the device comprises a wireless transmitter / receiver and at least one processor. At least one processor is configured to communicate data via a radio transceiver on a radio channel that employs the first resource element of the radio channel. At least one processor is further configured to control the radio transceiver and participate in radar probing that employs a second resource element of the radio channel. The second resource element is orthogonal to the first resource element.

By way of example, the method comprises communicating data on a radio channel that employs a first resource element of the radio channel. The method further comprises involving radar probing that employs a second resource element of the radio channel. The second resource element is orthogonal to the first resource element.

By way of example, a computer program product is provided that includes control instructions that can be executed by at least one processor. By executing the control instruction, at least one processor is made to carry out the method. The method comprises communicating data on a radio channel that employs a first resource element of the radio channel. The method further comprises involving radar probing that employs a second resource element of the radio channel. The second resource element is orthogonal to the first resource element.

The examples described above and the examples described below can be combined with each other and with further examples.

It is a figure which schematically illustrates the coexistence of data communication and radar probing according to various embodiments. The resource mapping of the radio channel adopted for data communication according to various embodiments is schematically illustrated, and the resource mapping is adopted for the first resource element adopted for data communication and the second resource mapping adopted for radar probing. It is a figure including the resource element of. It is a figure which shows schematic the radar probe pulse according to various embodiments. It is a figure which schematically illustrates the device connected to the cellular network involved in radar probing according to various embodiments. FIG. 5 is a signal transduction diagram for a device connected to a cellular network involved in radar probing according to various embodiments. FIG. 5 is a signal transduction diagram for a device connected to a cellular network involved in radar probing according to various embodiments. FIG. 6 schematically illustrates a device connected to a cellular network involved in radar probing according to various embodiments, the corresponding radar probe pulse having an anisotropic directional transmission profile. Schematic representations of devices connected to cellular networks involved in radar probing, according to various embodiments, with corresponding radar probe pulses having an anisotropic directional transmission profile and anisotropic orientation. The sex transmission profile corresponds to the virtual cell of the cellular network. FIG. 6 schematically illustrates a device connected to a cellular network involved in radar probing according to various embodiments, in which the radar probe pulse has an anisotropic directional transmission profile. FIG. 6 schematically illustrates a device connected to a cellular network involved in radar probing according to various embodiments, in which the radar probe pulse has an anisotropic directional transmission profile. It is a schematic diagram of a base station of a cellular network configured to implement a technique in which data communication and radar probing coexist according to various embodiments. It is a schematic diagram of a terminal of a cellular network configured to implement a technique in which data communication and radar probing coexist according to various embodiments. It is a figure which schematically illustrates the reception characteristic of the radar probe pulse received by the antenna array of the wireless transmitter / receiver according to various embodiments. It is a flowchart of the method according to various embodiments. It is a flowchart of the method according to various embodiments. It is a flowchart of the method according to various embodiments.

The drawings should be considered as a schematic representation, and the elements illustrated in the drawings are not necessarily proportional to their actual size. Rather, the various elements are expressed so that their function and general purpose become apparent to those skilled in the art. Any connection or connection between functional blocks, devices, components, or other physical or functional units shown in the drawings or described herein can also be implemented by indirect connections or connections. Couplings between the components can also be established through wireless connections. Functional blocks can be implemented in hardware, firmware, software, or a combination thereof.

In the following, techniques for coexistence of data communication on wireless channels and radar probing will be described. To facilitate coexistence, one or more resource mappings can be employed to coordinate and distribute resource usage between data communications and radar probing. One or more resource mappings can define resource elements for one or more of the following, i.e., frequency, time, space, and code dimensions. Resource elements are also sometimes referred to as resource blocks.

Resource elements can thus have distinct duration in the time domain and / or bandwidth in the frequency domain. Resource elements can be specified for certain coding and / or modulation schemes as alternatives or additions. A given resource mapping can be defined for certain spatial coverage or cells.

In some examples, resource mapping resource elements that are orthogonal to each other are employed for data communication and radar probing, respectively. Here, the orthogonality of the resource elements can correspond to resource elements that are different from each other with respect to one or more of the following, that is, the frequency dimension, the time dimension, the spatial dimension, and the code dimension. In some cases, these cases are referred to as Frequency Division Duplex (FDD), Time Divided Duplex (TDD), Spatial Division Duplex (CDD), and Code Split Duplex (CDD).

Interference between data communication and radar probing can be reduced by adopting orthogonal resource elements for data communication on one side and radar probing on the other side. In addition, it is possible to employ the same hardware, for example handheld devices or radio base stations, to perform both data communication and radar probing.

By adopting radar probing in the context of a device configured for data communication, the functionality of that device can be greatly improved. Examples include positioning assistance, traffic detection, drone landing assistance, obstacle detection, safety detection, photographic features, and the like.

Here, with reference to FIG. 1, an exemplary scenario of coexistence between radar probing 109 and data communication 108 such as packetized data communication is drawn. Here, the base station (BS) 112 of the cellular network (the cell of the cellular network is not shown in FIG. 1) implements the data communication 108 and causes the terminal 130 to join the cellular network via the wireless channel 101. Communication data can include transmit data and / or receive data. In the example of FIG. 1, data communication 108 is illustrated as bidirectional, i.e. including uplink (UL) communication and downlink (DL) communication.

For example, the terminal 130 can be selected from a group that includes handheld devices, mobile devices, robotic devices, smartphones, laptops, drones, tablet computers and the like.

Data communication 108 can be defined with respect to wireless access technology (RAT). The RAT can include a transmission protocol stack in a layered structure. For example, the transmission protocol stack can include a physical layer (Layer 1), a data link layer (Layer 2), and the like. Here, a set of rules can be defined for various layers, which facilitates data communication. For example, layer 1 can specify transmission blocks for data communications 108 and pilot signals.

While various examples are provided for cellular networks with respect to FIGS. 1 and the following, in other examples each technique can be readily applied to point-to-point networks. Examples of cellular networks include networks defined by the 3G Partnership Project (3GPP), 3G, 4G, and the upcoming 5G. Examples of point-to-point networks include networks defined by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), 802.1x Wi-Fi protocol, Bluetooth protocol, and the like. As you can see, different RATs can be adopted according to different examples.

Data communication 108 is supported by both BS 112 and terminal 130. The data communication 108 employs a shared channel 105 implemented on the radio channel 101. The shared channel 106 includes a UL shared channel and a DL shared channel. The data communication 108 can be used to perform uplink and / or downlink communication of application layer user data between the BS 112 and the terminal 130.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, a control channel 106 is further mounted on the radio channel 101. Further, the control channel 106 is bidirectional and includes a UL control channel and a DL control channel. The control channel 106 can be employed to implement control message communication. For example, control messages can allow the transmission characteristics of radio channel 101 to be set up.

Both the performance of the shared channel 105 and the performance of the control channel 106 are monitored based on the pilot signal. The pilot signal, sometimes referred to as the reference signal or sounding signal, can be used to determine the transmission characteristics of the radio channel 101. In particular, the pilot signal can be employed to perform at least one of channel detection and link adaptation. Channel detection can make it possible to determine transmission characteristics of the radio channel 101, such as data loss likelihood, bit error rate, multipath error, and the like. Link adaptation can include setting transmission characteristics of the radio channel 101, such as modulation schemes, bit loading, coding schemes, and the like. The pilot signal may be cell-specific.

Radar probing 109 can be used to determine the position and / or velocity of a passive object in the vicinity of the BS 112 and / or the terminal 130. It is possible to determine the position of a passive object as the distance to the radar transmitter. As an alternative or addition, the position can be determined more accurately, eg, with respect to the reference frame. The radial and / or tangential velocity can be determined. For this purpose, one or more reception characteristics of the radar probe pulse echo can be employed as part of the radar probing. Echoes are typically not transmitted along a straight line, called the line of sight (LOS), for simplicity thereafter, and are affected by reflections on the surface of the object. Receiving characteristics can be processed locally at the radar receiver and / or can be provided to additional entities such as radar transmitters for processing to provide position and / or speed.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, radar probing 109 is also supported by both BS 112 and terminal 130. Thus, the data communication 108 and the radar probing 109 coexist in the hardware of the BS 112 and the terminal 130.

Here, the BS 112 can implement a radar transmitter and / or a radar receiver. Similarly, the terminal 130 can implement a radar transmitter and / or a radar receiver. The radar transmitter is configured to transmit radar probe pulses. Similarly, the radar receiver is configured to receive an echo of radar probe pulses reflected from a passive object.

In the first example, the radar probe pulse is transmitted by the BS112 and the corresponding echo is received by the BS112. In the second example, the radar probe pulse is transmitted by the BS 112 and the corresponding echo is received by the terminal 130. In the third example, the radar probe pulse is transmitted by the terminal 130 and the corresponding echo is received by the terminal 130. In the fourth example, the radar probe pulse is transmitted by the terminal 130 and the corresponding echo is received by the BS 112.

With respect to FIG. 1, a two-device scenario is illustrated, while in a further example, more than two devices can be involved in radar probing 109 as radar transmitters and / or radar receivers, respectively. For example, additional terminals connected to the cellular network (not shown in FIG. 1) can participate in radar probing 109.

In general, the techniques described herein can be implemented on various devices in the network, such as BS112 in the network or one or more terminals 130.

FIG. 2 illustrates aspects of resource mapping 155. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the resource mapping 155 is defined by a frequency domain (vertical axis in FIG. 2) and a time domain (horizontal axis in FIG. 2). The rectangular blocks in FIG. 2 illustrate different resource elements. The first resource element 160 is used in data communication. The second resource elements 161 to 163 are used in radar probing 109. As illustrated in FIG. 2, FDD and TDD techniques are employed to ensure that the first resource element 160 and the second resource elements 161 to 163 are orthogonal to each other. The data transmission 108 is muted, i.e. turned off or suppressed during the period of the second resource elements 161-163. By designing the first resource element 160 and the second resource elements 161 to 163 to be orthogonal to each other, the data communication 108 in the first resource element 160 and the data communication 108 in the second resource elements 161 to 163 Interference with the radar probing 109 can be reduced. By muting the data communication 109 in the second resource elements 161 to 163, it is possible to avoid deterioration of the transmission reliability of the data communication 108.

In the example of FIG. 2, the resource elements 161 to 163 have a similarly limited frequency bandwidth. In some examples, it is possible to implement radar probing 109 covering multiple resource elements 161 to 163 of resource mapping 155 adjacent to each other in the frequency domain. All frequency bandwidths of the resource mapping 155 can be dedicated to radar probing 109.

Shown in FIG. 2 is an example in which the second resource elements 161 to 163 are arranged in an intermittent (intermittent) sequence. The repetition rate or period 151 of the sequence of the second resource elements 161 to 163 includes a duration 152 to which the second resource elements 161 to 163 are allocated to facilitate radar probing 109, and the second resource element 161 It further includes a duration of 153 in which ~ 163 is absent or muted (in FIG. 2, for simplicity, a single iteration of the sequence of second resource elements 161 to 163 is fully depicted).

In one example, the average repetition rate of the individual elements of the sequence of second resource elements, such as period 151, is longer than 0.5 seconds, preferably longer than 0.8 seconds. Such a repetition rate can provide a sufficiently large time resolution for radar probing 109 on one side, but the throughput of the data communication 108 is not unduly reduced.

To facilitate efficient radar probing 109, the duration 152 of the individual elements of the sequence of the second resource elements 161-163 is typically less than 2 microseconds, preferably 0.8. It is shorter than microseconds, more preferably shorter than 0.1 microseconds. Thereby, a significant position / velocity snapshot of the passive object around the devices 112, 130 can be obtained, while at the same time resource is not unduly occupied. Considering the scenario where the distance is d = 50m, the flight time for the radar probe pulse reaches 2 * d / c = 100 / (3 * 10Λ8) = 0.33μs, where c is the speed of light. That's right. Scanning is possible by sizing the second resource elements 161-163 to include a plurality of radar probe pulses.

In some examples, the duration of resource elements 161 to 163 used in radar probing can differ from the duration of resource elements 160 used in data transmission. In general, the time-frequency shape of resource elements 161 to 163 may differ from the shape of resource element 160.

In general, the techniques described herein are not limited to a particular spectrum or band. For example, the spectrum occupied by resource mapping 155 may be allowed or unlicensed. Typically, unregistered devices can gain access in unlicensed bandwidth. In some cases, in allowed bandwidth, the repository keeps track of all eligible subscribers, but in unauthorized bandwidth, a database of such qualified subscribers may not exist. Different operators may access the unauthorized bandwidth. For example, the spectrum occupied by the resource mapping 155 may be at least partially above 6 GHz, preferably at least partially above 15 GHz, and more preferably at least partially above 30 GHz. Typically, as the frequency increases, the aperture of the antenna decreases. Here, high spatial resolution can be achieved when locating a passive object as part of radar probing 109 due to the distinct directional transmission characteristics of the electromagnetic waves employed in radar probing 109. ..

Typically, more antennas in the antenna array can supplement the smaller apertures. This facilitates higher angular resolution for radar probing.

In some examples, the transmit power employed by the data communication 108 on one side and the radar probing 109 on the other side can be significantly different from each other. For example, it is possible to use a significantly larger transmission power during the period of the second resource elements 161 to 163 than during the period of the first resource element 160. The higher transmit power used for the radar probe pulse by at least one of the BS 112 and the terminal 130 can improve the accuracy of the radar probing 109. In another example, it is possible to employ substantially the same transmit power for the data communication 108 and the radar probing 109. For example, the transmission power used in radar probing 109 is at least 5 times, preferably at least 50 times, more preferably at least 100 times greater than the transmission power used in data communication 108. For example, in a cell edge scenario, both radar probing 109 and data communication 108 can employ the substantially maximum hardware-supported transmit power of their respective radio transmitters and receivers.

As an example, at the cell edge, the maximum power for continuous communication may be limited to, for example, about 20 dBm by regulations for this scenario. For short transmission distances, the power may be very small, eg -20 dBm. Radar probing is implemented based on a small number of pulses. Here, larger transmit powers, for example reaching 30 dBm or perhaps 20 dBm, may be implemented. Therefore, various ratios between the transmitted power for data transmission and radar probing are possible.

FIG. 3 illustrates aspects of the radar probe pulse 171 transmitted and / or received during one of the second resource elements 161 to 163, eg, of the second resource elements 161 to 163. One duration can reach 100 μs. The radar probe pulse 171 includes a probing pulse section 165. Optionally, the radar probe pulse 171 can include a data section 166 that encodes data that can help implement radar probing 109.

For example, the probing pulse section 165 can include a waveform having a spectral contribution placed within the frequency associated with each second resource element 161-163. For example, the duration of the probing pulse section 165 may be in the range of 0.1 to 2 μs, preferably in the range of 0.8 to 1.2 μs. The amplitude of the waveform may be modulated, which is sometimes referred to as the envelope. The envelope can have a rectangle, a sinc function, or any other function dependency, depending on the implementation. The duration of the probing pulse section 165 is sometimes referred to as the pulse width. The pulse width takes into account the travel time and allows the echo of the radar probe pulse 171 to be received during the duration of each of the second resource elements 161 to 163, respectively. May be shorter than the duration of.

The optional data section 166 can include additional information suitable for facilitating radar probing 109. Such information includes information about the radar transmitter, such as identification information, location, cell identification information, virtual cell identification information, and / or the radar probe pulse 171 itself, such as transmission time, directional transmission profile. Information can be included. Such information can generally be included explicitly or implicitly. For example, when each piece of information is implicitly included, a lookup method communicated via the control channel 106 implemented on the radio channel 101 is adopted to enable the inclusion of compressed flags. be able to.

In the example of FIG. 3, such information is contained within the data section 166 of the radar probe pulse 171 itself, while in other examples such information is contained separately from the radar probe pulse 171, eg. , It is also possible to communicate in a control message communicated on the control channel 106 in one of the first resource elements 160. Here it is possible to achieve a cross-reference between the control message and the radar probe pulse 171 including, for example, the unique time arrangement of the radar probe pulse 171 and the control message, or the characteristic identifier in the control message and the radar probe pulse 171. it can.

FIG. 4 schematically illustrates an example of radar probing 109. Here, BS112 is a radar transmitter. The BS 112 thus transmits the radar probe pulse 171 in the second resource elements 161 to 163. BS112 implements cell 110 of the cellular network. The cell 110 extends around the BS 112.

The radar probe pulse 171 in the example of FIG. 4 has an isotropic directional transmit profile 180, i.e., having substantially the same amplitude in various transmit directions with respect to the BS 112 (dotted circle in FIG. 4). Schematically illustrated by). Therefore, the amplitude or phase of the radar probe pulse does not show a significant dependence on the transmission direction.

The radar probe pulse 171 can travel from the BS 112 to the terminal 130 along the LOS (dotted arrow in FIG. 4). The radar probe pulse 171 is also reflected by a passive object 140 such as an obstacle, a car, a plant, a house, a car, a person, a wall, a 3D object, a channel, an Earl Cave, and the like. The passive object 140 does not have to have communication capability. Therefore, the passive object 140 does not have to be configured to communicate on the radio channels 101, 105, 106. Due to the reflection at the passive object 140, echo 172 of the radar probe pulse 171 is generated. These echoes 172 can be received by terminals 130 and / or BS 112, as indicated by the respective arrows in FIG.

In some examples, the direction of echo 172 and / or the phase shift of echo 172 may be a characteristic of the position or shape of object 140. The Doppler shift of Echo 172 may be a velocity characteristic of the object 140.

FIG. 5A is a signal transmission diagram of communication between the BS 112 and the terminal 130. The communication illustrated in the example of FIG. 5A facilitates radar probing 109.

First, at 1001, the radio channel 101 is established between the BS 112 and the terminal 130. Here you can perform the participation procedure. After that, the terminal 130 can operate in the connection mode.

In the connection mode, for example, the schedule grant 1001A can be communicated from the BS 112 to the terminal 130 via the control channel 106. The schedule grant 1001A can indicate at least one of the second resource elements 161-163. The schedule grant 1001A can be used to preempt the transmission of radar probing 109, ie radar probe pulse 171. Here, the BS 112 can serve as a central scheduler for the second resource elements 161 to 163, avoiding interference with the data communication 108.

If the schedule grant 1001A indicates only one of the second resource elements 161 to 163, the schedule grant can also be referred to as a dedicated schedule grant, i.e., the particular second resource element 161 indicated by the schedule grant 1001A. Can be dedicated to ~ 163. Dedicated schedule grants can communicate on request / request. A predetermined limited number of radar probe pulses 171 such as a single radar probe pulse 171 can be transmitted for each dedicated schedule grant. Thereby, the adjusted radar probing 109 can be achieved.

However, if the schedule grant 1001A represents a plurality of second resource elements 161 to 163, the schedule grant can be referred to as a persistent schedule grant. Specifically, the schedule grant may indicate some kind of timing pattern or repetition rate of the second resource elements 161-163. For example, a sustained schedule grant can show a repetition rate of 151, a duration of 152, and so on. The second resource elements 161 to 163 may be persistently scheduled in this case, until otherwise notified. Here, an unspecified or unspecified number of radar probe pulses 171 can be transmitted for each continuous scheduled grant. Thereby, a reduction in overhead on the radio channel 101 can be achieved.

In some examples, the schedule grant 1001A can communicate during a unicast transmission from the BS 112 to the terminal 130, and optionally further unicast transmissions to other affected devices connected to the network. .. In another example, the schedule grant 1001A can be broadcast on radio channel 101. Thereby, one or more additional devices communicating on the radio channel 101 can be prompted to mute the transmission of data in at least one resource element indicated by the schedule grant 1001A. Thereby, interference can be effectively reduced for a plurality of devices connected to the network.

The radar probe pulse 171 is then transmitted at 1002. In the example of FIG. 5A, the BS 112 transmits a radar probe pulse 171. In the example of FIG. 5A, the echo 172 of the radar probe pulse 171 is received by the terminal 130.

In the example of FIG. 5A, the terminal 130 evaluates the reception of the radar probe pulse 171 to some extent. In particular, the terminal analyzes the raw received data to determine certain reception characteristics of the echo 172, such as reach angle, flight time, Doppler shift, and / or received power level.

The terminal then sends report message 1003 to BS112. The report message indicates the received characteristics of one or more of the determined echo 172s. Optionally, report message 1003 indicates the location of terminal 130. If one or more reception characteristics, and optionally, based on the position of the terminal 130, are not otherwise known to the BS 112, the BS 112 will then the position and / or of the passive object associated with the echo 172. The speed can be determined. More specifically, once the absolute or relative position of the terminal 130 with respect to the BS 112 is known, it is possible to return to the position of the passive object 140 and make a decision, for example by triangulation. Similar considerations apply with respect to the direction of motion of the passive object 140.

FIG. 5B is a signal transmission diagram of communication between the BS 112 and the terminal 130. The example of FIG. 5B generally corresponds to the example of FIG. 5A. However, in the example of FIG. 5B, further processing is performed at the terminal 130 as a portion of the radar probing 109. In particular, the terminal 130 pre-evaluates the reception characteristics of one or more echoes 172 to determine the relative or absolute position of the object 140. This position and / or speed is included in report message 1004.

In various examples, the amount of logic on the terminal 130, and generally on the radar receiver, may vary. In one example, the raw information about the received echo 172 is reported to a radar transmitter, eg BS112. In another example, some processing of the raw information is performed to determine one or more reception characteristics and / or compress the raw information, as in the example of FIG. 5A, for example. .. In another example, it is even possible to determine the position of the object 140 where the echo 172 is generated. This position can then be reported to a radar transmitter, eg BS112.

Although the various examples above have been described for a radar probe pulse 171 having an isotropic directional transmission profile 180, it is also possible that the radar probe pulse 171 has an anisotropic directional transmission profile.

The various examples above have described scenarios where the BS 112 is a radar transmitter, but in other examples it is also possible for the terminal 130 to implement the radar transmitter 130. Here, the resource mapping 155 can be centrally scheduled by the BS 112. That is, the BS 112 can notify the terminal 130 about the occurrence of the second resource elements 161 to 163. The BS112 can control the resource allocation for radar probing. If terminal 130 implements a radar transmitter, terminal 130 and / or BS 112 can receive radar probe pulses.

FIG. 6 schematically illustrates an example of radar probing 109 in which the adopted radar probe pulse 171 has an anisotropic directional transmission profile 181-183. Anisotropic directional transmission profiles 181 to 183 are associated with the amplitude dependence of each radar probe pulse 171 with respect to orientation with respect to the radar transmitter in the example of FIG. 6 for BS112. In the example of FIG. 6, the anisotropic directional transmission profiles 181 to 183 are implemented by the corresponding pencil beams, but other shapes are generally considered. Anisotropic directional transmission profiles 181 to 183 can be adopted based on beam forming techniques. In beam formation, the amplitude and phase of the antennas in an antenna array are varied according to the weighting of certain antennas. Thereby, it is possible to achieve strengthening interference and weakening interference in different directions with respect to the transmitter. This results in anisotropic directional transmission profiles 181-183.

As illustrated in FIG. 6, a plurality of different anisotropic directional transmit profiles 182 are implemented for different radar probe pulses 171. In particular, the different anisotropy directional transmit profiles 181 to 183 relate to radar probe pulses 171 transmitted during the period of various elements of the second resource elements 161 to 163. In the example of FIG. 6, for simplicity, only three anisotropic directional transmission profiles 181 to 183 are illustrated. In general, a plurality of anisotropic directional transmit profiles 181 to 183 can be employed to cover all around, for example, a radar transmitter.

In the example of FIG. 6, the anisotropic directional transmission profile 182 is implemented as a pencil beam. In general, the pencil beam that mounts profiles 181 to 183 can have an aperture angle of less than 90 °, preferably less than 45 °, more preferably less than 20 °. High spatial resolution of radar probing 109 can be achieved by implementing well-defined or narrowly anisotropic directional transmit profiles 181-183, for example in the shape of a pencil beam as shown in FIG. .. This is evident from FIG. 6, where the radar probe pulse 171 of profile 182 is reflected by the passive object 140. Each echo 172 is received by both the BS 112 and the terminal 130. On the other hand, the radar probe pulse 171 of profile 183 is not reflected by the passive object 140. This is because the passive object 140 is located outside the profile 183.

Anisotropic directional transmission profile 182 can also be employed to reduce interference. At least some anisotropy of the radar probe pulse 171 based on the position of the radar transmitter and / or the position of the radar receiver and / or the position of at least one additional device communicating on the radio channel 101 such as an additional terminal. It is possible to determine sexual directional transmission profiles 181-183. For example, in the example of FIG. 6, the radar probing 109 is adopted based on the anisotropic directional transmission profile 182 in the second resource element 162, and the data of the second resource element 162 with the terminal 130. It can be reused for communication 108. In such an example, the anisotropic directional transmission profile 182 of each radar profile 171 is determined to avoid transmission in the direction of the terminal 130. This is sometimes referred to as spatial diversity.

FIG. 7 schematically illustrates an example of radar probing 109 in which the adopted radar probe pulse 171 has an anisotropic directional transmission profile 181-183. FIG. 7 generally corresponds to the example of FIG. However, in the example of FIG. 7, different anisotropic directional transmission profiles 181 to 183 are associated with different virtual cells 111 of the BS 112 (in FIG. 7, for simplicity, the anisotropic directional transmission profile 181 Only relevant virtual cells 111 are shown). The various virtual cells 111 may be associated with different cell identifiers and therefore, in some examples, different resource mappings 155 can be employed. Pilot signals communicated in different virtual cells 111 can be orthogonal to each other. The virtual cell 111 can facilitate the spatial diversity of the data communication 108. In some examples, the virtual cell 111 can be associated with one or more BSs (not shown in FIG. 7).

FIG. 8 schematically illustrates an example of radar probing 109 in which the adopted radar probe pulse 171 has an anisotropic directional transmission profile 181-183. Here, more than two devices, terminals 130, 131, and BS 112 in the example of FIG. 8 can be involved in radar probing 109. In this example, BS112 is the radar transmitter. When determining the position and velocity of the object 140, the BS 112 can fuse the information received from the terminals 130, 131. For this purpose, the BS 112 can receive the report messages 1003 and 1004 from the terminals 130 and 131, respectively. In addition, when determining the position of the object 140 at velocity, the BS 112 can take into account the echo 172 received directly by the BS 112. Terminals 130, 131 implement a (passive) radar receiver. By taking into account multiple sources of information about the radar probing 109, it is possible to improve the accuracy in determining the position and velocity of the object 140 as part of the radar probing 109.

FIG. 9 schematically illustrates an example of radar probing 109 in which the adopted radar probe pulse 171 has an anisotropic directional transmission profile 181-183. In the example of FIG. 9, in LOS transmission, the terminal 130 can receive the radar probe pulse 171 while each echo 172 returns to the BS 112 (and to the terminal 130, which is not shown in FIG. 9 but optionally). It is illustrated that it is reflected.

FIG. 10 is a schematic view of BS 112. The BS comprises a processor 1122, for example a multi-core processor. The BS 112 further comprises a wireless transmitter / receiver 1121. The radio transmitter / receiver 1121 is configured to communicate on the radio channel 101, for example, by transmission and reception (transmission / reception). Further, the radio transmitter / receiver 1121 is configured to transmit and / or receive the radar probe pulse 171. Processor 1122 can be configured to perform techniques as described herein for the coexistence of data transmission 108 and radar probing 109. For this purpose, a non-volatile memory for storing each control instruction can be provided.

FIG. 11 is a schematic view of the terminal 130. The terminal 130 includes a processor 1302, such as a multi-core processor. The terminal 130 further includes a wireless transmitter / receiver 1301. The wireless transmitter / receiver 1301 is configured to communicate on the wireless channel 101, for example by transmission / reception. Further, the radio transmitter / receiver 1301 is configured to transmit and / or receive the radar probe pulse 171. Processor 1302 can be configured to perform techniques as described herein for the coexistence of data transmission 108 and radar probing 109. For this purpose, a non-volatile memory for storing each control instruction can be provided.

FIG. 12 illustrates the transmitters and receivers 1121 and 1301 in more detail and schematically. The transmitters and receivers 1121 and 1301 include an antenna array 1400 in the illustrated example. Based on the antenna array 1400, for example, an anisotropic sensitivity profile can be employed during the reception period of echo 172 of radar probe pulse 171. For example, in some examples, the accuracy of radar probing 109 can be further improved by adopting the anisotropic sensitivity profile of the antenna array 1400 of the radio transmitters and receivers 1121 and 1301. Such an anisotropic sensitivity profile of the antenna array 1400 can be combined with the isotropic directional transmit profile 180 or the anisotropic directional transmit profile 181-183 of each radar probe pulse 171.

In the example of FIG. 12, transmitters 1121 and 1301 include a single antenna array 1400. In a further example, the transmitter / receiver 1121, 1301 can include a plurality of antenna arrays 1400. The plurality of antenna arrays 1400 can be oriented differently to cover different directions for each device. It can provide omnidirectional coverage.

FIG. 12 more schematically illustrates reception characteristics such as reception power level 1413, reach angle 1412, and flight time 1411. Additional reception characteristics of the subject with respect to radar probing 109 include a Doppler shift that can be used to determine the velocity of the object 140, eg, the radial velocity between the radar transmitter and / or the radar receiver. For example, the reach angle 1412 can be determined absolutely, for example, with respect to the direction of the magnetic north pole provided by a separate compass (not shown in FIG. 12). The reach angle 1412 can also be determined relative, for example, with respect to the characteristic direction of the antenna array 1400. Corresponding information can be included in each report message 1003, depending on the reach angle 1412 and / or further provisions for reception characteristics. An additional reception characteristic is, for example, a phase shift with respect to any reference phase or reference phase defined for line-of-sight transmission.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart of a method according to various embodiments. For example, the method of FIG. 13 can be performed by processor 1122 of BS112 and / or processor 1302 of terminal 130.

First, in 3001, data communication 108 is executed. Therefore, the packetized data can be transmitted and / or received on the radio channel 111 in the first resource element 160. Typically, data communication 108 can be performed based on LOS transmission.

Second, at 3002, involvement in radar probing 109 is performed. Typically, radar probing 109 can be performed based on non-LOS transmission, i.e. echo. The 3002 transmits the radar probe pulse 171 in the second resource elements 161 to 163 (see FIGS. 14 and 3011) and echoes the radar probe pulse 171 in the second resource elements 161 to 163. Receiving 172 (see FIGS. 15, 3021) and determining at least one of the positions in the velocity of the passive object based on at least one receiving characteristic 141-1413 of the radar probe pulse 171 and receiving. Determining at least one reception characteristic 1411-1413 from echo 172 and receiving a control message 1003 indicating at least one reception characteristic 1411-1413, position, and speed of the radar receiver. It can include one or more of them.

To summarize the above, techniques are described that allow the characteristics of higher frequency electromagnetic waves to be reused, not only for data communications, but also for radar probing. Radar probing typically involves measuring the delay profile and reach angle for different reflections / echoes of radar probe pulses.

Some examples describe techniques for implementing communication protocols in which resource elements such as time slots are assigned to radar probing / dedicated to radar probing. In some examples, each resource element can be centrally scheduled by the BS.

Such techniques allow the same hardware to be reused for data communications and radar probing. Therefore, it is possible to save cost, size, identification information and simplify the reduction of interference, both at the system level and for each terminal.

Resource elements for radar probing can be used in permitted and unlicensed bands. Typically, each spectrum may be above 6 GHz to increase the spatial resolution of the resulting radar image. Thus, this technique makes it possible to combine radar probing and data communication in handset devices in overlapping frequency bands. The frequency band of interest can range from 30 to 100 GHz. License-free bandwidth can be adopted. License-free bands are typically specified as accessible to anyone, with some set provisions for output power, duty cycle, etc. in some cases. Interference mitigation techniques described herein are particularly important in such scenarios of unauthorized bandwidth.

The techniques described herein are based on the discovery that both radar probing and data communication can be supported by small, eg, handheld devices. Based on this discovery, techniques are provided that allow the integration of data communication and radar probing capabilities within the same hardware. Different protocols used for data communication and radar probing can be specified in software.

To avoid interference, radar probing can be authorized when performing data communications and vice versa. Therefore, each resource element for radar probing can be scheduled from time to time and / or on demand. If the radar transmitter has knowledge of the orientation of certain additional devices, then by relying on spatial diversity, radar probing can be employed at the same time as data communication with additional devices.

Although the present invention has been shown and described with respect to certain preferred examples, those skilled in the art will be conceived of equivalents and modifications by reading and understanding the present specification. The present invention includes all such equivalents and modifications and is limited only by the appended claims.

For example, the various examples above have been described for radar probe pulses transmitted by BS, but each technique can be easily implemented for radar probe pulses transmitted by terminals. The techniques described herein can be applied to device-to-device channels, sometimes referred to as side-link communication. Specific examples of device-to-device channels include vehicle-to-vehicle communication.

Claims (20)

With wireless transmitters and receivers (1121, 1301),
Data (108) on the radio channel (101, 105, 106) that employs the first resource element (160) of the radio channel (101, 105, 106) via the radio transmitter / receiver (1121, 1301). With at least one processor (1122, 1302) configured to communicate with
The at least one processor (1122, 1302) controls the radio transmitter / receiver (1121, 1301) to employ a second resource element (161-163) of the radio channel (101, 105, 106). Devices (112, 130, 131) further configured to participate in radar probing (109), wherein the second resource element (161-163) is orthogonal to the first resource element (160). ). The at least one processor (1122, 1302) controls the radio transmitter / receiver (1121, 1301) to mute the transmission of the data (108) in the second resource element (161-163). The device according to claim 1 (112, 130, 131). The first or second claim, wherein the at least one processor (1122, 1302) is configured to control the radio transmitter / receiver (1121, 1301) to transmit a radar probe pulse (171). Devices (112, 130, 131). The at least one processor (1122, 1302) controls the radio transmitter / receiver (1121, 1301) to transmit the radar probe pulse (171) with the first transmission power, and the data (108) is the first. It is configured to transmit with a transmission power of 2.
The device (112, 130, 131) according to claim 3, wherein the first transmission power is at least 5 times, preferably at least 50 times, more preferably at least 100 times larger than the second transmission power. The device (112, 130, 131) of claim 3 or 4, wherein at least a portion of the radar probe pulse (171) has an anisotropic directional transmission profile (181-183). At least one additional device (112, 130, 131) with which the at least one processor (1122, 1302) communicates over the location of the device (112, 130, 131) and the radio channel (101, 105, 106). 5. The device of claim 5, which is configured to determine the anisotropic directional transmission profile (181-183) of at least a portion of the radar probe pulse (171) based on the position of. (112, 130, 131). The at least one processor (1122, 1302) controls the radio transmitter / receiver (1121, 1301) to receive an echo (172) of a radar probe pulse (171) reflected from a passive object (140). The device (112, 130, 131) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, which is configured in the above. The at least one processor (1122, 1302) controls the radio transmitter / receiver (1121, 1301) to make the anisotropy sensitivity of at least one antenna array (1400) of the radio transmitter / receiver (1121, 1301). 13. The device (112, 130, 131) of claim 7, configured to receive the echo (172) of the radar probe pulse (171) that employs a profile. The at least one processor (1122, 1302) is a passive object (1411-1413) based on at least one receiving characteristic (1411-1413) of the echo (172) of the radar probe pulse (171) as part of the radar probing (109). Claims 3-8, which are configured to determine at least one of the position and speed of 140), wherein the position is optionally defined as a distance from the device (112, 130, 131). The device (112, 130, 131) according to any one of the above. 12. The device of claim 9, wherein the at least one receive characteristic (1411-1413) is selected from a group consisting of relative or absolute reach angles, flight times, Doppler shifts, phase shifts, and received power levels. 130, 131). The at least one processor (1122, 1302) of the second resource element (161-163) on the radio channel (101, 105, 106) via the radio transmitter / receiver (1121, 1301). The device (112, 130, 131) according to any one of claims 1 to 10, which is configured to communicate a schedule grant (1001A) indicating at least one of them. The device (112, 130, 131) according to claim 11, wherein the schedule grant (1001A) is a continuous schedule grant or a dedicated schedule grant. The device (112, 130, 131) according to claim 11 or 12, wherein the schedule grant (1001A) is broadcast over the radio channels (101, 105, 106). Of the second resource element (161-163), the schedule grant (1001A) is associated with at least one additional device (112, 130, 131) communicating over the radio channel (101, 105, 106). 13. The device (112, 130, 131) of claim 13, which prompts the transmission of data (108) in at least one of the above to be muted. The second resource elements (161 to 163) are arranged in an intermittent sequence.
Claims 1 to 14, wherein the average repetition rate (151) of the individual elements of the sequence of the second resource element (161-163) is longer than 0.5 seconds, preferably longer than 0.8 seconds. The device (112, 130, 131) according to any one item. The second resource elements (161 to 163) are arranged in an intermittent sequence.
The average duration (152) of the individual elements of the sequence of the second resource element (161-163) is shorter than 2 μs, preferably shorter than 0.8 μs, more preferably greater than 0.1 μs. The short device (112, 130, 131) according to any one of claims 1 to 15. The first resource element (160) and the second resource element (161-163) are preferably at least partially above 6 GHz, more preferably in the spectrum in the permitted or unlicensed band. The device (112, 130, 131) according to any one of claims 1 to 16, which is located in a spectrum above 30 GHz. The device (112, 130, 131) is a base station of a cellular network that includes the radio channels (101, 105, 106), or the device (112, 130, 131) is a terminal of the cellular network. , The device (112, 130, 131) according to any one of claims 1 to 17. Communicating data (108) on the radio channel (101, 105, 106) that employs the first resource element (160) of the radio channel (101, 105, 106).
A method comprising engaging in radar probing (109) that employs a second resource element (161-163) that is orthogonal to the first resource element (160). 19. The method of claim 19, which is performed by the device (112, 130, 131) of any one of claims 1-18.

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